First and foremost can we please address the fact that it is 8:14am and I have been up since 6am? Ugh! Gracias to me for trying to do 1,000,001 (that's a million and 1 :-) things in my life. As as senior in college I naively thought my life would be less hectic after I graduated. However, thanks to the 60 hours per week I have been working, plus MODEL26 and CISV (programs released for 2012 BTW *does happy dance*), I am thoroughly overworked and exhausted. Hence, my recent lack of blog posts. I honestly don't even know where to begin. My last post was October 11 and I feel like so much has happened since then. I'm sure you guys want a "life plan" update, so I guess I'll start with that.
1. So I've been working at the airport for Gogo and was able to friend my way into some buddy passes. So of course, I have to go somewhere! So this is my plan (which has been my plan for almost like 36 hours, which is a big deal!): I want to learn Italian. What better way to learn Italian than to move to Italy? So I want to move to Italy. However, as we all well know, EURO>USD, so living costs are gonna be a little steep. But when has that ever stopped me from doing anything?? Well...actually this one time I did opt-out of studying abroad in Spain and went for Argentina instead, but that's beside the point! LOL So there's this program in Sienna. It's mostly a study abroad program, but they also allow you to customize a program. So, for example, I don't need any course credit for anything, so I asked if I could just take the intensive language classes (5 hours of Italian per day) and volunteer around the city a bit. Of course, I would do the homestay, which I know wil be difficult because they families normally speak very little if any English at all. That's the best way to do it though. Roni is supposed to get back to me by the end of the week with some price estimates. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to take an au pair job in Argentina. I've already gotten my background check and everything done, just need to send it in when I'm ready to be placed with a family. I'm looking at leaving in January and coming back in April or May. I am applying for several fellowships and graduate programs to start in the fall, but the earliest one wouldn't start until June if I get it, so I have plenty of time to spend abroad. I figure I can either stay in Atlanta and save money and wait on fellowship/grad program notifications...Or I can go live somewhere else cool and wait on the notifications...so I'm going with the latter. So I'll solidify the Italy plan if everything works out financially. I wouldn't be opposed to a bit of indentured servitude either. Work off my program fee as a temporary employee for the program? Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. LOL If not, down to Argentina we go. It'll be summer time there in January anyway, so I'm in a win-win situation at this point. :-)
2. CISV Atlanta *does happy dance again* So I totally don't devote as much as I'd like to this organization because the leadership positions require like a 2-year commitment, and if you know me, I can't commit to most things for 2 months let alone 2 years! So I do what I can when I can. The 2012 programs are listed here on my Tumblr site, so check em out. CISV is this super cool awesome amazing wonderful magnificent international organization. I traveled to Finland as a CISV leader in 2010 and fell in love. Met some super cool awesome amazing wonderful magnificent people that I will never forget! And I did some super cool awesome amazing wonderful magnificent things that I wish everyone could do! So, yeah. CISV. Google it lol.
3. I put in my 2-weeks notice at one of my jobs last week. I was just doing absolutely too much (and by "was doing" I mean "currently am continuing to do."). I also decided to cut my weekend schedule a bit. Work two weekends per month instead of every weekend. Or maybe just work Saturday or Sunday, but not both because I don't have nearly enough time to just live life and enjoy being 22, and I also need to spend more time devoted to MODEL26.
4. Speaking of MODEL26, I am being quite lazy. We've received quite a few e-mails since Black Girls Rock aired on Sunday. *Sidenote: I had to cut my phone off that night. My Facebook and Twitter notifications come to phone as well as my texts and calls of course. It was just too much. LOL. But not complaining! Better that than for the opposite to occur.* And I haven't responded to any of them. My biggest pet-peeve (well one of the biggest) is when people don't respond to e-mails. Like I know you are in your office. And I know you saw my e-mail!...But now I completely understand. I have every intention of replying to all of them, it's just getting hectic around here! I used to tell people it's easier to get in contact with me via e-mail, but I'm starting to become a text/call person. So from now on, if it's urgent, please text or call me. It might take me a few days to respond to e-mails. Mostly because I am absent-minded and I completely forget that I have to respond.
