//------------------------------// // The Premise [Read First!] // Story: Across the Divide // by Sparkle Fire //------------------------------// 28 May “Good evening.” A prominent political figure was standing in front of several news cameras as well as a throng of journalists armed with notepads and pencils. His sharp-cut suit and red tie distinguished him from the crowd as he pulled out a folded piece of paper out of his jacket. He took a second to compose himself while he unfolded the paper, wiping a layer of sweat off his brow. “Tonight, we can say with confidence that we have successfully negotiated, alongside the Principality of Equestria, as well as her allies and neighbours, a cultural exchange program that will allow our two nations to grow closer together and develop a mutual cultural understanding. “This program was negotiated very carefully, keeping cultural norms and political sensitivities in mind. Given the current situation with a close neighbour of Equestria as well as other security concerns, their input was considered during the course of negotiations. “Other than those slight bumps in the road, I personally think the negotiations went very well.” He then continued on with the specifics of what this program would offer. “Through this program, Equestrian citizens, roughly of high school age, will have the opportunity to increase their understanding of American culture and society as well as broadening their social horizons. On top of that, I’m sure that Equestrians selected to embark on a journey such as this will forge friendships that will last a lifetime. “Equestrian citizens will also be immersed in the cultures and customs of Equestria’s immediate neighbours and gain a vital understanding that will be beneficial in the years to come. On a diplomatic level, we can use the knowledge obtained from such exchanges to diffuse conflicts and to otherwise bring America, Equestria, and other nations closer to each other in that regard… “Once we get word of the full list of applicants that have been accepted into our program, the governments of both America and Equestria will conduct a rigorous background check and interview process to ensure that these applicants can faithfully and truly serve in their roles as foreign exchange students, as young ambassadors, and as representatives of their family and of their home country. “In the coming days and weeks, host families will be sought and vetted for this program. Should they choose to accept, we recommend that they be well-prepared to experience a new culture as well as give a new cultural experience to whoever is chosen to live with them over the course of their ten months of exchange. They’ll be responsible for providing accommodation, meals, and a stable family environment.   “Even though the concept of a cultural exchange has its drawbacks - culture shock being one of them, which could happen regardless of how much preparation is made and how much knowledge they may have about the new culture - we’re sure that the benefits from this program will be reaped for years to come. Sure, it may take some adjusting at first, but experiencing a new culture like this will be of immeasurable value, not only to the students, but also to both countries. “And so, with that, I’ll take questions from the audience.” The throng of reporters barraged him with questions at the mere mention. • • • • • 2 June It was a lazy day in Equestria; the warm air, the summer sun, and the gentle breeze made it ideal for Rainbow Dash to take one of her signature naps. Derpy came by in the afternoon while on one of her mail runs, intending to deliver the sleeping mare a letter from Canterlot. Of course, being her ditzy self, she couldn’t manage to find the front door to her cloud mansion. However, knowing where her bedroom was, she popped in through the window, rudely interrupting Dash’s sleep in the process. “Mail for you,” Derpy said before profusely apologising for her intrusion. Rainbow simply rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She crawled off her bed and picked up the letter, which was printed on extra fancy paper and sealed with the royal crest. It read: Dear Rainbow Dash, I am pleased to inform you that your application for the Equestrian Friendship Exchange has been accepted. At the moment, a host family is being arranged in the area that the Exchange has determined to be the most safe for Equestrian students while abroad. As far as the remainder of your application goes, the following will need to be taken care of before 31 July: Scheduled interviews - one with a program coordinator, as well as one with the embassy of the country you’ll be staying in throughout the course of the programRecommendation letters, or references from schools or employersParents’ letterMedical forms, a complete physical/medical screening, plus up-to-date immunizationsHost family preferencesVisa application (preferably a long-term student or an educational visa)Passport Once all this is turned in, you’ll be sent a packet containing all the necessary information concerning the program and what to expect. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or the program coordinators. In the meantime, feel free to contact Maria Escovedo, our “local contact”, using the information included on her business card, which I've enclosed in this letter. Sincerely yours, HRH Princess Celestia • • • • • 19 June Rainbow Dash was lounging in her office-doubling-as-a-second-home, slaving over reports when her work phone rang. At first, she wanted to simply throw it out of her window, but then she picked it up. The voice on the other end belonged to Maria, her exchange coordinator; she’d been expecting a call from either her or Celestia herself concerning fine details of her trip over. “Hellooooo…” “Hi Rainbow! This is Maria.” “Oh hi Maria, how ya doin’?” Rainbow’s ears perked right up. “I’m doing fine, thank you. I have some very good news that I’d like to share.” “Which is…?” “I’ve found you a host family!” “Really?” Rainbow nearly lept of her