The Begining

Ciao! Mi chiamo Annie. This fall I am leaving to study abroad in Italy for a year with AFS Intercultural Program. I am absolutely thrilled to be going. I'm from Chattanooga, TN where I go to Center for Creative Arts. I love theater and the arts in general. I've spent a lot of time at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre in the past few years. Between juggling school, theater, voice & piano lessons, and spending time with my friends, I'm pretty busy, but I love every minute of it.

Studying abroad is something I've thought about for a couple years now, but never really thought I could actually do. Going away for a year seemed completely crazy, way out of my comfort zone. The more I thought about it though, the more I wanted to try it. Finally, I realized I couldn't let my fear of the unknown hold me back from something that was really important to me. I don't want to look back at my life in 25 years and think "How would my life be different if I had gone?" I want to know, I don't want any regrets.

I can't wait. I'll miss my family, but I'm excited to meet my new Italian family, whoever they may be. Italian is a beautiful language, learning to speak it is going to be challenging, but totally worthwhile. When I come back, I hope I've been changed for the better. I expect this is going to change the way I see the world in so many ways. Not only do I want to learn all about Italian culture, I want to make sure I teach my host family and new friends a few things about American culture.

To raise money for this, I sell the jewelry I make; it's mostly earrings. I sell them whenever I can, at school, the local theater, and my cousin's baseball games. Sometimes, I baby sit as well. Soon I'm going to start working for my dad on the weekends and after school. I'm trying to raise as much money as I can. Hopefully, I'll be able earn at least two-thirds of what I need before I leave.

If you would like to sponsor my AFS program now,  please click the ChipIn button.