So, I had my first interview today, and I think it went pretty well. I was interviewed by the woman who was coordinating the whole thing, and she was lovely, plus she was Australian and I’m a sucker for accents, haha. But yes, she said nice things about me to my dad and overall I feel good about it. Now I just wait. And wait. For at least two more months. I might go crazy.

The rest of this entry is mostly for anyone who hasn’t had their interview yet, and is curious about what it was like. I had to fill out a questionnaire when I got there, about my family dynamics and my favorite classes and extracurricular activities and what have you. I wrote too much, so don’t do that…it was unnecessary, plus it took a while and I didn’t end up mingling with the other interviewees there, which could’ve been interesting.

But yeah, my interviewer was really friendly and she kept the whole thing fairly relaxed, offering anecdotes of her own and whatnot so I wasn’t just talking the whole time. (also, for god’s sake bring a water bottle in with you. it’s uncomfortable when your mouth gets dry because you’re nervous and you just need to keep talking. :p) I was really glad that I’d read up a bit on Turkey, since she did ask about why I wanted to go there. She also asked what my preconceptions I had about what my placement would be like, which I didn’t really know how to answer. The scenario she gave me was something about being in a family where there were limitations on computer time, and what I would do if I were being punished for going over them. She also asked about the most difficult time in my life and what my two biggest goals for the exchange were, outside of learning the language, which I wish I’d had a better response for.

Then my dad came in and she asked a few more questions, and he asked her a few questions, and it ended up being close to an hour.

tl;dr: It’s not scary! Just relax and be prepared to talk about your country choice, reasons for wanting to do an exchange, and so on. And bring water in with you.

I’ve seized this opportunity to write a quick introduction to my new blog.

First of all, I impulsively decided that I absolutely had to use the above-mentioned Jack Kerouac quote, and the fact that “ourbatteredsuitcases” was not taken on WordPress is the reason that I’m trying out this brand-new (to me) blogging platform. I haven’t even begun to understand the ins and outs of WordPress, but hopefully I can figure out how to make this work and avoid reverting to Blogger or tumblr, at least until the next time I am suddenly overtaken by a desire to use a certain blog URL.

Second, oh my gosh I haven’t mentioned the point of this yet. That’s embarrassing. Essentially, I am your average American teenager with an incredibly short attention span who is never satisfied with what she has (this is not precisely true), and I’m looking for a new adventure via an exchange for the 2010-2011 school year (this is). I have applications in for the CBYX scholarship to go to Germany and the NSLI-Y scholarship to go to basically wherever they want to send me (hoping for Turkey at the moment), but these are both highly competitive programs. I have an interview for NSLI-Y this Sunday and the selection committee for CBYX at the end of the month, so if anyone happens upon this blog before then, direct positive thoughts toward me, would ya? In a perfect world, I’ll be offered at least one of those scholarships and scamper off happily to my exciting life in country x sometime next summer or fall. Of course, I’m competing against thousands of other students – most of whom are incredibly motivated, intelligent, and well-rounded people –  for a relatively small number of spots. (Speaking of motivation, I bet most of them are doing homework right now instead of fantasizing about their exchanges. Oops.) So if those two don’t work out (how I hope and I pray that they will, but today I am still…just a bill?), I’ll probably end up shelling out my life’s savings for a normal AFS exchange program to a Spanish-speaking country — after all, I have been studying Spanish for about five years now, so if I do end up needing to fund my own trip, I might as well put that amazing public school education to good use…
Seriously, though, I do love Spanish, so while Germany is my first choice because I love it there and Turkey/Russia/India/South Korea/China/Jordan/Egypt (mostly Turkey) come second because they also sound incredible, the only reason I’d be disappointed to end up in South America is the lack of a full scholarship.

So, that’s pretty much where I stand right now. I should really get on that homework. I’ll probably forget about this for a while, so farewell sweet blog. We’ll meet again when I have some sort of clue regarding my plans for next year. Or in a few days. You just never know with these things.

Much of my work over the last several years has involved attempts to measure intercultural competence. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is one indicator I have used extensively. (Read more in “Research and Relevant Bits” here on the www.interculturaleyes.org site.) Based on the Milton Bennett theory of how cultural sensitivity is developed, I am still convinced that the IDI provides a relevant marker and profile for the way that a person experiences cultural differences. The Bennett theory includes strategies for moving from one developmental stage to another, and from my own experience in working with training programs, I am fully convinced that motivated people can be “taught” sensitivity through guided reflection and by calling their attention to the way in values and habits have been developed within their own culture. But the key word here is “motivated” and it’s much less clear how that motivation is developed.

The research I conducted with AFS alumni from the 1980s suggested a relationship between international experiences and intercultural sensitivity, but so often the first experience came from childhood exposure to other countries and cultures, and especially from parents who encouraged their children to meet people from other countries and cultures. The fact that participation in an AFS high school program so often runs in a family reinforces this theme: the motivation is already there.

As a result, I’ve been thinking about motivation, which increasingly strikes me as the most important variable in developing intercutural understanding. While groups involved in violent conflict or even just verbal conflict may grow tired of conflict, they are more likely to be motivated to avoid the other group than to engage them, even though engagement may ultimately be more productive in ending the conflict.

