4.30.11
Sorry it's been so long since I've been able to post last; my Spring Break has been filled to the top with studying for coming AP exams and preparing for the last month of my Junior year in high school.
Today's post is dedicated to my taekwondo instructors Mr. Sorce and Mr. Bitzan and school for having placed signs announcing my program this summer with a link to this blog. Their support for me not only throughout my application and fundraising for AFS, but in so many other walks in life as well has been truly life changing. Without them, I even doubt I would have had the confidence I have now to step this far out of my "comfort zone" and even think about studying abroad for an entire summer!
I received my departure information from AFS this past week as well! I will be leaving in 53 days on June 22nd (from my home) to a flight in Florida and onto Argentina on the 23rd. I would be returning 55 days later on the 16th (Argentina's time), and back to my home on the 17th (my time). It's crazy to think that June is just around the corner!
My remaining tuition is in the two thousand dollar range, but is dropping slowly but surely with the continuing help from everyone. I'll keep updating as long as all of my readers keep doing what they do best: reading! (and reposting).
Thanks so much to everyone, for everything! I couldn't do this without you!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
A Little Bit of Culture
4.24.11
I have officially met the AFS Matching Challange cap of $500 and am writing to offer yet another huge thanks to all of those who have donated to my fundraising goal of one thousand dollars through this blog! I am truly grateful! All of those who support me have helped me cut my remaining tuition nearly in half! Of the nearly seven thousand dollar program I am planning on attending though AFS, scholarships and your donations have reduced my remaining tuition to just over two thousand dollars! This is a gigantic accomplishment, but I obviously have quite a bit further to go yet! Please remember to keep reposting the URL to this blog on your Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as sending it through the great expanses of cyberspace by E-mailing it to your friends too! Just remember, without your help, I could never do this, I couldn't have even have gotten this far! Thank you so much!
For all contributors, within the next week or so, I will be sending an E-mail to that which was sent to me in a personal, confidential E-mail to confirm addresses so I know where to send your "thank you" gifts!
Still interested in contributing? Please click the "ChipIn" button on the widget to the right of this post!
AFS sent me the link to a wonderful website that explains a bit of the stereotypical Argentine culture and I have learned a number of things that I would like to share with all of the readers of my blog as well:
A typical Argentinean diet consists largely of beef. Argentines have eaten more beef per capita than any other culture.
The official name of Argentina is República Argentina.
Urban families generally have two children on average, but rural families tend to be larger. All families have two family names, one from the mother's side and one from the father's.
To order coffee, a very common drink, from a distant server, a common hand gesture is a fist with a thumb and index finger held in the air.
The last meal of the day is typically around nine o'clock at night.
Nearly 92% of Argentines are Catholic.
The population of Argentina is about 41.34 million.
The beso beso greeting (as in Spain), is common, where a friend or relative will greet another with an informal "kiss" on each cheek.
Buenos Aries has a slightly different dialect than the rest of Argentina itself!
And lastly, for any Spanish speakers out there...
In Argentina, the second person word for you (tú), is not used! Instead, Argentines use the word vos.
I have officially met the AFS Matching Challange cap of $500 and am writing to offer yet another huge thanks to all of those who have donated to my fundraising goal of one thousand dollars through this blog! I am truly grateful! All of those who support me have helped me cut my remaining tuition nearly in half! Of the nearly seven thousand dollar program I am planning on attending though AFS, scholarships and your donations have reduced my remaining tuition to just over two thousand dollars! This is a gigantic accomplishment, but I obviously have quite a bit further to go yet! Please remember to keep reposting the URL to this blog on your Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as sending it through the great expanses of cyberspace by E-mailing it to your friends too! Just remember, without your help, I could never do this, I couldn't have even have gotten this far! Thank you so much!
For all contributors, within the next week or so, I will be sending an E-mail to that which was sent to me in a personal, confidential E-mail to confirm addresses so I know where to send your "thank you" gifts!
Still interested in contributing? Please click the "ChipIn" button on the widget to the right of this post!
AFS sent me the link to a wonderful website that explains a bit of the stereotypical Argentine culture and I have learned a number of things that I would like to share with all of the readers of my blog as well:
A typical Argentinean diet consists largely of beef. Argentines have eaten more beef per capita than any other culture.
 |
| Mate, a common herbal tea drink in Argentina |
In some regions of Argentina, friends and relatives share a round of an herbal tea drink called mate together.
Buenos Aries, the capitol of Argentina is two hours ahead of my time zone.
The sun centered in the middle most band of the Argentine flag is an Incan Symbol called The Sun of May. It has thirty two rays.
The official name of Argentina is República Argentina.
Urban families generally have two children on average, but rural families tend to be larger. All families have two family names, one from the mother's side and one from the father's.
To order coffee, a very common drink, from a distant server, a common hand gesture is a fist with a thumb and index finger held in the air.
The last meal of the day is typically around nine o'clock at night.
