Last Stretch of School....

Well, its the last 9 weeks of the 2013 School Year. Which means that now all of the projects in school are starting to pile up. (In fact, I have two of projects due tomorrow...).

The last 9 weeks of school are really my motivation for my exchange. Its always the last few months of school that seem to always just drag on. There aren't any days off, and classes seem longer, and the homework load seems heavier.

At this point, I really want to get my GPA and grades as high as I can before I leave for Finland. But there isn't much that happens during my weeks other than going to class, going to ACT prep classes, and then coming home and doing homework.

In the life of ANY outbound exchange student, the story is the same. At first, being an Outbound Student everything is new and exciting! You are new to the program and everything is fun. But as the weeks drag on in school and you get used to being a part of Rotary, the school work and legal forms for your exchange start piling on, and you have to take important tests a YEAR in advance at school...and before you know it, ALL you have time for is work. At this point when there are only 9 weeks of school, EVERYTHING counts.

 And this is something that other students at High School don't really understand. They don't understand how much your grades count compared to everyone else's. For everyone one else at school, they are just preparing themselves for another year of High School; while you are preparing yourself to live abroad for a year. Its very different. And most other kids at your school cant put themselves into your shoes. Well...at least I feel this way at my school.

My GPA for this year transfers over to my Junior year. (Not all High Schools are like this for their exchange students, however mine is.) So, my grades are VERY important for me during these last few weeks. This week is parent/teacher conferences; so hopefully my hard work in school is paying off.

So far my highlight of the week is State Testing. Generally, you take the State reading and math tests as a Junior. However, since I am going to be an exchange student during my Junior year, I must take them a year before the other kids in my grade. (Which for me is VERY stressful.)

It feels like my whole life consists of testing, school work and lectures in class. I cant complain though; I know that all of the other Outbounds feel the exact same way as I do. And of course all of this school work is worth it for one of the best years of my life!

Even if I knew that being an exchange student was going to take THIS much work, I would still do it in a heartbeat. Every school day and every home work assignment is worth it; and as the days count down I know that the more work I do, the more it will pay off and the more I have earned my trip to Finland.

In my eyes, all of the School work and studying I am doing is earning my exchange. To be an exchange student is hard work. You don't just become an exchange student taking the easy road for everything. A Rotarian once said to me, " As Outbound Exchange Students you are one in over a hundred. You represent ONE student in your school. You are not like other kids. You are going to be an exchange student, because you are the best your country has to offer."

Im excited for this last stretch of school to be over. At least I have the Scandinavian/Nordic weekend with Rotary to look forward to in the next few weeks!