Catching up 50 days

Wow I can't believe that in just 50 days I will board the MV Explorer and sail off on this adventure! There is so much to catch up on, I have been so busy I haven't been able to get on and post an update. I found out that I got $1,000 in need based scholarship; now it doesn't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but I really applied for that one expecting absolutely nothing considering that I never qualify for financial need when they look at my dad's income. I didn't get the work study position either but I look at it this way; now I have more me time on the ship! Fortunately I have never had to sit here and say if I don't get financial aid then I can't go. My parents have always been supportive, from the very beginning when I first told them about SAS they told me if this is something I want to do then they will make sure it happens. So now everything is sort of a waiting game, I went and got my physical and 4 shots: typhoid, yellow fever, hep A, and tetanus booster. My arms were sore for a week but its all worth it. So now I am starting to plan what to do in each country! I have several things that I have already committed to but I want to leave some open space and enjoy some spur of the moment adventures. So far I know that I am going on a camel trek in Morocco, to the Taj Mahal in India. In China I am going to not just visit the Great Wall but sleep on it! In Costa Rica I am going on a zip-lining canopy tour, and quite possible my most adventurous plans as of yet is South Africa. For being a country that I have honestly never looked into, South Africa plans filled up quickly. I am going on a Great White Shark Cage Diving trip where I will actually get to be in a shark cage and watch the sharks swimming around and the cool part is that I have watched shows on Shark Week on Discovery Channel that were filmed there (my brother is a HUGE fan of sharks and Shark Week). I am also planning a 1 day safari while there and a Cape tour. I still have many places that I haven't planned yet and that's ok, next Monday the final field practicum list comes out from SAS and I can look those over and see if there are any FDPs that I am interested in. Otherwise my summer has been fairly typical, going to the cottage and spending as much time on the boat as possible, and of course working. I am currently working 3 jobs in order to help pay for SAS, and to just have spending money for the 4 months that follow this summer where I won't be working. Oh and even though its 50 days until the ship leaves, I am actually leaving in 38 days for Canada, I am going to take a nice leisurely drive up to Canada and see what all I can before I leave!