If motivation for study abroad often comes from parents, then why do parents encourage their children to meet people from other cultures? I would guess the impetus is similar to encouraging their children to enjoy music, play sports, read books, go to museums. While there may be an element of “it’s good for you” in the push parents give to these activities, I would suppose that in general, parents who encourage their children to study abroad believe that other cultures are interesting and attractive. 

This caused me to revisit the work of Todd Pittinsky on allophilia. Five years ago when I first learned of his work, allophilia reminded me of the “Reversal” type of defense in the Bennett model, which emphasizes an excessive focus on the flaws of one’s own culture and an idealized view of the other culture. Presentations of Bennett’s model often exclude the dicussion of “Reversal” which is one of three types of “Defense” experiences. Developmentally, Reversal is seen as no more advanced than Defense, but rather is Defense against one’s own culture. Nevertheless, the factor analysis that was used in creating the IDI scales clearly showed that Reversal was a unique scale, seperate from the Defense scales. Though a Reversal outlook still experiences cultures as “Us” versus “Them” it may well be the tipping point that pushes people to engage with other cultures.

Reversal is not exactly allophilia, which focuses on the attraction, comfort, affection, kinship, and engagement with the other culture or group, but there may well be a correlation between the two concepts. Of course, the exchange student who arrives in a new culture with nothing but good things to say about it tends to be more welcomed in the host family than the one who constantly talks about what’s better back home. And that first exchange student may be more motivated to change, to learn, and to form new relationships with people in the other culture. In a newer article, Pittinsky lists some common and simple ways to try to generate interest and familiarity with other cultures in the classroom. These may be some of the same things that parents do to encourage their children to become interested and engaged with other cultures.

Might attitudes of allophila prevent conflict? My guess would be no. My research has found that Defense frequently exists side by side with Reversal in many individuals’ experience of other cultures. A certain level of conflict is even quite compatible within many committed relationships. But the attitudes of allophilia — particularly affection, kinship (or belonging) and engagement — are essential for the kind of personal commitment that would be crucial to maintain a relationship when conflict occurs.

Associate Food Stores (i.e. M & W, Red Apple) are having a good sale on select General Mills products this week with the in-ad coupon.  Check your ad for any deals I haven’t listed.

Mix and Match any 10 of these for $1 each with in-ad coupon.  Final price depicts purchasing 10 participating items.

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits 10/$10 with in-ad coupon

• use $.30 cents off 2
• or use the $.30 cents off 2 from HERE and HERE
• final price $.85 each 
• or use the $1 off coupon from HERE
• final price $.50 cents each

Progresso Soups 10/$10 with in-ad coupon

• use $1 off 4
• 0r use $.50 off 2
• final price $.75 cents 

Hamburger Helper 10/$10 with in-ad coupon

• use $1 off 3 from HERE
• final price $.67 each

Green Giant Frozen Vegetables 7-10 oz. select varieties 10/$10 with in-ad coupon

• use $1 off 3 from HERE
• final price $.67 each

S & W Specialty Beans

• use $.50 cents off 3
• final price $.61 each

Campbell’s Tomato or Chicken Noodle Soup 10.75 oz. $.67

• use $.40 cents off 4
• final price $.57 each

Jif Peanut Butter 17.3 – 18 oz. $2.19, Smuckers Grape Jam or Jelly 32 oz. $1.87

• use $1 off wyb Jif and Smuckers
• final price $3.06 for both (1.53 each)

Hunts Snack Pack 4 pk. 3.5 oz $.99

• use $.30 cents off 2
• final price $.84 each

by Marc Shoffman, for Financial Times Advicer, January 7, 2010.

The newly formed Association of Financial Mutuals has vowed to improve corporate governance and grow the sector in the next year.

The Association of Friendly Societies and the Association of Mutual Insurers officially merged at the turn of the year to form the AFM trade body, pledging to represent the interests of the UK’s financial mutuals sector.

Martin Shaw, previously general secretary of the Association of Friendly Societies, has been appointed as chief executive while Mike Yardley, chief executive of Royal London Group, will be the group’s Chairman. Further appointments will be announced in the coming months.

Martin Shaw, chief executive of the Association of Financial Mutuals, said the new organisation’s goals included influencing the manifestos of the main political parties ahead of the general election, protecting and promoting the values of the mutual sector and responding to the retail distribution review proposals…(continue reading)

doug******@*******.com says: Norway was because I wanted to go to somewhere in Scandinavia and Sweden closed up the day after I applied for it so I got my second choice (Norway) and didn’t really know about any differences between the two
doug******@*******.com says: I know we’ve talked about it but I don’t remember. Why did you pick it?
Greg says: fjords…

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Here I am again, back in the Bay! Life has been busy for me in the past few weeks, and I haven’t had the motivation to blog.

Thanksgiving is now past and faraways, but memories of Vailate are still fresh in my mind: seeing Jessica’s vibrant smile, not to mention new slim figure; meeting her adorable mother; having a San Francisco cocktail at a local lounge courtesy of her sister Sunta; stuffing my stomach with everything Italian–seriously, everything (pizza, pasta, turkey, lasagna, you name it, I ate it); experiencing a legit discoteca in Bergamo; freezing outside in Crema at 5am in the morning for the first café to open because we had no ride home…
It was an amazing weekend, and I can’t wait for my first trip down to Italy when I go back next semester!

