7/1/2004 - D-day for AFS USA

Departure Day (D-Day) is the culminating event of the AFS USA experience. AFSers gather together from each region for a day of celebration, reaffirmation of the AFS mission, and, of course, many tearful goodbyes. This year, for the Northeastern Area, D-Day took place at CWPost College in Long Island, New York.

AFS volunteer, Maureen David, describes the experience:
I just returned from New York D-Day. It was a very emotional and impressive sight to watch this day unfold. Our group of students were the first to arrive (in the rain) at 2:30am. Twenty-five buses arrived in rapid succession over the next hour.

The students had a great time in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Some of them were pink, but luckily none looked too sunburned! The host families with whom they stayed overnight were very impressed with our students and had a great time with them.

Imagine. Eight hundred high school kids crying all at once – tears of joy and sadness. It was amazing, especially the macho guys, who were some of the most upset of them all. This was a testament to how close these kids became and how much they valued their stay here in the U.S.

A year ago, I met all the kids on the day they arrived in Washington, D.C. and put them on the bus to the airport in New York. It was amazing to witness how much they all had changed, not just in appearance and language, but in self confidence and self esteem. Many thanks to all the hundreds of volunteers who helped make their AFS experience as great as it can be.