The birth of a travel journal
This is the genesis of the journal chronicling my time in Mexico this summer.
For those of you whom I haven't been in touch with lately (sorry!), I'm spending three months in three different cities in Mexico, and I leave tomorrow (Sunday). I'm a little nervous...well, actually, a lot nervous, but excited too. I'll be staying with a host family in each of the cities, my first destination being Guanajuato, and I'll be attending Spanish classes at private language schools for four to five hours a day. The rest of the time I hope to spend testing out my new skills and working my way toward fluency, with the help of the local spirits, of course.
I've been hearing the same questions from people when I tell them about my trip, so I'll go ahead and give you the answers to those before you have to ask:
1. Student loan.
2. Nope, no graduate credit.
3. Because when else will I have the opportunity?
4. Very scared, but in a good, "character-building" way.
5. Of course you can come visit.
6. He's very supportive but naturally still worried about me.
7. My cell phone will still work and my number won't change.
8. Email address will be the same too.
9. I found it on the Internet.
10. Just picked three cities based on reviews I read on travelogues and travel guides.
11. Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Playa del Carmen, in that order.
Anyway, I've always thought it would be a good idea to keep a travel journal because I tend to forget the details of my trip as soon as I arrive home; I develop my film and can't identify half the things in the pictures. I also wanted to be able to share my trip as it unfolds with friends at home, so this is a way to do both. My mom recently got a new digital camera, and I've commandeered it for the summer, so I'll be periodically posting pics in addition to updates on Mexico. I'll email every once in a while to let you know that I've posted something new, or you can keep the link that I emailed you and check back any time you like. You can also makes comments on my postings by clicking on "Leave a Comment" at the bottom of the post and choosing Anonymous (so that you don't have to register for a LiveJournal account). Just remember to leave your name in the posting itself. (Kate, correct me if I'm wrong about this!). Right now I'm not sure how my good intentions for this thing will play out or how accessible the Internet will be in each city, but I do know that I'll need a way to keep in touch to fend off homesickness and culture shock!
Speaking of homesickness, I've been strongly encouraging people to make plans to come visit me. Here's my itinerary. Let me know if you want to come to Mexico this summer!
Location 1: Guanajuato
Dates: May 15th - June 11th
Location 2: Guadalajara
Dates: June 12th - July 9th
Location 3: Playa del Carmen
Dates: July 10th - July 29th
I'll try to post again after I arrive in Guanajuato and let you know if my nervousness has subsided!
For those of you whom I haven't been in touch with lately (sorry!), I'm spending three months in three different cities in Mexico, and I leave tomorrow (Sunday). I'm a little nervous...well, actually, a lot nervous, but excited too. I'll be staying with a host family in each of the cities, my first destination being Guanajuato, and I'll be attending Spanish classes at private language schools for four to five hours a day. The rest of the time I hope to spend testing out my new skills and working my way toward fluency, with the help of the local spirits, of course.
I've been hearing the same questions from people when I tell them about my trip, so I'll go ahead and give you the answers to those before you have to ask:
1. Student loan.
2. Nope, no graduate credit.
3. Because when else will I have the opportunity?
4. Very scared, but in a good, "character-building" way.
5. Of course you can come visit.
6. He's very supportive but naturally still worried about me.
7. My cell phone will still work and my number won't change.
8. Email address will be the same too.
9. I found it on the Internet.
10. Just picked three cities based on reviews I read on travelogues and travel guides.
11. Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Playa del Carmen, in that order.
Anyway, I've always thought it would be a good idea to keep a travel journal because I tend to forget the details of my trip as soon as I arrive home; I develop my film and can't identify half the things in the pictures. I also wanted to be able to share my trip as it unfolds with friends at home, so this is a way to do both. My mom recently got a new digital camera, and I've commandeered it for the summer, so I'll be periodically posting pics in addition to updates on Mexico. I'll email every once in a while to let you know that I've posted something new, or you can keep the link that I emailed you and check back any time you like. You can also makes comments on my postings by clicking on "Leave a Comment" at the bottom of the post and choosing Anonymous (so that you don't have to register for a LiveJournal account). Just remember to leave your name in the posting itself. (Kate, correct me if I'm wrong about this!). Right now I'm not sure how my good intentions for this thing will play out or how accessible the Internet will be in each city, but I do know that I'll need a way to keep in touch to fend off homesickness and culture shock!
Speaking of homesickness, I've been strongly encouraging people to make plans to come visit me. Here's my itinerary. Let me know if you want to come to Mexico this summer!
Location 1: Guanajuato
Dates: May 15th - June 11th
Location 2: Guadalajara
Dates: June 12th - July 9th
Location 3: Playa del Carmen
Dates: July 10th - July 29th
I'll try to post again after I arrive in Guanajuato and let you know if my nervousness has subsided!