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.

International Student Volunteers

What seems to be such a long time ago, even though in reality it was only a few years ago, I embarked on a journey where I would meet some of the most amazing people of my generation. They were lovely people who I, to this day, still admire for all their talents and all their strength. We met in D.C. and found ourselves an adventure filled with sites to see, important people to meet, scholarships to be had, and delicious food to be eaten. Yes, my fellow Free Spirits, I speak of you. And please, don't take anything you may hence forth read in an offensive way.
The reality was that I was not them, and they were not me. While many bonded and made packs of life time friendship, I only managed to bond with a few of the talented individuals that seemed to be in the same outsider boat as me. And that was just alright with me. Because I still learned a lot. I learned what I was not and what some people are. I learned that even if you don't click with people, it doesn't mean that they aren't amazing and that sometimes it is alright to realize that you were wrong about yourself.
Though, I'll admit right now that it took a good year to realize what I learned about myself, another half of a year to accept it and then a couple of additional months to do something about it.
And here I am, back to where I started: this blog. I thought it was time that I wrote again and now I know that I'll only write for the sake of it because writing is only meaningful if it can take on it's own life without the image of the writer glaring in the background.


So here we go . . .



I intend to . . .no, I will travel over seas and volunteer through the program International Student Volunteers.
Why? Because I was told to by myself and myself refuses to explain itself. But, again, that is just alright with me.

I've made my initial deposit. There is no going back now.


Don't think-- just do,
Elaine