Departure Dates / Orientation / COE / VISA's / Questions

So this is just a bit of a more organized blog about my last one. With YESCanada, we have to book out own flights. So that was a bit exiting! With my program, I have to arrive in Japan on March 21st (which is the official date that my exchange starts). So here is a little list of my journey,

I leave from Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario. March 20th at 1PM

I arrive in Narita Airport in Japan on March 21st at 3PM 

I dont know who I am supposed to meet at the airport, I believe it is a YESCanada rep, they said they would be going over all this at our orientation. Which has not been set yet. My rep from Canada said she should have the information to me by next week when orientation is. Which is going to be exiting! I get to meet other exchange students! 

Now, if no one knows what a COE is, it is a Certificate of Eligibility. The COE is really important, without that, you can't get your VISA to study abroad. My program gets information from me, sends it to Japan, and they get a COE back. With this they give it to me, and I can go to the Japanese Embassy here in Toronto. After 5 days, I will receive my Student VISA which, obviously, means I am aloud to go to Japan as a student and be taught in schools there. I have not rcieved my COE yet, I sent in all my information on December 28th, and its been a month and a bit now. Buying things for my exchange and my VISA are the last things I need to do before I leave.

Also, I have been asked many times "How can you go on an Exchange? Your 18, graduated from high school and now your going BACK To high school in another country?! Why?"

Alright so here it is. There are two major things you need to go on an exchange for me at my age. One, you need to be between the ages of 14 (some programs are different) and 18 to go on a High School exchange, and two you MUST be registered in High school AT THE TIME OF YOUR DEPARTURE! (Which is a big thing!) So I was already re registered into high school  for a repeat year because I didn't know what I wanted to do yet, so I didn't register into college. So I was already back in high school for another year. 

In August, my boyfriends mom hosted a Japanese exchange student. She talked about Japan, and we would speak a bit of Japanese together. It was so much fun! And that really did it for me. I finally had the push, that I wanted to be an exchange student in Japan. It was something I wanted to do since I was in Grade 10. But didn't have the time or money. I brought up the idea to my mom, she said we can try. That's all I asked, because I knew that my age would be a big factor. I emailed a couple programs (AFS and YFU included) and both said my age... Then I came across YESCanada, I remember talking to them while they were at my school, talking about exchanges. So I emailed them. And I got a response from a woman named Wendy (who is my rep, and the woman I owe this whole exchange to!) She emailed me saying my age was a big factor, but she would try and see what she could do. So I got all my forms together, sent them off. That was in October.

November roles around, I was at my boyfriends house when I got the email! She told me that it was a hard run trying to convince them, but they finally said yes! They were going to say no because I was a graduated student and 18. And the fact my birthday is April 18 (my departure is the 20th of March) they were saying it was to close. But it all worked out!  The best thing is, when I go abroad I don't have to worry about my grades (not as much) because I have already graduated, and I can really focus on the culture and the language more! Which I am really happy about!

So I would really love to thank my Mom for helping me with my exchange, Wendy from YESCanada. And just everyone who has supported me!

Haley