How did I get here?

To start from the very beginning...As an upcoming Senior at Alma College, I started realizing back in the Fall that I hadn't competed my "S Course" as they call it, which is a course that every student at Alma is required to take that involves a cultural experince in some way. As I beat around the bush for a couple of years, I realized that I needed to fulfill this requirement. Therefore, as I searched for the right course for me, I came across this Peru trip. I noticed that one of my favorite professors (Dr. Seals) was leading the trip, and that it included a lot of traveling in Peru, along with many Spanish lessons, and most importantly I will be able to work with children! Then, I filled out an application, and was accepted! So that's where this trip began...

The trip that I will be taking begins on April 30th and ends on May 22nd. Throughout the trip I will be:
-Staying with a host family in Cusco (with my best friend Shelby Alexander)
-Taking Spanish Lessons every morning during the week for 3-4 hours.
-Participating in Service Learning projects with the children of Cusco
-Teaching English and helping out in the classrooms in Cusco
-Traveling to many places inluding: Macchu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and the Colca Valley
-And furthering my education in a variety of ways! oh ya, and having FUN too!

Lastly, I will mention my many thanks to the Center for Responsible Leadership group for helping me afford this trip. The "CRL" is a program that I partcipated in last Summer through a large group trip to New Mexico, where I developed my leadership with other students from Alma College. This trip was a wonderful experience for my personal development. I learned how to be an effective leader, and ways to process ideas with others. Through this trip we returned back to Alma, and began formulating a plan to improve our campus and community. We formed two group committees, called the Collaboration and Commnication committees, where we are discovering ways to make improvements throughout our area. CRL has provided me with lifelong friends and experiences that I could only have once imagined. Some of these friends include my fellow travelers: Alexa Gilbert, Chelsea Duff, and Elizabeth.

I hope that everyone who looks at my blog will enjoy my thoughts. I am very excited to engage in this opportunity, and learn what it's like to live in another culture!

Please leave me comments, and positive notes as I will be missing you!