I realized that there are several little tidbits of information that are just interesting to know, and that might be helpful in understanding what's happening. I'll try to go in roughly chronological order.
I initially heard about the study abroad opportunities while sitting in the advising office waiting for my appointment to add marketing as my second major. At the time, I was an accounting major who was falling haplessly in love with my marketing class, which was the subject that had initially turned me toward business in the first place. How I decided to go with accounting instead, I genuinely can't remember. I believe it had something to do with wanting to prove that I'm a big smarty pants, and to do something hard just because I wanted to win at doing hard things. This is rarely a good reason to do things.
An informational meeting was coming up soon, and I decided to go. The meeting was very interesting -- other trips were mentioned, one to England and one to India. England was a close second for me, but I was told that Leta likes to take people who are desperate to take only her trip. If I really want it, it should be the only trip for which I apply. I walked away from that meeting feeling incredibly confident that I would be accepted. It was an inexplicable feeling that I was definitely destined to go on this trip.
In my preparations for the application, I happened to mention it to my friend from accounting. Now, she's got what I would call, really good luck. She is currently on a scholarship with the AICPA, which is an academic accounting fraternity of some sort, and she got this really cool internship with the King County Courthouse as a forensic accountant (I had no idea that was even a thing). She's got some added demographic benefits, such as being Latina, and being a non-traditional returning student, etc. Anyway, when she found out that I was applying, she decided to apply as well. The goal was to take the trip together.
My confidence immediately dropped. On one hand, it would be incredible to have an existing friend for the trip. Ireland wouldn't be ready for the two of us. But, on the other hand, I was very seriously concerned that rather than take us as a boxed set, Leta would pick my friend over me. I delayed very seriously in finishing my application, and finally completed it a week or so before the deadline. I wrote my personal statement honestly, naturally, and from the heart, and decided to let it play out as it would.
Well, the spoiler is that obviously I was accepted. Unfortunately, my friend was not. Now that I know the other members of the group, I really wish she was coming, so that I would have a decent friend with a viperish sense of humor to tour Ireland with me. But it is probably best for my personal growth that I make this trip alone. But I will sorely miss her.
* * *
I found out I was accepted to the trip via phone call. Now, what is funny is that my phone is forever attached to the side of my face. The fact that Leta was able to call three separate times when I did not have my phone on my person is remarkable. I didn't recognize the number, and she didn't leave a message, so I had no idea who this person was who kept calling me at 9:30 at night. I wasn't going to call them back and interrogate them -- "Hello, why do you keep calling me, I think you have the wrong number, who are you so I can tell you that you have the wrong number? You didn't leave a message so I don't know who you are, or who you were trying to reach, but I'm pretty sure you have the wrong number, so I'm calling you back to follow up, and make sure you get a hold of whoever you're supposed to be calling, because it's definitely not me, because I think you have the wrong number."
Finally, I was on the phone with Chris when the number started to call me. I was, by now, quite perplexed about this very insistent person who never left a message. I hung up with Chris to take the call, and it was Leta. She said hello, and asked for me, and then she spent a little time admonishing me for not answering my phone. Then she said that I'm on the team, and I swear to God, I said "what team?" And she said "The trip to Ireland! You're going to Ireland." And then I screamed at her.
Once I was done screaming, I thanked her profusely, and apologized profusely, and thanked her again. I ran downstairs to tell my parents, and then I cried for a little while because I was so damn excited. I called Chris back, and he was also excited, and at this point I had stopped crying, so I tried to act nonchalant.
Flash forward to our first meeting of the group, in mid-April. We did some typical ice-breaker activities, and did mini-interviews with each other to introduce our partner to the rest of the group. Leta loves what she called "juicy details," so I mentioned to my partner, Toto (Cambodian) that I used to speed-read for debate, and could talk at about 400 words per minute. When this was announced to the group, I was required to perform this skill. I did ok, for someone who was severely out of practice, but I got hung up on the word "economics" and stuttered until I got going again, which is always embarrassing. I was also the only person to be required to perform for my juicy detail.
A few people were not in attendance for work or class, and one of those people was Will. Leta said that Will was coming late, and alluded to something about him and sheep. When he arrived, after my stuttering display, she turned to welcome him and said "It's Will! The sheep guy!" We all looked between Leta and Will, and he started to explain, but Leta waved him off and said "it's a story." As he sat down, he assured those of us nearest to him that it was NOT a story.
