Merhaba ya'll!

     I am officially done with school now, and all my final grades are in, so I can fully relax now! I received the AFS handbook today (picture below), and they say that my application has been sent to AFS Turkey, which means host families might be looking at me soon!!!!! Ahhhhhhh, scary thought! And I have my in-home AFS interview on Thursday. My AFS group only just found out that they needed to do it. Classic New Mexico!  I also got Rosetta Stone Turkish for free through my school, which I am beyond words grateful for. It is all thanks to my French teacher, and I owe her big time. The language is crazy!!!! Unlike anything I have ever heard before. 

     My family and I have spent the past four days at Canyon de Chelly and the Grand Canyon, which were both amazing. I got a wicked sunburn from spending a day at Lake Abiquiu last week, so I had to make sure to wear a load of sunscreen, but it was ok. It was Jeeda's first time to the Grand Canyon, and our friend bought she and my mom a helicopter ride through the canyon, which sounded INCREDIBLE! During this, my dad and I were doing a twelve mile hike down to Plateau Point (almost down to the bottom, but not quite), which was  also absolutely incredible. The size of that canyon blows my mind every time I go. My butt is still incredibly sore, and a nine hour drive back home today did NOT help that (I could barely walk sometimes when we got out of the car today). I am so glad we had the opportunity to do this before Jeeda left, it really is a site every exchange student should see while they are here. During the hike I made the decision to come back next summer and hike to the bottom, spend two nights at Phantom Ranch, and then hike back up! I want that experience more than ever now that I was so close. 

     The people going to Thailand and India leave in a month. I am so excited for them, and I can't imagine what I would be doing if that was me! Of course, that will be me in two months :D We also have the PDO in Washington D.C. in a month, which I absolutely can't wait for, but more of that after it happens!

     Jeeda leaves in three weeks. This thought is so weird, and thinking about the house without her is... odd, yet normal. I have lived my entire life an only child, so in some ways it will feel completely ordinary, almost as if the year was a dream. But not having my sister always there to talk to, to watch movies with, to laugh with, will leave a hole in my heart as big as the Grand Canyon. But I'm not gonna think about it yet!!! We still have a few weeks. Talk to ya'll later, xoxoxox

Hosca Kalin (goodbye)

Me at Plateau Point! 

I received the AFS guide today!!!!! Whoooo!

My sister and I jumping at the lake. Isn't it such a perfect picture??!!