PackPrep

I am now deep into preparations, which so far have included testing out a sort of contact lense that can remain in for 2 weeks straight, pondering the merits of Insect Shield clothing versus regular applications of bug spray, submitting myself to various shots and tests, and obtaining a visa for my passport. So far, so good.

There are many things left to do and many things left to buy, but as I spend my last 3 1/2 weeks (that is such a short time!) here at home I intend to remember to live the moments as they exist, to not become so entrenched in what is coming on August 31 when I arrive in Ghana that I forget that it is not yet August 31. I don't know what I will miss the most in terms of material comforts (though you are welcome to take a guess on the poll to your right), but I am realizing how foreign it will be to call other people my "brothers" or "parents" after I leave my family behind and meet my host family--even if their titles are preceded by the clarifying prefix "host."

The Ghana Adventure Begins

Before I applied to Princeton I had heard a little bit about the new Bridge Year Program (see this link and this one for more information) through various admissions media, and although I found it fascinating and appealing, I felt it was reserved for someone other than me. The idea of applying seemed, at first, like entering a raffle: you enter because the prize would be great, but you know it's always someone else who wins.

Nevertheless, I did apply after furiously writing two long and two short essays and completing a thorough evaluation of my skills, submitting my application on the deadline of May 14, 2009. As usual, I was frustrated for having procrastinated the application and worried that I had made some obvious mistakes or omissions, but realized there was little more I could do. Still, I had a bit more hope; I wondered if perhaps I could be one of the twenty students chosen. I pondered my essays. I considered my strengths and weaknesses. I thought about how different life would be if I were accepted. I wondered whether I would even accept placement through the Bridge Year if offered the chance. I waited.

On May 19, I discovered that I had been offered an interview with the Bridge Year Program director and a Princeton professor, which I arranged for May 21. At the time I did not know it, but the interview signified that I had made it to the second tier of the application process. The interview itself, completed via Skype at my kitchen table (only after removing the small statues from Haiti that were behind me to make sure it did not look like I was trying too hard), went well, and I hoped that I would be offered a second interview with the Bridge Year partner in Ghana, World Learning.

Because the application and selection process was so condensed (applications were due May 14 and applicants were to be notified by June 10 of their acceptance or rejection), I did not have long to wait before my second interview, meaning I had made it to the final tier of selection. I was one of seven applicants vying for five spots in Ghana. Despite many technical impediments and dropped calls on Skype, I completed the interview with one person in Croatia, one in Ghana, and two in Vermont -- plus me in Wisconsin!

Then, after waiting a few days longer, I received an email (excerpted below) and a congratulatory phone call from my parents at 4:30 am local time while I was visiting a friend in Germany.

Dear Jessica,

Congratulations! We are delighted to offer you admission to the Princeton Bridge Year Program in Ghana for the 2009-2010 academic year. You are one of five highly motivated incoming Princeton University students selected to participate, and we are very pleased to welcome you as a Bridge Year in Ghana volunteer.

So here I am! More to come regarding shopping, packing, forms, and other fun things...