Sweet Sixteen???

Last week my parents said that we were having a 'family night' this Friday. They would not tell my brothers and I what we were going to do, because they wanted it to be a surprise. When Friday the 19th came, my mom told my three brothers and I to go down to the dock and get into a car because we were going out. This happened just after dinner. We were all excited because my parents rarely take us places off ship unless it is a weekend. In the car, my mom gave us a hint. She told us to "think about the date it is today." None of us knew what significance April 19 had.

Before long we arrived at the Riviera hotel. Then my mom explained everything. She said we were going to have desert at the Riviera because it was my 15 and a half birthday! Since I am going to be in France for my sixteenth birthday, she thought our family should celebrate together on my half-birthday before I left!

While we were waiting for our deserts to come, we played with the kittens that live at the Riviera. Since we are not allowed pets on the ship, it is exciting when we get to see animals.




Xavier holding a cat

 



Malachi holding a cat


When the deserts arrived, there were four different dishes that we passed around so that each person got some of each desert. One desert was a cake filled with chocolate sauce. The second desert was a small apple pie. The third was a chocolate mousse with orange flavor. The last desert was a bar that had fudge, cake, and nuts in layers.



The chocolate filled cake



The apple pie

 







 

The chocolate mousse



 



The fudge/cake bar



At the end of the evening, my mom surprised me with a gift. She gave me two necklaces, one with a heart and one with a key.



The two necklaces

The necklaces were kind of cheesy, but I really appreciated that my family was thinking of me. I had fun at my 'party.' I am going to miss them when I'm in France.




My brother Eli and I at the Riviera

  



Update #4

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't updated my blog recently. Right now my parents and I are trying to figure out how to get me a visa. My mom and I might end up having to got to the U.S to get one! Also, I have found out that there is a private school in the town I will be living in. I have decided to go there with my host sisters instead of going to a public school. In order to raise money for school fees, I have started up my cookie business again. Right now, it is looking like I will be able to go to France! Please keep praying for everything to work out.

Good News!!!

Hello all,

I have some good news for you! Last night at about 11:00 I received some e-mails telling of my officiall acceptance to the CIEE program! I will be living in the north of France near Belgium, about 2 1/2 hours away from Paris. The family I will be staying with has three young daughters about the same ages as my three little brothers. They also have a golden retreiver dog. The climate there is similar to that of Washington state or northeastern England. Now that I have been accepted, there are only two more obstacles for me to overcome: getting a visa and earning money.

I am getting excited for next year! Please keep praying that everything will work out!

IMPORTANT: Clarification on my fundrasing status for France

I am sorry, but it seems that I have not been communicating very clearly about my financial needs for studying abroad in France.

I have reached my financial goal for spending money only. This money is made up of my savings,  what I have earned from selling my cookies, and what I have earned by babysitting. It will cover the cost of clothes, school books, toiletries, bus tickets, and any other personal needs I may have while in France.

I have not, however,  raised all the necessary funds to partipate in the program. I am still very much in need of money to pay for air fares, a visa, and the services of CIEE, the organization that is finding me a host family and enrolling me in a school. Altogether, I will have to raise at least $7,000 if I receive the scholarship I applied for.

I would also like to let you know that while I am not officially accepted yet, CIEE's office in France is just sorting out the details of where I will stay. I have been told that I have a 99% chance of being officially accepted. The woman in the organization whom I have been in contact with has advised me to move forward as if I was already accepted and to apply for a visa. This means that I should also be trying to raise money so I will be ready to pay fees and buy plane tickets as soon as I hear of my official acceptance and the location in France where I will be living.

Yes, the amount of money I will need to fulfill my plans of studying abroad is staggering to me, but I know that with the support of others and the help of God, it is possible to raise the money needed. I am confident that if it is God's will for me to go to France, which I think is the case, then He will provide.

Thank you for your support- whether in prayer or in finances.

Update #3

Hi,

Here is my third update to you on my plans to study abroad.

On Monday I did send an e-mail to CIEE to see what has been going on. An automatic reply was sent informing me that the person within the organization that I have been in contact with is on vacation and will not be returning until March 22. I am going to wait until then for a response.

Also, I have officially ended my cookie business. I will continue to babysit, but selling cookies for the next two months until we sail to the Canary Islands is not worth the time and money. Thank you to all who are supporting me through prayer or through hiring me as a babysitter. I appreciate your help!

Work Experience 2013

Last week the junior high and high school students participated in a program run by the Mercy Ships Academy called Work Experience. We were given a list of some jobs on the ship and had to apply be e-mail to work in one of the roles. Students were accepted or denied based on their applications. Some examples of positions are rehab assistant, school office assistant, ward nurse, eye team technician, cook, IS assistant, sales assistant, receptionist, and electrical assistant. After we all had a position, we went to work for a week!

I worked as a photographer. I took pictures of the other students doing their jobs as well as events such as the plastics screening and Rotary conference. I was suprised by how long it took to edit and label all the photos after I had taken them.

After the week was over, we had to analyze our experiences. I discovered that being a photographer on the Africa Mercy has a lot of perks. In this role I got to interact with patients when going to the wards to take their photos. I worked inside an office sometimes but also got to go off ship. I could be creative with my work and share what the organization and this nation are like in a visual format.

The most challenging part of the experience was using an SLR. I have a point-and-shoot camera that I know how to use well, but for the purposes of work I had to use a much larger and more complex camera. However, after the first few days I could use the SLR fairly well and improved my skills steadily throughout the week.

Last year, I worked as a writer and journalist. Both year's experiences go together in a way. They are part of the communications department onboard and are ways to share information. When I leave school I may become a photographer and journalist professionally, since I enjoy this type of job, but I am still waiting to see what God wants for my future.

Unfortunately, I cannot show you pictures I took since I only have them on a CD. The JPG versions that are stored on a computer have been kept by the communications department, as they technically belong to Mercy Ships. I did have a great time taking photos during Work Experience though! Getting an education onboard the Africa Mercy is truly a wonderful opportunity!

Another Update

Hi all, this is just a brief general update on my study abroad plans with a few other announcements.

I have not heard from CIEE since three weeks ago when I turned in part of my application that I was asked to rewrite, and was told that I did well. I am going to wait until next week Monday and if I have still not received an e-mail I will contact the organization and ask how things are progressing.

Thanks to all of the crewmenbers who have bought cookies from me, I have now reached my minimum fundrasing goal! I will continue to sell cookies and babysit to raise money so that I will be a little more securely within the reccommended financial range.

There are two items that you can look forward to seeing on this blog. At the end of this week I will be writing a post explaining what I have been doing in my work experience week as a photographer. Also, I am adding a page called "About this Blog" so that people can get an idea of why I have published this site and what can be found on it. This will enable visitors to my blog to determine whether it might interest them and to get some background information.

Thanks for reading my blog!