And the adventure begins! Or will...in a month...

1 August. In exactly one month from today I will be on an airplane with a group of perfect strangers, flying over the Atlantic Ocean. When I land in exactly one month and one day from today, I will be in a country I’ve never visited, on a continent I’ve never set foot on, with three and half months to spend getting used to it all. How fast can a month go by?

The thoughts and feelings going through my head range from “I wonder how to say ‘stomachache’ in Wolof” to “What do I do with my car while I’m gone?” There just seems to be so much to do in order to prepare myself for this great adventure. I only hope I can remember the important things like addresses to send letters to once I’m in Senegal and, oh yeah, traveler’s checks. But the largest thing on my mind as I prepare myself is exactly how little I can prepare myself indeed. No amount of background reading, travel guides, advice from EVERYONE—solicited or otherwise—will truly do enough to prepare me. As my mom mentioned jus a few days ago, nothing about this trip will be easy. I believe it, and it fills me with excitement! I think about many of my colleagues from DU who chose an “easy” study abroad location, and I wouldn’t take their spots for the world! I look forward to learning not only about Senegal and its people, but about myself as an American, a human and a child of God. I wonder how to say “bring it on” in Wolof... Oh well. They speak French their as well, so: laissez les bons temps rouler!

I hope that as I near my departure and throughout my voyage, I am able to share some of my experiences with all of you readers. I know that some of you are bound by unwritten duty to read whatever I put here, fluff or not. For you and for those willing fans out there, welcome to my travel blog.