Nearly 92% of Argentines are Catholic.
The population of Argentina is about 41.34 million.
The beso beso greeting (as in Spain), is common, where a friend or relative will greet another with an informal "kiss" on each cheek.
Buenos Aries has a slightly different dialect than the rest of Argentina itself!
And lastly, for any Spanish speakers out there...
In Argentina, the second person word for you (tú), is not used! Instead, Argentines use the word vos.
Friday, April 15, 2011
A Huge Thanks!!!
4.15.11
I know it's been a few days since I posted last but honestly, for a day or two there I was utterly speechless, as you can see from this post today: I still am! All I can say is THANK YOU!
...I simply could not believe how much support everyone has shown both in reposting this blog and in donations! I've already, with the help from my readers of course, raised a grand total of $350 from the blog alone, 35% of my $1,000 goal! And... what's more: in case you forgot, that $350 will be matched dollar for dollar through AFS's Matching Challenge! That's amazing!!! I can not thank everyone enough! (Contributor's names will be listed below as soon as I receive an E-mail with that list!)
A huge thanks to everyone for their contributions and support! I can't thank you all enough!
Please remember to keep reposting! Help me get to the Matching Challenge cap of $500 and, ultimately, my $1,000 goal!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
I know it's been a few days since I posted last but honestly, for a day or two there I was utterly speechless, as you can see from this post today: I still am! All I can say is THANK YOU!
...I simply could not believe how much support everyone has shown both in reposting this blog and in donations! I've already, with the help from my readers of course, raised a grand total of $350 from the blog alone, 35% of my $1,000 goal! And... what's more: in case you forgot, that $350 will be matched dollar for dollar through AFS's Matching Challenge! That's amazing!!! I can not thank everyone enough! (Contributor's names will be listed below as soon as I receive an E-mail with that list!)
A huge thanks to everyone for their contributions and support! I can't thank you all enough!
Please remember to keep reposting! Help me get to the Matching Challenge cap of $500 and, ultimately, my $1,000 goal!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
Monday, April 11, 2011
It's Finally Here: The ChipIn Widget!
4.11.2011
I nearly jumped out of my seat today when I logged onto Facebook and saw the "Top News" section; so many of you have reposted this blog (for more information, click here) and let me tell you... I'm definitely beyond grateful for it! I felt honored because of some of the descriptions that went along with the links highlighted me in such a positive way! Thank you all so much!
I finally received the E-mail today from AFS with the HTML code to set up that nifty l'il button you all now see on the side. That right there is what will help send me on a journey of a lifetime...
My goal of one thousand dollars earned from this blog will be to send myself to Argentina this summer in order to live with a host family for about two and half months near Buenos Aries, the capitol of Argentina. Once there, I will, for about two months, study Spanish (and possibly more) in an Argentinean school for at least four to five hours daily. I am beyond willing to lend one summer of my life in order to excel my Spanish in such a way! I even did the math, I've been studying Spanish in theUnited States
So, from now until June 9th, 2011, the ChipIn Widget on the right-hand sidebar will be active! If you are interested in helping me achieve my goal even by donating a single dollar, my family and I would be grateful! If you are interested in helping the offer still stands:
Argentina
*Because I may not have Internet access as often as I do here while I am abroad, I hope to send an update at least five times but I will try to send a newsletter on a weekly basis.
If you donate but wish to remain anonymous or have specific mailing instructions, please send me an E-mail!
Plus:
April is Fundraising Month for AFS! Any contributions to my trip's fund during the month of April will be matched by AFS up to $500! With your help I could make that $1000 goal into $1500!
Can't contribute by still want to support me? On the ChipIn Widget, click "Copy" and you can copy and paste the html code for my widget onto your own blog or website!
Once again, thank you all so much for everything: reposting this blog to your Facebook Wall, E-mailing it to your contacts list, and above all, supporting me in reaching my dream!
Thank you!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
I nearly jumped out of my seat today when I logged onto Facebook and saw the "Top News" section; so many of you have reposted this blog (for more information, click here) and let me tell you... I'm definitely beyond grateful for it! I felt honored because of some of the descriptions that went along with the links highlighted me in such a positive way! Thank you all so much!
I finally received the E-mail today from AFS with the HTML code to set up that nifty l'il button you all now see on the side. That right there is what will help send me on a journey of a lifetime...
My goal of one thousand dollars earned from this blog will be to send myself to Argentina this summer in order to live with a host family for about two and half months near Buenos Aries, the capitol of Argentina. Once there, I will, for about two months, study Spanish (and possibly more) in an Argentinean school for at least four to five hours daily. I am beyond willing to lend one summer of my life in order to excel my Spanish in such a way! I even did the math, I've been studying Spanish in the
So, from now until June 9th, 2011, the ChipIn Widget on the right-hand sidebar will be active! If you are interested in helping me achieve my goal even by donating a single dollar, my family and I would be grateful! If you are interested in helping the offer still stands:
- For a donation of $25.00 USD, I will personally hand write and send a post card to you (provided you supply me with your address via E-mail)
- For a donation of $50.00 USD, I will return from
Argentina - For a donation of $100.00 USD, I will make you a 12-month calendar filled with pictures I take while abroad.