Finals took place shortly after that. And I don’t know how I did it, with a History research paper due mid finals-week, but I did it. Pulled a couple of all-nighters, not surprisingly, but in the end everything turned out okay and I’m fornøyd with my grades. (A’s in French and Italian, B’s in everything else.) I’ve also made it off the waitlist for the travel that I really wanted, so it looks like I’ll be going to Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia in the spring!

After my last final on Thursday, I hurriedly packed my things and got on the train from Lugano to Basel, where I proceeded to spend the night and have the best sex of my life. The following day I border-hopped over to France, where a jolly with Marie la Française et sa famille awaited.

The weekend with Marie was the last before I had to return to the US. We spent the afternoons in France and the evenings in Germany, where we caught up on our separate lives after exchange at the koselig Gästehaus Jäger.
The Christmas markets in Alsace were festive and full of people. I purchased myself a jar of Terrine Strasbourgeoise (which I am currently enjoying very much here in the US) and tried some terrific French food, including a croque monsieur and rosti. I also learned proper wine-tasting etiquette, and discovered that I prefer sweet white wines the most. On our last day together we decided to instead explore the German town of Freiburg: less Christmasy, but just as neat–and just as cold. (I think the temperature up there was around -5°C! I was not well kledd, to say the least.)

The next 48 hours were rather uneventful: I overnighted at Zurich International Airport, which apparently closes at night. (There was nothing after 11pm. They even turn off the lights.) And the 20 hours of flight weren’t any more exciting. Not even a good looking steward. Well, that’s not entirely true; he just served first class.

And then I arrived in the United States.
A suivre…

Yea its that time only a month away until I leave but still have to do my schoolwork. Need to buy some clothing for Austria so that is still pending. Also I need to continue my german education so I can will be ready to go once I get there

A hard time came for the boy and the girl: the distance between them created a big mountain of obstacles.

Let’s proceed with our story! (june 2006-september 2007)

So 3 months before I had to return to Belgium after a year Ghana, K. and I got seriously involved. Of course the knowledge that I had to leave soon was quite present so we were taking it slow and seeing how things would evolve. Before I left we even agreed that we would phone or skype once in a week and for the rest we would e-mail. Once back that didn’t work at all! I got a cellphone (didn’t have one before) and we talked (still do) to each other every day. We both realised how serious it was when I went on a trip for a couple of weeks with AFS (the exchange programme) that my sweet American friend and I extended. God, how I missed him so much there! I even didn’t feel like travelling much longer then, my dear friend and I burst out in tears on a terrace somewhere, once we split from the group to continue our personal travel. Could also have been from the tiredness… I’m still so happy we continued that trip coz we saw some amazing, once-in-a-lifetime things! Anyways, we returned and from then on I knew that I was definitely in love.

The time came that I had to leave, how quickly that last week passed! It always does, there are always a million things you have to get or a million persons you have to see before you leave so everything happens in a rushed way. The very last day of my stay in Ghana we reserved for ourselves though, we were already in Accra by then and K. got the house-key from one of his friends in Accra. That’s the very first time I saw my man crying and it still touches my heart when I think of it.

I got back to Belgium and I remember having a very very difficult time in the beginning. Not only I was missing my honey, I also returned home after a year in a foreign culture and a strange home that I had made my own by the end. I remember feeling like trying to fit or being pushed into my old place in the family/my Belgian Life and that it just wouldn’t fit. I remember not knowing what to do, strange meetings with my old friends who still saw me as the girl from highschool they knew. Many instances they were surprised of me and saying that I would have never done/said that before, that I changed so much. I found a holiday-job, tried to keep busy so my mind wouldn’t go of wondering. Threw myself on university, it was so exciting all. But once alone in my room I would get so sad and cry myself to sleep. The winter came with its early nights, cold, and lonely days in a single room. My phone-bills got out of control. I remember having a fight about it with my parents, they opened one of the bills and it was just astronomically high. They didn’t understand. I burst out in tears. K. was also having a hard time. There would be times that we were crying both over skype. Or I was crying and he was saying sweet things to me. Or he was crying and I was trying to make him laugh again. I got my exam-schedule, saw my exams finished early so we had a two-week break in february before school started again and started searching for a cheap ticket. I gently brought it up at home, they weren’t so keen on it. But I booked the ticket anyway. Finished my exams successfully, got to Ghana and spent two weeks in a very hot apartment in Accra, hosted by our good friend M. K. had to go to school from time to time, but it was still heaven on earth. We were both so happy I came down, the whole trip gave us the confirmation that this was it, it was good. It gave us the power and strength to carry on with the whole relationship although there was no ‘happily ever after’ in view yet. Got back to Belgium and started studying again. There were still moments that I thought I wasn’t strong enough to go through that lonely, missing feeling, those days I just wanted to stay in bed and cry, for another 3 years until we both got finished with studying. But somehow we got through that first year. It’s funny but after a while it really feels like you get used to the constant missing. Sometimes I suddenly realised all in panic that I forgot how his face actually looks like, that always freaked me out.

