V. The prime age

   I am officially sixteen years old now, and I have been only since the 26th. This is the age that every child wants to reach, when Americans can begin to drive, and when originally I would have been allowed to date. Well, I don't really feel much different, I won't get my permit until I come back, and I'm still not allowed to date either, but I don't really care that much because I am going on an adventure for the best year of my life, and it is going to be amazing. It practically ensures that I will never forget my sixteenth year, and it will be something special.
   Yesterday I had my birthday and goodbye party. It wasn't really much of a goodbye because several of my friends couldn't make it, and I still have three weeks before I go. As much as I wanted July to disappear

IV. Little surprises

   Somehow, slowly and painfully, a watched clock does move, and the days of the calendar do change. Now I have only about one month living here at home.

   As of right now, my mom and I are trying to get my Visa. We got the instructions not too long ago, and basically we have to gather lots and lots of papers, fill them out, and send them to the Swiss Consulate in New York. It's not quite as alarming as my original application was, but it's still taking a lot of work, and we barely started. You might say that a lot of AFSers are stressed out right now. At least I don't have to get an FBI check like some of the students going to Spanish-speaking countries do. Every country's visa process is different.

   Last Saturday, all the Speedwell scholarship winners and a few recent returnees went to Refreshing

III. Long is the wait

   With about two months stretched before me like the sand dunes of a barren desert, I cannot ignore this nagging discomfort of waiting. There is so much to be done, but I am powerless in speeding up time.
   I am waiting probably most importantly to receive my Visa information from AFS, and unfortunately I've heard that the Visa process can be very stressful. I'm also waiting to get my braces off (this will be dangerously close to my departure date), to get a suitcase and various other items for my travel (such as a laptop, camera, Skype, journal, etc.), to buy some fantastic gifts for my host family, to have my Goodbye/Birthday party, to finish my graduation project for school, and just about a million other things. Really all I want to do is just hop on the plane right now and go, especially since I was emailed my travel