Preparation

Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
The summer winds slowly down to the one month mark for the departure to France. As the days become more tense for my family, the trip becomes more of a reality. The clocks seem to speed up. My sister has been looking over my shoulder more. Dad's voice has been louder ringing through the house. Preparation takes its toll on anyone no matter what he/she does. Since I will be going into my junior year, I have been practicing for the SAT in January by making many, many, MANY flashcards to increase my vocabulary. However, the book has around 50 words for each page on over 100 pages. It was intimidating but keeping consistent in my studies will help me. My main goal was to begin and focus on the vocabulary and reading sections. Academic Approach is a great resource for the SAT and ACT.
One trick that has been helping me, inspired by the USA Memory Championship, has been using mnemonic techniques. We as humans are not programmed to memorize long sequences or words. But somehow we can recite exactly what happened in a 2 hour movie. It is as simple as visualizing the words or sequences. These mental athletes associate numbers with family members and anything in the world so that when they receive a long number, they can turn it into a little movie. All they have to do to remember the sequence is walk through the little story in their minds. "Moonwalking With Einstein", recommended by a teacher at my school, also shows the wonders and depths of your memory. But as impressive as that sounds, it stands true when they say that anyone can do it. I have been trying to visualize words for my vocabulary. When I review them later, I remember the image in my head that I associated with that word. Give it a try!

Who Am 'EYE'?… Je m'appelle John Anthony Bowllan

(Picture came via SYA website)

My name is John Anthony Bowllan. I completed my sophomore year at Deerfield Academy in Massachussetts this past year and will be traveling overseas to Rennes, France for my junior year! Over a year ago, I never would have thought that I would be a high school student traveling the world. But the opportunity presented itself. During my freshman year at Deerfield, a representative from SYA came to a school meeting to give us something to chew on: "Do you want to experience a school year abroad around the world?" The slideshow described the schools in China, Spain, Italy, and France but really presented a plethora of different aspects of the different cultures primarily with pictures of students having a blast. I was fixed on the presentation for the whole 15 minutes and imagined myself living in France for one whole year completely immersed in the language and culture. But I was not allowed to go because it is a program for juniors and seniors. My sophomore year rolled in and so did the presentation again. It was harder to consider going to France because of what I would be getting myself into but also what I would be leaving behind:
1) Why leave when I am already set up at my school?
2) What happens if I leave my friends?
3) Why not take the opportunity to go abroad when it's presented?
It was a tough decision to make for me even after talking with my advisor, parents, and friends. Originally, I declined the offer after being accepted. But it really did not feel right. Why would I pass up the opportunity to go abroad to become fluent in another language, learn a new culture, and get a new perspective of the world? I accepted the offer and I could not be happier to push my comfort zone. It's an enormous challenge to drop into a new country at first but it will all be worth it!

Bonjour mes amis (Hello My Friends)!

Before my journey begins and my blog sets sail, do know that I will be writing in English and French for my blog posts. An exciting trip to Rennes, France awaits me (and you) this upcoming year. You don't have to rely on the translators but if needed, one is hyperlinked under "translators".