YAY-Costa Rica

Hola!
I received an email today before I got home from class that said that my second reference to study abroad in Costa Rica could not be found, and I was freaking out.....

Hello Miss Patton,
Thank you for your patience as the application process comes to a close. I believe that we had briefly spoken in Gilbert Hall about your application. You have presented a strong application and it was on that basis that I spoke to you about your position in the program. While that is still the case, upon review of your files there is 1 reference that I do not have and therefore must delay my decision until that is clarified. Can you tell me the names of the 2 references that you submitted and if they were enclosed with the full application or mailed separately. I apologize for the delay and this misunderstanding but I believe that the second reference is an important way of rounding out the assessment of the applicant.

I await your response,

Lesley Feracho


ok, so that was scary. But before I replied, I read a second email that she had sent before I got home from class as well...

Hello Meghan,
  The misunderstanding on my part has been
cleared up and your file is complete.  I would
like to offer you congratulations on your acceptance to the
program in Costa Rica for the summer of 2006.
You will shortly receive an acceptance letter in the mail.
This will later be followed up by an information
packet and the date of the first meeting which will be
in approximately 1 1/2 weeks since the official acceptace
process has  now ended.
  I look forward to meeting you and to our trip
this summer which promises to be an exciting time.
Lesley Feracho

YAYUH!! Talk about excited. But when I think about it,...I just feel apprehensive(?)....I don't know if that is really an accurate way to describe it. It's just tough to think of being away for that long with SO LITTLE contact. I don't see my nephew or niece often besides in the summer and at Christmas, so I am giving that up this summer. I also don't go to school with Tom, and that's hard enough just seeing him on the weekends. But doing a Maymester and study abroad....I'll basically not see him but a few days from May 15-July 23 or so. That stinks. And it's hard to think about. And I also don't see my family or other friends from home or Tom's family or anyone as much during the year because of the same reasons-they don't go to school here. It's just not easy to think about not seeing them. BUT I don't think it would be easy to be at home thinking, "I just gave up my chance to travel to a Spanish speaking country and take advantage of that. I just gave up my last chance to study abroad. I just secured myself an extra month at least of school till I graduate because of not getting classes done this summer." All of my relationships are going to survive the distance. I know that, and I am trusting God to handle it all. Así , estoy muy feliz estudiar en Costa Rica!

Ok. So this week....I have a Spanish midterm on Friday, and Theta Xi has their formal in Savannah this weekend. =) I am really excited about it (NOT the midterm, but the formal)! The midterm is going to be HARD for me, and though I am excited about the formal, I am disappointed because I have a Spanish Oral exam on Monday...and it's in front of the whole class over really detailed stuff and with randomly assigned partners. AAAAAUUUGH!!! I hope I don't fail. I am going to be SO nervous. Please pray for me! A good thing is that Sophe, my grand lil sis is going to go to formal also, and I don't get to spend enough time with her so this is great. Another awesome thing about it is that she is a Spanish major who happens to be taking the same professor for the same course this semester so we can practice over the trip for the oral exam. Tom needs to get better before the formal trip too....pray for him. He has bronchitus and a sinus infection-NOT fun. Sophe was sick too, so...ya know-prayers all around.

If you are looking for a mission for God to support right now, I have one. My lil sis, Jessica, is actually my small group leader for Campus Outreach. Every year, CO does Cross Cultural Project-they go to a foreign country and work at a campus to spread the gospel and to train Christians of that country to witness to their countrymen. Well, you have to be asked to go on this trip, you can't just do it. And Jessica was selected. She's been praying about it and decided to do it. Now she is raising money to support her trip-it's $5,000. Not cheap, but can you put a price on spreading salvation to others??? So, if you can support her, please contact me at mcp@uga.edu or call me if you have my # because God is going to have to work in a big way through others to make this trip a reality. She can't just dish out the money herself because she doesn't have that much and can't make it by May. But if God has blessed you, pray to see if He is leading you to give some of that back to Him in this way. It would be so wonderful!

Ok...I gotta go to bed. I have to drive to Covington tomorrow to pick up my car and give mom hers back because she let me borrow it. Mine wasn't starting, so it had to be fixed.
Love,
Meghan

Ok Ladies. Your Turn.

