Summer 2009. I finally received word yesterday as to where my summer fate lies. Option 1: Orissa, India. 2) Dhaka, Bangladesh, and 3) Nicaragua. My top choice is India, as I feel most strongly connected with its mission. It is run by an organization called 'Gram Vikas,' which literally means 'Village Development.' Their goal is to promote processes which are sustainable, socially inclusive, and gender equitable. The project I would be working on would include interviewing villagers on both the perceived and actual impact of access to clean water. We would assess whether access has changed hygiene behavior, incidences of water borne diseases, and the extent to which women have benefited. On India in general, Orissa is tauted as one of the most spiritual places in India. I would love to visit the ancient temples and soak up some of the peace. The only caveat is that there has recently been some religious squabble.

As for Bangladesh, the project is run by World Bank, and has to do with bottom-up institution building. The project involves looking at successful village mobilization, identifying the key ingredients to its success, and developing a system by which their success may be replicated. It could be interesting- ties in a lot with some of the courses I took this year.

I'm not even going to bother with Nicaragua. It is my third choice and highly unlikely I will get it due to my inability to speak Spanish. I have very little connection with the project goals as well, so yes- hopefully this is the end we'll hear of Nicaragua.

I submit a personal ranking on Thursday, and find out officially where I'll be going on May 19. At that point, travel arrangements will be made. I feel so funny right now. For the longest time, this was 'this summer...' and now it's here. I've lost the luxury of distance, and it suddenly feels very real. I am so excited- really, really excited....but I'm a little scared too. It seems that often turning points occur in our lives, AND THEN we realize what caused them. With this, though, I am fully aware that it is happening. I know I will see a very different world, that I will be bothered by things I can not change, that I will feel the weight of privilege I in no way earned, and that I will wonder, 'Why you and not me?' It is impossible to return the same person I leave as. I hope I will come back a better person; a more thankful, more aware, more convicted person to pursue what change I CAN affect. And yet....all of this scares me. It is knowing, and not knowing all at the same time.

On a lighter topic, I have been reading some amazing books. I recommend 'Little Bee,' by Chris Cleave as a number one pick. A close second is 'The Cellist of Sarajevo,' (a little contrived, but captures the spirit of what happened), and third, 'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri. I have packed all of these books up and sent them home so they will be available. I'm currently just about to finish another book right now, though it will remain nameless until I can gauge whether or not I think reading it may cause unnecessary worry by those tempted to see what its about. (...thanks for the masks and hand-sanitizer, mom;)... ) I will limit my description to saying that it is about a girl I think would make a great friend and who appears to have a spirit similar to my own.

It is currently 12:09. My last final is in 20 minutes. I'm going to leave now so that I can see the little man who lives in the park and that has made it his personal responsibility to ensure that NYU students make it to class on time, give his 10 minute warning call.