Volunteer in another country

I just got an email saying that I’m going to Costa Rica on June 11, 2010!
I’m soooo excited!!! I already started the paperwork. I just need to start the fundraising and keep working to save up cash!

I sent in $500 on Tuesday, October 20th. It’s nonrefundable and nontransferable, so I’m definitely going! I’m very excited. It gives me something to look forward to and assures me that I’ll be doing something very worthwhile this summer!

So ISV sent me an email on Friday saying in 7-10 business days, they will tell me my departure date and country! This is called an “allocation.” I also get my ISV Student ID number to use so I can keep track of all payments, documents, etc.

I’m not sure if that’s 7-10 business days from Tuesday (when I sent the deposit) or Friday. Hopefully it’s Tuesday, but if it’s Friday, I should find out no later than November 6th!

Do I take it?

I was accepted into the International Student Volunteers (ISV) Program. I went to a meeting on the 1st, applied that day, and got my acceptance email on the 7th. As much as I had been dreaming about it, been excited about it, and counted down the days until I got that email….I’m still on the fence.

I guess it’s because I have to submit a 500 dollar nonrefundable deposit before I even know where or when I’m going. (I signed up for Costa Rica as my first choice, Australia as second and Ecuador as third. The dates are like from late May to Early July. And I’d be gone for a month.) How do I know something important won’t pop up until then?

It’ll be my first summer home from college. I’ll want to get a stable job and see my friends. But this will get in the way of that.

Also, it’s expensive! I can ask for tax-deductible donations, but that’s no fun. I hate asking for money.

But I could work on a sea turtle restoration project. That sounds amazing to me, and it would look good on my resume. I could even try to get academic credit for it. I’d be in a beautiful country, immersed in a different culture. And I’d probably make lifelong friends and have the trip of a lifetime.

Thoughts?

There’s one slight problem. I’m on allergy shots. I will need them every two weeks by the time next summer rolls around. It’s very possible that ISV does not have the medical staff to accompany that. Also, I will somehow need to keep my vials refrigerated during the trip….