FDP's, IFP's, Indy's, etc.

fdp's -- faculty directed practicas. field trips designed and organized by professors according to their interests and the goals of their classes. we are required to take approximately 2-3 FDP's per class, and to journal about them.

ifp's -- international field programs. these are the trips organized by SAS from beginning to end. there are day trips, tours, and long excursions as well. these can range from $20-1600, and include meals, airfare, admissions, 5-star hotels, etc. i will be doing a few of these, but my budget is not made for those high-end trips.

indy's -- these are independant trips planned by students, for students. there are several indys in the works on the facebook group, including a roundtrip to the taj majal and a sleepover on the great wall of china. i will be traveling independantly, so i look forward to meeting all these people who i have been exchanging messages with online.


all of the fieldtrips for this spring have been posted.
that means, i have a lot of decisions to make.

i'm hesitant to start deciding what to do because the idea of endless opportunities is much more exciting.

i am starting to put together rough ideas of what i would like to do in each country so that i can begin deciding which SAS trips to do, versus independant group trips, etc.

i know already that i will be heading to rome when we dock in italy to meet up with my wonderful friend amanda who is going to be studying in florence next semester. when i start to think about the two of us in rome, i get so excited! i can't wait. and i know that a familiar face from home will be exactly what i need after my first few weeks on the ship.

i'm off to google, about.com, and research things to do!
then classes, i suppose. :)

---63 days to go---

today & this weekend's to do list

-get my remaining immunizations (on monday..)
-send in the last of my SAS forms (on monday, after the shots.)
-figure out why i got an email saying i haven't paid. i'll be calling financial aid and home and SAS and back again. i thought i had sent everything! i have a feeling they are waiting on a single piece of paper. i'm not sure which one. and that is annoying.
-FIND A PLACE TO STAY IN THE BAHAMAS. i have to stop procrastinating on this one.
-save money. where the heck is it all going?!
-hand in housing forms. the release & petition to return. (monday..)


and there is lots more than that to take care of.

like, what to do in each country! i dont even know where to begin.

VISAS

i forgot to mention..

word on the street (aka my sister told me..) that my passport and visas have arrived safely at home! YAY. unfortunately, the silly things over-drafted my account but i think all has been resolved. so now i can get myself to into china and india.

AND, the best part, my passport is home safe and sound and i won't be worrying in early january whether it would be home in time.




88 days + 10 hours to go.

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.