Wow, a lot has happened with my Japan fundraising and trip plans in the past month and a half!
Not only did I manage to turn in my application a quite a bit earlier than the deadline, but I also managed to organize several fundraisers and start my applications for the scholarships that AFS offers aspiring ambassadors. However, that doesn't mean I'm not still looking for all sorts of new ways to raise the tuition for my exchange!
I recently got a part-time job that's helped me bring in a little bit more money--I've only got about $13,000 left to go on the tuition itself(not counting the expenses outside of it).
I successfully organized a bottle drive in my community(twice!), and I plan to do another one again soon! I've also gotten several donations from family and friends, and I'm super excited about the support that I've received so far.
I've also decided to do a baking sort of fundraiser, one that utilizes my cooking skills and a family banana nut bread recipe(with homemade cream cheese frosting). I haven't really gotten many orders yet, but so far I think it's going well and I'll be successful if I can really get myself out there with it. I'll be posting a couple pictures of the bread and some descriptions of it in a couple days, so stay tuned~
I've also decided that I'm going to start a youtube channel soon, so when I do I'll post the link on here. I don't plan on only posting stuff about my exchange, but it's definitely gonna be themed around it. : )
Also, I'm gonna be periodically posting my progress of my Japanese language studies for practice and input! I recently met a Japanese woman named Akiko through my bottle drive(she donated and left me a cute little letter) who said she would help me with as much as she could. Needless to say, I'm super excited.
Everyone has been really supportive of me so far, and I've been really lucky to get as far as I have. I really hope that things will continue to go in my favor as the year progresses!
