Getting closer

Since my summer holiday started I've been spending time with family and friends, and preparing for my exchange year. I've had (another) goodbye party, but this time for the 'adults': my family and friends of the family. It was great even though it was really hot that day. I still can't believe I won't be seeing some of them for a long time. Luckily there's Skype and social media! :)







                                                                   






















My parents and sister gave me a photoshoot for my birthday on the 30th of may, and two weeks ago we planned the photoshoot! It was a really nice thing to do and it's great to have some good pictures together with my family. I won't be able to take pictures with them for almost a year and they are the people I'm going to miss the most. They will probably visit me in the USA in the second half of the school year, but that's still a long time without them! Luckily my host family is really nice so I hope I won't get homesick often.


With my family I also went to France! We've been going to France for years and many Dutch people spend their summer holiday there. It was really hot so we went canoeing and paddle surfing in the water. We visited some towns and a bigger city called Dijon. We had a great time!

All the pictures are from my instagram - @sarahgulien

My flight to the USA takes off on the 5th of August and on the 8th of August I'll arrive in South Carolina! Between those days I'll attend the Welcome Days in New York. The Welcome Days are four days organized by EF especially for exchange students who are just starting their year. We'll stay in a university in New York City. This is what we'll do day by day:

Day 1: This is a travel day, because on this day my flight from Amsterdam to New York will depart. I don't know my exact flight times or company yet, but I think I'll get that information soon!

Day 2: On this day I'll get to know students from all around the world, because we'll do leadership-, problem solving and cultural awareness activities to get us ready for our year!

Day 3: On the third day we'll finally get to see New York City! We'll visit Central Park, 5th Avenue, Times Square... I've been in New York once and I fell in love with the city, so I can't wait to see all the sights again.

Day 4: It's time to go to my host family! On this day I'll fly to my new home in Greenville, South Carolina.

Time is flying so quick because today there are only 16 days left! The first group of people will leave in two days already. I'm a bit nervous but I'm also ready to go, and to start the biggest adventure of my life! And I can't wait to finally meet my host family :)

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