i just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow i will be leaving for a week-long trip to san pedro de atacama, a really small town in the north of chile surround by amazing nature, such as the driest desert in the world, the second tallest natural geysers in the world, and one of the best star-gazing places due to the high altitude, low pollution, and low ambient light. i'm extremely excited to go, and i hope to have some amazing pictures when i get back. however, i may not be available for the week, because i'm not sure if the town has an internet cafe. so, if you try to email me, that's why i don't answer!

i had my last day of class today, although i will have a couple finals still when i get back. we also had our goodbye dinner for the program and it was that first small realization that it's almost over, as we all said goodbye. however, i think that because i'm not actually leaving for a few more weeks it hasn't hit me yet. i hope it doesn't for a while...i still have a lot to do!

random note: the other day, i heard a mom speaking native english to her daughter in the supermarket, so i asked where they were from. she was very nice and said they were from alaska and that about 6 months ago, she and her husband decided to move to chile with their two daughters, elementary-school-age, in order to learn spanish and experience a new culture. they are planning on returning before the beginning of the school year in aug/sept. i think that is amazing and super inspiring. i hope that when i have a family i will never be unable/unwilling to pick up and move to a country where i don't speak the language, simply for the experience. that, for me, is living life to the fullest.

peace.