*Because I may not have Internet access as often as I do here while I am abroad, I hope to send an update at least five times but I will try to send a newsletter on a weekly basis.
If you donate but wish to remain anonymous or have specific mailing instructions, please send me an E-mail!
Plus:
April is Fundraising Month for AFS! Any contributions to my trip's fund during the month of April will be matched by AFS up to $500! With your help I could make that $1000 goal into $1500!
Can't contribute by still want to support me? On the ChipIn Widget, click "Copy" and you can copy and paste the html code for my widget onto your own blog or website!
Once again, thank you all so much for everything: reposting this blog to your Facebook Wall, E-mailing it to your contacts list, and above all, supporting me in reaching my dream!
Thank you!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wait, What Exactly IS AFS?
4.10.2011
Well, now that my mission is officially public (please be sure to view it here in my first blog entry), some of you may be wondering "What the heck is AFS?"
According to The Official AFS Website:
To me, AFS is so much more! Without the services that AFS provides, I would not have become as involved as I am in learning a new language, met friends from Thailand, Japan, India and Germany, or decided to study abroad myself!
Please, help me spread the word and not only promote my own dream, but promote this beautiful program as well! Repost this blog to Facebook or join my group!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
Well, now that my mission is officially public (please be sure to view it here in my first blog entry), some of you may be wondering "What the heck is AFS?"
According to The Official AFS Website:
AFS (formerly the American Field Service) is a leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs in more than 40 countries around the world through independent, nonprofit AFS Organizations, each with a network of volunteers, a professionally staffed office, and headed up by a volunteer board.
To me, AFS is so much more! Without the services that AFS provides, I would not have become as involved as I am in learning a new language, met friends from Thailand, Japan, India and Germany, or decided to study abroad myself!
Please, help me spread the word and not only promote my own dream, but promote this beautiful program as well! Repost this blog to Facebook or join my group!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
Saturday, April 9, 2011
What a Day... [An Introduction]
Hey! Nice to see you've made it here!
My name is Brianna Moczynski from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and instead of spending my summer on the computer listening to my friends complain about school while I dream about traveling... I want to make my dreams come true! My goal is to spend my Junior-Senior summer in Argentina perfecting (or at least practicing) my Spanish skills.
You know, it's really kind of funny: when I first began to learn Spanish, I did so begrudgingly. I knew that I wanted to learn another language and decided to start with Spanish just because it looked good on a college application and after the two semesters recommended by most colleges, I wanted to switch to German. Well, I can officially now say that ignorance is not bliss! Now, after having taken a total of five semesters in Spanish and starting my sixth, having traveled to Spain for a twelve day trip with my school in April last year, and having had my mind boggled with the awe-inspiring stories from past AFS students, I decided on two things:
- To spend my summer, not in front of the computer or T.V., but instead with a host family in a foreign country as I study abroad, meet a whole new network of people and friends, all while practicing my Spanish!
- To learn German... and about seven other languages too!
Although I may be so excited, I am also a bit apprehensive, although for reasons that may surprise you...
Having already been to Spain and having lived with a host family for four days, I have become pretty confident in my abilities to speak Spanish (more or less efficiently), as well as my ability play charades... what worries me though is how I might fund my trip as my family will have trouble paying for my trip on our own. Personally, I have begun small, using bake sales, babysitting, and cook-outs in attempt to raise money for my trip, and grown to haven taken full advantage of any and all scholarship opportunities offered to me through AFS, financial aid, as well as using this blog as a way to communicate to a much larger audience in hopes for a small donation to my trip!
If you are interested in helping me reach my goal of spending a summer abroad in Argentina where I would stay with a host family and even go to school for two and a half months this summer, I would be beyond words with gratitude! Any donation, as small as even $1.00 can, and will help me in reaching this goal! If you are willing to donate $25, I will personally send you a postcard from Argentina with a highlight of my trip (provided you are willing to E-mail me your address of course), for a donation of $50 I will return from Argentina with a small gift as a token of my appreciation (such as a pin or key chain [and a few stories of course!]) for you, and, for a $100 dollar donation I will make you your very own 12-month Argentina calendar with pictures I take during my time there with a different photo each month! Everyone who donates will be eligible to receive a newsletter from me as I study abroad! (Details on this later!). Through this blog, I hope to raise at least $1,000 USD for my trip. Thank you so much for everything! My family and I appreciate it!
Please repost this to Facebook, Twitter, or any other websites or E-mail my blog to your friends!
To sponsor my AFS program now, please click the ChipIn button. [See Right Sidebar!]
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