Here I come..

Today is the day I got my flight Information. My gateway is in New York and I fly to Berlin first then I'm on my way to Finland. Everything is falling into place, my visa came last week and we have gifts for my family! All I can think of is all the postcards I'm going want to send 😁😁 One month and eighteen days till my new life begins!

So about two weeks ago Finland AFS accepted me and last week I got my host family!!!! I can't even contain my excitement! I was so surprised that I got my family this early too! My host mother asked me to pick what school I want to go too! :\ It's between a big school or a small school. I'm leaning more toward s the bigger school though! Those are my only updates I have for now but I'll post a picture of the city I'll be living in!

The wait...

SO I got the news that I was accepted to AFS and that my application was sent over to Finland AFS to get accepted! This 6- 8 week to find out if I'm going is going kill me! 

New Beginning

About me:

Hei (Hey in Finnish),

I'm Mackenzie Francour from Marinette, Wisconsin. I'm a junior from Marinette High School and plan on studying abroad the first semester of my senior year.  I've applied to study in Finland in the fall of 2014. 

I've always loved to travel and meet new people. So I think studying abroad would be perfect for me. I've decided to apply to AFS because we've hosted students through this program and have only heard good things. My family has hosted three students, and they told me stories why studying abroad was the smartest choice of their lives. I've never been the person to follow the crowd. I like making my own path and hope to influence others in the process. 

Living in a small town there is only so much you can experience. Having big dreams won't get you far in a small town either. My studying abroad dreams relate to my softball dreams. While growing up I've always dreamed of playing softball my whole life and making something of myself. Which is what I did. I tried out for a really good team when I was entering 8th grade and made it. Since then I've been with the program, and I've gained so much out of. We travel around the country for tournaments to be seen by college coaches.  My teammates are also a part of my family because I spend so much time with them.  My softball dream is being accomplished and still is a big part in my life. 

School has always been a time to meet new friends and get a head start on my future. I'm taking college classes, hoping to get a head start  when I go to college. I've always been interested in history. I find it so interesting when we learn about different cultures and wish I could experience it first hand!

What do you expect to gain from the experience:

When I study abroad, I want to get so much more out of than just the food. But who am I kidding, they eat reindeer in Finland, and it sounds so yummy! (I'm a meat lover) I will get a new family and long lasting friends (Like I said I like to meet new people.) I want to experience a whole new culture and be able to bring it back to my family! I will learn how to be more independent by being so far from my parents! Being in a new country and not knowing anyone could be a scary thought, but I think it is an awesome opportunity. I will gain so many new traits I thought I didn't have and be able to work outside my comfort zone.

How/what will you give in return?

In my school I'm considered a leader and being able to go out of my comfort zone so I can encourage other students to do the same. I will document my journey and love to help anyone with the process I went through to be able to study abroad. Since I will have the opportunity to study abroad I will encourage students to do the same because you won't regret the things you do.

Why do you need help financing your AFS experience?

 This is something I've dreamed of for a long time, and it isn't cheap. My parents and school are helping me as much as they can to help me finance my trip, but there is only so much they can do for me. The trip costs $12,600 not including my flight to New York for my departure or spending money!

I recently work at a diner trying to save up for my trip and have been applying for scholarships. Without any assistance this trip would not happen.  I have joined AFSer program to raise money. The AFSer program is an online fundraising tool provided by AFS to allow potential sponsors to make easy, secure, and non tax-deductible contributions to my AFS program fee

To sponsor my AFS program, please click the Donate Now button to make a non tax-deductible contribution directly to my AFS program account.