Cooper Has Been Accepted to Thailand!

Cooper was recently notified that he has been accepted to AFS-Thailand. His departure date is not yet known, but will likely be near the end of March. Meanwhild, there is much to do to prepare.

Luckily, he already has a valid passport. This week, he will visit the Travel Clinic at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill, PA, in order to receive his necessary and/or recommended innoculationa, anti-malarial drugs, etc.

Funds are still sorely needed, so if you are a reader/supporter who wants to assist Cooper financially, donations will be accepted all year. Full payment is now due, so our family will be taking funds from sources earmarked for other expenses (his brother's skimpy college funds & funds for family medical needs) to cover the cost.

Hopefully, your financial support will still come in and we can then use it to re-imburse those other much-needed sources!

Please note, the CHIP-IN widget previously seen to the right of the blog may be gone, due to our having had to pay in full at this time, but you can still send Cooper donations in support of his trip to our home address and we will acknowledge them here.

Please send you financial well wishes to:

Cooper Bard
Tuscacheague Mountain Farm
3285 Horse Valley Road
East Waterford, PA 17021

Cooper hopes to start a Facebook page so he can keep in touch with friends and family from overseas if he has access to a computer and the Internet, there. We'll be sure to let you know when he is up and running with that.

Meanwhile, thank you for your friendship and support. Cooper celebrated his 17th birthday recently, on January 21st, but will likely celebrate his eighteenth birthday in Thailand.

The Short Wait for a Long Trip

Cooper has now submitted the completed application, which consisted of many parts, and is waiting to hear back from AFS Thailand regarding his candidacy as an AFS participant.

The deadline for applicants to Thailand this Spring term is January 11th. He was informed it will be 2 to 4 weeks till he hears back regarding his acceptance. Meanwhile, he rec'd a Thai-English dictionary and phrase book for Christmas that he can begin studying (just as soon as he finishes studying for his upcoming SAT on January 23rd).

We would like to thank several contributors who are helping to make this adventure a reality through their support in December. Thank yous this month go to: Bill Whiskeyman, one of Cooper's uncles; Anne Marie Zelner, a college friend of Cooper's mom (Seton Hill Univ., Greensburg, PA); and especially to D.W. Gregory, one of Cooper's aunts. You can read more about playwright D.W. at her website, http://www.dwgregory.com .

In the meantime, if you have thought about contributing to Cooper's global learning experience and haven't done so yet, it isn't too late!

Click into the CHIPIN widget on this blog to offer your support and watch that happy little meter grow till it stretches all the way to Thailand.

Remember the three-fold principal. What you give to others returns to you three times greater in worth.

And don't forget to sign up to follow this blog so you can stay updated on Cooper's journey as it unfolds. You can also comment on posts. This is an interactive site!

Until next update, may health, good cheer and great friends surround you!