In under 24 hours

So, how many stupid and potentially highly dangerous decisions can a girl make in under twenty-four hours? Two apparently. What could I have done that would be that bad? We'll start with the first decision, the dangerous one. However before I tell you what it was, let me tell you the prelude story to this decision. About a week ago was my little sisters 18th birthday and she is on this kick lately about doing all these things in preparation for her 'new' life as an adult. She hasn't quite realized that growing up can be quite bothersome, with all of it's new responsibilities and such. This isn't necessarily a problem for me, because I get to experience a bunch of new things Madisen considers to be 'rites of passage'. These rites of passage have been harmless and entertaining. Up till now.

Who in their right mind ever thought shooting a cylinder of metal through one's body, was fun and beautiful should be taken out and placed in front of the firing squad. I don't care that women and different cultures have been doing this for eons. Just because it is tradition doesn't make it any less painful. And for those of you who say, "It's a fashion statement! It's how I choose to express myself!" doesn't mean you should do it! There was a new fashion trend in Japan that I like to refer to as the doughnut forehead.

I repeat, just because something is trendy does not mean you should do it. And just as cringe worthy as this is, so is ear piercing. Yes, I have finally done it and got my ears pierced. But guys seriously though, they use an 'ear piercing gun' to put a metal rod through your ear! Who thinks, 'Hmm, this sounds like fun- we should try it' ? My little sister. That's who. We were walking through Wall-Mart and Madisen decides it that right then is the perfect time to get our ears pierced. So there I was, after watching my younger sister get her ears pierced, holding her hand with one of my hands and my nephew Triston's hand with my other hand. Three, two, one...

I felt the metal go through my ear. Not pleasant! Then trying to sleep with these stupid blasted earing in my ears was like trying to sleep with curlers in your hair. It's uncomfortable and you never quite fall asleep. Sleeping on my side like usual, definitely did not happen last night... grumble, mumble, mumble. Needless to say, I hate earrings right now. I will let you all know if that ever changes.

Then less than twenty-four hours later, I commit another act; partially out of curiosity, partially determination to push my comfort zone and partially excited rashness. Which if you don't know, I have a tendency to do most things rashly, on impulse, only to question myself later. Well, later has come and I am now wondering what in the world I was thinking. I signed up for a flight lesson on the twenty-seventh. Where I will spend most of the day learning about piloting stuff, I suppose, and then conclude the adventure by co-piloting the plane with an experienced pilot.

Now at first I was like- right on! That sounds so cool! My Grandpa Pearce was a pilot and Dad flew his plane, maybe it's in my blood too. That would be so awesome to learn how to fly a plane! Thus I dished out the money and signed up. Only now am I remembering my great fear of heights and falling/crashing to my death. I do not want to go down in a blaze of glory. Besides later that day, I have to be at my best friend Sarah's wedding reception. And for the maid of Honor not to show up to her besties wedding because she died earlier that day learning how to fly a plane is just tacky. I mean, who would want to take the focus away from the bride on her big day?

Step One

So after deciding to go for my dreams I had to figure out the best way to do that. So I started surfing the web trying to decide what I wanted to do. Eventually I got it narrowed down to about four options. The first two were European tours. *squeal of excitedness* The other two were volunteer programs. When I was deciding between these four options two components really helped me decide. The first was the cost. I know, I know, how lame and responsible is that? But ultimately I could spend two weeks in Europe for the same price as spending about a month as a volunteer. Then I stumbled upon the International Language Program, otherwise known as ILP. http://www.ilp.org/

With this program I could spend four to five months in the Russian/Ukraine mission, the China mission, the Thailand mission, the Lithuanian mission, or the Mexican Mission.http://www.ilp.org/travel/ for the same price as a European tour. However, what sealed the deal was this- I would be getting to teach English to elementary aged kids! For those of you who don't know, I absolutely love the English language! I want to be an Author! (Though we could do without all these nonsensical rules about spelling. Spelling phonetically is perfectly acceptable, right?) So that was that.

