Epic Success.

Last night, I was notified by the fantastic Karen Pierce of the Georgia Tech International Plan that I had received $750 from the IP Stipend program to spend as my nomading deemed fit.

Right now, I'm sipping on Turkish coffee and purchasing my tickets to Turkey with that new found cash. I only thought it appropriate.

My Cairene nomading lives on.

why yes, I AM activating Egypt.

ACTIVATE 2008 starts tomorrow - but I'm heading off today for what will be my fifth conference facilitating. By far, this is the most organized, most well-thought-out, and most inclusive planning process that I have worked in so far in AIESEC. EVERY session is something new that we created in the past few days, and EVERY faci has been excited, involved, and full of ideas. It's a different working culture here, and I'm pretty sure that I'm in love with it. The sessions are going to be so exciting - they are situated around homegroups, and I've got the newbie track, so it will be even more fun. More dancing, more inspiration, and more talking about this insane organization that I love. This will be my first conference with a full-blown simulation (this one is about PBoXes) and actually discussing the AIESEC Way, History, and organizational structure without censoring or filtering it. I bet all of your Halloween candy that it will be a fantastical spectacle.

yellah AIESEC Egypt!

Prepare for little to no sleeping...

because ACTIVATE 2008 shenanigans start today.

Sunday: Planning 7:30-10:00
Monday: Planning 6:30-9:00
Tuesday: Planning 12:00 - 9:00
Wednesday: Planning 10:00 to whenever we finish.
Thursday through Saturday: A face-meltingly awesome conference.

get ready...

early presents.

I'm going to London and Paris in January.

oh yes.

a much needed reactivation

After a week filled with some existential crises, I've found out that I am on the Faci Team for ACTIVATE 2008 - Egypt's NLDS. I'm pretty excited about it, and the 150 newbies that will be in my track. I guess it's time to brush up on my dancin' skillz.

!عيد موبارك

!ساسافير الى مرسى علم

first Egyptian days...

three days in Cairo. my findings:

1) awesome ladies. from AIESEC and from AUC/ALI. fantabulous.
2) haven't met very men of the AUC boys yet (segregated dorms and all that), but they look like promising cohorts.
3) Stella, the local brew, is not too shabby (much better than India's Kingfisher, for sure).
4) I apparently am a hookah "champ". I blame AIESEC and the gentlemen of the modern American hookah.
5) I love AIESEC. and all that comes with it. Especially the people.
6) Tamiyah = delicious. whoa jeez.
7) An incredible whirling dervish performance can simultaneously make you dizzy and lifted. more on that later.
8) I miss everyone at home. Just so you know.
9) I am so ready for school to start. Cairene life requires Arabic, and I have never wanted it more.
10) Internets work best after 1am. Anytime else it is slow as anything.
11) Cairo = breathtaking. Yellah.

honestly? I thought I was dreaming.

Have you ever opened an email, maybe in class, maybe not expecting anything, but then have been so blindsided by excitement you start crying? Like, struggling for breath, shaking, out of control, crying excitement?

yeah, that just happened.


I've been officially accepted not only to the Arabic Language Institute for the summer, but to the American University in Cairo for the next academic year.

yellah Masr.

You rock, Rock.

these people makes my life look lame.

7 days. 18 hours. 34 minutes. 10 seconds.
and i will be flying.

official looking forms scare me.

So school is over. My first year at Georgia Tech, finished. It's a surreal feeling, and I have never felt so old.
Want to know what else is surreal? I am leaving for India in a few weeks.
I have been looking at flights, travel information, and things like that all day. I think it is finally hitting me that I am actually going. And it is a little scary that I am not completely prepared. I mean - there's not much I can do but buy plane tickets, get some stuff together, and fill out official paperwork - which I have decided that I am terrified of... I mean it's not an irrational, debilitating, impossible fear - but it is just so scary looking.
But anyway - back to India prepping. I don't know where to go from here. I am sending off my visa application tomorrow, hopefully buying plane tickets tonight (after five hours of searching and comparing prices), and getting some organization for stuff to bring. I probably should just sit down and make a list.
Sorry I am so distracted - this is all a little overwhelming.

oh.my.god.

in 4 weeks, i will be working in India.
that is so incredible - it's still a little hard to believe.
and i have been talking to Mohammed all morning - and it's getting more and more exciting.
new development for my nomading: Nepal. how incredible would that be.


talk about a sweet summer vacation.

2 days 2 hours 54 mintes 57 seconds

the title pretty much says it all.


(excitement)

can i wait it out?

3 days, 4 hours, 26 minutes.

if i can last that long it would be amazing. i just finished a test, still have a project and two more midterms to go. I have class in about 10 minutes, but i would rather sleep. i haven't gotten to that point just yet. LTM went late, then worked on a project, then went to dinner at R. Thomas with Charlie (at 2am.) it was delicious by the way, and very good conversations about all sorts of things.

right now i am just trying to focus for more than 2 minutes on one thing. i have been so jittery lately that i am never sure what is going on. i hate this feeling of not being able to focus. or sleep. im worried that i will be getting no sleep this week, and then i will be off to morocco (yay!) which inherently requires me not to sleep, and valencia (yay!) which will not include sleeping either. i'm either going to have to start taking meth or become a zombie in the next few days so i can survive. i'd prefer neither.

3 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes.

almost there.

7 days of waiting....

one week.
one week from right now i will be arriving at the airport to go to morocco.
one fucking week.

it seems so far away, but i know that i don't have enough time to get everything done that i need to. like buy clothes. and sleep. and find my head. and find an amazing book to change my perspective while i am traveling (open to suggestions people!)

talking to preston, and getting ridiculously excited about my time in valencia. i can't believe how much fun it is going to be. i don't even have a plan, which isn't that strange for me, but i'm waiting for him to take me to an amazing place like a native. oh god - i am excited.

also excited about joining national leadership team. talking to charlie and andrew has got me so pumped to start working. i want so much for AIESEC here at Georgia Tech, but also improving what we have as a nation. i love AIESEC, and i will do anything for it at this point.

i think that i have stated my excitement level is high multiple times in the past few sentences. but i'll say it again: I AM SOOO EXCITED!

in like a lion....

its march already. can you believe that? march! 9 weeks from today is the last day of exams. the last day of my first year at college. that's mind boggling. more than mind boggling, its unbelievable.
and in just 2 weeks i will be in morocco! and tomorrow i will be in augusta, georgia, celebrating my very first RoKS!
i am soooo excited. you don't even know.

oh man... you don't even know....

i'm going to morocco.

be excited.