It's T minus two days until I take the plunge and over the course of the last week,the anticipation within me has been building to something akin to a fever pitch. As I'm writing this, I've got that nervous, exciting butterfly feeling in my stomach and I know it's only going to grow, so hopefully I can keep it check. The next couple of days are going to be a whirlwind, and I'll likely need to take a few deep breaths to handle the goodbyes and not forget to pack anything vital. Of all the mixed emotions I have right now, I'm more excited than anything, knowing that I've prepared the best I can to take the leap and do something I've always wanted to do. And I say this fully knowing that there are going to be some lonely, homesick filled days ahead. At the same time, I also know that this will probably be one of the most amazing, eye opening, lifechanging things that I ever do. The places I'll see, the people I'll meet, the memories I'll make will stick with me for years to come, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Now just that I'm flying the coop until June doesn't mean that I'm going to forget the people back home. When I first started discussing this trip with friends and family, the reactions were great and varied, but everyone has always been supportive, so please know how grateful I am to all of you. I know some of you think I'm a crazy person (you may be right), some of you have pangs of jealousy (damn right you do) and some of you thought "This sounds like something he would do". Whatever your reaction was, I plan to stay in touch as much as possible; however, I apologize in advance for not being a big facebooker and no, I don't have a myspace!
So, why South America? That's a great question friend; I'm glad you asked! First and foremost, I love Latin culture: the people, the language, the food, the music, the history... I think you get it by now. Of all the places I've been, the people in Latin America have been welcoming, warm and helpful. And no, I'm not naive, I know those American greenbacks in my pocket may have occasionally helped, but by and large, I don't think they did. People may not have a lot, but they seem to be genuinely happy with what they have and it's utterly contagious. So if I don't come home speaking Spanish well or knowing how to dance a little salsa or tango, I give you full permission to not be mad at me, but disappointed!
I'll be spending roughly one month in six countries starting in Colombia and going to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. There are so many things that I want to see and do. On the top of the list are the beaches in Colombia, the Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia, the Atacama Desert in Chile, Patagonia, Iguaczu Falls, Buenos Aires y mucho mas! And if you have the itch to come visit and see any of these places or countries, I would love to see a familiar face along the way. It's winter in Chicago, so come on! It'll be warm and the pace of life slow for at least a week or two. Plus, I'm a good travel companion. Trust me, I have plenty of references!
To wrap this first post up, I just want to recognize how lucky and fortunate I am to have the opportunity to do this. I know I've worked hard, but I've had a lot of advantages along the way with such a great family and group of friends. I hope you enjoy reading along the way as much as I'm sure I will writing about it. I haven't done this before so they'll only get better, so be kind and gentle at first! Of course, if my brain starts to convert to Spanish, I'm definitely going to take that trade off and an apology won't be forthcoming. Another thing I'll get better at is taking more pictures. I don't have a lot saved up right, but I wanted to upload some photos of some good memories from the past couple years. Hopefully you can see them in my photo gallery and you are just as fond of them as I am.
Disfruta y adios amigos. Hasta luego!
