Or in theory, at least. I have managed once again to get ahead of myself in the planning stages of leaving the country. I haven't even submitted an application but I'm already functioning under the assumption that I will be frolicking with leprechauns for half the summer.
Indeed, it is true. Safely settled in graduate school (George Mason, pursuing MAIS-Folklore) I have been lured again by the siren song of study abroad, this time to Ireland. Or at least that's the general idea. I still need to finish and submit my application.
And that's where the first problem lies. 500 word essay? An evening. Letter of Recommendation? Only needs the asking. Insurance policy, number, and primary physician? We'll pause here.
You see, Spring Break is a magical time for the full-time student. A week off to catch up on research, visit the dentist, throw open the windows and breathe in the sweet smell of freedom before returning the darkness that encourages aforementioned research. Spring Break, and the application deadline of March 25 also falls just before one of the more terrifying rites of passage in my life: individual health insurance.
I will be turning 23 soon, and on that day my health coverage under my parents plan will expire totally and completely. Last week I submitted an application to some charming insurance company, but I haven't heard anything yet. Thus, part of my application remains blank, taunting me with a thousand worries. Should Galway happen, this will not be my first time abroad. This will be the first time under new health insurance, in a system I don't quite understand, and don't even know how a medical crisis abroad would work. I've been safely covered by military health care my entire life. In Switzerland I knew I could go to any hospital, and be just fine, but more than that I knew if my wanderings took me near Heidelberg or Naples there was a base I could walk onto and request preventive care at, my right as a military dependent.
And now I'm an independent. Hoping I receive coverage soon, for my own sake, more than this trip's. In the meantime, I still have half a semester's worth of work to manage, and the rest of this application. Priorities must be negotiated, and right now the sun is shining, it's 60 degrees, and I will be attending a talk on Jane Austen adaptations involving zombies, vampires, and sea monsters this evening. Friends are in town to fill my evenings with stories of campuses and future plans, and Randolph needs a new scarf. So away I go to work on enjoying the here and now, with visions of a summer away dancing through my head.