Henry wanted me to be fair, so he sent me this.
__________________________________

Summer Classes for Women at the Learning Center For
Adults

Registration Begins May 15 and ends May 22. Schedules
will be awarded on
a first come first serve basis. Maximum class size
this summer has been
lowered to 15 from 20 due to recurring problems of
talking during
lessons.Classes begin the 29th of May and each class
session will last
approximately one hour. The following classes will be
offered:

Class 1

Sports - A Full Discussion of Sports and The
Implications of Interruptions
Meets Mondays at 6PM for 4 weeks.

Class 2

A Step By Step Guide to Car Care - Includes Washing,
Changing Tires, AND
Checking the Oil
Meets Mondays at 2PM for 4 weeks. Bring grubby
clothes. Yep, you'll get
dirty.

Class 3

The Lost Practice of Female Punctuality - Brief
History Lessons Followed
by SBOT (Strategies for Being On Time)
Meets Tuesdays for 4 weeks at 5:42PM - Every class
begins with a test.

Class 4

_Managing_ YOUR Money - A CounterClass to the common
theme of Spending
Your Man's Money. Class will cover many topics ranging
from how to cut
up credit cards, to balancing a check book, and even
how to conceptually
understand that if you purchase something on sale, you
didn't save any
money at all like you thought! You actually spent
money!
Meets Tuesdays at 8PM for 8 weeks. Be prompt in your
arrival as their is
much material to cover.

Class 5

WDW (Whiner's Don't Win) - A linguistics class that
clearly explains how
to improve reception of requests simply by how you say
it. Studies show
it makes a huge difference!
Meets Wednesdays at 6PM for 4 weeks

Class 6

Guy Time - It's Not a Request...It Just Is
A classroom guide not to understanding what Guy Time
means, but merely
how to understand that it is going to happen on
occasion whether you
like it or not, and you can be OK with it and work it
into your schedule.
Meets Wednesdays at 8PM for 6 weeks

Class 7

How to Cure Chronic Headaches - We know you get them
every other hour of
every day and you can't seem to help it. We'll teach
you how to get rid
of them by a simply practice known as Ignoring the
Pain. Class will
include anatomical pictures of females head, showing
the Headache
Generator section of the brain.
Meets Thursdays at 9AM for 4 weeks

Class 8

Master Safe Driving Skills - Despite passing the
driver's license exam,
we all know you can't drive. We'll begin with the
basics ranging from
how and when to use your indicator, what all those
mirrors are for, and
also what it means when you see the red lights on the
car in front of
you. As the class progresses, skills will become more
advanced,
including topics such as merging onto the highway
without fatalities,
navigating one-way streets, and even learning who goes
first at a 4-way
stop!
Meets Thursdays in the Parking Lot at 10AM for 6 weeks

Class 9

How to Parallel Park (Class 8 required previously or
in conjunction with
this class as a prerequisite) -  We know you passed
the driver's license
road test, but getting one and a quarter wheels into
the spot does not
constitute parallel parking. After the class, you can
impress your man
with REAL, SAFE driving skills.
Meets Thursdays in the Parking Lot at 10 AM for 6
weeks (immediately
follows Class 8)

Class 10

Workshop Class - Learning to use everyday tools such
as a screwdriver, a
hammer, and if there's time; we might discuss the
functions and proper
use of a tape measure.
Meets Thursdays at 2PM for 4 weeks

Class 11

When to Talk and When to Shut Up - Yes, there's a time
for both.
Although most women think its always Time to Talk;
we'll teach you the
telltale signs from your man to realize what "Time" it
is. We promise it
will impress your man, and make you a happier, more
concise person.
Meets Fridays at 6PM for 6 weeks

Class 12

Club G.R.O.S.S. - What is it and how to avoid being
labeled a "Slimy Girl."
Before beginning the class, those interested will be
required to read
several Calvin and Hobbes comics showing the
origination, purpose, and
relevance of Club G.R.O.S.S.
Meets Fridays at 8PM for 5 weeks


Due to last year's difficulty in keeping students
attention and making
them not talk during class, we will not be offering
the usual 15
courses. However, we have decided that we will extend
the required
summers of attendance from 4 to 5, so that graduates
will still have the
necessary knowledge that should be gained from these
courses. Our
congratulations to all 3 of the graduates from last
year. May their
success be inspiration to you new-comers. We look
forward to seeing you
in May!

