My Itinerary

Hello everyone,

You know, I should have put up some of my itinerary sooner. I have so many of you helping me, but I haven't even posted up details yet. I smack the side of my face with a fresh tuna out of remorse. It is a very remorseful tuna from the country of Remorseland, that is the level of my remorse.

Anyway, it is an honor to present you some of my itinerary! I don't think I'll post it all on here, because that would take a long time, so I thought I would present you with some activities I'll be doing in each country, in order of the countries I visit. Sounds like a good system, I think.

Firstly, I should give you the "before I go" details. I'm leaving the country in 11 days, on June 10th. Wow, that's so close. I get shivers of excitement just thinking about it. You know what would be cool? If I could put a live countdown or something on this thing--oh, just did! You can now view a live countdown in the right-hand corner of the screen, ha ha! I'll be leaving from the Indianapolis airport, then to Boston, and from there to Amsterdam, Holland! And then, along with my fellow delegates, I begin my journey. So let's cover what I'm going to do.

AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND

- I'm going to take a tour of some of the radical urban buildings of the country, like Europe's first skyscraper. I'm looking forward to the cube homes, myself, because it looks like they are going to fall over.

Talk about SQUARE-FOOTAGE...See what I did there?

- Our group is going to visit Anne Frank's house and learn how she and her family hid from the Nazis for years during WWII. I'm really looking forward to this.

- Also, we are going to take a canal cruise and take a tour of the lovely city.

- And enjoy a visit to a diamond factory to see how the stones are cut. I wonder if they will let me keep one if I beg. 

- We'll visit a typical farm and see how clogs are made and learn the secrets of Dutch cheese. There's some joke about the word cheese and me smiling here, but I lack the wit to turn it into something substantial.

CHARLELOI, BELGIUM

- Learn about the secrets behind Belgium's famous chocolate when we call upon a local chocolatier for an educational briefing. I want a piece of chocolate even more than a diamond, which may sound weird to some, but for me it makes perfect sense.

-Discover the city of Brussels, including a visit to the Grand Place and see the Manneken Pis.

PARIS, FRANCE

- Travel to Bastogne to remember the bloodiest of all battles fought in the Second World War -- the Battle of the Bulge. Hear what life was like as a child in Bastogne in those difficult days.

- We'll take a small French lesson. I'm actually taking French, so we'll see how this goes. I'll probably still learn a lot because my French skills sont petit.

- Take a look at Paris with a guided orientation. I'll see landmarks like the Place de la Concorde, and the Champs Elysees. From there I'll take a look at the Arc de Triomphe, and then it's on to the Louvre! Exclamation points aren't enough.

NORMANDY, FRANCE

- Today, I'll go to the top of the Eiffel tower and take in the spectacular view. I might just have to pull my "Queen of the World" bit here. I'll take pics.

- I will visit the Le Memorial de Caen Museum. The museum gives light to the effects of D-day. The Museum describes Hitler's rise to power, and the dark years of uncertainty. This is one of the things I am looking forward to most. I don't know the exact details, but it's likely that I will begin crying at some point.

ISLE OF WIGHT, ENGLAND

- We are going to attend the United Kingdom Sailing Academy for two days. It's known as the holy grail of sailing. It sounds like an amazing adventure. I don't know how to sail or paddle anything, so it will be a great learning experience. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

LONDON, ENGLAND

- A visit to the Imperial War Museum to discover how WWII has changed the world.

- Ride on the EDF Energy London Eye, the largest Ferris wheel in the world. It's over 443 ft tall!

- Meet with a former or current member of Parliament. Here, we will explore the history of the British constitution and how the country's politics work. I'm honored.

- Explore the Tower of London. We all know the stories behind this one, folks! I'm looking forward to it.

WARWICK, ENGLAND

- We will make our way to Buckingham Palace to view the changing of the guard -- fantastic!

NORTH WALES

- Visit the medieval town of Caenarfon, and discover the Roman Empire. At the fort, learn about the early history of Wales while viewing the site from which the Romans launched their final assault on the Druids.

- My Full On experience, which is a day dedicated to personal growth, takes place here! I will have the opportunity t learn leadership skills, set personal goals, and step outside my comfort zone.

CAHERSIVEEN, IRELAND

- I'm going to learn how to cut peat! This is the best day ever! There is no sarcasm! I have no idea why I want to do this so badly. Maybe it's cause peat is cool.

