Hey there! I am an Alaskan girl preparing to broaden my world by paricipating in a year-long program with American Field Service in French-speaking Belgium. A year abroad was a difficult decision for me, as I have already graduated from high school, but I believe the total cultural immersion unique to high school exchanges and host families will be invaluable to my growth as a person and my education outside the classroom. I made the decision to defer my enrollment at Gonzaga University as an honors student and take the plunge.
I have lived in Alaska for my entire life, but I have been on a tourist trip through a few European cities and have traveled throughout Alaska and the lower 48 states. I anticipate a lot of cultureshock and claustrophobia after being used to duct-taped, spacious Alaska, but I am thrilled to have the chance to become fluent in another language and meet people with different ideas and perspectives. I hope to gain a better understanding of my own culture as well as Belgian culture and how they interact within the wider context of world culture. Let the adventure begin! Allons-y!