We talked about the trip, and the companies we would visit. I asked about the sheep farm, because on the trip brochure it mentioned a sheep farm. She asked if I had raised sheep, but I said that my mom and I both knit. Apparently that was more than enough interest for her, and she declared that my company profile should be on the sheep farm. In a stunning moment of revelation, she realized that Will could be my partner, because he was the sheep guy, so we'll be partners, and we'll be the sheep people.
Oh God, trip hasn't even started yet, and already branded as a Sheep Person.
I met with Will when the group broke up a little later, and asked him about "the story" related to the sheep. He said that he was raised on a farm in Eastern Washington, and that, among other animals, sheep were on the farm. That's all.
Still, we are branded for life as The Sheep People.
On an insufferably hot day, our group met to learn about the history of Ireland from Leta's husband, Mark. He has a PhD (?) in history, and despite the education, he spent a decent portion of time trying to operate YouTube to show us a video about the IRA. One should never laugh at a person for struggling with things, but he was being exceptionally comical about it. I am going to believe that he was doing a caricature of a person who can't find the mouse on the screen.
He was, however, a fantastic story-teller, who gave a brief history of Ireland in about 45 minutes. He will be meeting up with our group for a week in Ireland, for his and Leta's wedding anniversary.
During this same meeting, we all put our names on little tickets, to be drawn from a hat later. I always feel some dread associated with being up to "win" anything, because 75% of the time, the "award" is a task (in my experience). Just as she was about to draw, she informed us that she had 5 Rick Steve's Ireland travel books that she was giving away. I very nearly declared that she could take my name out of the running, because I had already bought the Lonely Planet Ireland book. But before I could speak, my name was the first one to come out of the hat, and I suddenly decided that I desperately wanted it, so I kept my mouth shut, and graciously took my award. Best drawing ever!
* * *
Flash forward to our first meeting of the group, in mid-April. We did some typical ice-breaker activities, and did mini-interviews with each other to introduce our partner to the rest of the group. Leta loves what she called "juicy details," so I mentioned to my partner, Toto (Cambodian) that I used to speed-read for debate, and could talk at about 400 words per minute. When this was announced to the group, I was required to perform this skill. I did ok, for someone who was severely out of practice, but I got hung up on the word "economics" and stuttered until I got going again, which is always embarrassing. I was also the only person to be required to perform for my juicy detail.
A few people were not in attendance for work or class, and one of those people was Will. Leta said that Will was coming late, and alluded to something about him and sheep. When he arrived, after my stuttering display, she turned to welcome him and said "It's Will! The sheep guy!" We all looked between Leta and Will, and he started to explain, but Leta waved him off and said "it's a story." As he sat down, he assured those of us nearest to him that it was NOT a story.
We talked about the trip, and the companies we would visit. I asked about the sheep farm, because on the trip brochure it mentioned a sheep farm. She asked if I had raised sheep, but I said that my mom and I both knit. Apparently that was more than enough interest for her, and she declared that my company profile should be on the sheep farm. In a stunning moment of revelation, she realized that Will could be my partner, because he was the sheep guy, so we'll be partners, and we'll be the sheep people.
Oh God, trip hasn't even started yet, and already branded as a Sheep Person.
I met with Will when the group broke up a little later, and asked him about "the story" related to the sheep. He said that he was raised on a farm in Eastern Washington, and that, among other animals, sheep were on the farm. That's all.
Still, we are branded for life as The Sheep People.
* * *
On an insufferably hot day, our group met to learn about the history of Ireland from Leta's husband, Mark. He has a PhD (?) in history, and despite the education, he spent a decent portion of time trying to operate YouTube to show us a video about the IRA. One should never laugh at a person for struggling with things, but he was being exceptionally comical about it. I am going to believe that he was doing a caricature of a person who can't find the mouse on the screen.
He was, however, a fantastic story-teller, who gave a brief history of Ireland in about 45 minutes. He will be meeting up with our group for a week in Ireland, for his and Leta's wedding anniversary.
During this same meeting, we all put our names on little tickets, to be drawn from a hat later. I always feel some dread associated with being up to "win" anything, because 75% of the time, the "award" is a task (in my experience). Just as she was about to draw, she informed us that she had 5 Rick Steve's Ireland travel books that she was giving away. I very nearly declared that she could take my name out of the running, because I had already bought the Lonely Planet Ireland book. But before I could speak, my name was the first one to come out of the hat, and I suddenly decided that I desperately wanted it, so I kept my mouth shut, and graciously took my award. Best drawing ever!
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