Reminder

First off thank you so much for donating! I can't even begin to thank you all enough! Just a reminder, please remember to email me if you help out in any way I want to be able to recognize everyone's help by putting you in my blog! Thanks again!

Packaging Plant

So I recently picked up a part time job packing parachutes at Skydive Utah! At ten dollars a pack this will definitely help put a dent in the Africa fund.. and talk about responsibility! Peoples lives are in my hands.. or so I thought. I went into my first day thinking to be heavily trained and tested before being able to even look at a rig. This was not the case, after about three or four packs with some pros they let me loose! I packed chutes all day and only got one complaint for my chute opening too fast causing what is known as "a real smacker" because it catches your free fall too quickly.. at least everyone is alive!!

ChipIn

Hey all so I sent the email to AFS to request my ChipIn paypal widgit so it should be here as soon as they email me back. Keep checking in!

Acceptance in South Africa!!!

Just got this email thought you guys would like to check it out!!

"Hi Mackenzie,

Congratulations! AFS-South Africa has just accepted your application!

Next, AFS-South Africa will match you with a Community Service Placement. This can be a complex process and may take some time. It is common for placement information to arrive during the month prior to your departure. So, if you don't hear right away, don’t worry, this is normal. Once we have confirmed the details of your assignment, they will be available on your AFS Account, so feel free to check there for updates.

In the meantime, I've included some tips on your next steps:

Secondary Medical Coverage: If your parents have questions about AFS medical coverage, they should review the secondary medical insurance plan information, which is located in your AFS Account under “My Documents”.

Immunizations: Check with your doctor, and refer to the CDC website to see what immunizations are recommended for US residents traveling to South Africa. Decisions about immunizations should be made by you since AFS does not give out medical advice.

Visas: Should your program require any special travel documentation in addition to your valid passport, you will receive notification from the Visa Coordinator approximately 1-3 months prior to your program departure, with directions for accessing your visa instructions online. Occasionally, vaccines are required for the visa. If this applies to your program, you will be notified in your visa instructions. Because your passport and participation may be required to obtain a visa, you should not travel outside of the U.S. during the 2 months prior to your AFS program.

Payment: As a reminder, you can check your balance and make tuition payments in your AFS Account under 'My Program Payment'

We hope you find these next steps helpful. Please let your Student Services Advisor know if you or your parents have any questions.

Warm regards,

Student Services"

Almost forgot to add a picture of myself..

This is me! Visiting my sisters in NYC.

About me and my exchange

Hello! Welcome to my first blog entry! My name is Mackenzie Kirkpatrick I am eighteen years old and I have recently been accepted to participate in an American Field Service (AFS) community service exchange program in South Africa! I decided to do a community service exchange rather than a student exchange because I've been involved in service projects in the past and have found it to be an extremely rewarding experience. To me the opportunity to do community service for not only a year but in South Africa is better than anything I could ever dream up. I feel that doing this will help me to gain a deeper understanding of a foreign culture and also help me feel like I am doing what I should to make this amazing world that much better!

Part of this experience is raising the funds. The tuition cost is around 8,000 dollars and I currently have paid about 1,000 dollars of this tuition. Lucky for me AFS has nifty little programs and suggestions to help me raise funds! I am starting a portable car detailing business as one way of helping me meet my monetary goal. Another is the ChipIn button on this page. This will link you to a Paypal account that is directly linked to my exchange. If you would like to donate using the ChipIn link please send me an email with your name and any message you would like me to post on my blog so I can be sure to give recognition to anyone who helps me reach my goal! If you would like to schedule an appointment for a car detail you can either email me or reach me on my cell phone! Feel free to contact me at anytime! Remember, this is for my exchange so don't hesitate to contact me! My email is Mackenziekirk@gmail.com and my phone number is (801) 448-8817. Thank you all!