Wow, there is going to be a lot of updating in this post - so put on your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen.
Most excitingly, I just finished my 5th semester at Towson. My GPA is now a 3.7, not too shabby if I may say so myself. I ended up with As, one A- and one B. Unfortunately the B was in my 100 level Family Studies class where I found out one project too late that our professor was going to grade everything really easy until the big final project which she was going to grade extremely hard in comparison and take off points for things she never specified for our paper and presentation on "a topic we are interested in that relates to the class". Nevertheless, worse things could have happened this semester. I am happy with the other A's I got in the harder classes... Next semester's 21 credits is going to kick my butt so thats what I should really be worrying about; or should I say mentally preparing myself for.
Now that Christmas/Hanukkah is passed and I finished shopping my life away for the perfect gifts for everyone on my list, the countdown begins for the time until I leave for Costa Rica! Just thinking about it makes my tummy flip. I am so excited and nervous, I feel like I am on fire and somebody put me in the freezer. I depart on the 2nd and will be returning on the 23rd. I wish I was going abroad for a full semester (even though I'm not sure my mother could handle that) but the classes I need just aren't offered anywhere I think is worth paying thousands of dollars to go. If you are anyone who knows me though, you already know how this upsets me.
Here is a link to my program if you are interested: http://www.towson.edu/studyabroad/costaricaSPANmini.asp
In Costa Rica I will be taking two classes, an upper level elective and a oral pronunciation and expression class. I will be living with a host family and can't wait for a chance to practice my Spanish again. I feel like it is my long lost love! Mostly because I didn't have room in my schedule for a Spanish class this semester. I will be in class about 6 hours a day, and besides that I hope to explore the beautiful country, facination culture and lovely people I hope to find there. If there is one word my friends who have been abroad with me before would use to describe me, I'm sure most of them would say adventurous. I throughly enjoy things that push me out of my comfort zone, like asking the taxi cab drivers (in Spanish) why he chose this job, how he got the car, if he likes it. I am also not afraid to buy the strangest local treats in the candy stores to test them out, like chile power covered lollipops from Mexico. Of course updates will be posted on here when I go so that whoever is interested can keep up with my adventures.
Luckily for me, when I do get back home my position in the Financial Services department at Baltimore County Savings Bank will be waiting for me. The internship there has been such a valuable learning experience. My boss even invited me to accompany her on a trip in February to Tenesee where she is going to a factory full of Spanish speaking workers to try and provide them with life insurance (she doesn't speak Spanish). What an opportunity!! I'm just glad I have a month to brush up on my Spanish before we go.
I was also talking to another bank employee over the holidays and she happened to mention that the Marketing department there was basically run by one person and she was swamped with work. Lucky for me she is so busy - sounds like an excellent opportunity for an internship.
I was also offered an intership with my parents financial advisor from AXXA (pronounced ax-ahh) in their marketing department. Their advisor heard all about my work during college application time, scholarships and grades in high school. He told them I should write a book of my successes and strategies - I think I might settle for just the internship and skip the book. Mostly because I know the kind of students who need help with all those things are not the kind of people who are going to read my book to get help.
Seems like everything is working out for now, but I have to go make a packing list for Costa Rica and finish up my Marketing scholarship application so until next time...
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