Over the past month I have devoted myself to my college applications, so I apoligize for the absence. I still am planning to go to Thailand this Febuary or March with Cross-Cultural Solutions. If anyone out there has participated in their programs I would love to hear your experiences and opinions. I am, of course always looking for other options if this trip falls through. I am thinking of traveling around Europe for a few months, especially the UK. Currently, i am waiting for a reply on the application i sent in and i am actually wondering if they will let me enter Thailand with this bird flu going around. If anyone knows the status on that, it would be helpful to know!
I recently recieved a book called "Wheelchair Around the World." It is a wonderful book about this elderly couple, one in a wheelchair, who take off for a year around the world. They have wonderful information of the accessible hotels and car rentals, as well as helpful info on the terrain in the country. They went to some remarkable places such as Israel and Siberia. Unfortunently, they didn't go to Thailand so I am still a bit in the dark of what to expect. Still, it's a fabulous read!
Well,
I will report what comes out in the end: Thailand or Europe!!

I am now in my 6th or 7th month of planning a trip to volunteer overseas, and it seems that I am right back where I started from. I unfortunently have a very spontaneous persontality so when I have been waiting for this amount of time and trying to plan a trip, it is quite frustrating when it falls through. Though I do hope perseverence wins out in the end!
I have applied to Cross-Cultural Solutions, which is a volunteer abroad agency, and I now am waiting for a reply. The program that fell through was with Pacific Village Institute and I was going to volunteer in Vietnam, most likely to help a teacher or to teach English. The organization, PVI, was wonderful but they had no idea what was involved with people traveling with disabilities and I felt very insecure traveling by myself at seventeen, with a disability, and with a company who was basically winging it.
I believe that the hardest part for me is keeping up the confidence that I can do it and that I will be able to travel and make a difference. Everyone around me, meaning family and friends, are very kind when they talk to me but I can tell as they pat me on the head that they truly don't believe this is going to happen. And unfortunently I'm faltering myself. But along with my spontanaity, comes complete perseverence and I am not going to let go of a dream I have had for so long.
Well, I now am going to embark on a hopefully plausable trip with Cross-Cultural Solutions and I'll keep you updated!