chair when she heard those words cross her ear. “Who are they?!” she demanded to know. “Well, they live out in the country somewhat, so the area’s fairly relaxed,” she began to explain. “They’re a very nice and inviting family; they’ve got a fairly big house with a hot tub, so you may want to bring along a swimsuit.” Her eyes went wide, and her mouth started to gape open. Maria went on. “They live in an area with lots of kids and teenagers, so you’ll probably make some new friends while you’re there… it’s really beautiful, if you ask me. I live on the same road that they do.” “Go on…” “They’ll also have, possibly, another foreign exchange student with them, so be prepared for that.” “I can do that, trust me.” “But I’m getting off topic here. As for your host family, there’s a really nice couple, Chris and Kath Van Driessen. They have a son your age, called James. I’ve known these people for years, and they jumped at the chance to host you… “There’s grandparents and cousins and sisters and brothers and school friends and so on that like to visit from time to time, so you’ll have plenty of company!” “Cool!” “One more thing… are you allergic to animals?” “No -- why?” “I’m asking this because they have a dog and a cat in the house.” “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” “Good.” Maria talked some more. “The house is amazing -- two bed, three bath, walk-in wardrobes, you name it, they’ve got it. Those two are often into business overseas, so they can afford it.” “Awesome! When can I start packing?!” she said, practically bursting with excitement. “Your flight leaves on the first of August -- you’ll have plenty of time. I’ve managed to put you, Gilda, Argie, Brolly Brella, Surprise, Derpy Hooves, Billy, Hoops, Quarterback, and Lyra on the first one, while the others will be on the second flight out, which will probably be on the third of August, but I’m not sure of it yet… “I can anticipate both of the flights going to Pittsburgh -- that’s in Pennsylvania -- with orientation being somewhere in the neighborhood of the seventh or eighth of August. This, however, has yet to be decided.” “I can’t thank you enough,” Rainbow Dash beamed. “You’re awesome!” “That’s great! I’ll see you in America,” Maria said. “Great! Bye-bye...” Dash ended the call and slammed the phone down on its hook. The reports were the furthest thing from her mind; she’d explain it to Cloudsdale later if they found out.   At this point, perhaps the aforementioned host family should be discussed. Chris and Kath have several years of experience hosting foreign exchange students, so this year (supposedly) is no different. Because of their business savvy, they were incredibly influential in their community since moving here from Cosarara twenty-five years ago. In a way, their hosting of foreign exchange students helped them with their business because of the greater understanding of culture. For James especially, friendship was the reason; he enjoyed all the new friends he made because of his exposure to new cultures and new people. As an added bonus, he’s able to speak at least four other languages fluently. His grandparents also hosted exchange students from the Soviet Union and other communist-aligned countries back in the day. With a background like this, the Van Driessens didn’t hesitate to welcome her in; they considered it a point of honor. They were also enticed because of the allure of the new experiences they’d have. James was more than looking forward to it all. As far as James goes, he’s one of the most popular guys at school. He was on the student council, coming off his recent election as student body president; he was a member of a service organisation, and was it also mentioned that he was the drummer in a band?! His senior year was going to be his best one yet! One of the drawbacks of this popularity, of course, is the enemies made. Whether it’s his slightly off-kilter accent, his well-off parents, his outspoken views, or his perceived rich-kid lifestyle, the way he stood out from the crowd -- even leading it at times -- seemed to draw the ire of the jealous. Fortunately, he had his friends by his side -- Jeremy Prema, the student body vice president, Richard Pottinger, the captain of the football team, John Grant, whom James has known since middle school, Chris Taylor, who lived for basketball, Jason Alessandro, passionate about nature, David Gresson, who was obsessed with anything Star Wars and Star Trek related, and a myriad of others. His closest, however, was Maria Escovedo, a family friend to the Van Driessens and next door neighbor; more importantly, the one who convinced the Van Driessens to host foreign exchange students in the first place. She was like an aunt to James -- so much so that she even went on family vacations with them; their friendship deepened when the Van Driessens began hosting six years ago. She taught him a great deal about the cultures of the kids she worked with, which in turn helped him understand and grow closer to his exchange brothers and sisters. When the student left at the end of their exchange year, she helped him cope with his emotions by having special days together. All in all, Rainbow Dash and James would be the best of friends. • • • • • 23 June First contact with hosts As soon as Rainbow Dash got home from her Weather Patrol shift, she fired up her laptop and logged into Facebook, eager to chat with her new host brother. His name was James, and according to his profile, he was seventeen years old, very handsome (from his pictures), and incredibly fond of the family pets - a dog, Priscilla, and a cat, Elvis. Looking through his pictures, he seemed to be quite popular. There were photos of him with the football team, working with the student council, and doing fun things with other foreign exchange students. It reassured her to know that he’d be a great friend and host brother to her. With that, she opened up the chat window and began: Rainbow Dash Hi James! James Van Driessen So you’re my new “sister” You mean host sister Gotcha I’m really