Part of my reasoning for embracing this opportunity was of course to experience an unfamiliar culture and to immerse myself in the Spanish language in order to hone that skill, but also (and more importantly?) it was for the personal growth that is precipitated by leaving a familiar environment and routine and experiencing new and challenging situations. This is not something I often do without the context of something big like this cultural exchange. Others can be more subtle with their growth perhaps; for me it´s often difficult to make small changes or add small new things to my experience, but I don´t think twice about leaving everything I know for several weeks and flying across the ocean for a little challenge. (Or moving across the country, as I´ve done four times now...) Something about leaving the familiar behind and jumping into a strange new situation with new people turns me on I guess. I caught a glipse of my reflection in an airport window last night and startled I thought, "what the hell am I doing in the Miami International Airport at 10:30 on a Tuesday night?! And who are these people around me and why am I with them?!" The answer, I suppose, is so that I"ll be faced with that very question.

Anyway, I´m here now and will post as soon as I´m able a photo from the plane this morning of sunrise over the Andes. Actually you can´t tell it´s sunrise but what´s amazing is how the mountain tops protrude out of a sea of thick clouds. It looked like the coast of Northern California with the foam all around the cliffs and rocks, but it was as if the ocean of foam was totally still.

Thanks for checking in...more later!