Today I finally sent in my $1000 deposit to confirm my spot on the Fall 2009 voyage of Semester At Sea! I should get my room assignment within the next couple of days! It also gave me a list of all these documents that I need to have filled out and send in. It is kind of weird thinking that is actually going to happen! I mean it is on of those things that i have talked about for so long and it seems like it is far away, but it really isn't. I mean 280 odd days may seem like a long time, but I know it will go by quickly! One more hurdle down - only about a trillion more! 

Maybe I am totally taking this Semester At Sea thing for granted - wait scratch that I know I am. I mean come on! I am getting the chance to sail around the world and visit 9 or 10 AMAZING countries! Maybe those places are not exactly where I wanted to go, but that shouldn't get me down! I am going to be able to do something that less than 1% of the population of the world can say that they have done. And I get college credit...what more could I ask for?

All I have left now is still to send in my deposit. Then the ball starts rolling.

A little update on Disney. Today is the campus meeting. Tomorrow I will most likely have my phone interview. Then in two or three short weeks I will know my fate for next semester. If I don't get it I don't know what I will do. I mean I have banked on this so much and it would just be my luck to not get it the one time I actually want to go. Only time will tell!!!

AHH NERVES!

So I was holding out that SAS could have a better Spring 2010 itinerary, but it turns out that it is almost worse than the one that I have. It ends in freaking England! Are they trying to make it even more expensive than it already is?? They say it is good because it allows for independent travel afterward, but how the hell are students going to do that if they have a shit ton of luggage from the voyage? Ship it home? Do they realize how crazy expensive that is? I think I was even more bummed becuause they are not going to Africa. That makes three voyages in a row not going to Africa. So they choose to go to all the EU countries on the Euro...again are they trying to make this as expensive as possible? No offense, but what attracted me to this program was being able to go to countries that would hard to plan a trip to ie India, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. Now we are going to lovely places like Italy, Greece, and Turkey. All very westernized and very expensive countries. Maybe I should rethink this whole thing and just go on a summer voyage. I don't know the whole thing is really frustrating because you are spending all this money so you might as well go where you want to go, but that is not going to happen. BOO SAS!!

This is an extension of the previous post. I also found out that we are losing a week on board the ship. The voyage is 101 days rather than 108 like all the others. Granted, they are also giving us a $2,000 discount, which is nice, but I would rather have more time on board the ship. I have also found that SAS promises at least 10 countries on each voyage, but what they don't say is what they consider a country. For example, Fall 2009 is going to 10 countries, but the only way I can come up with 10 is if you count Hong Kong separately from China and include Canada, which is where we leave from. Now compare that to Spring 2009, which is also going to 10 countries, but if you had Hong Kong by itself and the Bahamas, which is where they leave from, they are actually going to 12 countries. AND Spring 2009 is $1,000 cheaper than the Fall! How does this all make sense?? I wish I had the money and could go in the Spring rather than in the Fall. Right now if the iteneary stays the way it is now I am going to defer my acceptance until Spring 2010. Gah that is so far away! But I guess since it costs so much you might as well be happy with everything!

So I am pretty upset with Semester At Sea currently. First of all, I really didn't want to go on the Fall 2009 voyage because I would have much rather preferred to go the Southern route and hit Namibia and South Africa. But whatever - I am still sailing around the world and I'll take Egypt. But now with this new monkey wrench thrown in I might wait until Spring 2010. The brilliant people at SAS decided to change the itinerary for Fall 2009 and it blows!! Here it is

Today I finally got the e-mail that stated I was officially academically accepted to Semester At Sea. Now that does not guarantee me a spot on the final voyage. Still, that is one less hurdle. I still have to fill out some more paperwork and send in my deposit to hold me spot. I am so excited! Everything is coming together.

Oh and I got the job too!

As of today, Semester At Sea has officially received all of my paperwork and information. This includes the online application, my transcripts, and a disciplinary clearence form from WKU. I should have my official acceptance in a couple of days (assuming that I get in). Gah, now here comes the hard part - waiting for the decision. This and I am also waiting to hear if I got the job at Walden Books. It is all just so exciting!

I am sitting here thinking about everything I could do and accomplish between the Disney College Program and Semester At Sea. I realized that I could have never seen this through with out Dad. Last fall, I kind of had a mini breakdown. I had some many things I wanted to do, but I was afraid of what I would miss out on here at WKU. I sent Dad an e-mail expressing my feelings. What I got in a response could not have been a more perfect answer. I thought everyone else should hear about the lesson he gave me:

Just thought I would pop in for a little update. I am officially back at WKU and loving it. Sorority recruitment pretty much took up all my time for the first week I was up there. I love all my little Pi Chis and it was a joy getting to work with all of them. I really don't believe they realize what an amazing job they did.

But classes have started and all are looking good - with the exception of Intro to Finnance, which is going to be the death of me! Boo accounting and finnance.

I have also made another decision about this lovely blog. It have decided to dedicate it directly to my journey with SAS and the Disney College Program. So there will not be any updates until there are updates with that.

But speaking of these items there is an update on SAS. As I strolled into the Study Abroad office to chat with Ms. Scott, she introduced me to someone. Well that someone turned out to be one of my professors from SAS! He is going on the same voyage with me and has done many previous voyages! His name is Martin Steneckey (could be spelled wrong) and the best part is that he is going to be at WKU ALL semester, which means all I have to do is find him and pick his brain with all my questions! I was beyond excited! I mean how cool is that!? He even invited me out to dinner with him and the Academic Dean for the voyage when she comes into town. I hope everything works out!

SAS has officially recieved my transcript and application. Now all I am waiting on is for WKU to sned in my discplinary clearance form and then a decision will be made about my acceptance to the Fall 2009 (and 100th voyage) voyage of SAS. Gah! I already I can't wait.

yes i am a nerd

peace

YAY!!! Yesterday I officially applied for the Fall 2009 Voyage on Semester At Sea!!! I am so excited!!!! Hopefully everything goes according to plan! Here is a slightly more updates schedule!!!! (ok so I went a little overboard on exclamation marks!!!!)