The Waiting Game..

Welcome to my first ever blog! I must say this year has been full of firsts, and evidently a year of lasts as well! First ever back packing trip, first time I've ever juggled, first time I've ever lived alone.. and the list goes on. Last year of university, last year I can use "I'm a student" as an excuse to get a discount/get money out of my parents, and sadly the last year I can take advantage of trips like this through the university! How did it take me so long to find out about all of the amazing opportunities? Maybe because I've never had the funds to take part in them..
Anyways, that was really off topic. This is my first ever blog so bear with me as I figure things out and try to articulate myself in a way that makes sense. I think I often have brilliant ideas or so many thoughts racing around in my mind and yet I have difficulty putting them into coherent sentences. I guess this first post is mainly to put some ideas down about how I think the trip is going to go and to get myself accustomed to this blogging thing before I leave for my trip. I fly out of Winnipeg in 22 days and 11 hours heading through Toronto and Miami to Quito, Ecuador! I am getting ridiculously excited about the trip but there are so many uncertainties! I have attended weekly meetings with the other 6 volunteers and 2 mentors that have held the purpose of preparing us all for the trip. There was one meeting in particular that I felt so overwhelmed by the challenges we may face that I wasn't sure I could it! I seriously doubted myself. I mean.. I have no experience teaching in a classroom setting and haven't worked with kids in years and all of a sudden I'm going to be developing lesson plans for teenage kids that don't speak English in a completely foreign country. Was I nuts to sign on to do this? Even if we prepare properly, its apparent that any good teacher knows to expect the unexpected, and if that's true for a teacher in their own culture in their first language, what's it going to be like in Ecuador?! So after my initial freakout, I calmed myself down and decided I could do it. I HAVE to do it. Just to say I did and because its such an amazing opportunity. So here I am.. preparing the best that I think I can by learning as much Spanish as I can (which is coming along surprisingly well. I would say I know words but don't ask me to put a sentence together!) and working on lesson plans for the students! Even with all the meetings we've held and the preparation I've tried to do, I still don't feel prepared at all! Besides the fact that Anik and I haven't planned out our backpacking trip after at all either! The only things we know for certain are that we'll head from Ecuador to Peru, and do the Machu Picchu tour, and that we have to end in Venezuela.. so hopefully we get our butts in gear and start planning our trip out a little bit better!! Overall though, I'm extremely excited to get going and I can hardly wait for this adventure to begin! If only I were done exams already..
Well I guess that's all for today. Thanks for taking the time to follow me! :)  I plan to post again right before I leave Canada so check back around the end of this month.