Goodbye UNC! See you in August 2009!

It still astounds me how fast the semester has come to an end.

I'm half-way through my junior year of college and about to embark on a 6-month adventure. It will be the longest I've ever been out of the country and one of the longest times that I have ever been away from home.

The last post I wrote was quite a while ago and I only wish I had kept up better with it. To say the least however, our trip through South Africa and later Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe was literally something that I will never forget. Something that left an impression on me and somewhere that I plan to return to.

In less than two weeks I will be back in Durban, South Africa! I've been working three jobs all semester to save up the money to buy a roundtrip ticket back and I did it! I will be living there for a month with Morgan and his family. My plane leaves Miami on December 15th and I return January 13th. I definitely plan to visit the family I lived with in Cato Manor, too. I'm sure they'll love some of the pictures I took over the summer and a few extra Christmas presents. It's funny, but with these upcoming travels I feel so grown up. I must admit, I am a little nervous. I'll be in South Africa through Christmas, New Years and my 21st birthday (on January 5th). I know I've never spent all three occasions away from home. Yet my nervousness pales in comparison to my sheer excitement and I cannot wait to go!

Once I come back from South Africa, I have about three days at home in South Florida before I leave to study abroad in Havana, Cuba. The semester-long program is from January 17 through May 16th. I've been dreaming about this opportunity since I enrolled at UNC and it's finally becoming a reality. My Cuban grandparents were actually much more receptive to me going than I thought they would be. While still not thrilled, I know they're excited too. I'll be meeting family that I've always had, but never met.

So for now, I have one more final exam to go and then my drive back to Florida begins. I'm excited to spend at least a few days with my family before my globetrotting continues.