The spirit's up,
We're here tonight,
And that's enough
Simply having a wonderful christmastime
Last night, I finally was hit by the Christmas spirit in full force. It was the secret santa big-gift party for all the girls in my class. In true ecuadorean fashion, I arrived over an hour late and was still the first one there. While I waited with Janne, a fellow exchanger from Hamburg, Germany, we listened to Paul McCartney as he had a wonderful christmastime, compared past christmas stories, and worried about whether or not our secret santas would like our gifts, and if we would like theirs. It was just one of those giving and getting moments, in more ways than one, that Christmas always seemed to be about.
I love my gift. It's a mug that says Guayaquil on it. Even with no snow to love/hate, no carols on the radio, and exotic plants draped in lights, it still felt like pure Christmas.
Upon receiving the mug, the very first thought in my mind was where I would use it... maybe some place like the State University of New York at New Paltz...
...to which I was accepted December 19th, 2007!!!!!I got the news through the true and thoughtful genius of my father's web design, almost as good as opening the envelope, if not better-because I didn't see it coming. The two of them, my dad and Kim, could be Hollywood actors. My dad, on the phone, was 100% business like he was testing a new graphic design. Kim sounded like she was ready to take a nap. Dad says "I'm filling out some forms and I need you to check out this website for me... Go to gardencenternews.com/sabrina and tell me what you think."
I got to the page and thought to myself Is this it? No, it couldn't be. They'd be way more excited. This is just some site... I saw the quote in New Paltz colors all about the beauty and charm of the campus and the programs, the quote from my tour guide, and I still am not putting 2 and 2 together.... And then I opened it. It could have been a movie. The page loaded, I saw my address, then "Dear Sabrina,", and when I got to "Congratulations!" I screamed louder than I think I ever have, exited out of the page, ran outside, and started yelling and jumping.
I could not have been happier, and I don't think the two of them could have been more proud. Eventually, around 11:00 that night, I realized Kim sounded so dreary because she'd been crying. Beyond college and Ecuador and everything else, I think it goes without saying that what makes me so lucky is being blessed with such an amazing family.
It would be hard to explain to people how exciting the prospect of New Paltz is for me;
how the campus felt like it fit just right,
how the giant Wal-Mart, 2.00 theatre, and farmland in the town were so reminiscent of Cobleskill where I spent a huge chunk of my childhood,
how it's the second most competitive SUNY to get into,
how the job I love and miss could help me get the same job there,
how it's close to home-but not too close,
and so on and so forth. I've thought about little else for months.
This includes my recent trip to QUITO!, one of the most important destinations in all of Ecuador. It was an awesome trip, full of firsts. I got to drive in a cloud, straddle the equator, dance to indigenous music, share a hotel room with people I literally met when I walked into it, stand in the crater of a volcano, plant trees, walk in altitudes only goats seem to enjoy, learned a song in German, shopped and shopped and shopped. Within that shopping, again thinking about college, back when I still didn't know, the search went something like this:
"This is a cuuuuuuuute tote! I love the colors. This would be really cool and fun to use... at New Paltz!"
"I've always wanted a hat like this... and it has a matching scarf! Perfect for cold days... at New Paltz!"
"Is this really Alpacha wool? It's so soft and warm. The blankets are perfect for a dorm... at New Paltz!"
Which was usually followed by the panic-stricken "OH GOD, what if I don't get in? How long are they going to make me wait?" and then "This bag would just look dumb at a community college" or "If I go to SCCC, I won't HAVE a dorm!" and then making the purchase on my now-flimsy hope.
So, now I have a tote bag, a hat, a scarf, some clothes, and a mug to use in and out of my New Paltz dorm!
That's about all the blogging I can muster for now. Sorry the posts are so few and far between, we're working on limiting my internet usage to keep me in the moment and help me use spanish, not english... Miss and love you all!
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