If I Pay, Will You Go? Please, Guys?

HAHA-Kristen(my sister, Kristen) sent
this to me and it made me laugh.
Tom actually doesn't need to take these
classes...for the most part, haha, but they
were too funny to keep to myself! =) Enjoy!
Love,
Meghan
_________________________________________

WINTER CLASSES FOR MEN AT THE LEARNING CENTER FOR ADULTS

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY February 21, 2006

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.

Class 1
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays --- Step by Step,! with Slide Presentation. Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 2
The Toilet Paper Roll --- Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub? --- Group Practice.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor --- Pictures and Explanatory Graphics. Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

Class 5
After Dinner Dishes --- Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?

Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM

Class 6
Loss Of Identity --- Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other. Help Line Support and Support Groups. Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Learning How To Find Things --- Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.
Open Forum .
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch --- Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health. Graphics and Audio Tapes. Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost --- Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined.

Class 10
Learning to Live --- Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife. Online Classes and role-playing. Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 11
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 12 Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks? Driving Simulations 4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy --- Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered. Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14
The Stove/Oven --- What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.

Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.

"Singles Awareness Day" my foot.

A lot of ppl, including some married ppl I know (AHEM Henry) consider Valentines Day a hallmark holiday and a singles' awareness day. Let's just get real for a second-1. What holiday does hallmark (and any other business) NOT use to their advantage? 2. If you are single, and you and the outside world are not aware of it the other 364.25 days a year, then that's when you REALLY have something to worry about.
I'm not saying it doesn't stink for ppl to be without significant others on days set up to make ppl appreciate the people they are dating or romantically involved with in some other way. But cry me a river ppl. I go to school over an hour away from my boyfriend and have not seen him on one valentines day or one of his birthdays since I started college. Yeah, yeah "You have a boyfriend, what are you complaining about?" That's the point. I'm not. I love seeing Tom, and it stinks not seeing him all the time, but you know what-it's "you don't go to school with your significant other awareness day" for me 5 days a week and 9 months a year. I see couples holding hands, girls leaving to go hang out at their boyfriends, sorority sisters attending datenights in the middle of the week....you get the idea. I don't do those things outside of Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays until around 5. And I'm still alive.
I consider myself blessed to be happy where I am in school. In fact, I am realllly grateful that Tom is ONLY a little over an hour away and that I DO get to see him every weekend and that he WANTS to call me during the week and see me on the weekends. I'm not saying I am perfect, I've never complained, I don't miss Tom, or that you should aspire to being just like me. I'm just saying that if your life stinks right now because you are single, it's most likely because you aren't content with something in your life. And you need to figure out what that is and fix it before you get someone else involved in your life. And if you are single on Valentines Day, use it as an excuse to get free candy and hang out with other single friends. Or if you are dating someone who isn't close by, celebrate your relationships with OTHER ppl you appreciate on that day that aren't far away. For example, I am having the best Valentines Day (week, really) of my life because I am finally taking advantage of it. This week I have gotten to enjoy candy sent to Gamma Phi for VDay, exchanged VDay cards and presents with Lauren because we decided to be each other's UGA valentines (And we did that during class, so that made it much funnier-it totally made me think back to elem school, only we were the only ppl in the Statistics in Psychology class who got presents), and I had dinner with my roommates tonight, plus an awesome cake that I made-sorry, I'm proud of it. hehe My roomies gave me Valentines (I made the meal), and my mom got me a present that I get this weekend and she and dad sent me a card. My sister sent me VDay stuff to my house-so I get it this weekend too, and Tom and I are celebrating VDay on Friday-dinner and presents. I also sent out Valentines to all my siblings+Ben+April, and Esther and I talked today on the phone to tell each other Happy Valentines Day, and that was a great present because I miss her so much. I don't see her often since she is at FSU. So there ya go-Hallmark isn't the only thing that can profit from Valentines Day-it's all in the attitude and the plans you make. So next year, loves, make sure you have some fun.
Love,
Megs

This weekend...

