Hopefully I will have a few new readers this time around seeing as I just sent out a mass email asking people to subscribe to my blog. I am hoping that this time around I will have some avid readers and loyal followers all the way down to Santiago, across South America, and back in time (at least) for graduation in May. (Yes, I know, it's scary... graduating from college! I'm not ready for the "real world" yet. Haha)
Well, seeing as I am about to embark, let me give you a little nutshell-version of the next few months so you all can have an idea of what you are getting yourself into by reading my blog. :)
On August 23rd, I will hop on a plane out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Then I will fly to Dallas and from there fly to Santiago, Chile. All in all, the flight from Dallas to Santiago will be about 9-10 hours. Luckily, on the big flight, I will be with some of the other students from my program, none of whom I know or have met yet. But we will all be picked up at the airport in Santiago by our program director etc. ((FYI: My program is USAC - University Studies Abroad Consortium)) The first night we will be staying in a hotel in Santiago and get organized a bit. However, after a day or two, I will meet and move in with my Chilean host family!! ((I have yet to receive any information about who they are but that's typical... I'll find out about a week before I leave.))
Since I only have one more semester of college (I am graduating a semester early thanks to AP classes and good course planning), I only have to take a few general electives down there, which is great! So I will be taking two just plain Spanish courses, a Spanish stylistics course, a photography course (which is going to be amazing!!), a one-credit Dances of Latin America course (learn a little salsa and merengue!), and then I will have an internship with an organization in Santiago, which is to-be-determined.
On a different note, as some of you may know, I only have a one-way plane ticket to Santiago, which may seem a little crazy to many of you. And honestly, sometimes I am surprised that I am not freaking out more. But I am trusting God and taking it one day at a time, which leads me to my next note - what am I going to do after my courses are completed in December since technically I don't have to come back to the States until graduation in May???? Well, I would love to remain down in South America, perhaps Chile, and do some volunteer work or something!! I have made a few contacts down in Chile while being in the States and I am certain that there are more contacts to be made once I get down there and figure things out. I am trusting that God is going to present me with a sweet opportunity to lend a hand down in Latin America. Perhaps an orphanage, maybe a summer camp (our seasons are opposite due to the whole side-of-the-equator difference), or even building homes or something of the sort... Honestly, the sky is the limit and I haven't a clue. Kinda exciting, isn't it?
Alrighty, well I have been typing this out while sitting next to my mom, who is learning to upload pictures to Facebook, so I better go assist a little. But thanks again for reading and I hope you subscribe over on the right side here to my blog. Next time I will tell you all a little about Chile as a country and a people. A little heads up on what I know about Chile already and a little on what I might encounter and expect.
¡Pásalo bien! Y nos hablamos pronto.
((Translation (more or less) = Have a good time and we'll speak soon!))
Sarah
awesome! thats all i can say =)
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