I am currently 3 hours from leaving for the airport, 8 hours from actual departure, and 42 hours from arrival in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. Over the next two days I will spend 20 hours in flight, wait 7 hours in a Paris airport, and crossover 8 time zones. This morning when I woke up, I felt anxious for the first time. My previous abroad experiences include a one-week trip to London my senior year of high school and one to France when I was 2 (which I obviously don't remember so much). Now, I am about to spend four months in a third world country. On top of that, Madagascar was just put on the State Department's Travel Alert List, due to rioting that has been taking place in the capital over the past couple weeks. Since Monday, 33 people have died, the majority of which were trapped in a burning building. However, our abroad program has dealt with situations like this before, and according to them, they will keep us out of harm's way. As one of the sixteen people on my trip put it, it sure makes for an adventuresome time while we're there. Once we arrive, we will spend the first five days with no contact with the outside world. We will undergo extensive on-site orientation, and then if all goes according to plan, we will move in with our homestay families in Antananarivo. Wish me luck!
(I'm on the right)
