South Africa or BUST!

I have been patiently awaiting news from South Africa. All I have to say is: Woohoo! So, before I share the excellent news with you, let me rewind back to February. I blasted out about 100 e-mails (not kidding) to random people that I found on the internet and listserves that I subscribe to, to inquire about internships, volunteer work and/or summer jobs in Europe, Latin America and Africa. (I was determined to land some sort of international summer experience!) One of the random e-mails ended up being a priceless push of the *SEND* button. The magnanimous woman that responded to me runs a U.S. study abroad program that places undergraduate students in internships around the world (for a large fee), so she is well connected around the globe. She decided to take me on as a goodwill case (because we are in the same career field--collegiality as it's best) and sent me contact information for her South African friend. After a few e-mails, sending my resume, and discovering that fellow Coloradans live in South Africa (yes, there ended up being a Colorado connection), I received an e-mail, "S. Africa Internship Confirmed." WHOA! I read the subject line about 4 times before it finally registered, I'm going to South Africa. Now I'm packing my bags in July for an internship at the University of Pretoria in the Institutional Development office. I will coordinate special events for Alumni and travel to regional events (similar to my position at CU-Boulder). It will be quite an experience to work in alumni relations from an African context. Moral of the story: keep pressing the SEND button until someone responds!