Hey all!

I'm Erika, from San Francisco, CA. Sorry I'm so late...I can't believe we're leaving in just a couple of days! I just finished my sophomore year at Stanford, where I'm double majoring in History and Human Biology. I like learning about people, from the past or biologically or psychologically or just by talking with them- I'm really excited to immerse myself in a new culture this very week! I took Spanish from elementary school through high school, but I haven't taken it since...so I'm kind of nervous about that, but also really excited to go to a Spanish-speaking country for the first time! I also really enjoy tutoring, but I've never faced an entire classroom, so I'm looking forward to this opportunity to see whether I want to teach as a career. 

I don't know what I'm going to do after school, but I like working with people, so definitely not isolated research or anything like that. We'll see. I also love food, especially dessert, and baseball (i.e., the San Francisco Giants). I'm on the same Alaska Airlines flight that stops in L.A. as several of you...I'll see you all in just a few days! I'm so excited to be doing this- a real adventure! : D

facebook

Matt made a facebook group called LE Mexico '08... Rory put up some pretty cool pictures.. everyone should join!

Hay

Hay,

My name is Sophia and my hometown is London. I am currently studying International Business and Spanish at Brighton University which i absolutely love as I live right by the sea and go shopping to all the quirky boutiques in town.. oh and of course party.

I love studying languages and hope to continue to learn greek in the future, after i have finished uni. I also want to travel and possibly live in as many countries as possible :D

Next year I am doing a placement year, where i get to go to Salamanca University, Spain to study which I am extremely nervous about.

I am waaaaay excited about Mexico and can't wait to go. Iv been boasting to all my pals! I really have no idea what to expect but no doubt it will be a challenge which i will be proud to have achieved.

Can't wait to see you guys next month :)

Sophia

Que Pasa!!!

Well Hello Everyone!!!
I have no excuse for posting so late...but how excited is everyone for Mexico!?! I am from Kansas City and just graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. I majored in Advertising but want nothing to do with it. Ever. I studied in Spain my Junior year and think it was there where I realized I just want to travel the world for the rest of my life and take in new cultures. I have decided I am an anthropoligist at heart (its just too bad I didnt know that my freshman year!). Anyway, I am not gonna lie - I have no idea what to expect from our Mexico adventure, but thats the fun in it, right? I am definitely most excited for the Spanish emersion and homestay experience - I missed out on that in Spain because of some silly decisions I made. Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their summers and I look forward to meeting you all soon!!
Elizabeth
-- Matt, I really didnt think about the whole mosquito net thing, but if you say we should, then I just might look into it.....

Mosquitos

Hey guys,

   I just went to get my immunizations and they recommended that I get a mosquito net. I can't decide if it would be really weird/rude to be with my homestay family and to surround myself with a mosquito net at night. Are you guys going to get one?

-Matt

Hey everyone!

Hey Guys,

   My name is Matt Scult and I am a sophomore at Brown. I'm majoring in neuroscience and don't really know what I want to do with my life yet. What I do know is that I'm psyched for this experience and can't wait to meet all of you. 

I love traveling and especially cases like this where we get to stay with a homestay family and really get to know the community we are staying with. I've never taught before, but I've worked at a few different camps and I'm really excited (but also nervous) to be teaching. It'll also be cool to see how much my spanish classes actually taught me.

When I have free time I like to spend it outside tossing around a frisbee, reading or doing pretty much anything. 

My flight is going Boston to Phoenix and then Phoenix to Mazatlan, but it sounds like most of you guys are coming from LA, so I guess I'll see you there. Let me know if anyone has ideas for what to pack in terms of teaching supplies or for just living in Mexico.

I can't wait to meet you guys!

-Matt

Blake's intro

Hey everyone!

My name is Blake Parkinson and I'm a sophomore at Stanford (potentially) majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Spanish. I'm from Seattle so I'll be flying out from there but I think I might be on the same flight from LA as some of you guys. I really enjoy learning languages, and while I studied Japanese in high school I took up Spanish at Stanford my freshman year. Needless to say Spanish has become one of my major interests. I also really like teaching. I spent last summer at home in Seattle working with bilingual elementary school kids and I also do one-on-one ESL tutoring at Stanford during the year. I'm really looking forward to getting down to Mexico, not just for the language emersion and cultural experience but also for the challenges of teaching a whole class. 

Outside of school, I love hiking and backpacking, and playing recreational sports like ultimate frisbee and basketball. Another interest of mine is photography, and I'm hoping to get an Arts Grant from my school so that I can do a photo project in Mexico. I also play the bagpipes competitively, and will be missing the main competition season this summer to be down in Mexico. 

Anyway, that's enough about me. I'm really looking forward to meeting all of you and wish everyone safe travels to Mazatlán. 

-Blake