One week from Tomorrow I leave for Waltham, MA. I can't believe it is already here. I am so excited to start something new. It's almost like experiencing a sunrise. The hard part is getting out of bed. Then you must patiently wait until the sun is fully up. I have already started to get out of bed, that would be all the program searching, fundraising, and planning. I will finishing getting out of bed next Sunday, Aug. 21st, when my plane takes off for Boston. I will get to experience the beauty of the sunrise in the next couple of [View Full Entry]

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The final days in Germany… You’da thunk I’d be sad or something. And actually, I was, but I was so many other things, too, (tired, stressed, happy,) that the only emotion that actually registered was exhaustion. See, fate set it up so that my final projects were all scrunched in at the end of the semester, just exactly as I predicted (sloth-paced projects at the beginning were bound to give way to highway-paced ones by the end). But the real kicker of a setup was the final presentation of the placemat project: Wake up on Tuesday at 3am, so I can [View Full Entry]

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Things are slowly falling into place. As of today, I have at least $600 still to raise for my travel expenses to Jamaica. I spoke with Sr. Catia yesterday, and most things are looking good. Another sister from her convent will be heading to Jamaica later this week to get things set up for Megan and I. While the sister is there she will begin the application process for my Visa. I have filled out all the forms, taken my picture, and copied my entire passport for them. I believe that I will be obtaining a VISA for religious work, instead [View Full Entry]

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Well, we are here in Topeka, Kansas, 725 miles from home. It's been a long exhausting day of nothing but driving and many pit stops. We left Francis Ferry Road at about 6:30 this morning, and drove until about 10:00. The only thing of any real interest we did today was drive through St. Louis and go past the Arch. We'll probably go up in it on the loop back home, so hopefully there will be pictures later from that. Well, like I said, nothing really but driving today, so nothing interesting to talk about. We'll make it to Colorado Springs [View Full Entry]

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Here I sit, with WalMart bags surrounding me and clothes spread throughout the room, preparing for my trip to Benin, Africa. I leave July 4th for Philadelphia, the ultimate destination for any true freedom celebrater. Fifty people from the United States will meet in Philadelphia for three days before we all leave for Africa. We arrive in Cotonou, Benin on July 8th, where we will begin our training. For three months, I will live with a host family in Segbouhe, Benin, not far from Cotonou, and will learn how to cook, clean, live, and play like a true Beninoise. Along with [View Full Entry]

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Hi there. I'm still getting ready to leave for China, my tickets aren't even booked yet, and I don't have my Chinese visa! I should have my tickets and visa in hand within the next two weeks, however. Right now we plan to leave the USA on July 27, and return on August 28. From there I move to North Carolina to continue my internship at Cisco Systems. I'm also excited about returning there too. At UIBE I'll primarily be learning how to speak Chinese, which is really exciting because I can use what I learned in the classroom immediately on [View Full Entry]

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I'm currently in my own kitchen, in my own house, in my hometown. My flight to Shannon by way of Boston was delayed two hours. Of course, nobody bothered to tell my alarm clock, so I still woke up at 5:40. And instead of going to the airport early, I'm doing the first of what I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of on this trip - waiting. I figured this was as good a time as any to get a start on this travelblog. I spent the majority of yesterday running from store to store doing some last minute shopping for [View Full Entry]

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---- April 23rd ------ Time is flying. I'm having trouble getting in contact with my second host farm, so I may end up just waiting until I get to Ireland and calling them. I've got all of my documentation now - passport, student ID (I'm using the ISE card), and WWOOF card. Score. Speaking of the passport.. It looks like an easter egg. I expected it to be all official looking, which I guess it is on the outside, but... man. The inside is all pretty and GLOWY and IRIDESCENT and the anti-fraud watermarks are sparkly. And that's besides the fact [View Full Entry]

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OK, everyone, I 'm as new to this as you are! I decided you all cared enough about me to want to keep tabs on me while I spend 6 months in Germany. Primarily. Get ready to be amazed, because I know I am. The last few days have been a blur to me, what with trying to get out of Manhattan and into Kansas City to tackle the messy ordeal of packing. Traumatic events up to now include: one last hurrah with my peeps in Manhattan, dropping my kitty off at her new home-for-the-next-six-months, sending John back up to school [View Full Entry]

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Hi Everyone,   Guess what! They changed my Staples remodel destination again. First it was supposed to be New Jersey or Pennsylvania, then it was supposed to be Kernersville, NC. Now I think I actually know where I'm going because I have a flight # and hotel reservation. I'm staying in Bradford, PA and working about a half hour away in Olean, NY. Olean is in the south western part of New York and not anywhere near The City. I do want to do some sight-seeing on our only day off  on Sunday. The closest interesting things are Buffalo and Jamestown, NY  [View Full Entry]

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