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.