It’s official. As of 9:30 tonight I have booked my flight, received
my e-ticket and am 100% positively going to Argentina. I actually don’t think I
have ever spent as much time on one webpage before as I did reading over the
flight information and making sure I didn’t make any of those “careless errors”
like I always did in middle school algebra. To make the moment even more
dramatic, I have just received my conformation from the school
saying that I am temporarily un-enrolled at the California State University of
Long Beach for the fall semester for an educational leave...so basically I AM READY TO LEAVE this place; (I just
have to get through 5 more weeks of this summer human physiology class first…if you
see any further blogs on this page, you can have a rest in assurance from
knowing I survived ).
The main reaction I have been getting from people when I
tell them I am going to Argentina for the next 5 months besides, “you’re going
to have so much fun” and “they’ve got gorgeous guys there” is basically, “how
are you going to feel being so far away, on the complete opposite side of the
equator?” (In fact for those of you who don’t know, because Argentina is on the
south side of the equator, the summer and winters are swapped, so I am going to
be experiencing spring 3 times in a row). At this stage of studying abroad some
people get second thoughts about their trip, some begin to doubt their language
abilities, some start to feel homesick and other adventurous ones might get a never-ending
adrenaline rush from this point until they return back into their original
country. Personally, I’ve always been an adrenaline junkie (I guess that’s what
I get for growing up with a bunch of older boys in the neighborhood and taking
after a fearless father). Words cannot express how exited I am to finally be
immersed in different cultures, gain new perspectives on life, travel the world
and start dreaming in spanish, but at the same time I’m not sure how I’m going
to feel once I leave the comfort of the arms of my family, the English language
and my country as I board my flight. I definitely do not feel any sense of
anxiety yet, but according to the people of the study abroad office and past students, they say I will right before I leave. (I guess we will soon find out ;D ).
In the end, maybe I’ll have fun, maybe I’ll get a
spanish-speaking boyfriend (don’t trip mom, I’m not saying I actually will),
maybe I’ll get homesick, maybe I’ll get lost, maybe
I’ll start dreaming in spanish or maybe I’ll just have the most memorable
adventure of my life where I’ll get to meet some really cool people that I
never would have met if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone. Whatever it is,
I’m looking forward to this “beautiful chaos” I will be experiencing in Latin
America and am ready to be flexible aka adjust to the unexpected situations that
with no doubt will be occurring once I arrive there.
Question: Where have you been in South America or what is
the top place you would like to visit there?
