the impetus behind dragons and all it entails

For those of you who may no be familiar with the NSLI-Y program, it is a fully paid scholarship program for high school students to go to foreign countries and learn both the language and culture. All expenses except for luxury items (knick-knacks from said foreign countries) and immunizations are paid for. It's amazing! NSLI-Y stands for National Security Language Initiative for Youth, and it is an umbrella program organized by the U.S. Department of State comprising many other domestic and foreign organizations.

Today was the due date for the preliminary parts of the application for both the summer, semester, and year programs beginning in 2011, and thus I was freaking out. Not that I haven't had plenty of time to get it together, but the final click of the submit button is well... er, very final. I won't even try to defend myself over claims of being overdramatic, because I realize it myself. However, I am the way I am. So I clicked submit and off it went into cyberspace and into the hands of people who will be determining my and many other's fates for the coming year.

I applied for the summer program (approximately 6-8 weeks long) and listed my top three preferred countries/languages of study as follows:

1. Tajikistan - Tajik

2. Russia - Russian..... who knew?

3. China - Chinese..... another no brainer.

So now all I have left to do is postmark some signed agreements and forms as well as get my high school to send in a copy of my transcript. And then I'm on to the waiting game along with hundreds of others. That is the part I fear. Right now, I have control (I realize I actually have none but I choose to believe my own lie) and my fate is not out of my hands. At least not yet.

And so, as it finally sets in that I have very little to a null amount of control, I have turned to reaching out to others in my position by creating my own little spot on the web. In the future, if I am a very lucky girl, I hope this blog will serve as a guide to my global adventure in the summer of 2011. So if you have applied or are participating or have previously participated OR are thinking about maybe applying, then leave a note and let me know what you know or what you think!

p.s. - please feel free to correct me on any spelling errors or incorrect facts regarding anything I say. It's bound to happen so speak up!

p.s.s - click here for the NSLI-Y site.