PCV: Paid Caribbean Vacation

Man, I tell you what, this trip is getting a little out of control. I am anal about most things so I have been keeping a spreadsheet on how much this is costing me. we wont even get into the stuff they tell you about. They show you the sticker price of how much tuition and room and board are and all that. That scares most people away just at the beginning. I have realized that going on semester at sea is similar to going and shopping for a Rolls-Royce: if you have to ask how much it is, you cant afford it. Well long before I looked at the sticker price I knew I couldnt afford it. Did that stop me? Hell no!

Now the worst part is all the hidden costs of little things that you need to get there and need to have while youre there. Everything is an arm and a leg. I sent my passport away for 2 months and all I got back was my passport, 3 stickers, and a receipt that my credit card was charged $395! I dont know what I was expecting with visas, but I think I was expecting something more than just a few stickers that could have been made at Kinkos. All the postage of sending this and sending that in adds up as well not to mention anything you might want to do while you are in these countries.

Today I got a sigh of relief, I was running out of money and running out fast. I was starting to freak out because the loans that were supposed to come in forever ago hadnt been deposited into my checking account yet. Miracoulously, I went from feeling extremely poor to extremely rich in a matter of days when all my loans and scholarships got paid to me today. I got a little over $16,000 put in my account! Here is the catch however, I owe SAS a lot of money haha. Therefore, most of it will be gone when I pay the bills in a few days. Rags to riches back to rags... its a way of life!

So I have made a realization long before I even go that I think anyone thinking about going anywhere should remember when it comes to money. Money isnt real, it is only society's way of holding us down. I dont know about you, but I will not let myself become a victim of it. This being said, I knew long before I ever applied to SAS that I couldnt afford it, and I didnt care. I knew that there are some things that you cannot put a price tag on. Your life is one of them. No matter how much this costs, no matter how much debt I put myself into, I know that this experience is something that no one anywhere will ever be able to take away from me. I guess what Im trying to say is if there is something out there that you want bad enough, nothing can stop you. Seeing the world is one of my dreams, and Im about to do it in 12 days. Worry about petty things like money later, live your life now, because when its all over, I will have the memories when all you have is money.