What's to Come

On this, the eve of the one week mark to the day I leave for Cambodia, I am finally taking the time to divulge "the plan" aka my flight itinerary for any of those who would like to know. It's going to be a very long travel time ultimately ending with the start of a new adventure (both going and coming back- more on this later). 

Wednesday, May 7th 8am: leave Denver, Colorado ---> Vancouver, Canada ---> Guangzhou, China---> Siem Reap, Cambodia 

21 day trip 

Friday, May 30th 11:30am: leave Siem Reap, Cambodia ---> Guangzhou, China ---> L.A., California ---> Phoenix, Arizona 

Now, back to the  part about adventure. I know that this trip is giving me the chance of a lifetime to immerse myself in a new culture and experience things I have never dreamed of. It's going to be so much fun and probably a little scary at times, like all good adventures are (I have this theory about constantly doing what scares you and how it's one of the best things you could possibly do). What I have lately come to realize more with each passing day is that it is also going to give me the opportunity to share my experiences- like I am now- and to use them in a positive way that doesn't just leave behind my memories of Cambodia as "those few great weeks', but as a catalyst for more adventures here in the states and beyond to continuously grow and use the skills I have and will learn to make an impact in people's lives. I want Cambodia to be so much more than just a risk I took in college; a fun trip when I was young. I want it to incite personal growth and to inspire myself and others to never forget that not only is anything possible for other people, but that anything is possible for us. I think we often forget how strong we all are until we push ourselves to do something amazing. 

So, what I hope all of you readers will do is find a place in your life where you can make a change, and not necessarily an easy one. Find a place that you can strive for growth and push yourself to go beyond what you thought was possible. Even better, do something that scares you just to know that you can. Now, I'm not saying go rob any banks or anything, and maybe start small, but watch and see the changes you'll find within yourself by trying to make a difference in someone else's life or in a community's life. 

Anyway, since I'm supposed to be studying for my final tomorrow, I thought it would be the perfect time to post these thoughts as well as my flight plans to keep you all in the loop. 

Oh, right. By the way

Official Countdown: 8 days 

Lessons and Good News

    So, as you may know, I have paid in full my EDventure tuition, gotten traveler's insurance, gotten necessary vaccinations and medications, and paid for my flight going to Cambodia. Pretty much the last hurdle financially was to pay for a flight back to the States. Well, thanks to several anonymous donors I have now officially paid for my return flight, and I will be getting back to Arizona once this once-in-a-lifetime trip is over.

    I cannot thank enough everyone who has helped me along this journey with your support financially but more importantly your mental and emotional guidance. And boy has it been an emotional journey. There's a lesson I can take from this though. I think it is to always have an open heart, but also to know my budget and know my limits.Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change this experience for anything, as it really has taught me a lot even before I've taken off. However, I think I appreciate in a new way how hard people must work to earn a living, and how quickly that can disappear, especially when you have large expenses such as this.

Again, thank you to every single person who has helped me to get this far. And to the most recent donors as well:

Stacey Bennett

Mis Amigos Anonimos (My anonymous friends)


Official Countdown: 28 days

Closer Every Day

Oh goodness, it has been a loooong time since I have last posted anything. Where did the time go? Oh right, to school and work and other obligations. Well, since I have last posted quite a bit has happened. Two more sponsors have generously donated to my trip, so a big thank you to:

Mr. Scott Baslee
Mr. John Papa

Your donations are greatly appreciated.

Also, some plans have changed due to lack of available funding. Sadly, I could not raise enough money in time to book the cheaper round trip flight to and from Cambodia. Instead, I have decided to go with the next least expensive option and book two one-way tickets from Colorado to Cambodia and then from Cambodia to Arizona.

While I will still be working on getting money for a return flight from Cambodia over the next few days to few weeks, I have officially booked my flight to get to Cambodia!

I'll say it once more for effect:  I have a flight to Cambodia, it's booked and paid for, and I will finally be there in a short 35 days!!!!!!! 

I will admit, at this point I am starting to get a little impatient, but I just need to focus on school and work and making sure I have everything I need for the next few weeks and it will be time to go before I know it.

So, here's a metaphorical "cheers" to hard work, dedication from friends and family, and rolling with the punches. We're almost there and even though the last few weeks have been stressful (dang airlines increasing prices!) and the next few might be even more so, I know it is going to be so very worth it to get to have and share this experience with all of you.

Finally, I will leave you lovely people with a TEDx video that has, I feel, a lot of relevance to me right now, and can have a positive influence on all of us at any time. Check it out, and if you don't have time to watch the full video, at least watch the first 5 minutes. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8CA0BLub44

Fun and Sun!

Well, I've made it to Spring Break, which officially starts right... now! I'm so glad for the rest from school and work and I cannot wait to be back in Phoenix for a week.

Fundraising efforts however will not halt, because I am so close to my goal, and yet need to reach just a little further. As of today, I still need $800 for my flight. So, this post is a call to anyone who may have fundraising ideas, as I'm running a bit low. Please fell free to email at: mikaylapreston@gmail.com
Any and all ideas are welcome and appreciated.

As for other updates, I have sent in almost all my documents to be verified by EDventure and will be going on Monday to get final vaccinations (hopefully they won't hurt too much).

Things are all starting to fall into place, and I am so grateful and excited to be going on this trip in roughly 54 days.

Here we go!

A Big Chunk of Change

This week is going to be super busy, so I've got to keep this post short and sweet. 

I'm very happy to report that so far, we've raised $450 dollars toward my flight! This means there's only another $950 until I can purchase the ticket and officially be all set (financially anyway) to head off to Cambodia this May. 

I am SO EXCITED!!!!!  

Finally, I am happy to add another name to the list of honored sponsors. 

A big thank you to:

 Ron Macinnis and the Macinnis Company

Look for more updates soon! 

   - Mikayla 

Almost There

Come close readers, for I am about to tell you something very exciting. 

Closer....

closer....

As of 10:12 am, on this the 27th of February, 2014 my EDventure tuition is PAID IN FULL!!!!!! 

With the help of friends, family, and friends of family, we have raised a total of $3,100 toward my trip to Cambodia this May. Looking at how far not only I, but we, have come since October I am truly amazed. Honestly, there's no way that I could have done it without the generous support of every one of you, and I am so grateful to each individual, family, and company that has helped me along this process so far. 

Also, this past weekend I found- through EDventure- a greatly reduced travel insurance policy designed specifically for international volunteers. If you plan on traveling abroad to volunteer sometime soon, you can check them out here:  Volunteer Card

Do you know what this means? Do you? It means that now, only the cost of a flight (currently $1,400) and give or take 67 days, 11 hours, 50 minutes and one tearful goodbye from my mother remain between me and Cambodia. Between me and smiling faces and new adventures. 

Now more than ever, I want to thank all of you for your dedication to this cause, and urge you to help me continue to network and find that remaining $1,400, because as stated in this post's title, we are almost there!

Some More Information

I've been gathering more information from EDventure lately on some details of the trip. For example, here's a link to a rough itinerary of what we'll be doing each day:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7NhOly8LVG_c3NoNkhBVzN2c28/edit?pli=1

A place where you can read a little more about some of the work we will be doing:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.480904678661227.1073741830.108402282578137&type=3

And in case you haven't visited the EDventure website already, here's a link to check that out too:

http://www.edventureintl.com/


Also, I was informed that the link to my gogetfunding page was not working properly. So, I'll include it in this post as well in the hopes that more traffic will flow that way.

GoGetFunding link: http://gogetfunding.com/project/cambodia-edventure

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!