I made it to Chile!

Every thing I packed for 6 months!!

The view from my hotel! Its overcast and cold outside.

Hello everyone! I finally made it! It was funny when I just signed on to the blog right now, everything all of a sudden was in Spanish and I couldn't figure out how to log in and then make a new post... But i got it now! So the flight was really long, and since it was over night they feed you dinner then turn of all the lights for like 7 hours so everyone goes to sleep. I closed my eyes for like 6 hours but of course didn't sleep! The long flight really worked up my anticipation and by the time I was going to land, I was ready! It was really exciting for me that the Argentian woman next to me didn't speak ANY English, so we had some fun conversations :) I was on the end and she was in the middle then there was man on the other side and she would always ask me to move when she wanted to get up so finally I just asked her if she wanted to switch spots for a while. When I finally landed, I had someone pick me up to take me to the hotel and I got to talk to him in Spanish too cause the drive was like 20 min. It was really fun :) SO now I've been resting in my room and I have until tomorrow till my program starts and I meet the people I'm going to be living with. It is really cold outside right now... 0 C (or about 30 F). I was a big change going from 100 in Fresno to 30 here in Chile. I can't wait for tomorrow when the fun begins and for now I'm just going to take it easy for a bit. Hasta luego todo! -Lauren

1 Week Before Departure... the anticipation begins

So I decided to keep a blog of my Fall semester study abroad experience in Chile. I've never done anything like this so I hope it all works out. At first I was going to just keep a journal for myself, but after many of my friends and family shared that they are interested in what I'm doing and would love to hear about what's going on I decided on creating a blog! Basically I have one week left until I leave, and the anticipation is at an all time high. After I said goodbye to my Nana, my cousins, then my room mates, and last night many of my best friends, things are starting to feel a bit more real. I don't think it has really sunk in yet though that I will be gone for 6 months and will be living in a foreign country that speaks only Spanish. It's going to be crazy and I don't think I will for sure know what I am in for until I get there and am thrown into the situation. I can't wait to see how much I learn after this whole experience and see where I'm at in my life in 6 months from now. So much has changed since I started college and I am just so excited for everything I have got to experience and just so thankful for the opportunity learn and travel. So I hope you enjoy this blog and next time I post I will most likely be in Chile! :)