As I said before we talked/talk a lot. Every day he would call me (it’s cheaper for him to call) for at least a 5 minute talk. I would send him tons of texts, we would talk on skype for hours, until the middle of the night. It always makes me feel so much closer to him. That’s the only way I can feel he is really there. You know the feeling that imagining life happening at the other side of the globe, or even in a neighbouring country, is so difficult? It’s like life can only be happening, moving on where you are. Going back somewhere you always feel time should have stopped there, only to realise once you arrive that life goes on without you. Hearing K. on the other side of the phone made him more real to me, made me feel close to him despite the physical distance. Sometimes it happens that he switches his phone of, forgetting to warn me, so he doesn’t get disturbed by clients or family. When that happens I completely lose it, I’ll call him a million times, in the hope he switched his phone back on. I’ll send loads of angry texts, I’ll panick thinking that he might got into a deadly accident. Just because I lose my only point of contact with him, my only way to feel close to him.

Once the summer-holiday was there I got a job (for a month) to finance my next ticket to Ghana. I departed again and spent the rest of my 3-month holiday in Ghana, got back to Belgium just when classes started again. In that holiday we moved from K. single-room apartment, where the double bed took every space. Our flat should have been ready-NOT, but we got to stay in an other building, a guest house!,  from the land lord. It was like camping in a house, not much fun. There were mice in the bathroom, snakes on the roof,… But at least we had our privacy, which wasn’t at the old place where we had to share the bathroom and cook outside on the porch with everybody watching what the obruni (white/foreign person) is going to do. The kids got also the annoying habit to come calling me at the door. Let’s say I was happy to get out of there!

In the summer of 2007 we started thinking about K. visiting Belgium, getting to know my family, seeing where I grew up, etc. We started looking for information which proved not easy to come by. It promised to be a tough ride, since there is no Belgian embassy in Ghana. But more of that in my next post of the Kwesi&Esi Saga!

Jaokei, som de fleste kanskje har fått med seg, har jeg vært på utveksling i Mexico. Jeg reiste med AFS, og har ingenting å utsette på de, bortsett fra at vi i lokallaget nesten aldri møttes. (Men dette er heeelt opp til lokalkontakten, noen plasser møtes de for mye igjen) Jeg følte at jeg fikk bedre kontakt med de gjennom YFU, og det sier kanskje litt. Jeg fikk kjempebra oppfølging da jeg sa jeg ville hjem, fikk omvisning i Mexico City på hjemreisedagen, og de hadde gjort en super jobb med å finne en bra vertsfamilie. Det var vel den jeg var mest fornøyd med med hele oppholdet!

For å bli vertsfamilie må du, som utvekslingsstudenten, gjennom intervjuer og skrive litt om deg selv. Nå vet ikke jeg om det er likt i hele verden, men vertsfamilien min mottok i alle fall papirer (f.eks. brevet om deg selv og bilder som du må legge med i søknaden) fra flere mulige “kanditater” og valgte til slutt den de mente passet best til sin familie, antakeligvis i samråd med AFS. Det er altså ikke utvekslingsstudenten selv som velger familie.

Meg og mine fine søstre fra en av de første dagene. Det føles ut som en evighet siden! Fine minner, ja ♥

Når du velger å trekke deg før programslutt, slik jeg gjorde, får du ingen av pengene tilbake. Du betaler for et år, og det er liksom ikke deres feil om du velger å avbryte tidligere. Heldigvis hadde jeg fått et bedriftstipend fra NTE, og de var utrolig snille, sa at “sånt kan skje”, og lot meg likevel beholde stipendet. Det er jeg og foreldrene mine, som slapp å bli ruinert, supertakknemlige for!

Som utvekslingsstudent opplever du mye bra, mye rart, mye dårlig, mye spennende, mye vanskelig og ikke minst myyye nytt. Skolen er vel kanskje den største overgangen, og for meg som havnet der absolutt ingen snakka engelsk bortsett fra engelsklæreren (det er ikke en selvfølge å ha en engelsklærer som snakker engelsk, altså, det hadde ikke naboskolen..), sa det seg selv at de første ukene var HARDE. Det er vanskelig og det er begrenset hvor mange ganger man får bruk for basicspansken – du kan jo ikke akkurat gå å si navnet ditt og at du er fra Norge i hver eneste samtale du fører. Trøsten er at de aller fleste lærer raskt når man blir tvunget til det.

Ellers vil jeg tro at det er enklere i f.eks. europeiske ikke-engelskspråklige land, for der kan vel de fleste engelsk, og kan klare å hjelpe deg når du ikke skjønner. Hos meg måtte vi prøve å si setningen om og om igjen, tegne, mime, og skjønte vi fortsatt ikke hverandre etter det, var det ikke så mye mer å gjøre enn å gi opp. Men etter to måneder skjønte jeg mer eller mindre alt folk sa til meg, så det kommer seg fort!

Men ja, tilbake til skolen. Jeg syntes skolesystemet på skolen min sugde. Jeg vet ikke om dette er vanlig meksikansk standard, eller om det bare var jeg som var litt uheldig – for det er viktig å huske på at i Mexico er det STORE forskjeller på sør/nord og steder generelt! Lærerne dukket opp når de følte for det, om ikke jeg misforsto helt. Men det var i alle fall ikke sjeldent at timene ble avlyst på grunn av lærere som ikke var der. Jeg tilbragte sikkert i snitt 5/8 timer av skoledagen i kantina – som forøvrig var to boder og noen plastikkstoler utendørs under et tak. Greit med varme!

