Next stop: Mexico

I've completed the first half of my year abroad and I'm one day away from starting the second half. On Wednesday, I go to Heathrow and board a flight to Mexico City. This is a really big deal for me, super exciting but equally nerve-racking. Latin America, and particularly Mexico, have interested me pretty much as long as I have studied Spanish. I was lucky enough to study a couple of Latin American culture modules in the first and second years of uni and this further ignited my passion for these fascinating countries. I remember waking up one day and I'd decided that I wanted to go to Mexico instead of Spain for the Spanish part of my year abroad. I also remember the look of horror on my classmates faces when I told them. I'm in the minority choosing to go that far!

Fiona and I will be spending three days in Mexico City initially, perhaps taking in some touristy sights and then we get on a bus a travel the 8 hours to Guadalajara, where I will spend the next 6 months. We decided to rent an apartment from our university co-ordinator in GDL, rather than to worry about finding somewhere to live and viewing properties alone etc. Although it's unlikely we'll be living with a house-full of Mexicans, for me, knowing I'd have somewhere to live was quite important! Once we arrive in GDL, we'll have around 2 weeks to get settled in, explore the city a little and get used to the Mexican way of life! I appear to have forgotten all my Spanish but hopefully it'll come to me once I start hearing it every day again.

Going to Mexico is a massive challenge for me, it's a long way from home and I won't be able to have people visit or go home. I've packed lots of goodies to help my room feel more like my home and I'm sure it'll be an amazing experience for me. Getting quite nervous now though!

I'm going to leave it there for my pre-Mexico blog... Hopefully I'll blog soon when I get there - amongst the hustle and bustle of Mexico City! xo