It's hard to believe that our group only has three more days in the great country of South Africa. Over the past few weeks, I have taken up the margins of my journals with numerous lists. There's the list of encounters that I am hesitant to share with my parents: bungy jumping from the world's highest bungy point, digging out a tick from my leg, diving from cliffs into the rivers of the Wild Coast. I have a list of activities that the trip has inspired me to complete: receiving a graduate degree in social work and increasing awareness of the everyday realism of AIDS in Africa.

Finals may be over, but my mind is still racing a million miles an hour. South Africa is only a few weeks away, and I have work to do. Procrastination has always been a weakness of mine, but I am actually eager to work through the pile of books that has been collecting dust since September. How will I be spending my beloved winter break? Learing about the country I am about to experience first hand!
It's been a year since my first study abroad experience when I ventured Australia exploring Sydney, Uluru and the Queensland stretch. I'm hungry for the new experiences that arise from travel and I'm looking forward to sharing these experiences with fellow travelers. Our group of students seems diverse and I'm excited to see what each of us will bring to the dynamic of the whole. I imagine this class will force me to see the world in a new light, as many new experiences do.