It's official...

so, i got official news yesterday from South Africa, stating that I'm accepted into their program. i got a big packet, with a bunch of cool stuff in it too. still don't know who my host family is...bummer. i'm anxious to find out. Ali's wedding is coming up...until next time, Paul.

Elections, and orientations...

so I can't believe that the presidential elections are only 12 days away! I've been paying very close attention to both Obama and McCain's campaigns...personally I like Obama's views and ideas a little better (although I'm not too keen on Biden) but hey, I'm not hating on McCain either - and I like Palin. Reguardless of who gets in office, it's safe to say that he'll have a pretty hefty workload. Annnnnnnnnnnd...Anne, my local volunteer called today and we have scheduled for eveyone to meet December 13 for a predeparture orientation! Woot! For me, that's very exciting, and the whole going-away-for-half-a-year thing is really starting to hit me. So, I'll post again if I receive an update with AFS and South Africa.

The Pampered Chef Fundraiser

happy Patriot Day!!! i'm proud to be an American!! and...i raised $500.00 doing the PC fundraiser!!! Thank you so much to everyone who supported/purchased. It means so much to me!

Working, working, working...

Like the title says, I've been working non-stop for the past few weeks. I just got back from Cedar Point yesterday, which was a nice break. So my mom is throwing a PC fundraiser at our house next thursday - woooo! That should help out a lot. I'm more than halfway there which is awesome, but I still have a long way to go.

Where I've been...

A map of where I've lived, where I've been, and where I want to go!

My decision to study abroad...

Ever since I went abroad to the South Pacific with People to People in the summer of '06, I've been wanting to experience more. My hunger for travel and living with other cultures has never left me. So, after nomination for the AFX scholarship and receiving $1,000 (thanks sooooo much Mrs. Brown!!!) I've decided to study abroad with AFS. Where you ask? South Africa. People always ask me, "why South Africa?", and I say, "because, it's off the beaten path". Now this was no easy decision to make - I had to fill out a massive application, plus figure out how I was to raise the entire tuition - nearly $9,000 - by myself. Plus living away from home for a semester seems really hard, but at the same time it looks like an incredible experience. So anyway, I had to sell the idea to my parents - haha...not an easy task. Finally once I persuaded them, I put down my $500 deposit, and received a local scholarship of $550 (thanks Anne!!!), and a program discount of $250 (thanks AFS-USA!!!), which helps tremendously. Along with this I'm working a part-time job at Knapps downtown, babysitting, fundraising, and working with corporate sponsors - hmm. It's exhausting, but totally worth it. So along with raising funds, I've been preparing in other ways - researching all I can, and preparing as much as I can. 'Till next time...Paul.