Hello friends and family!
Time for a new post. It's going to be a short one this time, because in a few hours I am heading to Auckland airport where I will fly to Christchurch and begin my adventures in the South Island. I will be traveling for three weeks all over, tramping and camping whenever possible.
Quick update: I went sky diving. For anyone feeling stressed at the moment, overwhelmed by whatever card life has dealt you, drive to the nearest skydiving place and take the plunge. It's probably one of the most theraputic things I have ever done, and there is absolutely no feeling like it. I don't even know how to explain what it felt like to jump out of an airplane at 12,000 feet, but I can tell you that the fear right before is crazy. As I moved to the edge of the plane, I knew there was no turning back, and I was about to do one of the stupidest things ever. Slightly panicking, I tried to calm myself down and tell myself that parachutes almost never break. As I reached the door and looked down, I felt an utter hatred for myself. Why the hell was I doing this again? Shit. But I couldn't turn back. I had no choice. I had to jump.
But the minute we let go of our last source of security, all the fear stayed on the airplane as I began to free fall for 45 seconds. It was absolutley amazing. I just cannot really put it into words. Why do we do these things? Is it the feeling of cheating death? I don't know, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Everyone has to do it before they kick the bucket.
Not much else to report. Oh, actually, I just found out that the current Prime Minister of New Zealand is a Jew....to all you Jews out there, thought you might like to know.
Ok, one more really important thing. For those of you who don't know, one of my friends at Colby is a participant in a competition for a grant and I need everyone to vote for her. Here is the explanation and how to vote. Please read it through and take the two minutes to vote for her. She has an incredible story and if given the resrouces, she can really change some lives. Please, I am asking you for your help. Also, if she wins, she wants to use some of the grant for Camp Susan Curtis, which is where I worked this past summer. It's an amazing place, and is very close to my heart, so it would mean so much to me if you could help out. Camp Susan Curtis sends kids from all over Maine to camp for two weeks free of charge. The kids come from low-income families, and this camp gives them an ipportunity to experience childhood in ways they really can't at home. It saves lives, so please do what you can to help! No paying is involved, you just need to follow Jessica's instructions which I have copied below...it will only take five minutes!!
Pepsi Refresh is a competition that awards grants to 32 lucky winners on the
monthly basis. This month, a proposal of mine has been accepted to compete in
the $5000 category. I am currently in 15th place out of ~300, and need to be in
the top 10 at the end of the month in order to win.
My proposal is inspired by my own experiences. As a first-generation college
student from a high-risk, low-income background, I am on a full scholarship to
Colby College. This is a financial aid package that most public institutions
simply cannot afford. By voting for my proposal on the daily basis, you will help
me in my journey to make this happen for other students like me. I was able to
accomplish what I did with a scholarship to an SAT course (which increased my
SAT score by 300 points), a kind teacher to pay for my college applications, and
a generous family who took me along on their daughter's college visits. By
voting for my project, you can help me do this for others.
To see my proposal, you can go to
http://www.refresheverything.com/jessicaboyle. You can choose to vote
through your facebook (if you have one), or through the Pepsi website. If
choosing the latter option, the site will require you to fill out a short
registration form when you vote for my idea for the first time. After you
register, make sure you go back to my original page and click "Vote" again, as
your vote won't go through the first time. After you do this once, you will never
need to register again, you can just sign in every time you vote after that.
Specifically, I will use the fund to implement improvements to the LIT program
at Camp Susan Curtis (CSC). As regular college visits demand a larger amount
than usual of the CSC budget, I will first and foremost use this money to offset
those costs. I will also use these funds to buy SAT materials for interested LITs,
and even pay for some of their college applications as they go through the
college application process.
I believe this method is tried and true, as it has proven to be effective in my
own life! I urge you to make this proposal your homepage for the month of
April, so that you can watch my progress and remember to vote daily, as well as
pass this message along to your friends and family. Please help me break the
cycle of poverty in Maine!
Again, the link is http://www.refresheverything.com/jessicaboyle, and you can
email with any questions you may have!
Respectfully,
Jessica Boyle
jcboyle@colby.edu
Ok, that's all for now. I'm sure I will have lots to report on when I return...if I return...who knows...
See ya on the other side,
Mickey
PS The above quote is Confucian...courtesy of Mark E. Ziffer :)
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