June & Blog Squad Prompt Numero Uno

Where has it gone???

Since the last post I have cooked and baked my little heart out. My family and I also went to Disney World. What? Yep. It was a blast, and I'll most likely post pictures of it later.

But for now I have another thing to write about...... Ecuador! That's right. My trip is rapidly (very, very rapidly) approaching, and I have signed on to be a Blog Squad blogger about my trip. I have been given a series of prompts to be completed at different stages of my study abroad, and this is the first.


Prompt #1: What to Expect...

You’ve been going through all the steps to go abroad and, now, suddenly, it’s time to go! As you prepare to depart are you excited? Stressed out? Or maybe a little of both?

Both! Honestly though, I'm a little more stressed right now. My summer at home is already over, and after leaving on Wednesday, I won't be back home until thanksgiving! Which means I won't be able to see my dog!!!!!!!!!! :( :'(

It’s true that studying abroad will be both exciting and, at times, stressful. One way to combat stress, is to recognize that because you are going to a new or different culture, some of your expectations may be inaccurate or too much to hope for. Will you live in a castle in Wales, England – probably not! Will you become fluent in your foreign language in one semester – probably not!

I'm not too worried about expectations or disappointments. I usually just go with the flow on this sort of stuff. What happens, happens, and what doesn't, wasn't meant to be.

Pause for a minute and jot down a few of your expectations; then reflect on whether they are realistic. Why or how might these expectations impact the beginning of your experience abroad?


Okay.. didn't they just tell us to maybe not have a ton of expectations?? That's not confusing. Anyhow, I want to become a more confident traveler, improve my spanish, make friends, and learn as much as I can. I hope I can at least achieve those goals!

If you recognize that some of your expectations might be overly optimistic, are you able to lower your expectations? Are you willing to accept the unexpected – and appreciate the diversity in your new surroundings, lifestyle and friendships?


Here we are again on not having or lowering expectations... seems like we're going a wee bit in circles, doesn't it? But, yes, I am definitely willing to modify (not lower, thank you very much) expectations, and of course I will appreciate the diversity in my surroundings. That is one of the things I'm looking forward to most!

Well there's blog #1! If anyone is just starting to read this blog for the Ecuador section, sorry that there's no handy "About Me" section or anything on the blog, maybe I'll get a chance to fix that.

Toodles!!