Preparation for an experience of a lifetime

    And the count down begins! I have 14 days until I embark on the adventure I have been waiting for all sophmore year. I am anxious and ecstatic. I know what family I will be living with for the first month in Recoleta, a suberb (commune) of  Chile locacted in Santiago. I have emailed them back and forth and I am super pysched to meet my new family. My new mother wrote me the nicest email; calling me sweetheart and was so welcoming. I assume that my first month in Santiago will kind of be a bootcamp for the rest of my time in Chile. We learn the differences in Chilean spanish and we also will be in intense classes to improve our spanish. There are only two CIEE high school abroad students going to Chile this semester and the funny thing is that Sally, the other student, is from Burlington, Vermont where my mom and relatives are from. In this "boot camp" we will also learn about culture, tradition and go site seeing. Other exchange students from all over the world going to Chile will be with us in Santiago.

    As for my long term family in Chile, I am still waiting on this information. CIEE knows what school I'll attend but I am still dying to know about my family, what my house is going to look like, what my school is like, and so much more. I also know that I will be wearing a uniform to school, like every other student in Chile. This will be very new for me, seeing that I am a teenage girl who likes fashion! 

As for departure preperation, I just started taking a Typhoid vaccine in a pill form, (thank god for no shots!) that I take every other day for four days. I have a huge packing list that I add to everyday. I know I should start packing sooner than later so I am not rushed in my last couple of days in Fort Collins. Right now I am just thinking about saying farewell to my friends, family and boyfriend.