Re-evaluation

I’ve decided to alter my plans for this summer. After giving the matter quite a bit of thought, I’m putting off going abroad to Morocco until next summer and taking this summer to finish a few required studio classes for my major… in Italy.

One could say that this was a rather last-minute decision. I filled out the application, put together my portfolio, and rounded up references all within a week before the deadline. I realized that, with summer approaching so rapidly and with so many variables left in the air, my going to Morocco was better left to another year of saving up and planning. I don’t want to jump into an AIESEC traineeship without a lot more time to plan things out and hopefully get some sponsorship to help with the costs. Unfortunately, my new job leaves much to be desired and I have not been able to set aside any extra money. I reliably work 20 hours a week with a guaranteed hourly wage, but the random nights I’d make bank at Wild Wing are nowhere to be found. Still, I don’t want to miss out on possibilities of going abroad THIS summer.

I’ve talked with the Cortona advisor quite a bit about the money situation. She says that quite a few students have to wait on financial aid to come in before they can pay the deposits, and they’d be more than happy to work with me while I’m trying to get funding. Plus, if I’m not able to secure a loan, I can get all of my deposits returned to me. It’s a win-win situation, and I’m not out anything for trying! I’ve applied for a work-study stipend scholarship while abroad, which means I’d be an assistant to the professors in the studios and offices and get a chunk of money towards the program in return. Sounds like an awesome deal! Plus, HOPE scholarship covers the costs of tuition while I’m abroad. Totally baller. So for the rest of the program costs, I’m looking into taking out a loan. Hopefully I can take out enough to cover BOTH Italy and Morocco… I’m thinking about $11k (((holy shit that’s a lot of money))) would MORE than cover all possible expenses for both programs, plus outside travel while I’m on my AIESEC adventure: Ma’andi, I’ll see you in Egypt; Adam, I’ll meet you in Spain! This is all planning extremely optimistically, which at this point is quite all right with me.

The Cortona program is something that I’ve been interested in since I started school at UGA. Wistful images of painting in the Italian streets, sketching in cafes, and taking photography classes in the countryside have been tantalizingly nudging at my “plans” for college. After deciding on going on an AIESEC tranieeship, I had resigned myself to having to choose one or the other. I’m going to have to take studio classes over the summer anyway… Why not try for both? I mean, come on… I’m here on HOPE scholarship, which covers tuition entirely. My living expenses are (barely) covered by me working my ass off, and I have a few thousand dollars in federal student loans I’ve used freshman year for housing/meal plan plus my graphic design computer/software requirements this past summer. It may take a few more years to pay off, but for me, it’s worth it.

So I’m just waiting on acceptance into the program… I can’t wait. I want to make this happen, and if I take out a loan, that loan could also make Morocco a reality as well. Plus I’ll have time and experience abroad, giving me a foundation of global travel to work on before going to northern Africa. I’m really, REALLY looking forward to this. One of the requirements of the program is an art history course, where lectures are given during the week, and every weekend we travel to different cities in Italy and visit the art in person. We’ll be traveling all over Italy to Florence, Siena, Perugia, Urbino, Sansepolcro, Arezzo, Assisi, Pompeii, Paestum, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Ravenna, plus multi-day trips to Rome and Venice. The program costs cover these trips, plus most meals, health care, AND living arrangements in a reclaimed monastery. My studio classes will be taking place in outdoor studios for the most part, out on Cortona’s terraces. If you want to check it out for yourself, the website is here.

My happy map is nudging me. I’m listening.