Refer a Friend - Reduce your Program Cost!

I just received this email from ISV!

Refer a Friend - Reduce your Program Cost!

ISV is giving you a chance to save money by referring friends to the ISV Program. Every time you refer a new participant to this summer’s program, you will receive $200 USD off your program cost!

Refer 10 new participants and we will cover your program costs! (valued at $3,295 USD).

Each new participant who lists you as the referral will also receive $100 USD off his or her program costs so start telling your friends and colleagues now!*

To receive this incentive, after being accepted into the ISV Program, your referred participant must write “referred by - your name - your school” in the promo code box on their Program Agreement.

SO, if you are even thinking about this program do it now to grab this opportunity! Not only will you be helping me, but you will be helping yourself with the $100 off! It is not to late to start this journey! If you do make sure to list me and "Elaine Washam- Idaho State University"

I think this is pretty cool of them. Also, tell your friends that are in to traveling and volunteering about my blog so they can get the discount!

--Elaine.

Sponsors

Today I'm working on sponsor letters and where to send them. It is actually quite fun. I think that the biggest and hardest one to do will be finding a restaurant to sponsor a dinner party for me and give me a percentage of the donations. I think it will be a really fun event to do however, and I'm really excited about it! I'll use my new photoshop skills (I'm currently in a photoshop class at ISU) to make advertisements and everything!

Anyways, that is what I've been up to and when I actually send the letters out/visit businesses I'll let you guys know how successful I am!

-Elaine

The Semester Starts and Time is on the Run Again

Well, the semester has hit the end of it's second week which means the real work is just starting. I'll admit that this week was not a good one for my pursuit of ISV. All I managed to get done was fill out my flight preference form and mail it in with my flight deposit. Oh, I guess I also figured out how to get travel and flight insurance, I just have to decide who I am buying from. Well at least it is something.

I really just need to start focusing on my fund raising. But next week is a new week and I'm all smiles.

-Elaine

Procrastination

Procrastination is to the college student as the the sound of a roaring train is to the damsel in distress tired to the rails. You can feel it coming--you can hear it coming--then you can see it coming and your heart does a desperate flop to the pit of your stomach--perhaps trying to escape the inevitable. The end is near.

But I've found my cure for my procrastination--my savior who will untie the ropes.

Do what I WANT to do first.

Maybe this isn't a new concept to many. Maybe some people figured this out a long time ago and failed to tell me. And if that is you--shame shame on you! That wasn't very nice!

See, I'm a big fan of the to-do list. I can't function with a nice little calender or planner where every second of my life is listed out. I just make a list of things that I really ought to get done and that is that. And for the most part it really was working for me. The thrill of crossing something out and all, well, it is a nerds high.

But I had one problem. I always looked at the list and like many have advised, I did the thing I dreaded most first. But by the time I got done with it, I would look at the rest of the list and not feel like it anymore. Turn the clock back about an hour or so ago and I had a real passion brewing in me to do at least one thing on that list. But the other task just drained me.

But as of this past semester, I just started to do the things I liked and wanted to do first. I had more passion for them as I was doing them. Eventually I would get to the task that I really didn't want to do, but, well, it would be the last thing to do and I would have that "just get it over with" feeling and that seemed to be sufficient enough.

Of course there are exceptions: like that thing I don't want to do is due very, very soon. We all know at that point that it is just time to do it.

The more I write about this little discovery of mine, the more I think it may be very bad advice for some people, perhaps a train wreck. But for me . . . it untied the ropes.

Paper work and ISV

If after reading my blog you think to yourself, "You know, I really should do something like this." Then this next post is for you.

YES YES YES! I would encourage everyone to do something like this, whether it be a program like this a or some sort of work study through their school.

If you're going with a program like this, though, be prepared for lots of paper work. Don't get me wrong, they make it as easy as possible, but there is still paper work.

Today I filled out my project preference form, my liability release form, and part of my flight options form (I still need to mail it in as well as write a check for my deposit).

About a week ago I went to the local post office and applied for a passport, which had paper work as well.

You would think all this paper work would kill me. But really, I like it because each form is like taking one step toward my goal. It is like a small high every time I finish one.

So here is how the flight goes: they have a group flight leaving from Miami, FL on July 23 and a group flight coming back on the August 19. I have to book my own flights to Miami and back. Plan is to shop around for the best prices and also to try to give myself as much time in between as possible in case things go wrong. They have two flights and I don't know which one I'll be on just yet and each leaves at slightly different times. So I'll have to hold off on buying my tickets.

My next step for right now is to get my insurance all figured out. They require travel and overseas insurance, which is no big deal and should be fairly easy to deal with, but because of some other situations it makes it a bit more tricky for me. But that is a long story for another day, another post.

-Elaine

Donations for my trip

I love ehow.com.


I'm not the best at all this money transferring business over the internet. But ehow helped me through the simple process of receiving donations over the internet through PayPal. So now, as you can see, I have a "Donate" button above my picture. Feel free to help me out! Even 5 dollars will go a long way!

Also I wanted to let everyone know that I will be participating in a community development project in the Dominican Republic. I will not know my exact project for quite a while.

Anyways, to all who donate, thank you SO MUCH in advance.

-Elaine

Dominican Republic!

I've been assigned to the Dominican Republic! I leave on July 23, 2010.

This will be my life for about a month:

http://www.isvonline.com/dominicanrepublic.html

This program includes a two week volunteer project and a two week adventure tour. I think I pretty much almost cried over getting to go snorkeling.

I will get more details about the volunteer project later.

As I go through the process of getting all my paper work done and trying to raise some funds, I'll make updates!


P.S.- I guess I should also add that they had no problem with my arthritis. Haha!

ISV Feedback

I received an email from ISV today saying they received my deposit. Then I received another email from them. They needed to know more about my medical condition.
For those of you who don't know, I have Arthritis. I've had it since I was eight and well, lets just say I'm expecting to get knee replacements about 20 years early. Over this past year I went through some acceptance issues with my buddy Arthur (that is what my friend who also has arthritis calls it). I went through months of trying to not take my medication and deal with it through natural means. Very, very long story short: EF . . . otherwise known as an Epic Fail.
I've now given in to modern medicine--I think I value my ability to hike more than the potential side effects of some of the medicine I take.
Coming back to the main point . . . the medical form I had to fill out was pretty specific. I understand that a program like this has to keep you safe and healthy and doesn't want to be held responsible for anything that happens, but I have my condition under control.

I guess the point is: I really hope they don't feel that my friend Arthur is a good enough reason to not let me go. I really don't think that will be the case, but I can't help but wonder.