Step Two

Since you've sent in your two references and application you've been obsessively stalking your email waiting, waiting, waiting. Did you get in? Eventually you start to just avoid your email, telling yourself it's unhealthy to be this attached to your computer. Although really you're just trying to let ILP have a little more time to email you, and you figure if you avoid your email maybe the next time you check it, you will finally have the long awaited email waiting for you in your inbox. And then before you know it, it's there and suddenly you don't know if you really want to open it.

And then when you do it says:

Dear Ashley,

 

We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted to participate in the ILP program during the Fall 2013 Semester. We congratulate you on being qualified to volunteer during a semester abroad!

 

Please call or email the office as soon as you can to tell us that you have seen this email.

 

Now if you're anything like me this email is followed by much screaming, squealing, and happy dancing! When I first got my email I was home alone and in a happy productive mood which  roughly translates to I was blasting my iTunes at a deafening volume off my laptop while washing the dishes. So sopping suds everywhere I was skipping a song and refreshing my email occasionally- checking my email when unexpectedly there it was. Trying not to drip water all over my laptop but being too excited to grab the dry hand towel that was on the other side of the kitchen I managed to open the email. Then screaming over the music I full on danced (like no one was watching) around my kitchen to my blasting music.

 

Feeling a wee bit disappointed that there was no one in my house to experience the moment with me, I took to all available forms of communication and told everyone! Needless to say I was very excited. Well, for a view brief glorious moments I thought that all I would have to do now was go to some sort of training and show up at the airport on the right day. Never have I ever been so wrong.

 

The next email I received the following day carried a link to an e-document that I would need to call the office and schedule a time to go through it with my ILP representative. This e-document is essentially an overview of what's about to come and a legal document where you agree to follow and abide by the rules, was ten or twelve pages long. You also say if you have medical issues (sigh). So once again I filled out additional information. Then the darndest thing happened. I went to submit my e-document and it refused it and whipped it clean. Three times. It got to a point where I had memorized all of the boxes I had to check and all of the places I had to put my electronic signatures. Eventually I got so frustrated I called my representative and she was puzzled too, until finally we figured it out together. A week later.

 

While all this happening, I was also trying to figure out how to get a passport. So the first thing I did was Google how to get an American Passport. This is the link for the webpage that takes you through getting a passport for the first time, renewing your passport, or even replacing a stolen one. http://travel.state.gov/passport/ So, for any one who is wanting to get a passport for the first time, and if you qualify as an adult I have some information for you!

 

Okay well, first off you will have to fill out a passport application, this application you can turn in online or at a government building in the passport department. When you turn it in you will need to bring a Birth Certificate, a valid Drivers License, a passport photo that meets the requirements and $135. first time passport and what you'll need & Passport Fees Now when I went in to turn in my application I had to turn in my application I had to use a check to pay my $135. And when they take your application and check, they will also take your birth certificate and staple it to the application to send in with the passport. The government will mail your passport and birth certificate in separate letters back to you in about a month or so. Passport Processing Times When it comes to the passport photos you can get them at multiple places for different prices. I would suggest Costco- you get 4 for about $6. Oh, and when you get the passport you do, indeed, sign you signature in pen along the line.

 

Step Two breakdown: 

1. Get accepted
2. Fill out and submit e-doc. packet- fill out additional steps if you need to.
3. Start getting your passport for step three (if you don't already have one) 

So, after all this I thought I was done. I wasn't. There was another packet coming. But that's Step Three.
 

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.