Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO)

This past week, I had the opportunity to meet all of the other YES Abroad exchange students to-be, learn more about the Philippines, and continue preparing myself for exchange in general. I gained so much more knowledge than I expected, and it was also a ton of fun! All of this, and more, took place at the YES Abroad national Pre-Departure Orientation (PDO) in Washington DC.

The first day was just arrivals and dinner, then a couple of sessions to get to know other people and begin the preparation process. The second day, on the other hand, was packed as full as possible with informational sessions. From waking up at 7 for breakfast, to having sessions until 10:00 that night, it was an exciting, yet exhausting day. We learned about communication, religion, dress, and a million other things about exchange in our specific parts of the world.

On the second day, we had a bit more fun. Everyone got dressed up, and we headed off to the embassy of our host country, which for me was the Philippines, to learn a bit more about the culture we would be living in. After Our awesome embassy visit, (and exploring around to see a couple of other embassies, since we got dropped off in the wrong place at first) we headed off to Union station for lunch.

After Lunch, all the YES Abroad students made our way to the US State Department to hear a guest speaker (Mark Taplin) and then speak with the desk officers for our specific regions. We were able to gain a better understanding of why the State Department chose to fund us, what goals we should adopt or adapt to better our exchanges, and understand the cultures even better than before. Here I am in the State Department!

Last, but definitely not least, we walked as a group to the Lincoln memorial for pictures and free time. (a rarity at PDO) It was awesome to finally just hang out with people and take pictures together! To finish the day, we ate dinner and had a few last sessions. Also, I was able to say goodbye to my amazing sister, since she will be in DC all summer. Love you Julianne, I'm going to miss you!  

So, this wraps up the orientation process, now onto packing and shopping! I should receive my host family and school information within a week or two, and will post one last time before I leave. I am excited to continue learning about the Philippines, and also to begin my exchange year. The day is drawing near! 

Growing Excitement

About a month ago, I had my local AFS Orientation, where I was able to meet a few other Americans who will be living abroad for the next school year. This was exciting and interesting to talk to people with similar goals as myself, although none of them were going to the same part of the world as myself. 

This upcoming week, I will be flying to Washington DC for my YES Abroad PDO (Pre Departure Orientation), where I will meet other Americans going on year long exchanges to similar parts of the world as myself. I will be there for four days, and will have orientations, tour the Filipino embassy, and talk with US State Department officials about the YES Abroad program. 

In case you are confused, YES Abroad is the scholarship program that sends to 13 different countries with different implementing organizations. My implementing organization is AFS. This means that I will have AFS volunteers as my local support in the Philippines and in the US, but I also have support from YES Abroad regarding scholarship details and questions. 

As of right now, I do not yet have a host family or city in the Philippines. This is usual, as none of the other YES Abroad students going to the Philippines have host families either. I am excited to find my host family, and will post as soon as I get the information. 

I hope you enjoy reading about all of my exchange adventures! I will post again about PDO and host family information. Thank you for reading and I will try and keep you up to date!