It doesn't even seem real!

My life two days ago:

Finish junior year, start senior year in the fall, apply to colleges, pick a college at some point, graduate in May, and go to that college the next fall.

My life now: 

Finish junior year, work at camp over the summer to save money, and in January, use the money from the summer to buy myself a plane ticket to Africa, go to Swaziland, and attend the UWC there for two years. On full scholarship. Then, go to college.

Wait, what?

So here's what's up - Monday evening, I found out that I was awarded the scholarship to study at the "Waterford Kamhlaba United World College of Southern Africa" (I know, quite a mouthful) for two years to get my International Baccalaureate diploma - all on full scholarship, including room and board. I can hardly contain my excitement, I'm continuously freaking out, and have been since I found out. Maybe freaking out is strong language, but I've been pretty much grinning from ear to ear this entire time - including while taking the ACT this morning... standardized tests are so much easier to get through after some really happy news!

I'll be leaving sometime early in January for Swaziland, and will be there for two years. Technically, it's still "high school," as the IB diploma is a high school diploma, but I'm thinking of it as an epic adventure, instead of another couple years of high school. The funny part is, my younger brother, currently one grade level below me, is going to end up graduating from high school and starting college before me - I'm not going to end up graduating from the UWC until late in 2014, around October or November, I think, and then I'll be starting college until the fall of 2015 (whoa, that sounds way further away typed out). I'm super excited for Waterford though - I was hoping to do something like this in college or after that, but I'm just as happy doing it before I've got my high school diploma. 

If all the dates are confusing you, it's because the southern hemisphere school schedule starts the "school year" in January, instead of in August, like here. The seasons are all flipped, so it makes sense that the school year would be as well. 

I've gotten in touch with some current students there, and it's just making me that much more excited to get to go! I haven't heard of anyone else that is going to be starting there in January with me, at least not from the US, but there probably (maybe?) is at least one other person.

Oh! Congrats to the other people from the Madison interview who were selected!!! From our group, we also have people going to UWC-USA, Atlantic College in Wales, and Mahindra in India. You guys are all so awesome!