I leave six weeks from today. So much is happening between now and then that it’s crazy to think there is such little time before I start my adventure in South America! I am beyond excited for everything so to gather my thoughts, I’m giving in to my compulsive-list-maker tendencies, and making a list (in no particular order) of anything currently in my brain pertaining to Ecuador.
- Family. I am excited (and super nervous) to meet my family; there are a lot of them and I assume this will be pretty different than my quiet upbringing. I’m sure they will be lovely!
- Climbing. I found a gym in Cuenca (a mile from Amauta, no less!) that also happens to double as an aerial fabric training facility. I am stoked to meet local climbers who will hopefully have a better idea of places to go outside, learn some new vocabulary, and get to continue my favorite pass-time while in Cuenca. I have also trained aerial fabric for the past 5 years and did not ever anticipate doing this in Ecuador–hopefully that works out too!
- Outside. There are so many different ecosystems in Ecuador to explore! From the coast to the mountains to the jungle there are many adventures to be had.
- Spanish. I am super nervous about my speaking ability but hopeful that it is something that I will become more comfortable with sooner rather than later.
- New. I’ve never traveled to South America before, lived with a host family, been to a country whose primary language is not English, etc, etc, etc. This is going to be an incredible experience with so many new opportunities to learn and grow.
So in 6 weeks I depart for the bottom of the world to go backpack Torres del Paine in Chilean Patagonia, and 13 days later will find myself in Quito with the rest of the group. The adventure is about to begin!