Question #1, #2

Question #1
-Who are you? Why do you want to go abroad with AFS?
My name is Betania, I live in Ohio
I will be in 11th grade for the 2009-2010 school year.
I am planning to go to Japan for the Japanese 2010-2011 school year, in a year program.
I feel safe with AFS. AFS has a long history and has a lot of experience with student exchange. My dad first suggested AFS, I looked into it and I felt AFS was just the way to go.
I really want to go abroad so that I can experience different cultures. For many years I have truly wanted to go to Japan and be immersed in their culture. I want to improve my language skills for Japanese and I know from experience that the best way to learn any language is to be around it all the time, to get over the fear of making a mistake or two, and just go for it.
I absolutely love Japan and I think I'm ready to go and get an education that I wouldn't be able to get just from a textbook.

Question #2
-What do you expect to gain from this experience? How/what will you give in return?
I hope to gain a much better view of another place outside of the U.S.. I want to be able to be a good ambassador for the US and share culture with the Japanese people. I want to learn as much as I can about the world around me and see the views of different people. I also hope to gain many lasting memories of an amazing country so far away from home.

I want to be able to affect people even in the smallest way. I want to be able to share my knowledge of the US and maybe even my Brazilian heritage with the people I meet. I hope to leave a lasting, good impression on those I meet about Americans.