Uhmmm... well... OK, here's the thing...

In doing this I realize that I am still very much in work-mode. "OK, let's set some goals, focus, get the ball rolling, etc..." Argh! Although one of the main purposes of an extended travel experience is to get away from that world, I still feel it's important for me to think a bit about what I hope to get out of my trip.

Not in order of importance:

1) Slow down and reduce stress... I aspire to feel a lot more comfortable with the concepts of Mexican Time and Mañana...

2) Face some of my fears... I might as well announce that my biggest fears are "Being Stuck Under Water", "Being Stuck Inside Small Space With Big Spiders" and "The Dentist". Now, I'm not about to go to a pedal-operated street dental clinic, so we'll leave that one for later... However, I will be getting my diver's certification as well as going on a number of jungle trips which should be interesting...

3) Become fluent in Spanish... My Spanish is rusty, and my grammar has become quite pathetic. I'd like to fix that, both for myself and for future job-hunting.

4) Volunteer... I've always wanted to volunteer for a while. When we were 18, a friend and I rang up the Peace Corps and offered our services. We were (nicely) told to call back when we had some useful skills to offer. Well, I think I have more to offer now, so I'd like to try volunteering shorter-term before possibly committing to something more permanent after my trip.

5) Get a tan... I've lived in California for nearly 5 years, and I'm paler than ever. I need to see if I can still get a tan ;-)

6) Go trekking... not just for the day, but also on several multiple-day hikes. Despite the hard work, there are few things I enjoy more.

7) Learn more about contemporary and ancient Latin cultures... I am quite the Ancient History nerd, so I'll be in my element. This, of course, also involves eating ;-)

8) Laugh a lot... Since I'm getting older anyways, I'd rather have wrinkles from laughing than frowning.

9) And a million other things :-)