Embarking on a New Adventure

As I am packing and getting ready to spend the next five months in South America I am coming to the realization that I really don’t know much about what may daily life in Quito, Ecuador will be like.  I don’t know what classes I will be taking, where exactly I will be living, or what my daily routine will consist of. Bits of information are slowly filtering in, such as the name of my host family, and how many other students are participating in my program, but the unknowns far outnumber the knowns.

 For those of you that know me, you are probably aware that I am not the type of person that is fond of the unfamiliar. I like to plan ahead and always make sure that everything is complete and prepared in plenty of time. So you can imagine why the occasional wave of panic hits me when I realize that I really have no way to prepare for the adventure that I am about to embark on. I have to accept the fact that until I step off the plane at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito on the night of January 10^th, there will be many aspects to the next five months of my life that I simply will not know and cannot plan for.

At the moment, the unknown terrifies me and the lack of ability to prepare for what is to come is not ideal, but it is not all bad. I am entering this study abroad experience with every intention of taking chances, going on new adventures, and fully immersing myself in the Ecuadorian community. Not knowing everything before I leave, and being able to let go and live in the moment is just the first step in my journey of taking chances and adventuring into the unknown.  

Over the course of the next five months I will be writing several posts a month on my daily life in Ecuador and all that is to come. I will write about Ecuadorian culture and reflect on my experiences abroad. Please stay tuned for more with my next blog post which will be posted upon my arrival in Quito and read as my journey unfolds and the unknowns are slowly revealed and become known.