The Beginning

I have thought about starting a blog for quite some time now, since I started obsessively reading the thoughts of AIESEC Madison on Blogger. I decided today was an appropriate day, since I just finished officially applying to be an Exchange Participant. Most of the forms/surveys/tests seem to be generally useless...Someone should really get on fixing that, although I think they just changed to this new system... Now I just have to wait to be updated to full status by @ US and then I can officially search for traineeships!!

I've wanted to go to Colombia since before I joined AIESEC (I think it may be why I was let in in the first place...) While actually filling out the forms today though, going somewhere else crossed my mind for the first time. I have been set on Colombia for awhile, but would somewhere else in South America really be so bad? I DO know at least, that I have to go somewhere Spanish-speaking. Due to my impending failure of Spanish 223, lectured entirely in Spanish, I have realized I need to be chucked into the Spanish Speaking Sea and not be thrown an inner tube until I can function properly in the language. If I hope to major in Spanish, I'm going to need to start to know what the heck is happening in class.

I think this is one of the reasons my parents are starting to slightly-maybe-a little bit see the benefit of a traineeship. They don't comprehend @ too well, even after all the Web sites and YouTube videos I've sent them. To them, Colombia=death. During the Colombia-Venezuela-Ecuador situation a few weeks ago, my Dad sent me about 6 news articles a day detailing the situation. It was almost a "See, LOOK, YOU WILL DIE IF YOU GO HERE" sort of a move. I finally sent him this in response, feeling a bit smug. Fingers crossed, the situation will remain peaceful. Please, Chavez, don't screw up my life plan.

So, whether Colombia or other South American country, my parents see the value of developing my language skills. I want to study abroad as well, and telling them I'd do a lot better in those classes if I already had an immersion experience seemed to register. I'd still love to go to Colombia, but I suppose I'm willing to be a bit flexible. Who knows what I'll find in the database that will appeal to me!