"Departure date sneaking up!" (2.5 weeks until departure)

Well, I am now 2.5 weeks away from leaving for Bolivia and I don't think it has quite hit me yet. I have so much to do, but with classes and clinicals, I've barely had time to think about preparing.

Luckily, I have already received my recommended vaccinations (Hep A, Yellow Fever, and Typhoid) and I've obtained prescriptions for all the diseases that I hopefully will not encounter: malaria, altitude sickness, and traveler's diarrhea. -- What a surprise ... Nurse Mal has taken care of all her healthcare needs!

My Spanish skills are slowly improving, but I anticipate quite a bit of culture/language shock upon arrival. Thus, despite my best efforts, I have a feeling my departure date is going to sneak up on me like a ninja! :) Ack!

"Spanish Lesson 1"

We had our first official Spanish lesson last night with Profesor Glenn. :) It was so much fun and very exciting! One can only learn so much by listening to podcasts. There is nothing like building sentences and asking questions to a fluent Spanish speaker. After only one lesson, I feel encouraged that the more I speak, the more confident I will become in my language ability.

Thanks, Glenn. You are awesome.