22 days until the PDO
78 days until Indonesia
It seems that since I have started on this crazy, whirlwind YES Abroad journey, my life has revolved around a fixed date and countdowns. First it was January 10, the day the YES app was due. I was paranoid about messing up something on my app so I turned it in a week early, so just in case I had time to fix anything I missed before it was too late. On January 11 started the second countdown, this time until February 28. February 28 was the supposed day that we would find out if we were semi finalists for YES Abroad, or as YES calls it "late february". The two months of waiting to hear back were agonizing, and I was convinced that I was just counting down to bad news. I tried to keep YES off my mind, but it was virtually impossible.
On February 28, I found out I was a semi finalist and I would be headed to Chevy Chase, MD for an interview event along with 119 other YES hopefuls, aka the IPSE. This countdown was much easier; only three short weeks and I would be in Maryland. The IPSE went by in a heartbeat, and on the plane back to Milwaukee I started my next countdown. This one was by far the most nerve wracking because I was counting down to the day where YES Abroad would ultimately accept or deny us. We (the semi finalists) sorta collectively decided on Friday, April 12, just three weeks after the IPSE. Last year the finalists found out on Friday, April 13, so we figured YES would keep in its theme of Fridays.
Those three weeks went by slower than anything, but somehow I was not as nervous as I had been before. I busied myself with school and tried not to think about YES. I nervously checked my email daily, and when the week of April 12 arrived school was a long shot. I could barely focus on anything but YES, but surprisingly that week went faster than I thought it would. I thought my waiting would be over when I woke up on Friday morning, I had never realized that Friday would be a day of waiting, too. I didn't find out until after school at track practice that I had gotten Indonesia, and at that point I was barely even there. I eventually got that wonderful email, but the waiting didn't even stop there.
As of April 12, I had over 70 days until I the YES Abroad PDO in DC. That wait is the longest of the entire YES process thus far, and I have only three weeks left. It's gone much faster than I expected though, and I couldn't be more excited to see everyone in DC again.
I now have 78 days until Indonesia, and I hope those 78 days go as fast as the wait for the PDO has been. I know this summer will be crazy, preparing for a year away and attempting to say all of my goodbyes. I am just so excited to embark on this YES journey, and time is my only obstacle now.
So there's that; the YES Abroad process in a nutshell. It's been a long and emotional process, from stressing about my essays when I should have been studying for finals to late night YES Abroad youtube-ing, I can say that YES has already changed me as a person, before I have even gone anywhere. I'm definitely a lot more patient having gone through this process, and I have a much fuller understanding of the concept of hard work. This process has not been easy but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. A word of advice to any YES hopefuls:
Don't give up and tell yourself you won't make it. Every single YES Abroader was once in your position, including me. I convinced myself I wouldn't possibly make it, and here I am now, 78 days until my departure.
Until after the PDO, and I'll leave you with a picture of my future home :)
