Trip Plans and Stressful Anticipation

I board the plane in about fifteen minutes.  The words are coming slowly right now, so I'll have to keep this first post short. 

I really have no idea what to expect, besides the basics.  I am going to Puebla, Mexico to study abroad for winter quarter - I return the 12th of March.  My friend and classmate Dario and I will be staying with a host family near the Universidad Iberoamericana (Ibero for short).  I'll be taking 15 credits of Spanish language classes with a group of kids from Seattle University.  I know the majority of them, so that is quite reassuring.  One of my professors is also from S.U., so I won't be technically alone.

Sounds simple enough, right?  Yet that small paragraph represents the basic extent of my knowledge.  The unknowns greatly outnumber the things I know for certain.  At times I feel challenged and encouraged by this, at times, paralyzed with a feeling of helplessness.  As cliché as it may sound, I am about to embark on a life changing experience - most likely for the better.

One percent of the world's population attends a form of college.  One percent of U.S. university students study abroad.  This makes my trip statistically rare, and I'm extremely grateful for that.  I am blessed.  Looks like it's time to board...