I'll start by saying it's a real good thing that I have been busy the past two weeks. Now that I've 2-3 days of relaxation and just an appointment here and there, my mind has become taken over by questions. I've been wondering about my host family in Quito and what they are gonna be like. I've been wondering about how I'm going to get to school, I've heard some people have had to take the bus so that scares me a bit. I wish I didn't have a care in the world and didn't worry so much but that's easier said than done.

Luckily, there is a Facebook group that has some of the people in the program in it. Someone asked where people had layovers, so I put down Miami. This girl Olivia reached out saying she has the same layover as me. Eventually we figured out that she is sitting directly in front of me and that we had the same visa appointments in New Haven, CT on Dec. 26th. It was such a small world, she also said her best friend from school is from Hingham. We ended up meeting in New Haven for our visas and her and her mom were so nice. Knowing that I would see a familiar face when I landed in Miami was a big relief, and made things a bit easier.

I reached out to my host mom I'll be living with in the islands, she is so welcoming and so nice. She sent me photos of her, her husband, and three children. They are a beautiful family and I am very excited to meet them. Ines, my host mom while I'm in Quito reached out and wished me a Happy New Year so that was nice. Due to the fact that I haven't heard form her much, the idea that she won't be as welcoming has been floating around in my head.

Overall, I am so excited to go abroad and start this journey. The past couple of days have been interesting in that one minute I'm so ready to go and the next minute I'm scared to no end.

More to come -