...was awesome!! I had such a great time. Don't worry Mrs. Patti, Tom didn't need to be nursed back to health or anything, he was just fine. He even helped me watch Jack on Saturday night! haha (Although he spent most of the time watching a movie. I can't complain though since it's not your ideal way to spend a Saturday night-babysitting-when you only see each other 3 days a week for 9 months of the year.)
Ok, so Tom and Phillip were tearin' up the dance floor Saturday night, which was a sight to behold-it was really fun, and Claire and I had a great time. We all hung out for a while after that, and the next night after babysitting we all hung out again. Today I found out that there is a satellite church in Athens for Northpoint, so I want to check that out.
That's all for now. Another week is here already...and Valentine's Day is upon us as of Tuesday. Tom's got his present waiting to be opened. I get mine Friday night-dinner and something that he said is nothing big but he won't tell me about. I love surprises!! =)
Love,
Meghan

Español, por favor.

Howdy yall...
Many of you know that I have been looking up study abroad opportunities over the last year in order to know what my options are for possibly studying abroad with UGA for Spanish. I have to turn in the application and the app. fee tomorrow. I am excited and nervous about this chance to go to Costa Rica. For those of you who think I am looking into getting my parents to fund a 5-week school sponsored trip to the beach with a few Spanish lessons thrown in, you should be made aware that we would be spending 4 of 5 weeks on a mountain. We would also be going during the rainy season. And I was informed that I would need long sleeves and boots. I would also be attending class for hours every day. The last week would be spent traveling to various cities, landmarks, museums, and yes-a beach or two. =) I was fully prepared to work every day, but I was kind of hoping that the beach would be a more common part of the experience. Yall know that I L-O-V-E tropical, beachy settings and weather. Well, tonight I had to get all of my application ready for being turned in tomorrow, and I was asked to write a one-page essay to "express why you want to study abroad, what about the host country's culture interests you most, and why the qualities of this particular program support your personal, academic, and career goals." Basically, why are you applying and what does it mean to you?
I thought, I bet there are people I know who are wondering the same thing about why I want to do that instead of study in Athens. Maybe you don't care. Either way, here is my answer....

Studying abroad with the University of Georgia in Costa Rica would provide me with an experience that I would not otherwise be able to have. I am currently working towards a minor in Spanish, and I feel that the best way to experience that culture and develop comfortable conversational Spanish is to immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking country.

It is true that I could visit many countries in order to study Spanish, but I prefer to visit a country for the length of time that this trip offers, and the location that the University of Georgia has chosen seems ideal. Costa Rica is a beautiful area, and this trip would allow me to see much that it has to offer. From the mountains to the beaches, and from various cities and landmarks to the history in the museums, Costa Rica provides a vast amount of beauty and information that will be brand new to me.

I also am excited about the possibility of studying on this trip because I look forward to spending time living with a local family. That is the most interesting area of culture in Costa Rica to me. I feel that it will be a totally different situation than what I am accustomed to in Georgia, and I am interested to see how that experience will shape me. I believe that it will help me learn about the daily lives of native Costa Ricans as well help me improve my Spanish speaking and listening abilities. Outside of improving my appreciation of that culture and the language, I hope to gain new friends on this trip, both in the families that house students and in the teachers and students attending the trip. When I was six years old, my parents decided to put me into a different school that was an hour away from the one I had been in for two years. My mother said she remembered that I said to her, “But all my friends are at this school. What will I do?” She said I thought for a minute, and then I answered myself with, “That’s ok-I’ll make new friends!” And that was the end of my worries. I have taken that attitude with me as I have grown up, switching schools again in middle school, then deciding to attend the University of Georgia, a huge college where I knew only two people and saw neither of those two often. I intend to take that same attitude with me on this trip.

