Argentina Exchange

Hello. I am Jenica Barrett from the small town of Deming, Washington. I am a sophomore at Mount Baker High School and attend Three Rivers Cooperative School part-time. This summer, I am applying to study abroad in Argentina for a year starting in January of 2011 through the American Field Service (AFS) intercultural student exchange program.

In Argentina, I will be living with a host family for eleven months. There, I will be attending a Spanish speaking school and immersing myself in the language and culture. I have always been ecstatic about traveling to new places, and I love to experience the new opportunities that come with staying in a different culture. I have been studying Spanish for a little over a year now but I know that full immersion into the language is the fastest way for me to master it. Spanish speaking is a life skill that I believe will help me in many aspects of my life and is an important asset to acquire. During all of this, I hope to discover and solidify who I really am. I will strive to gain knowledge about myself from the people around me and about how my strengths can help better the world.

As a young women, I am currently juggling many things in my life. During the school year, I volunteer at my local special needs preschool every week. Every Tuesday, I participate in school meetings where I represent the student body and provide input on curriculum matters. I am in a band where I play the piano and sing. I also take theater and yoga classes. Continually, I manage to pull all my home work together and keep my 4.0 GPA in tact. This summer, I have also been busy. Once I decided to go on a foreign exchange trip, I began working every hour that was possible. I also had to make room for my family time and my prior engagements. Even with all of this, I pride myself in being able to stay calm and focused and get everything done that needs to be.

Hopefully, all of my hard work will pay off and I will raise enough for this amazing opportunity. My goal is to raise $13,400 for my trip. That will cover all of the costs for preparing, leaving, and staying in Argentina. I have been working really hard all summer long with babysitting, elderly care,yard work, house work, and selling items on Craig's List. I have applied for scholarships and am planning on entering essay contests that open this fall. My parents have been kind enough to also donate. With all this, I still need to raise $7,000. I will need a lot of help to make my dream come true. I appreciate you taking the time to read about my life and trip. Any contribution that you can give will be immensely appreciated. No amount is too small for every penny gets me closer to my goal. To donate to my exchange trip, click the ChipIn! gadget at the top right of my blog. I would greatly appreciate it if you sent my blog site to any one that you feel might be interested in sponsoring my trip to Argentina by forwarding this link.

http://jenicainargentina.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much!

Jenica