Summer vacation is almost here and I would love to go somewhere exotic and new but I just keep reminding myself, Japan, Japan, Japan. This Summer I'm going super work crazy at the coffee shop. I will be going to work 4 days a week and because I will be opening mornings, my alarm will greet me with that "lovely" bomb ticking noise at 5:00AM. Whenever I have blood shot eyes and feel like I am going to drop from exhaustion I will just keep reminding myself, Japan, Japan, Japan. I have done a bit of math and figured out that if I save and work a lot this Summer that I will be able to make over 2K. Right now money wise I have almost 3,500 saved up and then with my blog money too, I will have about 7,000 dollars all together at the end of Summer. It's so exciting to think that I will have more than half my tuition in just a few short months.
I have already submitted my pre-application to the program which I am going through, AFS. And once Summer vacation really gets underway, I will submit my full blown application which consists of enough papers to make the tree in my backyard to look pretty skimpy. This application isn't due till the end of October, but because I am so anal about this project I want to get everything done before August.
In order to make my trip possible I know that I'm going to have to do some large fundraising projects. I have been pretty reluctant to tackle this because there is a strategy to go about this that is very foreign to me. I am still toying with the idea of having a huge potluck type thing where people can bring a dish (preferably Japanese) or they can bring a 10$ donation and eat as much as they want. I want to do this towards the beginning of September. If anyone has any other fundraising ideas I would be extremely appreciative of such.
Thanks for reading,
--The Japanese Hakujin, Zachary Shimmel
Play to your strengths. If you're good at school, tutor (it pays well and it's what I do). If you play an instrument or know a band, try a benefit concert.
ReplyDeleteDo some ordinary chores like dog-walking, cleaning, or babysitting. (Some schools/organizations provide free CPR training, meaning you can extra for babysitting or at least be a better candidate.)
Hold raffles. A 20" HDTV or a Netbook goes for around $200-$300. Sell tickets, especially during holiday parties/barbecues/celebrations/gatherings. (My dad raffled a TV during his company's holiday party and made a $500 profit for me.)
AFS has a fundraising wiki and hosts fundraising webinars. You can check those out if you already haven't.
It appears that you've already spread the word and landed a job, so you're good with those. I hope I helped in any way that I could. Don't be afraid to reach out to the AFS community (or "cult" as they said during my PDO) as most are extremely helpful. :D
I really enjoyed reading your postings. I too am working hard to study abroad in Japan. :]
ReplyDeleteThough i just started working on this :D Your inspiring haha