New Beginnings

Greetings friends. As I write this on the Saturday before Christmas, I can hardly believe that I will be in Ecuador in only 6 days. One part of me is quite excited: excited to learn more about the Hispanic culture, excited to expand my grasp of Spanish, excited to watch the 24 students in our group mature, and excited to think about the possibilities of sharing this great experience with future Education majors. The other part of me is a bit apprehensive. I've never been away from my hubby and friend for such a long period of time. I'll miss him; I'll miss my kitchen and healthy eating; I'll miss my cat who snuggles at night; I"ll miss the comfort of knowing my surroundings and I'll miss the ease of communicating in English.

Sometimes I"m amazed that I wanted to go. With no classes to teach, January has become my favorite month to have a chance to relax a bit. But the challenge of navigating new places, new experiences, and a new language has tugged at me since I first heard of the trip last spring.

I plan to update this blog regularly to recount our experiences as we travel and my thoughts as I ponder how to design a rich learning experience for future students.

More soon. Regina