Less than 3 weeks...

Tonight we had our second meeting with the program coordinators.  It is so crazy that we leave in less than three weeks.  I have no idea what to expect, so having my friends Carter and Thomas at the meeting was really great.  

I met Carter and Thomas on my study abroad trip to Asia.  They recently got back from doing the spring semester internship in Uganda.  It was awesome to meet with them tonight so they could tell us a little more of what we would be experience in Uganda. 

They showed us a map of the city where we're staying, pointing out where we would be staying, restaurants where we could eat, and other highlights of the small town of Masaka.  They gave us some tips on what to bring...kind of.  I think the extent of their advice was...they didn't bring anything.  They confirmed my fear that I will probably over pack, as usual.  They did suggest bringing a Kindle...so I might be investing in one of those in the next few weeks before departure.    

I feel overwhelmed.  Life is crazy right now.  I'm scrambling to finish my long list of school work due within the next week.  I've got four finals to study for...and am in fact at the library attempting to study right now.  However, I am just way too excited to focus!  I can't wait...

Yellow Fever

Last week, Amy and I went to the Bear River Health Department to get our immunizations.  I was expecting to get only one shot, the yellow fever one, but apparently you need a lot more shots than that to go to Uganda.  After an hour of learning about all of the diseases, and over $300 later, we both left with tetanus, polio,  and meningitis boosters, along with the yellow fever shot and a prescription for malaria pills.  With all of this disease protection, I think I can travel pretty much anywhere at this point!

I'm sending in my visa application today.  It's great to keep checking big things like this off my list.  In less than five weeks, I will be in Uganda!  I can't believe it. I'm far from being prepared, but I am getting more excited each day!

Overwhelmed

This semester is crazy.  My classes are so much more work than I am used to, and I feel like I am suffocating with everything I have to do.  I love it though, and I am grateful that I can be in school, learning about things that I am really interested.  The best word to describe how I'm feeling is overwhelmed.

Today I am feeling especially overwhelmed, but this time it isn't with homework or stress.  I am completely overwhelmed with happiness.  I don't know whether I am going to scream, laugh, or cry!  I talked to my friend Carter, who is already in Uganda doing the SEED internship.  He shared his blog with me, and I could not stop reading it.  Reading about all of the experiences he is having over there makes me so excited for when I get to be over there.  I cannot wait to get over there and experience Uganda.

But until then...I'll be in Logan, overwhelmed with accounting, finance, econ, and tax.  It's all worth it though.

Opportunity of a Lifetime

There's a moment where you stop, and you take a look back on your life.  You think about the places you've been, the people you've known, the things you've learned, and you see how everything you have experienced has gotten you to this very moment.  The pieces of your life have been slowly coming together, and now, all of a sudden, the picture is becoming clear.

I have been given the most amazing opportunity in the world.  At the end of the semester, I am going to Uganda for a three month internship, with the S.E.E.D. program.  I look back and reflect on the many different things that have shaped me into the person I am.  Within the past few years, I have come to love traveling, business, and teaching.  This program encompasses all of this.  I'm amazed how I have been led to this crazy opportunity, and I am so excited to go!

The Symbolic Seed

There are thousands and thousands of seeds.  We find them everywhere.  There are sunflower seeds at baseball games, black watermelon seeds we spit out at summer barbecues, seeds attached to the end of the dandelions we wish on, and seeds of many types littering the ground in the fall.  So what is a seed?  What do seeds do?  A seed, although often small and seemingly insignificant, is something if planted and nurtured, can grow into something truly amazing.  

Seeds are everywhere, both figuratively and literally.  I want to look for the seeds in life, the ones that were planted long ago in order to get me where I am today, as well as the ones that are being continually planted, constantly causing great things to bloom and grow around me.  

New seeds are planted every day.  So many things in life are constantly changing, new opportunities are always arising, and all because at one point, a seed of something was planted.  I want to recognize all of the little seeds in my life that have (or will have) the big impact on my life.  

Now that's a pretty big tree to grow from one tiny seed!