Hola a todos,
I thought it would be appropriate to say Hola…because I AM going to Colombia after all! =)
I have decided today would be the perfect day to begin writing in my blog. I purchased travel insurance, and along with that came the opportunity to have a blog. I figured, why not? Most likely I would have been too busy to have set up a blog on my own. So here I am.
Why am I going to Colombia you may ask!? Well, my goal is to someday be bilingual so I can work as a bilingual psychologist. Therefore, that would require that I be fluent in Spanish, so I picked Colombia because they are known for having very clear Spanish. Also Bogotá seems like a city I would enjoy visiting and I hear the people are very welcoming and friendly. While I am there, I will be working with children who go to a childcare center during the day. I will basically be entertaining them, helping them out with chores, and teaching them English. I really like working with kids, so I think I will have an overall great experience. I am just afraid I will have a hard time understanding little kids speaking Spanish! That may be somewhat challenging. I am going through a volunteer organization called IVHQ, which is based out of New Zealand. They have very affordable prices, and I have found a lot of positive feedback about their programs. I am looking forward to seeing if they live up to their reputation. Most likely I will be living with other volunteers in a volunteer apartment, but I won’t know for sure until I arrive. The barrio (neighborhood) I will be living in is called “Los Rosales,” and is a modern portion of Bogotá.
I am officially going to Colombia in 7 weeks and 2 days. Yup, I am counting down that precisely. lol I have known about going for the past 6 months, but it is really starting to hit me now. I have less than 2 months to prepare for this trip. There is so much I have to accomplish in the next 7 weeks!
I still have 1 month left of classes, and then I will be going home to Wisconsin to visit my boyfriend, family, and friends for about 3 weeks. Then I will come back to Indiana and leave for Bogotá a few days later! Soooo exciting! I still have to get a few travel vaccinations before I go, and also I need to decide how much luggage I want to bring and what to pack. Apparently it will be about 56 F everyday in Bogotá, but the rain and temperature can vary a lot throughout the day.
Alright, that is all the exciting news I have so far…which wasn’t even that exciting!!..But I will keep you updated, and I plan to post some pics of Bogotá (including pics of Los Rosales).
Chau
