Summer Abroad - The Decision

Last summer I decided to finish my final two semesters of my foreign language credit abroad. Now keep in mind I'm a small town girl, that has never been out of the South (except a week one summer to Colorado) and I've NEVER flown before. So throughout the fall semester I was going back and forth with myself; can I really do this alone? can I afford to do this?

Finally I caved and started really looking at study abroad programs. There was of course the standard summer in Spain, Mexico, or Costa Rica. Then I found International Study Abroad. They offer so many different programs in areas that I never considered studying in. I turned to the South America section of my booklet. Peru, Argentina, or Chile; places I definitely never considered but was intrigued by. You don't here many students say they've studied in Peru or Argentina.

So by October 2009 I had narrowed it down to those three places. Then I started researching the different countries. I was immediately sold on Peru. The country is beautiful and it's a place that I would normally never think of traveling to for fun. To fix the "haven't flown before and I'm 20 years old" problem, I went with two of my best friends from high school on a trip in December 2009 to New York City. Let's just say a four day long trip turned into a week long stay with plenty of snow, that's right we got stuck in the first blizzard of the 2009-2010 season. Three girls from Texas and enough snow to stop any transportation out of the city deserves it's own blog to tell that story.

So back to my newest adventure; some of you might be asking what are the perks of this month long stay in Lima, Peru since I'm going for school and will be taking two Spanish classes. On top of spending a month in the historical capital of Lima this trip will have two excursions. The first excursion is to the city Cuzco where Machu Picchu, dubbed the "Lost City of the Incas" and one of the 7 Wonders of the World, is located. The second excursion that I chose is to the city Iquitos the largest city in the world that can only be accessed by boat down the Amazon. We'll be staying at the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.

I am beyond excited to start this adventure. I fly out on May 29, 2010 and will arrive in Lima at 4:30 a.m. on May 30 and wont be back until July 3. It's my goal to update this blog while I'm down there, not just for my friends and family here in the States but for my own benefit. I don't want to forget any of this trip and I know I wont but this is for future reading and reflection.

I hope I don't screw this up :). Enjoy!