De timene jeg faktisk hadde, skjønte jeg jo ikke så mye av, heller, så det ble mye tegning og skribling av “Julie + Petter” og andre kule ting, hihi, og lakking av negler i timene. Dette gjorde forøvrig alle, de fleste jentene hadde med seg speil på skolen og satt og sminka seg i timene. Men ja, du bør være forberedt på å sitte rimelig blank på skolen i starten om du ikke drar til England/Usa/Australia osv.

Fritiden var allikevel det som var det verste problemet for meg, da tilbudet var superduperlavt. Og så bør en være forberdedt på kulturkræsj nesten uansett hvor man bor – men dette klarer garantert INGEN å forestille seg på forhånd. Jeg var forberedt på at det “ville bli vanskelig å bare snakke spansk, men det ordna seg helt sikkert.” Ja, det ordna seg jo, men trooo meg: du kommer til å ha så vondt i hodet som du aldri før har hatt den første uka, forbanne språket en 2-3 ganger og synes det er tungt. Men dere aner HELLER ikke hvor utrolig gøy det er når man føler man begynner å beherske språket! Det føles KONGE!!!

Angrer jeg på at jeg ikke dro til USA, er det en del som har spurt. Nei, jeg gjør faktisk ikke det! Jeg mener, det ville være å ha gjort alt mye enklere for seg selv, og man opplever jo “the american dream”, så det frister såklart. Men allikevel opplever du så utrolig mye spennende og annerledes i Mexico (eller andre land) også, jeg har fått vært med på så mye som jeg alltid vil være glad for at jeg var med på. Det er viktig å huske at det er folk som reiser hjem fra USA også, og det er folk som har the time of their life i Mexico. Opplevelsene er individuelle, og noen er mer uheldige enn andre.

Skulle jeg derimot valgt på nytt nå, tror jeg kanskje heller jeg ville dratt med englandsprogrammet som fylkeskommunen kjører, der man kan reise hjem på ferie når man vil og motta besøk når man vil. Så vidt jeg har skjønt er ikke de så bundet av regler som de som reiser med f.eks. AFS er, og jeg tror at den løsningen ville vært bedre for meg. Men det vet jeg jo ikke! Jeg er glad jeg reiste til Mexico, jeg, det var bare synd det ikke funka som jeg hadde trodd på forhånd.

Dere kan lese de andre utvekslingsbloggene jeg linker til; både meksikanske, portugisiske, usa-folk og italienske, så kan dere se hvordan folk har det litt overalt. Jeg tror det er hardt, gøy og spennende uansett hvor man drar, og definitivt noe du vil ha med deg for livet. Linkene ligger nederst på bloggen (skroll deg til bunnen), oooog: LYKKE TIL alle kommende utvekslingsstudenter!!!

Vi landade i Costa Rica i juli år 2009. Vi var tjugofem förväntansfulla blivande volontärer, från olika delar av världen, i åldrarna 17 till 23 år.

Då var vi främlingar med språkligt relaterade kommunikationsproblem. Nu är vi vänner med månader av upplevelser och betraktelser att diskutera intill ett galopperande hav.

På hotellet i Punta Leona utnyttjade vi tiden för att umgås vid poolen, på stranden, i nattklubben, i restaurangen och på hotellrummen.

Det är sorgligt, men sant, att avskedet på söndagskvällen förmodligen var det sista för många av oss. Jag tänker inte skriva mer om det – det känns så dumt att fokusera på avsked då man kan tänka på alla glada stunder man haft tillsammans.

Vi har alla spenderat mycket pengar för att kunna genomföra resan hit till Centralamerika. Trots detta kan jag inget annat än konstatera att vi alla är mycket rikare idag än vi var då vi kom.

Tiden med organisationen AFS är nu slut, och jag tackar och bockar för hjälp och stöd. Om någon undrar över min upplevelse av AFS, eller som volontär får ni jätte gärna höra av er – i bloggen eller per e-post.

Vi kallade helgens resa för ”Endstaycamp”. För mig och flera av mina vänner var det bara slutet för en etapp i Centralamerikas varma härlighet. På onsdag åker jag med fem vänner till Nicaragua. Där vi ska bo på en ekologisk farm några dagar innan vi fortsätter på vår backpackerresa som kommer att sluta i Panama.

Sebagai satu-satunya pusat informasi dan servis resmi di Indonesia, Nikon Professional Service (NPS) telah mendapatkan peringkat Grade-A dari Nikon Jepang. “Indonesia termasuk salah satu negara di Asia yang mendapat peringkat Grade-A bersama Hongkong dan Thailand dalam kategori servis,” ujar Denny Saputra. Peringkat tersebut setiap tahunnya akan dievaluasi oleh Nikon Jepang, termasuk peralatan servis yang dimiliki.

Beberapa perangkat canggih yang dimiliki NPS, di antaranya:

Adjustment VR
Perangkat yang menguji lensa tipe VR sesuai dengan standar yang ditentukan lewat komputer.

Shutter tester
Pengecekan seluruh tipe kamera melalui komputer untuk speed, diafragma, dan TTL lens.

