Can't pass this up

I’m going to Beijing!

It’s going to be a loooong flight, but it was a much longer process to get to this point, and well worth all of the time to do it…

In September 2007, I heard about the opportunity through a professor of mine. I filled out the application, called it a ‘long shot’ and waited to see what would happen. Since I would be graduating in May, I was hesitant to apply since I was about to enter the ‘real world’. Shouldn’t I be applying for full-time jobs instead? After talking with some helpful faculty and friends, I opted to take a chance and go for it.

So glad I did! December finally came around, along with an e-mail stating that I was in a group that would advance to the next round of selections. I had made it one step further!

I held my breath, waiting to see what the next steps would be, and finally learned that members of the BOGOC (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad)– hmm, maybe I should think about a glossary on here! – would be coming to the States in March to make the final selections.

On March 1, they administered the tests, and eighteen days later I found out I was going to the Olympics. And let me tell you, those eighteen days were pretty crazy for the fifteen of us who were waiting to hear the news.

Since then, I have been getting e-mail updates from our professor on details about the trip. I booked a flight, interviewed for full-time jobs (and accepted one-yay!), and finished up my last semester at Purdue. Since I graduated on May 10, I have found an apartment, moved away from West Lafayette and into a new city and started a new job a week there a week later. Yep, pretty stressful, but more importantly, an exciting place to be in my life.

More to come soon…