3 days and counting...

welcome to my brand spankin' new travel blog! As most of you know, I will be spending two months this summer in Ecuador and Paraguay. I start with 4 weeks of Spanish study at the Simon Bolivar Spanish School in Quito, Ecuador, then my family will join me for 2 weeks of traveling around Ecuador....then my mother and I will continue on to Paraguay to attend Mennonite World Conference in Asuncion.

I am very grateful to the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning at Goshen College where I work that made my time of study in Ecuador possible. When I moved to Goshen almost 2 years ago, I decided that learning to speak Spanish was a must for living in a city with such a significant Spanish-speaking population. So I started this past fall with Spanish 101 and am moving on to immersion! I'm rather nervous about the first few days of staying with my host family - but as long as we stay to subjects that are based in the present, cover subjects such as family, school, the weather and fashion (me gusta los pantalones rojas...) - I should be all set. hmmm....

I am at one moment excited beyond belief...the next....consumed by a tense stomach and sense of mild terror (ok - that might be putting it a little too strongly....is there a 'are you a drama queen?' quiz attached to this blog site??). But I think that once I am past the last minute preparations and my bag is packed, the excitement will override the nerves.

p.s. a big shout out to Megan for her technical assistance and creative input re. blog names! And "La Viajera" means the traveler in Spanish...