"Lose Yourself"

Hola! 
Estoy en Montevideo finalmente! After 25 hours of traveling from 12pm Thursday to 1pm Friday, we finally made it to Montevideo :) I would tell you how most of the traveling went but basically we drove to the Dallas/Ft.Worth Airport, had dinner, boarded the plane, and then I slept for the next 10 hours until we reached Buenos Aires where I slept some more, boarded another plane for Montevideo and promptly fell asleep...again. I didn't actually wake up until we stepped outside of the airport haha. However, I was very thankful for all that sleep, because once we arrived we were whisked on a quick tour of the city and to see a park next to the beach, had an amazing lunch of 5 varieties of empanadas and fresh fruit (absolutely delish!), then on a scavenger hunt in the city. The scavenger hunt was definitely not easy, but we managed and after 4 times at 4 different ATMs i finally figured out how to get money out haha.
My song choice for this post is "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. Yes, I know its a rap song, but it fit so I'm using it. The part of his rap that really connected with me for this day was when he says: 
"Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted- one moment, would you capture it or just let it slip?.... You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime!"
I have decided that while I am here i will embrace every opportunity and try and fit in and be just like the natives. I do not know the next time I will be back in South America so why blow this opportunity and try and wait for another one when I have this awesome opportunity here??
I actually had a chance to do this last night at  dinner. Me and my friend Ben split the "chivitos para dos personas" which is basically a steak sandwich split between 2 people. This is a very traditional meal in Uruguay, and it is HUGE! The first layer was papas fritas or french fries, then a potato salad with small cubed potatoes and peas is a cream, then the steak, then cheese, jamon (ham), more cheese, and topped off with a fried egg and bacon. And on the side was some beets, more fries, tomatoes, and shredded carrots. Basically it was way too much food, but I am going to dare my brother to eat it all when he comes in November. So far the only thing I don't like about Uruguay is the time that the locals eat. Everyone eats at 8 or later, so I think I'll have a light snack at dinner and have a big lunch.
I hope everyone is doing well... <3

"Unwritten"

Well folks the day is almost here! In 1/one/uno/un day I will be on my way to South America for fourth months. My anticipation and enthusiasm are overflowing right now! However, before I get started with my deep and personal blogging (haha) I would like to inform you all of the central theme of my posts. My posts will usually relate to some song. If you know me real well you know that I love to sing anything and everything, so I felt songs would be an appropriate medium to share my feelings about different events. The song I chose for this very first post was "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. I think she states it clearly in her song when she sings, "Drench yourself in words unspoken/ Live your life with arms wide open/ Today is where your book begins/ The rest is still unwritten." Going to a different country is not a new experience for me. I have been across the border in the North and in the South, and have also been to Europe. However, I have never been by myself or actually lived there for longer than 2 weeks. Yet, this is the biggest moment of my life so far. So much so, that it deserves a clean page in my "journal of life". There are so many new things to see out there that no word and possibly even picture will even be able to describe them. I need to just fully embrace this new culture that I am jumping into wholeheartedly, because this is where my "story" gets really good.


I am so excited to be able to share all of this with you, and I would like to thank everyone reading this and taking interest in what I will be doing while studying abroad. I am so excited for this opportunity! My entire group consists of 10 students, 9 girls and 1 boy (yes the poor boy!) and 5 faculty members. I will be taking 16 hours, and will also have the opportunity to help student teach in 3 different international schools while down there, I am sooo excited for that! While I am down there I also hope to travel not just to Uruguay, but to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. My biggest goal is to see as much as I can see while staying on top of my school work and not getting sick/injured. It will be a challenge, but definitely doable :)  Well I hope you enjoyed my first post. The only thing I ask for in return is constant prayer for me and the entire group down there for safety, patience, open-mindness, and that God will just use all of us in amazing ways. Well the next time you will here from me I will already be in South America, cant wait!

Luv y'all!