excited to come to the USA I bet How old are you? 18 I’m 17, and I’ll be turning 18 in October Sweet How are your parents My parents are cool That’s good How was the whole application process? it was alright, I guess but VERY long Eurgh I was sent an application form (by that I mean a book) Go on… I had to fill out a ton of forms Like “why you would be a good exchange student”, “experience of different cultures”, things like that I bet that wasn’t quite fun I love fun things! :) I’m talking about the application stuff Oh The school that I go to had to write a recommendation letter And how did that go OK The principals were more than happy to do that for me b/c they don’t like me very well Hahaha and wanted me out of their manes for Celestia’s sake, I could hear them having a party in the teacher’s lounge afterwards *tears of joy* What was that I’ll explain later What else did you have to do? I had to convince my employer to be a reference of sorts (Funny story about that, both my team leaders, both of whom I work with, and their superior, had a massive argument about my performance) Hahahahahaha (which varies) Where do you work? Just asking Ponyville weather patrol Wonderbolts trainee Currently a member of the Wonderbolts reserves, but I’ll be a official member next year Interesting On top of that, I have to fill out a HORRIBLY complicated medical form I also have to get a LOT of injections and immunity tests Which hurt, btw Just putting that out there Not looking forward to that I don’t blame you Those HURT! I always hated going to the doctors’ because of that You’re really funny You know that My friends tell me that all the time!!! Just putting that out there But enough of that What else did you have to do? About a week ago, I had an interview with one of the exchange coordinators I was very nervous, but it wasn’t that bad Her name was Maria I think You mean my neighbor Maria? The one with the curly hair and all that? OMG she’s your neighbor? Maria Escovedo, was it? THAT’S THE ONE!!! IT’S SO AWESOME!!! She told me all about you just yesterday while we had her over for dinner That’s when we found out we’d be your host family Brb -- wingboner!!! Having a “who do you think you are” moment, Dashie? And what’s a “wingboner”? It’s a pegasus thing Don’t worry about it OK then I can already tell that you’re gonna be a great host brother It comes with experience I guess We’ve hosted before, so it’s no different this time around Which reminds me, I also had to fill out this paper about what I’d want in a host family Let me guess: we fit the profile? Maria certainly thought so We were the first people she came to I don’t think the other ponies know who their host families are yet They shouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Maria says that most exchange kids don’t know who their host families are until at least 2 weeks before they leave I’ll be sure to keep that in mind But I AM worried about leaving all my friends and family behind Homesickness? Basically That’s perfectly normal I’m also worried about not fitting in with the culture and all that Well, our culture IS unique, so it’ll certainly take some adjustment But I’m very excited to go I JUST CAN’T WAIT! That’s great! Did you have to do much else? I got a bunch of stuff from the program The exchange program? Like, what to expect and how our cultures are different Basically, yes They told me, also, the “Absolutely No” stuff -- running away, expulsion, drugs, weapons, preggo, self-harm (whatever that is) -- that would get me sent straight home I would hope so I got my visa a couple days ago And how did that go? First, I had to fill out this HUGE application It was very easy, I just ticked the right boxes and that was it “Are you a terrorist?” Nope “Do you live in a hollowed- out volcano on a stranded island in the South Pacific?” Nope “Do you possess nuclear weapons?” Nope OMG JAMES STOP IT! YOU’RE MAKING ME LAUGH AGAIN! [color=#6aaadBut seriously, tick the right boxes and you’ll be fine Hahaha I then had to go to the American embassy in Canterlot That was a couple days ago, right? I had to be over there by 9:30 in the morning The trip over wasn’t that bad at all I had to wait in a line and go through security Luckily, I had a friend with me to hold all my stuff while I waited for my interview Was it Gilda? Who else but her She’s on the program, too, and she has her interview sometime in early July How’d the interview go? They gave me a little visitor’s badge, and we went up some stairs to a waiting room of sorts I handed in my paperwork to the receptionist lady there Was she scary? She seemed friendly So, they escorted me to the interview room, and I handed in my paperwork again to the guy who worked for the embassy Is there a lot of paperwork? A mountain of it I also had to take a picture of myself to the interview I also had to buy a special envelope to hold everything in for when they send it all to the U.S. Did you do good? He didn’t ask me too many hard questions, I was in and out in about 5 minutes Had to wait for a long time though How long was it? An hour and a half Wow, that’s a long time And he was really nice to me, which was good Plus, I knew at that point who my host family was, so that made it so much easier Nice! Also, on the way back, Gilda and I stopped at the mall and got pina coladas which was awesome Cool I didn’t know that you guys had malls Heheheh We have highways, railroads, and big cities just like yours (Our neighbors have a LOT of money so they did that for us) Now I’m even more excited for you to come! When do you leave? Maria called last week when she was arranging all the flights and stuff There’s two groups of ten coming over I’m with the first group, which leaves 1 August The second group leaves 3 August, I think Excellent It was nice getting to talk to you Maybe I can add you on all my social media I’m going to go to bed now Take care! :) Visions of adventure and passion danced in the young mare’s head as she drifted off to sleep that night. The same was true for James.