Packing!

To get all of the nervous energy stirred up by the prospect of traveling to a foreign country where I can barely speak the language out of my system I've decided to focus on packing. The type of packing that involves a lot of lists and not too much actual decision making.

Previous volunteers say that the weather in Otavalo isn't very consistent because it's up in the mountains. It can be cold at night and in the morning but still relatively warm during the day. So I scribble little numbers next to the words "shorts" and "pants" on my list, wondering what the right combination is and how much will fit in my rolling duffle. I don't want to be the girl that shows up with too much, but I don't want to feel like I'm missing something! (I really hope thoughts like that seem really insignificant a week from now, when I'm in Ecuador.)

The easiest thing to pack was toiletries, but I'm beginning to wonder now if even that was a mistake because you can buy them there.

And as I'm gathering all this together, I can't help but imagine myself schlepping it all through three different airports and how heavy it will feel at 10:00 Saturday night when I finally arrive in Ecuador. I will be so happy when I find the program director at the airport!

My First End/New Beginning

Although my first year at school is over, I've still got plenty of things happening that are both worth recording and Swarthmore related. This summer I'll be traveling to Otavalo, Ecuador with the Village Education Project, a program started by Swarthmore alum Katie Chamblee. I'll stay there for four weeks to teach math and english to students preparing for high school. Students who maintain a certain GPA (on the 20 point Ecuadorian scale) will receive a scholarship that covers the costs of attending high school, such as transportation fees and uniform purchases. I'll use this blog to keep track of what happens.