A Quick Hello...

The countdown is on--only a few weeks left before I leave for my semester abroad in Ecuador. I offically depart for Miami, Florida on February 9, where I will meet up with the other participants in my program and stay overnight in a hotel before flying to Quito with everyone the following morning.

I have been looking forward to studying abroad since my freshman year of college, perhaps earlier, and I cannot believe this is finally happening. Part of me is scared, for sure, but I know that is natural. Perhaps it is especially natural for me, since I think I have always been the most cautious (sometimes overly so) out of my siblings. I still remember visiting my grandparents once when they were living in a cabin in the mountains of Virginia. My brothers and I were warned against wandering aimlessly around the backyard of my grandparents' cabin for fear we would happen upon a rattlesnake or copperhead, which were apparently abundant at that time of year. My reaction, as well as my brothers' reactions, to this day I think pretty well characterize all of us: Sam, being the daredevil that he is, immediately leapt from the safety of the porch and began running about with the sole purpose of discovering the snakes that he had just been warned about in hopes of playing with them or perhaps keeping them as pets; Mac, after a few moments of consideration, cautiously stepped off the porch and began to gently tiptoe around the brush, watchful for scaly, slithery movement beneath the leaves but not really deterred from exploring; and I, being the complete scaredy-cat that I was and perhaps still am, nearly had a panic attack at the mere thought of stepping off that porch. In fact, I imagined countless fanged serpents lurking under every bush and around every tree, waiting to strike if I so much as dared set foot off that porch.

Well, I don't know if I will ever get rid of that voice in my head, always urging me not to do whatever risk it is that I am contemplating. I don't know if I will ever be able to take a risk without thinking of the consequences or feeling at least some fear of it. But I think that I have gotten to that moment, that "now or never" moment, when you realize that you just have to decide once and for all what kind of person you want to be and what matters more to you: staying safe and secure within the confines of that porch, or taking a step off the porch and into the unknown. Yes, you might happen upon a snake here or there, but then, you might not, too. But regardless of what good or bad things you happen upon, you'll have a way more interesting story to tell than the one that is limited by the narrow view from that porch.

I will not have my laptop in Ecuador (partly because of the very real risk of it being damaged or stolen and partly because the whole point of all this is to push myself beyond my comfort zone; since my laptop has become almost as vital to me as an arm or leg, I can think of no better way to really push myself than by leaving it behind). However, there should be ready and easy access to the Internet in the Internet cafes around Quito, which is where I will be staying for the first four weeks of my program. Therefore, I will do my best to keep this blog updated and use it as a way of keeping in touch with all of you back home.

I hope this can serve as a fast, easy, and interesting way to keep in touch and to keep everyone I love and care about back home up to date with what I am doing while I am abroad.

Take care of yourselves and I love you all.

-Alex