Pre-Travel Thoughts..

Hey Guys,

I thought i would put this all together so that you can keep up with what's going on in my life and where I'm headed here in the near future. As most of you should know, I'm attending Gonzaga here is Spokane for my BA in International Relations. Its my Junior year already and I'm preparing for graduation for next Spring. Gonzaga has been an awesome school, and for sure a great pick for me personally. Fall semester was not too challenging of a semester, but the course-work was different from what i am accustomed to. This spring semester has been an amazing personal journey and its great to see how far i have come in only one year at college and the amazing people I've met. I recently found an old journal of mine that i only wrote in once on the first day of school this year and i was pleasantly surprised to see that the questions i asked were answered.

As far as my educational goals go i am leaving the country here in only 5 days for Cuernavaca, Mexico. Ill be studying Spanish at the International University there for a month and a half and also be getting direct credit for Gonzaga in doing so. After that I'm headed down to Ecuador to meet up with Becky and experience what Ecuador is all about! But my traveling doesn't stop there, oh no... I'm leaving for the Netherlands on August 28Th for 4 months to study Political Science in Rotterdam at Erasmus University. I'm hoping that i will be able to use this blog as a means of keeping in contact with everyone back at home as well as the rest of the family. Ill upload photos as much as possible and post a new blog when i get the chance.

Now enough with that, since travel day is slowing creeping upon me i figured i would post a few thoughts about what i expect to see and experience, as well as some fears and concerns i have. First off, I'm nervous. I'll be honest. Its my first time traveling internationally, or domestically for that matter, alone. I'm also nervous because I'm going to have to depend on my own Spanish skills in real life situations now that my survival is absolutely dependent on, well sort of. All in all, the cultural submersion is going to be a changing experience i am sure and its more of the technical stuff like changing flights and dealing with baggage that worry me.

I'm excited at the same time. I requested window seats so ill be able to look out the window and see La Ciudad de Mexico and Quito when I'm flying in. While in Cuernavaca i am planning on volunteering twice a week at a local orphanage that one of GU's clubs, Aiding Children Abroad, helps by needed commodities such as toiletries for the girls and larger projects such as a van and new mattresses for the children. One of my good friends founded that club and she'll be in contact with me while I'm down there as well. The thing that is most exciting about helping out at the orphanage is going to be showing the children there that people in the world that do care about them and playing futbol with them I'm sure. I expect the social aspects to be difficult at first but i hope the kids will come to like me and my friends.

While living in Cuernavaca ill be staying at a home stay all 6 weeks. My family's house looks rather close to the University and my roommate and i are planning on walking to classes in the morning. My host-mom is a Spanish teacher which will be nice for my grammar I'm sure and she has one son whose older, somewhere around his 30's. My class schedule while down there is going to be grammar and conversation courses from 8am-12pm and from 12-2pm i have cultural courses such as cooking classes, dance classes, or Hispanic cinema to take. I'm going with a group of only 12 students from GU, 2 of which are only going to be down there for 3 weeks instead of six. We're going to have 3 planned weekend trips, the first one on the first Sunday we're down there is going to be to the ancient pyramids, and the next week to La Ciudad de Mexico, and the third week to Pueblo. Pueblo is a small town about an hour east of La Ciudad and if my memory is working right, it has a church chapel for every day of the year or something like that.

I must say that this summer is going to be awesome, but I'm going to be out of the country for my birthday, actually flying from Mexico to Ecuador entire day, but if anyone was planning on giving me anything for my birthday feel free to still do so. My parents will be able to deposit any checks into my bank account. So don't hesitate, I'm just kidding... kind of... ; ) Well i must say that I'm getting more and more excited as each day passes and before you know it, ill be on my way typing to you from Mexico! Thanks for all the support that you have given me in the past, one of the most important realizations that i have recently come to is what really matters the most in life and that is family and the relationships we build and keep. Life is amazing and i don't want to miss a second of it! I hope everyone keeps in touch and reads this, and I'll apologize in advance for writing a lot, but i have an excuse. When i traveled to the UK and Ireland in 05 i had to keep a personal journal that i hated doing because it took so much time and effort but when i look at it and re-read it, if feel like i could have done so much better and remembered a lot more if i put a little more detail into what I'm writing, so ill attempt that this time around. Wish me luck guys! Love you all.

-Johnathan