Exclamation!

Things are beginning to get a bit more real!

INTIMIDATINGGGGG

This form is what greeted me from the conference room table in the GLOBIS Center here at UGA.

Today was our orientation--it was our first exposure to each other as travelers and to more details on the trip itself. It was a lot, on a lot of levels: it was a lot of information, a lot of new people, and a lot of intimidating paperwork. In those ways it was a lot of somethingness; yet also a lot of nothingness: It was a lot of curiosity about my fellow travelers and the relationships we do not have but will undoubtedly form, a lot of uncertainty about what I and we will experience on the trip, and a lot of excitement for all of the above and everything else alike. The somethingness soothed anxiety about logistics and technicalities; the nothingness piqued interest and inspired action, learning, growth, and engagement.

In other words, it went well, and I can't wait to depart!

I've cut back my hours at work to make room for the crazy descent through Hell that is Finals season and am squaring away the details of my return. At this point, I'm just trying to find enjoyment in the ride and all of its chaos, confusion, excitement, and stress. Departure in less than a month!

Also, on a side note, I wanted to announce that I am the recipient of the 2012 SPIA Study Abroad scholarship (!!!). Without the magnificent kindness of those who donated, I would not be able to afford this trip. Through my efforts to win that scholarship and the countless hours of labor burnt away at my two jobs, I am paying for this trip by my self. At this point, I just feel overworked, overdrawn and eager to end this financial stress; once I've finally departed and have put some temporal, emotional, and physical distance between myself and this semester, with all of its absurd difficulties in preparation for this trip, I think I'll be proud of myself.

I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to talk more about the members of the trip, but we did not have a chance to get to know each other beyond superficial introductions. I'd hoped we'd all click immediately due to our unhideable individual uniqueness and awesomeness and our shared love of and excitement for the experiences to come, but this, I realized, was unrealistic. We were tired from a long day of classes in the busiest month of the semester, and we disbanded unceremoniously at the end of the orientation like people with places to be and things to do. I hope to organize a time for us all to meet up, hang out, and get to know each other before we depart, but I know that nothing bonds better than shared experiences, so I know that things will work out whether we bond now or not.

Thanks for reading! I'll post when I can!