so if you have any advice in the meantime, please let me know! As for now: I'm feeling really unprepared for this trip, although I'm not sure what else I should be doing to get ready. I probably should start speaking more Spanish, although I'm sure that nothing I do here could possibly prepare me adequately for the immersion experience. I think I'll make some preparatory flashcards of common vocabulary. Currently I don't remember the word for a spoon. This won't be a large problem as I assume spoons will be readily available to hold as an example and say "comó se dice..." as I point to it. It might be nice to eventually be able to have some independence of pantomime.
So far, I know that I'm living with a 60ish woman, Jenny, who has 3 grown children and a large dog. It hasn't been made totally clear what I'll be doing there, but I've been told that I'll be working in a rural hospital. It will be interesting to see how my anticipated life there compares to how it actually is. I also received an e-mail from a girl from Florida who is arriving the same day as me and working at the same site which is great and I'm really excited to know that I have someone there who is the same age and can potentially go out and explore the city with!
Again, I'm excited and I'm just starting to feel nervous (which I'm sure will increase over this week) so if you have advice (or calming words) send it along!
Wishing you a fabulous experience. I'm sure there will be challenges and confusions along with the highs, but that's what international travel is all about. We know you'll bring your sweet nature to the table and will make many new friends. We'd love to get email updates of when to check the blog! I'm trying to start one here so perhaps you'll soon be able to learn what's up in Hanoi. Much love to you, aunt Sue and Uncle Bob