I now have less than 48 hours left in the U.S. I leave Sunday August 29 at the crack of dawn for Ecuador. I'm meeting the 14 other American students, as well as my tour director at the airport terminal Sunday night, and from there my adventure will begin. After a week of culture shock in Quito, I'll be heading outside of the city for my first home stay. Each student stays with a different Ecuadorian family for about 4 weeks at a time. The second home stay is in urban Quito, and in between, the group will be traveling to the coast and the rain forest. I'll be taking classes for most of the semester, except the last few weeks when the focus is a research project. I'm there for the full semester, so I won't be back until just before Christmas.
The main question I have been getting lately is, "Why Ecuador?"
This is usually followed by, "Why not Italy or Spain?"
Then, "Where is Ecuador again?"
And inevitably, I receive the look of "I hope you know what you're doing/you make it back alive."
To clear it up, I wanted to do South America. I've been briefly to Europe, and loved every minute of it. I can't wait to go back, however, the chances of me finding a travel companion to go to Europe with later on are pretty high, while the chances of someone coming with me to backpack through South America are slim to none. This is an opportunity I probably won't have again, so I figure I better take advantage.
This travel blog is partly for my family and friends to follow my trip, see what I'm up to, and make sure I'm still alive. It's also partly for me, so that I will have something to look back on and remember my experiences. Pending internet service, I hope to update a few times a week with posts, pics, and video.
See you in Ecuador
