My Dream Back-Up Plan

If I don't get into medical school, here's my dream plan.

First Year

• First, work for about half-a-year... perhaps some lab work?  More lab work at the lab I've been at for the past 3 years?  (I might not actually mind doing it.  I've heard if you work at Rice, you get to take one free class per semester that you get actual credit for.  Maybe that only applies to some people working at specific jobs, though.  In any case, maybe I would take a semester of Arabic or Koine Greek?  Or maybe Modern Arabic would be too many credits and not qualify.  Ooh, if 5 credits were ok, maybe I could take the Ling department's Field Methods, actually, and get a head start on my second year primary plan.)
• While I'm working for that first half-year, apply for Marshall scholarship to study in the UK
• Then go to Bolivia for three months, maybe China/Singapore for three months.  Or maybe Bolivia for six.
• Plane ticket for Bolivia ~$1000 - $1500, and then $500 per month for food/accommodation/volunteering.  So  if I stay in Bolivia for six months, and can save up at least $4500 , with another ~$2000 for travelling (The Salt Flats of Uyuni during the rainy season! La Paz!  Maybe even Peru and Machu Picchu?), I should be good.  $6500 would be roughly 5 months of working if I worked full-time and got a net income of $8 an hour.
• I've never been to Singapore and thus have never met one of my dad's sisters (he only has two), and one of my cousins (I only have three cousins on both sides).  It'd be cool to see what Singapore is like.

Second Year

• Reapply for medical school
• Assuming I get the Marshall scholarhip, get a Master's in Language Documentation and Description in London in one year.  (*drool*)  If I don't... I suppose get some loans to pay for it?
• Alternate plan:  Get a Master of Divinity (also *drool*).  Maybe learn some Koine Greek in that degree to someday do Bible translation?  This would possibly be a three-year program, though.
• Alternate plan #2:  Get an MPH in a year or two.
• Alternate plan #3:  Go to beauty school and learn about barbering so I can cut my own hair (this may be done during the First Year instead).

Although the alternate plans would be expensive (an M. Div program at Duke would be a pricey $20,000 a year, not including food/accommodation/insurance!  D=  I wonder if they have good financial aid), they'd be pretty awesome.  And beauty school is something I just recently started entertaining... haha.  Kevin was rather taken aback that I was looking at barbering/cosmetology programs and was all like, "Who are you??" I suppose getting a certificate/degree in barbering would be a rather long route just to learn how to cut my own hair.  Still though.  Learning new things is cool.  I'd put culinary school on there too, if I didn't feel like I'm up to snuff for that.

Well, actually writing that all out makes me kind of really want to go through with all of this... =|

At the same time, I feel this urge to just get out and be useful to the world, and since I seem to currently see my "usefulness" through medicine, getting an MD and perhaps an MPH as soon as I possibly can would still be preferable.