At the airport

Of course I've already blown off the entry I meant to write yesterday, so I'll try to make up for it today. I don't anticipate being able to update every day (even if the internet cafes are that accessible, I won't be sitting at the computer every day) so I'm trying to get in as much as I can while I can. Right now I am sitting in the Miami airport, waiting for my flight to La Paz! I'll get in at 5:00 tomorrow morning (though I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays that way), then get on a flight from there to Cochabamba! In Boston, I bought a few souvenirs for my host family to let them know some things about where I come from. I thought of getting the traditional box of salt water taffy, but that stuff is pretty gross and I don't want my first experience with my new family to be watching them knock out their teeth with tar masquerading as candy. So instead, I settled on some maple candy because I can pronounce every ingredient on the box and as a bonus, even if everyone in my family hates it, at least I'll eat it so it won't go to waste. See? I can be kind to the environment and my stomach at the same time.

I suppose I should say a little bit about my program for those of you who don't know. I'll be spending the semester in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Cochabamba is a mountain city said to have a climate of "eternal spring," meaning warm sunny days and cool dry nights. I'll be taking a Spanish class, a seminar specifically about Bolivia entitled "Culture and Development," and a field study seminar where I learn how to conduct field work (like interviewing people and that sort of thing). Then I will spend the month of November creating an independent study project (for which I have not yet come up with a topic but I will be sure to post when I do!) and I will present it during the first week of December. During the semester, our group will be going on various excursions to other regions of Bolivia, including a week-long rural homestay with a family of Quechua speakers (one of the indigenous languages of Bolivia). I can't wait for all of these experiences and although I've traveled a bit in South America already, I'm trying to prepare for being totally unprepared, if that makes any sense. I think that's the best way to learn.