I have always been open to meeting new people and learning about them, and I truly feel that that is the main difference between taking Spanish in Costa Rica and taking those same courses at UGA this summer. I could stay in Athens and learn the same Spanish words or grammar, but I wouldn’t learn about the people and the culture in the same way that I would from spending over a month in a Spanish-speaking country. I know that studying abroad would help me appreciate the culture because I would appreciate the people that I would meet, and they are living examples of why that culture is what it is. I would also appreciate the Spanish language as more than an extra degree or help in my future work; I would appreciate it as a tool to help me communicate with those that I would be living with daily.

Because I will be a senior next year, this is my last opportunity to really spend a month studying a language where it is prominent in the culture in which I would be living. Not only would I be able to study abroad, but the classes offered on this trip would allow me to graduate on time. I currently need four more Spanish classes to complete my minor, and I am in the second semester of my junior year. By taking a Spanish class in May at UGA, I could take two Spanish courses in Costa Rica, leaving me with one Spanish course to complete my senior year. I have worked very hard to achieve my minor, and I am willing to continue working hard for the opportunity to study in Costa Rica.

This program would also be beneficial in my future because it would help me attain a better grasp of conversational Spanish, which might be important to my career. I plan to be an animal trainer at a place such as Zoo Atlanta or Sea World, and people of various cultures as well as local residents of the United States tend to come to such attractions. In the Southern states of the USA, there tend to be many Spanish speaking people, and the ability to communicate with them while in a performance with the animals would help them to be included in what my work would have to offer. I feel that by studying in Costa Rica, my ability to comprehend Spanish when it is spoken to me will be advanced as well as my ability to converse clearly and correctly with Spanish-speaking individuals.

Submerging myself in a foreign culture is something that I have been carefully considering and researching over the last year, and I have been eagerly talking about to several people for the last few months. I am looking forward to the opportunity to be in a new situation that I believe will help me grow as a person as well as a student. I understand that this program is designed to challenge you in your seriousness as a student in order to help you appreciate the culture of the country as well as the language, and I am ready to meet that challenge. I look forward to the opportunity to enrich my college education by learning more about other countries and their residents, meeting new people, studying in a different setting, and improving my understanding and abilities in Spanish.

That's enough about that. I am excited because tomorrow Tom is coming to Athens, and he, Phillip, Claire, and I are going to eat at Outback, then we are going to Gamma Phi's Cocktail Datenight-where I am excited about being dressed up and seeing my girls, and Tom and Phillip are excited about being 21 during a power hour. LOL Seriously, the first hour of the datenight the drinks are only $1 each, but these guys have more sense and respect than to get all they can shoved into their bodies in an hour, so no drunk boyfriends for me and Claire. haha But they can still be excited about being 21 together while Claire and I are lagging behind. Sigh...I don't really care about drinking, it's just that I feel like I've been 20 forever since everyone on earth is turning 21 this year...and it seems like everyone else (in Athens) never really cared about their age anyway so being under 21 is not a problem to them. Being the girl scout that I am-seriously, I feel like a nun-haha, I'm not breaking any laws, so I feel like I've been 20 for half of my life. And since I will probably be doing a maymester (May 15-June 7), I will miss my family vacation (June 3-June 9) and am not going to drive to Hilton Head on the 8th just to turn around and drive back. So I am going to be in Covington alone on my 21st (June 9th)-my hometown hoes better be around to keep me company. It's a Friday, so it shouldn't be a problem to hang out like we did for Tom. And I mean, seriously. I can't be all alone on my 21st bday. That has to be against the rules. I've already given up half the other big days in my life, I'm not giving up that one too. As Tom continues to say-after 21, there aren't that many more exciting birthdays. I actually don't know if I totally agree since I just love having my birthday every year. But still. You know what I mean.
Ok, I am tired and only halfway through my Spanish hw and haven't even started my Geology hw yet, so I am gonna go.
Adios!
~Meghan

ps-I wrote this on Thursday night, but couldn't post it till today, so that is why I am referring to today as "tomorrow."

ChuckECheese...

...Wore me out. It was Mary Caroline's bday party-there were 37 kids, and also, I watched Jack the whole time...her very busy 1&1/2 year old brother. I got there at 2:45 to help set up and I left at 6:30 or so when it was over. Whew. Not to mention that the Chucky mannequin thing is freaky. Yay that tomorrow is Friday!
~Meghan