A whirlwind. That’s how I would describe these past couple days as I have been preparing to depart for Quito, Ecuador, the first stop on my Latin American adventure. My head has been in some sort of foggy haze as I have been preparing for this trip for oh so many reasons.
First of all, I procrastinate. I can’t help it! I am excellent at planning things out, I can keep a neat planner with everything written down that needs to be done by when, and yet…actually putting that plan into action proves much more difficult, so I still cram everything into the last minute anyway. (It’s my nature, so why fight it?) This inconvenient trait of mine made these past couple days a little frantic and a lot stressful. I had to find a way to write summer assignments, move into my house at Augustana, say farewell to family and friends, buy things I would need for my journey, and then pack a huge duffel bag that I had to hope to God didn’t weigh over 50lbs…all within a week. In the end I made it here in one piece, albeit sleep deprived and already missing some people back home (one person in particular).
The big reason for my dazed state would be that I have never been out of the United States before, so I have no idea what to expect as I leave the familiar behind on my biggest life adventure thus far. This is making me nervous, excited, and a little scared. What kind of crazy person chooses to travel Latin America without the tiniest knowledge of Spanish!?! Me, that’s who. However, in a weird way, I am glad that I am diving head first and eyes closed into this experience. Here’s my logic: doing something that will scare me is usually going to be the very thing that´s going to be the most incredible and rewarding once I finally just throw caution to the wind and go for it. So here I am, sitting in a hotel in Quito, Ecuador, feeling like I am throwing caution to an entire tornado. My anxious feelings are turning into something more thrilling and exciting, and I can’t wait!
Posted on August 27th, 2009 by angela-baumgartner
Filed under: Angela Baumgartner, Latin America
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