Things you should do before you leave the country...

In the spirit of me leaving in 48 hours, I have decided to compose a list of necessary things that need to be done before one leaves the country for an extended period of time.

What you need to do first

1. Get a passport. This is essential if you plan on leaving home... and then eventually returning home. The earlier you do this, the better.

2. Apply to your first choice University as well as some back ups.

3. Upon acceptance to your university, APPLY FOR A VISA! Don't be like me and wait a few weeks after you receive your acceptance letter. If you do decide to take the path I took, you'll find yourself receiving your visa 2 weeks before you're scheduled to leave. Just be ready to freak out.

4. If you're going to a country that does not speak your native language, make sure you take the Berlitz language exam. Your score will determine if you need a month long language training course.

5. Buy an airline ticket according to the Rotary Rules and Regulations.

6. ATTEND ASETS! You will learn a tremendous amount about Rotary and what you are required to do as a scholar. ASETS (Ambassadorial Scholar-Elect Training Seminar) will guide you way better than this journal probably ever will.

7. Return all required paperwork to your scholarship coordinator (copy of passport, visa, airline itinerary, language exam results, signed documents etc).

Other things you should do before you leave

1. Get a job and save as much money as possible. You never know when you might need some emergency money while you're abroad.

2. Go to the doctor and find out about shots, physicals etc. Don't forget about medications.

3. Go to the dentist!!! If you're like me and haven't been to the dentist in 4 years, you probably have some cavities (I don't care how well you brush!). 8 fillings and 4 pulled wisdom teeth later, I was glad I made the appointment. Still don't want to go? Let me put it this way, having to have a root canal in a 3rd world country cannot be pleasant.

4. Get new eyes. You want to be able to see your new experiences, right? :D

5. Visit your sponsor Rotary Club! :D I know this may be difficult if you're not in the same city (or state for that matter), but at least visit them once before you leave (be sure to ask ahead for club banners to take with you as well as District pins).

6. Contact your host Rotary club and keep in touch with them. This could make all the difference when you arrive in your host city. It could mean someone greeting you at the airport/train station/bus stop vs. having to figure it out for yourself with 3 bags weighing 50 lbs.

7. If you are arriving in a city you will not be studying in, be sure to check out what the city has to offer in terms of public transportation. Will you have to take a bus to your host city? Do you know how to get to the train station?

8. Have business cards made.



9. Make a contact sheet. Add emergency contacts, Rotarian addresses and phone numbers, other Rotary Scholars addresses and phone numbers, friends, family etc. Try to have a hard copy of this somewhere (like in a planner).

10. Invest in a camera or have someone else invest in a camera for you :)

11. Download Skype. Skype is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. You can make free calls from your computer to other skype users who have it on their computer. Even if someone doesn't have skype, it's still pretty cheap to make a phone call to them. Oh yeah, the download is free too :)

12. Start a journal. Even if you only write a few sentences a day, you'll be glad you did when you look back on your trip.

**!!EDIT!!!** Look up residence permit information for your country. As a precaution, you should ask your consulate about this information. Ask them what you will need, and how long you have to obtain a permit once you arrive in your host country. Some documents I needed were: passport photos, my acceptance letter from my university, and my passport. It also helped to show my Rotary Letter of Financial Guarantee (this was sent to me via e-mail).

Welp, I guess that is all I can think of for now. If you would like to add anything to the list let me know and I'll be glad to post it. I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of stuff.

The Interview! DUN DUN DUUUUN!!!

Once your application has been turned in, an interview date will be scheduled. Don't be nervous about this- it'll be okay.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to attend practice interview sessions with the aforementioned Dr. Duban. This was by far the most beneficial decision I made in preparation for the scholarship. Dr. Duban went through every step of the process. From first walking into the door, to correcting someone politely if they mispronounce your name, to having a firm hand shake to answering questions. Not only were Dr. Duban's suggestions and tips helpful in my interview with Rotary, but they were helpful in general with LIFE. I will try my best to give you some of his tips now, but I still recommend actually GOING to a practice interview session if available.

* First impressions really are everything. I've been told that interviewers can tell within the first 10-20 seconds if they like a person or not. So make this count. Smile :D Shake everyones hand firmly and go in with confidence and a great attitude.

* Dress appropriately! Business dress. I'm talkin' suit and tie attire. If you have a purse, don't bring it- it'll only get in the way.

* Have a good conversation. Forget that you are in an interview! Forget that there are maybe 10-15 people in the room with you and that you've come really far to get where you are at that moment and that you really really want the scholarship. I know it'll be hard... and it's nerve wracking... and you're a perfectionist and want to do well, but for the next 20 minutes just have fun and have a good conversation. :)

* Answer all questions honestly.

* Know when to stop talking!

* If you don't know an answer to something just say so! You don't need to explain why you don't know the answer or make something up. Just smile and say, "I don't know!"

*Smile :D

* Be natural- I was able to watch a LOT of practice interviews at UNT (another benefit of going to practice sessions) every single one I watched was helpful. I learned what not to say or do as well as what would fly and be acceptable. I found most people were stiff and seemed terrified to be sitting at the front of a room full of people (at least at first. After attending more practice sessions I was able to watch myself and others improve).

* Read up on current events. The only "current/controversial event" question I can remember from my interview was about the death penalty.

* Know the city you want to study in, the university you want to study at, and the surrounding areas of where you want to be. They will ask you about this! It won't look good if you're fumbling about why you want to go to Spain to study art history for a year. Know what you want to say, but don't rehearse it.

* KNOW ROTARY!

The ABCs of Rotary

4-Way Test
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Is it beneficial to all concerned?

