My name is Ian Kronquist, I am 17 years old, and I am homeschooled. I have been taking classes at Portland Community College for the past several years, and as part of my education I am planning to study abroad in Turkey next year with AFS, the American Field Service Intercultural Exchange Program.
I am leaving for Turkey next September for ten months. I hope to learn about Turkish culture and become proficient in the language while staying with a family and attending a Turkish high school. While I am abroad I will serve as a representative of the United States and American culture. When I return I hope to bring with me another culture's perspective and view of life to share with my friends and family. I hope to promote intercultural understanding between Turkey and the United States in light of the stresses between the West and the Middle East.
Of course, such an amazing experience comes with a price tag. Part of this journey is learning how to support my ambitions and raise funds. I have already applied for and received a merit scholarship, but I still need to raise $5,000 to cover the cost. You can help right now by making a secure donation using the ChipIn! gadget at the top of my blog. I am very excited about this experience, and I hope that you will support me.
I am so excited about your plan to go abroad, Ian! I have always enjoyed reading your writing, and I am really looking forward to reading this blog over the coming year.
ReplyDeleteInternational youth exchange was a very formative experience for me as a teenager. Four incredible exchange students lived with my family for a year each: Gina from Mexico, Astri from Indonesia, Ale from Venezuela, and Marina from Russia. My sister spent a year in Indonesia and I spent my junior year of high school in Germany.
I have so many things I could share on this topic, but I will try to be brief right now... (You may find more comments from me throughout the coming year!) The connections I made with my four exchange students and with my friends and host families in Germany give me the feeling of an almost tangible web wrapping around the world, dozens of individual ropes between me and individuals in many countries. I saw a headline yesterday about food shortages in Venezuela and that was not an abstract fact for me but a very personal one: I immediately thought of Ale and the fact that seven years ago she chose to leave Venezuela for Spain, with no intention of ever returning to her native country, because of the political and economic situation.
I had an amazing and transformational experience going alone to Germany for eleven months when I was sixteen, and I think that you, Ian, will have an even richer experience than I did, having chosen Turkey with care and heading off with a richer and deeper sense of its history and culture. I am eager to hear what you discover about Turkey and about yourself on this adventure.
It is so nice to hear from you Gayle, and thank you for commenting! Please feel free to comment throughout the year. I suspect that I may have some questions for you about living abroad as time goes on. Thank you so much for your personal view and international experience, it makes me all the more excited to go!
DeleteMerhaba Ian,
ReplyDeleteI am a senior sociology student in Turkey. I was in UNC, Chapel Hill when i was junior. And it was a great experience for me.
i hope you enjoy here.
Like you said there are too many things, different civilisations to explore. dont hesitate to ask anything.
i will try to follow you through out the year:)