i'm still going.

we were notified about the financial aid packages from the institute of shipboard education(ISE) on thursday via email.

i got nothing. and so did a lot of people. in the email, ISE & SAS said that the number of applications for financial aid increased over 80% from the fall 2008 voyage to the spring 2009.

as expected, i was heartbroken and very worried. i was so scared that i was not going to be able to go, even though i'm already financially invested in the trip (plane tickets, visas, etc.). i called dad crying and he said we'd figure it out. i've been so nervous all weekend for the phone call that would let me know if i was going or not.

as of now, i'm $3,700 short.

i talked to mom and dad; and i know that they have been over and over it all weekend, trying to figure out how to make it happen. we've decided they'll spot me and i'll pay them back once i get home and working. the last thing i want to do is put them out financially. i know that this trip is a once in a lifetime deal, that it will be an experience i'll never forget. but i also don't want them to struggle because i'm taking this trip. i am so grateful for all they do for me, and i will never truly be able to pay them back for the gift of my college degree and all of the opportunities they have provided for me.

i'm stressed, now, about how i will make it all work. i know that i'll be working very hard next summer to pay them back and somehow get a car.

it will be worth it.

i remind myself that there are students who have been planning their semesters for longer than i have and who were counting on the financial aid to make it happen. and i know that many of those students are now not going. so in perspective, i'm one of the lucky ones. i can only imagine their heartbreak, as i would be devastated if my parents had said it was no longer possible.

i'm excited to go, overwhelmed that i am 100% and absolutely going, and stressed with all the things on my to-do list.

until next time..
--l


105 days until the ship departs from nassau.