4.5 Months Away

I turned in my application! Finally, a giant weight off my shoulder, replaced with another one--waiting until I hear back to see if I'm accepted. I've also already turned in the NSEP Scholarships which would be a miracle if I got it. It's the National Security Education Program scholarship and it awards students up to $20K for a one-year study abroad program! But since I won't find out whether I got it until late April/early May, I am still busy applying for other scholarships, hoping to cover the costs of my program.

I suppose I should tell you where I'm going....that might make sense of all of this. Most of you know I'm sure, but for those of you who don't, I'm heading to Valparaíso, Chile to study abroad for one year. Valpo is located about two hours northwest of Santiago (the capital of Chile). It is a beautiful coastal city built on a cliff, with a population of about 600,000 and a sister city called Viña del Mar. My program starts on July 17th, 2006. I will be living with a host family the whole year except during the 2.5 month summer (mid-Dec to March) when I plan on traveling all over South America.

Perhaps you're wondering why I chose Chile. I wanted an intense immersion experience in a culture that was very unlike what I know. I've never really been out of the country so I suppose this wouldn't be too difficult to do. Regardless, although Spain would be amazing as well, I felt that Latin America would better suit my interests and personality. Out of the 13,000 students at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV), there are only 3% are international students. On top of most likely being the only foreign student in my regular Chilean university classes, my program requires students to sign a language contract promising they will not speak English unless it's a dire emergency. This is my FAVORITE part of the program. I am so excited to just forget about English and think in Spanish all of the time. It's the culmination of seven years of hard work. But wait, I have more exciting news.

Since I couldn't intern with Shell Oil in Houston this summer (due to conflicting dates), they are awarding me their Personal Development Award. This is a lump sum of money that I can do whatever I want with it--except pay tuition. At the end of the summer, I have to write them a paper to tell them what I did with the money and what I learned. Basically I could develop an exisiting talent, learn a new skill, travel to a conference, establish a volunteer program, etc etc. Basically they give this award to students who stretch themselves, push the limits and reach new goals. So I have decided to go to Chile 2 weeks early to take some Spanish classes. There's a program called Spanish Abroad and it's in Santiago. I plan on living in a shared apartment, taking classes about four or five hours a day and then exploring the city by myself. I think it'll be great to just explore another country without the support of my study abroad program.

Ok enough of all this.....you've got the basics of my plan. I'm leaving July 1st which means I only have about 134 days left in the States! So excited!!!!!