* When they ask if you have any questions for them you say YES! Because you DO have a question! If you have been researching Rotary (like I know you have!) then you'll quickly discover that there will be a lot of questions you want to ask. This is your time to sit back and listen to them now :) To add to this- do you have any idea how BAD it looks when you don't have a question (this goes for ANY interview)? It's almost like you're saying, "Okay, I'm-done-now-and-I'm-not-really-interested-in-what-you-do-or-what-you-can-offer-me. Can-I-please-leave-the-room?". Maybe that's a personal opinion- but dangit, just have a question! :P

* Remember to thank them for their time :)

And last but not least...

* Have a good conversation and be yourself!



I hope these tips helped in some way- if there's a tip you would like to add feel free to leave me a comment!

The Application Process

So I know you're at home scratching your head wondering, "How would someone like me apply for such a prestigious award?"

Well, I've broken it down into 10 easy steps for you. Yes, even you can apply for a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship!

Step 1: Contact your University's Scholarship Coordinator. He or she will be able to provide you with better resources than this journal will.
**Don't go to a University or have a less than qualified scholarship coordinator? Go to the Rotary International website for advice on how to apply.

Step 2: Download a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship Application from the Rotary website listed above.

Step 3: Read the application.

Step 4: Get to crackin' on those essays! Be like Santa and check them twice!

Step 5: Find two people who know you WELL and can write a great recommendation letter for you. I asked two of my supervisors to help me out...





...


Step 6: Going to a country that doesn't speak English? Better have that Language Ability form filled out by your Foreign Language Professor!

Step 7: Get your transcripts.

Step 8: This is probably the most important step of all. RESEARCH ROTARY!!! You don't expect them to give you a scholarship if you don't know anything about them do you? Rotary International is the world's first service club organization most notably known for their PolioPlus Program. They believe in service above self, and promote goodwill and peace. This is only a fraction of how awesome Rotary is- it will be your responsibility to learn more :)

Step 9: Get in contact with your sponsor Rotary Club and ask if you could attend one of their meetings. Go ahead, they wont bite :) Rotarians are extremely helpful, nice, and friendly people (they also like to have a good time, so get ready to have some fun!). Be prepared to give a short bio on yourself and where you would like the Ambassadorial Scholarship to take you.

Step 10: Turn in ALL of the required materials on the Application form before the deadline. Once this is done, you will be in contact with your Rotary Scholarship Coordinator for your district who will tell you more about the process.


...I hope I'm not missing a step. As a precaution, be sure to keep up the communication between yourself and your Rotary Scholarship Coordinator :)


Good luck!

It all started with a letter

Back in Fall 2006 when I was a senior at the University of North Texas, I received a letter from a certain Dr. James Duban, the director of the Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships. Of course at the time I didn't realize I had a letter, but thanks to my mother (who enjoys opening and reading my mail) I was sure to find out.

The letter mentioned a scholarship that would allow a person to study abroad for a year. They wanted someone who was involved in the community, liked to help people, and could be an ambassador of goodwill and cultural understanding. I don't remember the letter word for word, but if I was selected I would be awarded $23,000 for the 2008/2009 academic year.

...woah woah woah... what? I'm involved in the community. I like to help people. I like to travel and explore different cultures. Is this for real?

Yes. It is for real. And it's called A Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship.

Sign me up!

And here I am now. :D



...


Okay, so there's a lot more to it than that. A LOT more, but I will first start off by saying it is ALL worth it.

My first requirement was to attend a scholarship meeting held by Dr. Duban. The meeting would explain the Ambassadorial Scholarship in further detail, outline the steps I would need to take to apply for it, and answer any questions I might have. So I e-mailed Dr. Duban, told him I was interested... and found out the scholarship meeting was at a time I could not attend. :/

"Ah well, can't make the meeting. Guess this whole thing wasn't meant to be," I thought. After all, you can't understand what you're missing if you never had it to begin with. To be honest, I wasn't too broken up about it.

But then I received another e-mail from Dr. Duban talking about having a make up meeting (something a bit smaller) for those who couldn't make it the first time. Wouldn't you know it, I could make this one!

***Looking back, I consider this to be my first "sign". I'll go into this in a later post.***

...I don't remember if I skipped class to attend the meeting or if I could actually make it skip-free, but the point is I was at that meeting. If your university offers something like this- GO! Dr. Duban went into great detail about Rotary as well as the whole application process; from what to write almost paragraph for paragraph in the essays, to who to contact in your designated Rotary Club, to what to wear to your club and where you can get it at a discounted price :) He then took it a step further and told us to e-mail him our essays so he could check, double check, and triple check them.

I'm telling you, this man is DEDICATED! If you go to UNT, find Dr. Duban and buy him lunch... maybe a beer too (if he drinks).

The months that followed this meeting were filled with school, working at FEMA, writing my essays, GLAD (the Gay and Lesbian Association of Denton- a club at UNT. At the time I was the Vice President- a full time job within itself at times), contacting my Rotary Club, looking up study institutions, re-writing my essays and still finding time to have fun. Why am I telling you this? Because despite life happening, I made an effort to apply. Trust me, if I could find the time you can too.

Besides, if you want life to be interesting you gotta take steps to make it that way :)

In the beginning...

there was darkness.


But after that (much much later I might add- in a well lit time) I came along. I wont go into the finer details of the last 22 years of my life- but you WILL hear about the last 21 months (or at least parts of it) as well as the next few years.

Aren't you lucky?! :D

Before I go into great detail about how I came to be in the position I'm in now there are a few things you need to know.

1). My name is Alexis but I go by Alex.
2). I know French... euh... plutôt.
3). I love to travel.
4). I love to help people.
5). I can't cook.
Correction: I'm too lazy to cook.
6). I like dumpster diving.
7). I like to laugh as well as make other people laugh.
8). In 2 months I'll be in Switzerland thanks to Rotary International