But did I act on my decision right away? No way! My biggest problem in this life is that I am a professional procrastinator through and through. So after staring at ILP's website for about a month I finally just closed my eyes and went for it. Witch was a huge leap of faith for me. At the time I had very little faith that I was ever meant for anything good, and that I would most likely not get in. I was 90% percent sure that I wouldn't get in. But my soul longed to hope against hope for that slim 10% chance that I was good enough. The idea of being rejected by the program scared me so thoroughly that it wasn't until I read somewhere on their website that the majority of applicants who applied were accepted that I finally got up the nerve to apply.

Okay, so onto the part that applies to the name of this post; the first step to applying to ILP.

Step 1:

1. Fill out the application. You can do this online, or print it out and submit it at their office. Since I am absolutely, horrifically bad at filling out applications, (Without fail I always mess up and have to use white-out) I chose to do this online. http://www.ilp.org/onlineapplication/
2. You will need TWO references. An academic reference from someone who has been your teacher in the last two years, and a character. This reference they would prefer to be someone in religious position higher than you, like an ecclesiastical endorsement. If you are not religious however that's not a problem. They will accept a reference form someone who knows you and is over you- a respected leader in your community. Like your boss at work. You will need a) their name b) their phone number c) their email address d) other information such as what did they teach and at what school etc. ILP will send you an email to fill out. These took me a long time to do because I wanted to choose the perfect people to be my references. I figured if I chose the perfect references it would up my chances to get into the program. Academic reference link:http://www.ilp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Academic-Reference.pdf      Character reference link: http://www.ilp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Character-Reference.pdf
3. An interview. This will be done over a phone call or you can do the interview face to face at their office. This part freaked me out and I was so nervous I honestly don't remember most of the phone call. I do remember the lady who was conducting my interview sounding amused by how nervous I was and I remember one of the questions was, "What will be the hardest part for you being in this program?" I remember answering, "Probably being homesick. My family has always been the most important thing to me." To my family- I love you guys and will miss you. Please stay in touch while I'm in China through this blog! :)
4. Additional steps. Not everyone has to do these, but sometimes if you are like me, you will, because if there is an easy way to do it, you're not gonna realize it till it's too late. Just kidding. My additional step I had to complete was going to get a special medical clearance. So I have a two medical conditions the first is called Vasovagal Syncope, and the second is that my body doesn't produce enough salt. Essentially because my body does not create enough salt, I have a hard time retaining water and thus get dehydrated easily and can pass out. The Vasovagal Syncope is a little harder to describe but the short hand version is this: when my body is under too much stress my brain sends signals to my heart and body to shut down to protect its self. These two are the nasty duo of my life and last spring I had a pretty bad attack that wound up making me go get tests at the hospital. Everything was fine, but due to visiting the hospital I had to get a special medical clearance from the Doc. saying that I was good to go to another country with ILP. No biggie, just a hassle.
5. The worst step of all- waiting. Now you will have to wait to see if you get in. ILP will usually inform you by the Friday after you get everything submitted via email if you have successfully gotten in or not. Followed by a phone call from ILP to verify that you did indeed get their email.

New Dream

A while back I was forced to seriously reevaluate where I believed my life was headed. In one fail swoop all my dreams disappeared and as much as I wanted to, I realized I wouldn't be able to get them back. So, I was forced back to square one and I had to ask myself, 'what do I enjoy doing?', 'what are my passions?', and 'What is my new dream?'

I realized that I had never lost my old passions, I had simply been putting them by the wayside for so long I had forgotten they were there, and that is something I vow never to do again. My top dreams were the same ones that they had been for a long time. I want to be an author with books so renowned they are more beloved than Harry Potter. I want to give someone a constant friend through my books when they desperately need them, the way I was given a friend through books when I needed them.

I want to travel and experience different cultures. I love traveling and always have. I love everything about them; Mythology, tradition, cuisine, history, holidays, architecture, and languages. I love experiencing new things and having everything being a new adventure. I've always believed that you should try everything at least once and those that you don't like at least once more - Every time. And if you ever have an opportunity to try something you find absolutely terrifying close your eyes, hold your breath, and go for it.

So here I am. Closing my eyes. Holding my breath. And going for it.