Color view
Sebuah perangkat yang terkoneksi dengan komputer untuk adjustment White Balance (WB) pada kamera digital.

Adjustment focus
Pengukuran sensitivitas lensa dengan perangkat program komputer.

Adjustment lens infinity
Perangkat standar untuk mengukur infinity sebuah lensa.

Adjustment AFS lens
Perangkat standar yang terkoneksi dan dikontrol oleh komputer untuk lensa AFS.

Adjustment back focus
Perangkat sederhana untuk mengecek back focus sebuah lensa

Semua foto: S. Dwiyanthoputra

Mina kollegor kallar in mig i ett av mötesrummen. Till min stora överraskning och glädje väntar kaffe och tårta. Jag får kort de tillverkat av olika färgade papper med lyckönskningar och tack. Ännu mer glad och förvånad blir jag då en gåva överräcks. En t-shirt med diverse ordspråk från Costa Rica.

Min volontärkollega Yo skakar hand med mig då han får veta att jag är där för sista gången. Något senare under vår lunchrast får jag, inslagen i två plastpåsar, en porslinsmugg med polkagrismotiv av honom.

Det är med tungt hjärta jag bjuder på godis och kramar om barnen en sista gång. Mitt jobb har varit en utmaning. Ibland inte alls roligt och ibland ansträngande. Jag tror inte att jag kommer att längta tillbaka till själva arbetet så mycket, men barnen och mina kollegor kommer jag definitiv att sakna.

Det sista ordet får en tjeck kille på tre år. Han springer fram till porten precis då jag ska vända på klacken och hojtar att jag måste akta mig för ”El lobo feroz” (i sagorna på svenska brukar man säga ”den store stygge vargen”). Jag lovar dyrt och heligt att jag ska akta mig och ger honom en extra kram innan jag går.

På en sekund är tiden för mig som volontär på daghemmet i Costa Rica till ända. Det är svårt att avgöra om den sekunden är lika lång som alla andra sekunder jag upplevt i mitt liv. Detta eftersom just den sekunden är en av dem som troligtvis kommer att ha haft störst betydelse längs vägen.

Följer uttrycksfulla bilder på några av “mina” barn. Tycker att bilderna, som man brukar säga, säger fler än tusen ord – inte sant?

Tem certas coisas pelas quais eu passo aqui que eu penso, “isso nunca ocorreria no Brasil!”. Outras tantas coisas que eu sei que nao se repetirao por là. Sàbado de tarde a Diana (Brasil) e a Laura (Alemanha) vieram pra minha casa pra dormir por aqui, que no domingo iamos pra um picnic do pessoal da AFS. Mas no sàbado de noite tinhamos combinado de sair comer pizza com os outros intercambistas e voluntàrios. Ok. Começou aì. Fomos pegar um onibus, e quando estavamos chegando no ponto vimos o onibus parado num semaforo, corremos corremos corremos, e conseguimos chegar a tempo. Chegamos ao Campo di Fiori, encontramos os intercambistas,  fomos num bar beber esse negocio patriota horrivel, comemos uma pizza tamanho familia (individual), e agora a parte tensa. Estavamos esperando os pais da turca no Largo Argentina, quando vi o onibus 30, que era uma boa opçao para pegarmos, porque para pertissimo de casa, melhor do que o 23. Ok, corremos! Corremos! Corremos!  E o onibus nao parou em nenhuma das duas fermatas pela qual nòs passamos ofegantes correndo, quase rolando pòs-pizza. Legal, de repente estàvamos em frente ao Vittoriano, nao sei como chegamos là, e nao achamos nenhum ponto pra pegar o 30. Um velhinho simpàtico nos ajudou dando dicas, pegamos um onibus até a estaçao central, e de là pegamos o 30! Ae ae, depois de uma hora e meia chegamos em casa. Mas calma, antes de chegar em casa tem mais uma parte tensa. Sem contar o onibus cheio de indianos. Erramos a parada de onibus, descemos umas tres antes. Andamos por 10 minutos até chegar em casa, até a parte dos 10 minutos é ok, a parte ruim é que era meia noite e quinze. Anyway, finalmente chegamos em casa.

No domingo, picnic, nos divertimos, tchà-tchà, fomos pra Piazza del Popolo,  Piazza de Spagna, e jà estava ficando tarde, elas precisavam pegar o trem. Voltamos pra casa correndo, pela milesima vez, pegamos as malas, e corremos com a Diana, que quase perdeu o trem, chegou na hora exata, e a Laura tambem que foi correndo, mas no fim meu host-father levou-a de moto. Fou um final de semana e tanto, adorei, mas nossa, que correria. Quando vou fazer isso no Brasil? Tà dificil..

These are what I found to be the best deals this week.  Prices may vary a few cents between stores.  Check your ad for more deals!

Western Family Whipped Topping – $0.59

Libby’s Vegetables – $0.59

• Use $1 off 4
• Final price $0.34 each wyb 4

Nabisco crackers 3 for $5 ($1.67 each)

• Use $1 off coupon
• Final price $0.67 each
• Send for REBATE HERE (if you buy 10)

Rhodes asst. frozen rolls – $2.97

• Use $1 off 2 coupon
• Final price $2.47 wyb 2

Tyson Anytizers – $2.50

• Use $1.50 off 1
• Final price $1

Diesen Samstag ging es los mit der Bahn nach Magdeburg zum 2-tägigen Auswahlwochenende von AFS.

