Ciao, il mio nome è Helen

Buongiorno. My name is Helen Rosen and I am currently applying to be an AFS exchange student in Italy my Junior year of high school. (2011-2012) I won't start updating consistently until probably around April/May of next year. This blog will help to document my application process as well as my exchange in its entirety. I've read a lot of these blogs and they've really helped me understand more about what happens leading up to the exchange as well as what to expect from people, food, and language. I hope that maybe one day this blog will help someone too. ;) Right now we only have one more week of classes, then exam week then school is out and freshman year is over forever! I'm signed up for drivers ed. giugno (june) 21-25. Should be excruciating, but I would like to have my permit. Here in NC we can get our permits at 15 and our licences at 16. So, I'll get my licence next year and then leave 2 months later and won't drive for a year, that's good practice. :p Also, the last day of driver's ed is the New Pornographer's concert downtown. Sooooo excited. My parents are behind me all the way on this and it's really helping, I walk my rich neighbors' dogs for $150 a month, so I'm contributing and we've already saved about 7,000 dollars. This summer I'm taking Health online as well Honors Civics and Economics over the summer so that I can take AP US History next year. This may sound crazy but US history is a junior year course and they don't exactly offer it in Italy. I will also have to take APES (AP Environmental Science) and Honors English 3 next summer to get all of my credits. Next year is going to be crazy, what with Science Olympiad, Habitat for Humanity, QSA, and my six honors/AP courses. Well, at least I'm going to DYWC this summer. (duke young writer's camp) So excited to see all my friends again. ^-^ Well, until July...

- Helen Rosen