This is a test run before I send the link out to everyone.

I'm here in Hilliard, Florida anxiously awaiting my flight to Buenos Aires on Friday. This week news came about my homestay. I'll be living with a woman and her son in their apartment. They both work in the Argentine government - one for the Supreme Court, one for the Office of the Interior. I will have a "small but nice and luminous" room in a cool part of town called Belgrano with lots of little shops, museums, and restaurants. Sounds like a perfect fit for me! I'll be picked up at the airport and taken on a tour as soon as I get to Buenos Aires and meet my family.

I changed my flight so that I no longer have to sit in the DC airport for 8 hours. Now I'm flying from Jacksonville to ATL and then Buenos Aires.

I also got my schedule for classes and it looks like I may have a longer time at the end to travel than I originally thought. Plans as of late are to fly to Peru (bus it if there is time) and hike the Inca trail for 4 days. This is probably going to kill me. The elevation alone will be a problem, not to mention cold temperatures. Previous hikers recommend coming into Cusco two days early to get acclimatated. The good news is that I'll have a companion with me to push me along. This will probably be the highlight of the entire trip. A big, fat, exhausting trip --- and why else? JUST TO SAY THAT I DID IT. The story of my life! ;)