Mit dem Zug ging es früh morgens Richtung Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof und von dort aus zu Fuß zur Jugendherberge, wo ich und andere Ankömmlinge auch schon freundlich von drei ehemaligen weltwärts-Freiwilligen, die auch unser Wochenende leiten sollten, empfangen wurden.

Da ich und ein paar Andere schon eher da waren, konnten wir nach einiger Formalien schon unsere Zimmer beziehen und untereinander erste Informationen, Wunschländer etc. austauschen.

Um 12 Uhr Mittags begann dann das eigentliche Wochenende, was in sehr entspannter und lustiger Atmosphäre durchgeführt wurde. Somit war dies nicht wie ein typisches Auswahlgespräch und jeder konnte im lockeren Umgang zeigen warum und ob er geeignet ist.

Wir begannen mit eine kurzen Vorstellungsrunde und mit darauffolgender Einführung in den Aufbau von AFS und das weltwärts-Programm.

Danach ging es dann zum Mittagessen, wo man sich nocheinmal näher kennenlernen konnte.

Nach dem Essen, alle schön gesättigt, fanden wir uns wieder im Seminarraum ein, wo wir in Kleingruppen anhand von Fallbeispielen, Problemlösungen etc. finden sollten, womit sich unsere Gruppenfähigkeit zeigen sollte.

Am Abend fanden dann unsere Einzelgespräche(Interview) mit einem Ehemaligen statt, welche auch in relativ lockerer Form geführt wurden. Derweil, haben die Wartenden Bewerber in Kleingruppen nach vorgegebenen Wörtern und Genres Theaterstücke entworfen und anschließend aufgeführt.

Mit Beendigung der Interviews,  haben wir den Abend mit einigen sehr lustigen Theateraufführungen und der sogenannten Ländergalerie ausklingen lassen.

Dort sollten wir uns schon einmal auf drei Wunschländer verbindlich festlegen und konnten direkt mit den Ehemaligen reden und uns Erfahrungen und Tipps holen.

Nach dem abendlichen Spaziergang, bin ich dann müde ins Bett gefallen.

Am nächsten Morgen ging es dann um das Thema “Förderkreisaufbau”, wo jeder Bewerber die Möglichkeit hatte Ideen Ideen einzubringen wie und wo man am besten Förderer für sein weltwärts-Jahr findet, die die nicht staatlich finanzierten 25% (1800€) zahlen sollen.

Hier konnte ich für mich persönlich einige gute Anregungen bekommen, die ich in der Form noch nicht in Erwägung gezogen habe.

Zudem haben wir noch eine weitere Gruppendiskusion durchgeführt, wo es darum ging zu Erläutern, wie man mögliche Probleme die im Gastland auftreten könnten löst.

Anschließend gab es noch eine kurze Feedbackrunde in der uns gesagt wurde, das wir durchaus alle für ein weltwärts-Jahr geeignet sind, dass sie Leider dennoch einige nicht versenden können, da es mehr Bewerber als Stellen gibt. Man hat uns also nahe gelegt, sich bei anderen Organisationen noch ein zweites oder mehrere Standbeine zu suchen.

Über unseren weiteren verbleib in der Organisation werden wir erst in den kommenden 1/2 Monaten etwas zu hören bekommen.

Nach dem Feedback beider Seiten, gab es noch mal Mittagessen, wonach wir unseren Nachhauseweg angetreten haben.

Fazit:

Das Auswahlwochenende, war wie ich es erwartet habe (beim Austausch schon Erfahrungen mit AFS gemacht) in einer sehr lockeren Atmosphäre gehalten. Durch den direkten Kontakt mit ehemaligen und Gleichgesinnten mit doch sehr unterschiedlichen Hintergründen, konnte ich noch sehr viele neue Informationen und Erfahrungen sammeln, die mir sicherlich bei meinen weiteren Entscheidungen helfen werden.

I det siste har oppdateringen på bloggen vært på trynet fordi jeg har vært opptatt. Jeg har nemlig tenkt som en gærning, skrevet liste opp, liste ned, liste i mente, pratet, grublet mer, skrevet enda mer og grått og ledd og vært redd og forvirret og glad om hverandre. De tre siste ukene har med andre ord vært et skikkelig kaos, rett og slett.

Vel, dere vet den følelsen du har når du LENGE har gått og grubla frem og tilbake, og du ikke klarer å ende opp med noe riktig og føler at alt er bare bæsj uansett hva du ender opp med, og så – PLUTSELIG!! – har du det, og du kjenner i hele deg at DETTE, dette er riktig valg, det, du velger ikke feil, og du blir så glad, og bare… Ja, YOU ARE LIKE YES!?

Sånn har jeg det nå, liksom.

Sååå altså… *TROMMEVIRVEL* … Dere kan jo gjette hvor jeg befinner meg torsdag kveld.

Jepp, jeg hadde aldri trodd jeg ville bli glad av tanken på å forlate over 20 grader og palmeland til fordel for regn, slaps og snø, men det er jeg altså. Jeg gleder meg noe enormt til å se Norgemin, familien min, vennene mine, kjæresten min og alt kjent og kjært igjen, herreguuuuud. Jeg finner ikke ord!

