Hellooo Oman!!

Try as I might, I couldn't delay my excitement for another moment and postpone writing this blog post. I think I've only had my acceptance letter for about two hours, but I've already shrieked and jumped up and down for joy, as well as fielding phone calls and messages from family and friends. Now that the initial excitement has died down a bit, I'm able to coherently type out a few sentences. 

After waiting last night for acceptance/rejections emails that never came, the floodgates opened this morning when they (seemingly at random) started going out.  And then I got mine. And now I'm super super super happy. 

I'm thrilled to announce that also accepted to Oman are a number of my friends from the IPSE, including my roommate Brandi (of http://omanimebrandi.wordpress.com/), which is incredibly exciting news. The first segment of my email:

"Dear Karla,

 
Congratulations!  We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected as a Finalist for a 2014-15 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad scholarship for study in Oman!  The YES Abroad program is funded by the U.S. Department of State, and administered by the YES Consortium, led by American Councils for International Education in partnership with AFS Intercultural Programs (AFS), the American-Mideast Educational and Training Service (AMIDEAST) and the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN). American Councils manages the overall operations of the YES Abroad program, and the program implementer in Oman is AMIDEAST."

I'd really like to thank everyone who helped me to have this opportunity - my supportive friends and family, my teachers, and especially my parents for taking a deep breath and letting me go. I love you all, thank you for standing by me as I prepare myself for this journey.

Until next time:
- Dream big
- Work hard
- Love lots
And stay true to yourself

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