It's an Exciting Day!

Hello! I'm not very tired tonight so I'm up a bit late and I thought I'd catch up. Tomorrow's an exciting day huh? People at school have been debating the significance of 12/12/12 more than they'd probably like to admit, so let's just say everyone's aware of it. I for one think it's really dang cool and I love repeating dates.

In other exciting news, it was my birthday Saturday! I'm 17 now and all I have to show for it is a Justin Bieber singing toothbrush. Hahaha, I'm just kidding I rather like it but I haven't used it. It's weird because I was planning on waiting till I turned 16 to get my permit, but things happened and that delayed, and now I'm leaving for another country in less than a hundred days and I'll be 18 when I get back. Ah, driver's permits are feeling pretty useless right now, but that's okay because chances are I'll be riding my bike around college.

College is really exciting to think about but I'm focusing on my exchange first, don't worry though, I'll be recruiting help to send things out for my applications next fall.

Also, the last bit of news is... I now know when I leave for Japan! On March 18th we have an overnight orientation in L.A. and then off we go! It's very exciting and I've already written it down on every calender I can find. Of course, you can keep track of when I leave with the handy dandy counter in the sidebar.

Goodnight, I hope you all have a great 12/12/12!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Rachel Cornish, but you can call me Maggie. I'm a high school senior from Oregon and come March I'll be traveling to Japan with AFS. I've been interested in Japanese culture since I was a kid, sparked for the most part by my dad's stories of when he was stationed there. As for the Japanese language, that I've been learning off and on for a few years, and it's an exciting and interesting process. Luckily, during the exchange with AFS I will be in Japan for a year, giving me ample opportunity to learn the language and immerse myself fully in the culture.

I will be able to go to Japan in March thanks to the generosity of Mr. Toshiyuki Tanaka and the Pacific Affairs Section (PAS) of the US Embassy in Tokyo, and to them I am eternally grateful. It was a long process, and this is the second year I've applied for their scholarship, but definitely worth it.

The scholarship covers my tuition, but my flights to and from L.A., my school uniform ($600+), and many other things still need to be paid for, and I would appreciate any and all donations to lessen the costs (a link for donations will be available soon). Also, I'll be sending various personalized art and zines from Japan for donations, please message me for information.

I am very excited to have this opportunity and I will be keeping this blog updated through my prep and my exchange, so come on back! Also, feel free to comment with discussions or questions. Thanks!