Samtidig må jeg også få frem at jeg er utrolig takknemlig og glad for alt jeg tok denne muligheten; alt jeg har opplevd, sett, vært med på, alle jeg har blitt kjent med og alt jeg har lært på den tiden jeg har vært her. Jeg angrer overhodet ikke på at jeg dro, for jeg har fått mange fine og lærerike måneder her, men jeg kjenner allikevel at for meg er det riktig å avslutte her.

Såå, i går hadde familien min laget overraskelsesfest til meg! Aww ♥ (Enn å være så heldig å ha venner og familie både her og i Norge som overrasker meg når jeg drar fra de?!) Ellers har jeg i dag brukt dagen på å pakke kofferten, laste ned et tonn med musikk og solt meg, hihi. Nå er jeg VIRKELIG brunere enn den meksikanske søsteren min

(Og hvis noen lurte: dere trenger ikke å spørre om grunnen. Jeg kommer ikke til å oppgi den på internett uansett!)

Schon bald gehts in die nächste Phase für die Bewerbungen für den Freiwilligendienst.

Letzte Woche habe ich die Mail von AFS bekommen, dass meine Bewerbung vollständig ist und diese akzeptiert wurde.

Jetzt darf ich mir eines der angebotenen Termine für ein Auswahlwochenende aussuchen und da wird es dann im kommenden Monat hingehen.

Bin jetzt schon sehr gespannt, was dort alles passieren wird.

Bei den anderen Organisationen gibt es noch nichts neues, dort werde ich warscheinlich in den kommenden Wochen Rückmeldung bekommen.

Julie (Belgica), Io, Milechka (Rep. Dominicana) e Aylin (Turquia)

5 de outubro de 2009,

Durante a aula teste de corte e costura foi como um intercambio, 10 meses em 3 horas. Nao que se encaixe a minha situaçao atual, mas quem sabe a de daqui alguns meses – mas o final estou certa de que serà diferente. Nos primeiros minutos eu estava empolgada, imaginando o que me esperava, mas com o passar do tempo fui ficando entediada, pensando em ir embora logo. Mas entao foi ficando legal de novo, e eu nao queria mais ir embora. Mas no fim eu estava satisfeita com o tempo que passei ali, e nao sentia necessidade de voltar.

Dia 15 fui para um acampamento da AFS, em Artena, que nòs temos quando completamos 6 semanas aqui – um mes e meio jà? – para conversar sobre as familias, escolas, experiencias, e para dar algumas orientaçoes! Nossa, acho que foi um dos melhores finais de semana que eu tive nos ultimos tempos, ficamos até o dia 18, e no ultimo dia eu estava quase chorando porque nao queria ir embora! Sò tinha uma brasileira e um portugues, e mais 35 pessoas de nacionalidades diversas, porém todos ali estao na mesma situaçao. Sem grandes amigos na escola, sentindo saudades… Alguns com problemas na familia. Entao todos todos se uniram muito, conversaram muito, riram muuuuuito. Ai, quero voltar.

Aylin, Simin, Io, Diana

Nao gosto de frases e textos prontos, mas as vezes eles descrevem “tudo” o que os nossos milhoes de sentimentos tentam nos mostrar. O cliche é real. Tantas coisas passam pela minha cabeça agora, que eu nao saberia por onde começar.

Depois de algum tempo, você aprende a diferença, a sutil diferença, entre dar a mão e acorrentar uma alma. E você aprende que amar não significa apoiar-se, e que companhia nem sempre significa segurança. E começa a aprender que beijos não são contratos e presentes não são promessas. E começa a aceitar suas derrotas com a cabeça erguida e olhos adiante, com a graça de um adulto e não com a tristeza de uma criança.
E aprende que não importa o quanto você se importe, algumas pessoas simplesmente não se importam.E aceita que não importa quão boa seja uma pessoa, ela vai feri-lo de vez em quando, e você precisa perdoá-la por isso.
Descobre que se leva anos para se construir confiança e apenas segundos para destruí-la, e que você pode fazer coisas em um instante, das quais se arrependerá pelo resto da vida.
Aprende que, ou você controla seus atos ou eles o controlarão, e que ser flexível não significa ser fraco ou não ter personalidade, pois não importa quão delicada e frágil seja uma situação, sempre existem dois lados.
Aprende que quando está com raiva tem o direito de estar com raiva, mas isso não te dará o direito de ser cruel.
Aprende que com a mesma severidade com que julga, você será em algum momento condenado.
Aprende que não importa em quantos pedaços seu coração foi partido, o mundo não pára para que você o conserte.
Portanto, plante seu jardim e decore sua alma, ao invés de esperar que alguém lhe traga flores.
Nossas dádivas são traidoras e nos fazem perder o bem que poderíamos conquistar se não fosse o medo de tentar.

(Shakspeare)

 

Aprendendo que certas coisas que passam despercebidas no dia-a-dia fazem muita falta. E que voce sente saudades de quem nem podia imaginar… Infelizmente nao sente tanta de outros… Descobre o valor de uma amizade… E que grandes amizades começam do nada. Até mesmo com alguém que fala uma lingua X.