hoy...me voy a Chile!

"Today...I go to Chile!"

Hello everybody!

So...today's the big day I guess.  Am I nervous? No.  Am I excited? I guess.  Am I ready? Yes.  I have been preparing and planning for this day since I started college searching!  The question I would ask during a college visit was: Do you have good study abroad programs?  Can I study abroad for a year if I double major? Etc....  And now, with the help of people at Hope, family, friends, and of course the gracious God, this dream is coming true!

My flight leaves O'hare at 7:25pm and arrives in Toronto around 10pm (Toronto time)...then at 11:40pm I leave Toronto for Santiago, Chile!  I arrive at 10:10am and then ride to Vina del Mar/Valparaiso!  So....I've packed plenty of things to do while I'm in the air a total of 12 hours! hehehe! Plus...I can always "sleep" or at least try to.

I finished all my packing two days ago and so this morning I had to shove some last minute things in my bags....I'm glad I got that done early though.  Word of advice:  If you are going somewhere for a long period of time, pack early!  It makes the process much less stressful!  Packing for a year was difficult, but, not as hard as I thought.  I can buy a lot of things in Chile, so I didn't need a year supply of shampoo or anything like that.  If you're wondering, I'm bringing two duffel suitcases and then for carry-on a backpack, a big purse, and a plastic bag stuffed with things. hehehe!

Well, I don't want you to have to read too much gibberish, so, on that note, I sign off.  The next time I will be writing from Chile! WOOOOOO!

I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLL VERY VERY MUCH!  Stay in touch, ok?!

Diane