Antes de salir... (Before I Leave..)

While I can't say that my summer up to this point has not been completely uneventful, I think it's a safe bet to say the second half will have a few more thrills and a lot less sitting around. Saturday, I'll drive (be driven) to Jackson, say farewell to Mama, Daddy, and Anna Laurie--who've kept my month of June from being a complete waste--and hop on a connecting flight to Houston before traveling on to Quito, Ecuador, for my summer study abroad with school. I'll be there for a month, mostly there in the Capital at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, but also traveling around with my classes to other parts of the country, including a biological field station in the Amazon. When my sojourn in Ecuador comes to an end on the 30th, my friends Anna, Rachel and Cameron and I will stop in Costa Rica for a week on the way home for a little descanso (break) between classes.

What exactly are my expectations for the trip? Well, per the warnings of study abroad alumni, I expect plenty of awkward encounters of garbled Spanish with my host family (a woman and her son, who I'm sure will do their best not to burst out laughing at my pronunciación). The whole point of the trip is to improve my Spanish skills, though, so I understand that this is all part of the process, one that I'm willing to get over. Besides, I tend to be awkward enough speaking English (sigh), so I'm pretty used to it already.

Perhaps this is the pessimist in me, but also have a sneaking feeling that I will become ill to at least some degree while in Latin America. No, not just necessarily because of the "don't drink the water" mentality (although I don't plan on doing so), but just because of the past experiences of others and the sort of dramatic irony that tends to cling to me. I rarely get sick here, but rest assured, whether through the pernicious attempts of some e-coli ridden guinea pig, a heretofore absent experience with high altitude, or my own recovering (lack of) wisdom teeth, I will likely experience some bodily discomfort. Never fear, however! One of the best balms for an uncooperative body I've found has been knowing that I've got something better to be doing, a situation sure to be constant while in both Ecuador and Costa Rica.

One thing I do fully expect about Ecuador is that people there are pretty much going to be like people everywhere. It seems like we (Mississippians, North Americans, or maybe (gasp!) everyone in all cultures) tend to mark off people in other places, especially those who speak different languages and look different, as being "a different breed," but if there's one thing I've learned so far as an international studies major (albeit one with severely limited actual international experience), it's that people are people wherever you go: smart, ignorant, loving, cruel, scared, proud, amazing, and so many other labels that seem to exist within the heart of every man and woman. Whatever does happen in Ecuador and Costa Rica, I know that whatever I see and do and am a part of there will help me to understand just how much we all really are so similar, and how much we have to recognize this to treat others with the humanity they so deserve.

Enough quasi-deep thoughts for now, though, I've got to finish packing. My next post should come from the once-Incan, long-colonial Spanish, and now fully Ecuadorian city of Quito! Hasta luego!