Expect the unexpected is the best way to describe the past few months in my life. And I mean so literally. I never thought I would be in this crazy experience, but I’m sure that it’ll be one of the best I’ll ever get to live. To not extend myself way too much: I obtained a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree abroad.

I declined on the opportunity last year, as I was basically not feeling it whatsoever. But this year, I originally was not going to apply at all. Like at all. The one who insisted in all of this was no other than my mom! She just loves encouraging me on the most random things, and that’s why I love her to death. Now, let me explain you the process, little by little.

First of all, applying…

The annual program of Government-sponsored scholarships for Post-grad studies is highly coveted among Dominican young professionals from up and down the island. I graduated from university back in 2015, and after skipping the 2016 process, thanks to my mom, I jumped to the 2017 scholarship application process.

For this year, they published the offering way too late, back in April, with all documentation required to apply to be uploaded to an online platform opened by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCYT in Spanish) on their website. The deadline for applying was April 28th, and I submitted all of my documentation the night before!

After that, all I had to do was: wait for an answer from the government about the status of my application, and less than a month later, I got some news…

I got pre-selected! Yay!

The news of advancing to Round 2 of the process came to me on the most random way possible: Thursday in late May, at the hospital visiting an uncle who had surgery that day, and the email said “You’ve been pre-selected for the scholarship, there’s a meeting tomorrow with a representative from your chosen school. Be at our building by 4 pm”. So, my parents and I started to plan a strategy, sorta, moving forward, and well… I attended the meeting and the next stage of this whole thing began: applying at the desired school and program.

After completing our applications, my colleagues and I met again with the university’s representative a week after the first meeting, so those that needed to undergo the language test, in our case the TOEFL, were able to get it for free! (YAAS HONEY!).

For us to know if we got into the program or not, we had to wait another couple more weeks. When those acceptance letters flew in, the ones who applied to the same program I did, did not receive the best news at the beginning. Then, through arrangements via the university’s representative (and some last-minute changes that happened), the majority of us were accepted. And I had the luck with me since I got the last spot available to start this fall in the program I selected.

Next stop: Michigan!

This Saturday is where the journey really begins. I’m now on my way to the little town of Kalamazoo, Michigan where I will be living for the next 2 years, as I’ll be attending Western Michigan University, one of the best universities in the United States and I’ll pursue a Master’s degree in International Development Administration. And I couldn’t be more excited. I really am excited to get out of sunny DR for a while and finally see some snow fall during the winter!

One of the best things about the scholarship I won is that pretty much covers everything in regards tuition, dorms, meal plan, everything! My parents are pretty much proud of me being able to achieve this without much hassle.

This week it’s all about making my suitcase, getting all my stuff in order for my mom to be the one watching over them while I’m away, leaving my job and saying goodbye to as many people as time allows me and pretty much mentalizing myself that a life-changing opportunity has knocked my door, and it’s time for the real challenge to begin.

I’ll be documenting my journey on my social media. So please go follow me on Instagram for more on what I get to do while living in the States for a while. It’s going to be one heck of a ride, and I can’t wait to share all the stories and experiences I get to live. Also, I’d like to thank all of my friends and family for being so supportive on this new thing.

And finally, always remember to expect the unexpected!