Upon the "permission" of my mother, I (finally) purchased a plane ticket to Ecuador! After much thought, perhaps too much--because I waited too long and prices went up, dang it--I took the plunge and bought a freaking ticket. Wooo! All this planning now has some monetary investment in it, and I feel like this makes my plans more concrete and my goals that much closer to being reached. Which only means I need to work harder to prepare things before I leave...good, a little motivation! Next: complete the literature review (articles about diabetes in Ecuador) and develop research protocol (like surveys, etc.) for IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval (by December 7th, yikes!); apply for student visa; apply for some departmental grants; find a host family...and finish my personal statement for graduate school applications! Then apply for Dietetic Internships in December/January before I leave. Whew. Back to tomorrow's homework for now...
(Thanksgiving = 1 week away! I'm already so thankful for all these opportunities!)