emilyestlerock

I also received alternate notification. Gatorafrica and Rebekah, are you both applying through African Language Initiative. I am more curious than anything about how many ALI specific applications were funded. I applied for Mali, and have yet to hear of anyone else who did. I feel really proud to have received alternate notification, but I am definitely moving on to plan B. I wrote it out before we were notified so I would have something to cling to when this day comes. What does plan B include? Working over the summer to save money and replicate my plan with my own funds, hiking in Oregon every weekend, hiking the West Coast Trail, training for a sub-four marathon (my time on Sunday was 4:25!), taking classes so that I can graduate in time (I'm in a Master's that tends to take some students 3 years to finish...), etc. etc. I know this seems off topic, but for those of you that were not accepted, just remember how much awesome other stuff you and how cool you are, with or without funding! Just some advice from someone whose emotional well-being is often a little too wrapped up in contests such as these! Stay well!

Regret that it was so short...wish it had been MUCH longer

For study abroad/internship opportunities, you can also use a site like www.idealist.org to try to find internship opportunities. Another good idea, if you just want to set up an internship, may be to look at study abroad programs (like www.ciee.org or www.sit.edu) and see who they partner with in country. Then contact those orgs directly to see if you can set something up. Going through a provider will always make it more expensive! Also, if you're an undergrad, network with kids who have studied abroad. More often than not (especially in the off-the-beaten path places that attract Boren candidates...) they may have started an internship or volunteer experience and can connect you to someone in country. It's all about those connections! Just throwing this out there as well...I only studied abroad for a month as an undergrad (and regretted it fully) so I applied to a program through the French Ministry of Education to teach English. Well, it was easy to get (they don't do a great job advertising it) and once I got it, I was paid to teach for twelve hours a week! Talk about sweet. While it didn't do a WHOLE bunch to prepare me for grad school, it did increase my fluency in French and had I wanted to, I definitely could have taken classes/volunteered/interned. I was lazy...However, I do still put this experience on my resume and always impress interviewers with the fact that it was an independent endeavor... Spain has a similar program that pays you (rather than you paying). Just google "Spain English teaching assistantship" or "France English teaching assistantship" and I'm sure you'll find links. Unfortunately, it may be too late for next year. Oh and the cool thing about the French assistantship is that you can go to the hexagon, or any one of the DOM-TOMs...cool or alarming, depending on how you look at it. Most of France's DOM-TOM's are beautiful islands...and probably great places to do research!!! I know this is off topic but I hope it helps...

HAHA That's so funny. Running as coping. I am running a marathon this Sunday!!! This week is tapering...a total of 8 miles spread over THREE RUNS! I am going to have so much free time during which I can't run and I can't drink alcohol (in preparation for the run!) What am I supposed to do with this time??!??!?!?! Plan B plan B plan B meditate meditate meditate... Good luck on the 15th!

Hi everyone, Someone asked about dealing with the wait, and I think that's a really productive conversation starter!!! I'm trying actively to identify a plan B so that I don't have a fallout next week if a small envelope hits my mailbox. So, I've been WRITING DOWN my plan B, with as much detail as possible. Plan B includes travel, summer courses, splurging on a road bike with some leftover student loan money (don't tell Sallie Mae!), hiking the Oregon Coast, STILL going abroad to West Africa, just for less time, etc. I'm trying to have a reminder of how awesome my life still will be without the fellowship...and I want to be able to read it over and over through my tears I've also been neglecting school but thankfully, we're on the quarter system, so my finals aren't until June. Those of you on a semester system must be writing final papers just about now? Must be nerve-wracking! Any other advice out there on how not to self-destruct this week? I'll take it!

Haha, Rebekah. I tried to bait Michael Saffle into giving me more info with an email much like yours but got a very similar response Unfortunately, all of this anticipation has made me very unproductive. Not good!!! GOOD LUCK to everyone!

Just got an email about applying to American Councils for the ALI. STRESS STRESS STRESS SPECULATION SPECULATION SPECULATION What does this mean?!?!?!

Hi Everyone! I applied for the Fellowship through the African Language Initiative to study Bambara in Mali, and springboard into literacy research in the spring. Does anyone have any notion (anecdotal or otherwise) of the number of Fellowship applicants for the ALI? I did receive the budget email in March, assumed it meant nothing, and haven't received an email since. Like everyone else, probably, I am going crazy, checking email nonstop and feeling nauseous daily :-) When I called Boren last week, the rep I spoke with (Robyn, I think) definitely made it seem like we'd hear in the first week of May, rather than the last week in April...Thank goodness finally a forum to obsess over until May!!!