- Also, we will join our hosts in a day of helping the local community - such as preparing meals for the elderly, visiting the local hospital, and catering to the gardens. Sounds wonderful. I can't wait to help.

- Take a stroll through the town and learn about local history. I adore Ireland and so I'm really looking forward to this. Its history is so interesting..

MY FINGERS ARE CRAMPING UP

Well, that's some of my itinerary! I left stuff out, mostly Ireland and England, but I hope you get the gist of some of the activities I will be doing. Thank you very much, again, for making this possible. I hope to post pictures when I go as often as I can.

Regards,

Esther

Thank You!

I have found many generous people willing to be my sponsors, and I truly feel blessed. I was expecting somewhat a depressing ordeal finding people, because I wasn't expecting much, but what I got was a wonderfully enlightening experience. I sometimes forget how giving people can be, but now I'm just sitting back with a happy warm feeling enveloping me. I would like to thank the people who have become my sponsors! I can't thank you all enough in words, but please know that I appreciate the gifts that you have given me and I pray that you all have a wonderful summer. Thanks to you guys, I know I will have a good summer myself.

So, here are my sponsors so far

MY SPONSORS:

BRENT and MELISSA POUND

CINDY WREN

CATHERERYN DRAKE

RICHARD and LIZ FUSON

And another thank you to my chief sponsors!

TYLER and STACEY EMLEY

RON and TAMMY AUSTIN

NEIL and KIMBERLY STAKEMAN

__________

I cannot thank you all enough. You've already made me so happy. I hope that my sponsors will visit my blog often to get updates on my journey.

Thank you,

Esther

So, What's Going On?

Dear readers and sponsors alike,


This is the part where I step up to the microphone (in this case, my keyboard) and introduce myself and my mission to you. There are those who already know what I'm doing, but I'll put the permanent info here. There's a lot to say, but I don't wish to bore you so I'll try to do it as succinctly as possible! 

WHAT I'M DOING
My name is Esther, and I am going to Europe this summer! Weee!

Okay, a little too succinct. Again...

What is that dream, you may ask? Well, it started with a letter I got in the mail. It was from an organization you may have heard of called People to People. In the letter, I was invited to attend a seminar in order to be eligible to join their acclaimed Student Ambassador Program this coming summer. I looked at what the program entailed and I was automatically ecstatic, but I'll cover what I'll actually do later. I went to the seminar, and I fell in love with what this program was all about.

The People to People Student Ambassador Program, simply put, is a large, very long-standing effort to promote peace and understanding between countries. Its Student Ambassadors travel to different countries to meet, bond, and learn from the people there. There are also several days where they interact with a country's community, such as planting gardens or helping out at a senior center. By the time the SA comes back, he or she will have had a deep educational and cultural experience that will have changed him or her forever. This year, students will travel to Europe on a deep exploration through six of its countries: France, Belgium, Wales, Ireland, England, and the Netherlands for 18 solid days. I've looked at the itinerary, and there isn't a single moment where I'm not doing something.

It sounds incredibly...incredible. And it is! So I immediately signed up for the interview. I was a little nervous, but no pain, no gain, right? Two days later, I got a phone call and I learned that I had been accepted. I was now a Student Ambassador! Huzzah! The preliminary round of my new journey was over. Next was the harder, much more expensive part...

The trip costs 7,239 dollars. Just thinking about that price tag I swallow nervously. Of course, this included all of my transportation, (several airplane flights, buses, and a ferry ride.) food, (from food I'm used to to escargot) , hotels,  and activities (from cutting peat to warm Irish homes to taking lessons at a sailing school).  This doesn't include everything else. I need new clothes and travel enmities. I won't go into the details, (Trying to be succinct and failing) but it's a lot of money.

So know I'm on a quest to raise the remaining funds I need to go on my trip! The deadline is getting closer, but I know I can do it. Right now, I'm focusing on letting people know what I am doing and asking if they would be my sponsor by donating me some money.

What do you get when you become my sponsor?

A BRAND NEW CAR!

I'm sorry, you won't get a new car. You do get a really, really, really, happy girl though. AND, if you permit, I would like to put your name on here to let everyone in the universe know that YOU made a girl's life even better.

So, let's do this shindig. Keep checking in on my blog for more of my journey's information and sponsor lists!

Esther