Chapter 1 ~ Preparation, Preparation, Preparation

In which I explain the secrets of success and the meaning of life. Except I don't really have the secrets of success or the meaning of life figured out, so instead I will just explain who I am and what this blog is going to be about. 


I like to read. There are probably very few of you readers/followers/subscribers that will know where I borrowed the idea of outlining the blog (chapter) first before I actually write it, and you actually read it. Well the answer is from an extraordinary travel author by the name of J. Maartin Troost, whom I hope will give me permission to continue outlining in the same manner without accusing me of plagiarism. If, however, he (or anyone else for that matter) would like for me to stop, please send me a message, and I may, or may not, listen. I outline for two reasons; one, it helps the reader decided if he or she would like to read the particular entry, and secondly, it helps me stay focused on what I want to accomplish in any particular posting.

Who am I? Well that is a question with many possible answers. I am a 6'5" body builder who works out at least 4 hours, 6 days per week. Also, if you have not figured it out yet, I am a chronic exaggerator who is extremely sarcastic, but good looking all the same. I use the term exaggerator because 'liar' sounds so negative and accusatory while 'exaggerator' sounds witty and hilarious. Eventually, whether from pictures on here or from future blogs (or from the admission of sarcasm), you will discover that I do not work out, nor am I a body builder. My name is Samuel Ray, I am a student of World Politics and Spanish Language Skills at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I am entering my senior (and with any luck) my final year of college and am about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. If the title has not given it away, or you are just slow enough to not have figured it out yet, the adventure is a 5 month long, study abroad in, you guessed it, Chile. What does one do to prepare for such an adventure? Well that depends on the person.

I have wanted, since middle school anyway, to go and study abroad in a foreign country. As I am now a senior, and optimistically finished with schooling soon, the time is now or never. Why Chile? Because I needed a program in a country that spoke solely spanish (to perfect my own abilities), and because in my own point of view, Spain is not as cool and too many other students travel that direction. To prepare for such an excursion I have done as much as I could possibly think to do. How much has it helped me? Well I guess we will find out in 6 days when I arrive in Valparaiso, Chile. I read books, studied cultures, customs, geography, politics, economy. I made lists, charts, and graphs. I looked at pictures, watched videos, and even read others' blogs. I attended a day of orientation and had countless meetings with school advisors and program instructors. After all of this countless obsessing and worrying I have discovered something. No matter how much I try to prepare myself for this trip, nothing is going to prepare me to the extent I would hope for. So the next best thing to do is to stop worrying and just be excited and ready for anything. I tried the neurotic, OCD, plan each day out tactic, and all it got me was sick and stressed. I believe in the saying 'If you want to see god laugh, make a plan'. And after talking several times with an amazing person who just returned from this once in a lifetime experience, I have decided that everything is going to work out regardless of whether or not I know what I will be doing on... pick a day any day. I may not know who my host family is going to be yet (even though I leave in 5 days) but what would it change even if I did know. In 5 days I am still going to be on a plane to their house and staying with them for 5 months. So tonight, I pack my suitcase with a little of everything I might need, and if I happen to forget something (very likely), I will just have to figure something else out. Because an incredible person told me once, it is those tough times in life that make the best stories. And my response to that is bring on the tough times then, because I would not want to disappoint my subscribers/followers/readers with boring posts. They have to be funny, exciting, and most of all entertaining. But the best part about it is, you can just read my introductions to determine, and if the introduction misleads you and tricks you into reading further, and then you become disappointed halfway through one of the blogs, you have the choice to STOP READING! Because how will I know...

So that is the story so far. I have been preparing as much as possible and am now as prepared as anyone else. I plan on getting on that plane, and then a quick 19 hours later I will be in Santiago. Then a short hour and a half taxi ride and I will finally be arriving to meet my family for the first time, jet lagged and unwashed. That is where I leave the story for now. I would like to thank everyone that made it through this first blog and I hope you are anticipating the next post, because that is where the real adventure is going to start!

Adios y nos vemos pronto,
S.R.