Last summer I applied for Semester at Sea for what must be the 45th time. I've applied for probably for 5 positions per semester for 3 voyages a year. Times about 5 years that's about 45 times. I've never been that committed to applying to anything in my life. Last July, I'm driving to Houston with my friend Heather in one heck of a rain storm when I get a phone call from an area code I didn't recognize. Instead of screening as I usually do, something made me answer the call. It was the Dean of Students from the Semester at Sea Summer 2010 voyage calling to offer me an interview. I was dumbfounded. Out of all those applications I'd submitted, this was the first time I'd ever even gotten a response! I had a phone interview in July. I wasn't offered a position, but the Dean did ask if I would mind being on the alternate list. Figuring it didn't hurt to keep my name on the list, I said okay. And that was the end of it. I accepted a position in Alaska, moved to the Last Frontier, and the rest you already know. Until about two weeks ago...
I received an e-mail from the Dean of Students asking if I was still interested in being considered as an alternate for the summer. And my answer, of course, was yes. So I had secretly been praying that someone broke their leg or got pregnant, just so I might have a shot at an opportunity I'd wanted for so long. Then on Monday I get a phone call around 7:30am Alaska time. My initial reaction was, "WTF? I'm still sleeping." But when I listened to the voicemail, I couldn't believe it. Unable to go back to sleep, I returned the phone call ASAP. I was offered a staff position on the summer 2010 Semester at Sea voyage!!
I went through a roller coaster of emotions and a mile long list of "What ifs?" on Monday. All along I had said that this was the opportunity I'd drop everything for, but when it came down to it the thought of actually doing so was a little intimidating. A friend here in Alaska asked if I was going to take the position. I told him, "If you were offered this opportunity and you didn't take it, I'd punch you." So I knew that was my answer. I called back to officially accept the offer on Tuesday morning. Tuesday night, the realization that I'd been offered my dream job hit me like a ton of bricks. It's not an emotion one experiences every day. It's a joyous, amazing, terrifying, and overwhelming experience all at the same time. A whole new set of questions came about. "If I get my dream job, then what's next?" After having a minor freak out about having to put my life on hold in a matter of weeks for this opportunity, the excitement returned. This is absolutely going to be the opportunity of a lifetime. Awesome.
So after going through all of the ups and downs I went through in Alaska, finally getting to the point where I was content to stay and finish my AmeriCorps term, I'll be leaving Anchorage at the end of May in order to set sail with Semester at Sea on June 10.
I leave from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and between June 10 and August 21, I'll visit Barcelona, Spain; Citavecchia, Italy; Naples, Italy; Piraeus, Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Istanbul, Turkey; Casablanca, Morocco; and Alexandria, Egypt. The itinerary for the summer 2010 voyage of Semester at Sea can be found here. So pretty much it's going to be the best thing ever. I guess persistence really does pay off. :)
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