T-14 hours until departure!

After a busy couple of weeks, I am finally able to focus on the fact that I’m leaving tomorrow morning for my first visit to South America! There’s something about the anticipation of visiting a new place that always gives me butterflies of excitement the night before, and I definitely have them tonight.

There's definitely been some mental preparation: I've read back over all the information that we've been given, about the cultural events and companies we're going to visit, and I'm truly realizing what an awesome experience this is going to be, both professionally and personally. And of course, I'm going to have to go outside of my box a little bit (which I don't do a lot), especially when it comes to food. Reading over the menu for lunch on Sunday (translated by Google - I might need to spend a little while brushing up on my Spanish on the flight), I was surprised by some of the entrees - chicken hearts, anyone? - and I'm definitely going to have to be a little open-minded when it comes to trying new things!

And then there's the packing part of the preparation. Caitlyn (a fellow student delegate - or SD - who you'll hear from later this week) texted this quote to me last night:

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money" - S. Keller

Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to follow this rule: I have $2 cash in my wallet right now, so a trip to the bank is going to be necessary before I head to the airport in the morning. However, as a fashion student, I love clothes - and I like having a closet full of clothes to chose from  - so naturally, I've had outfits hanging in my closet to pack for about a month now. Still, it somehow took me all yesterday morning and today to finally come to a decision on what exactly I wanted to pack. And this is what it came down to: 

As a planner, I've packed an outfit for every day (business), casual outfits (to wear at night/to dinner/touring Lima), five pairs of shoes, and all the essentials, including band-aids, granola bars, and anything else I will probably need (or, to be honest, probably more than I would ever need). I've got my camera, iPod, and Kindle all charged, with two extra memory cards (just in case), updated music, and a new, 1000 page book (Fall of Giants by Ken Follet). And all that means that I can cross off everything on my list!

So now, after four months of planning and anticipation, it's time for the final bit of preparation for a busy week in Peru: a good night's sleep!

Hasta luego!
 -Meghan