Lisa esta lista!

Lisa esta lista means "Lisa is ready" or many times they'll say "lista Lisa". I just love that little saying. It rolls off the tongue so nicely. And, how could I not be ready? Puerto Vallarta in January! Before anyone gets too envious, I am going to school so it will be a little work. I'm off for another language excursion and it "just happens" to be in sunny Mexico. This trip will be a little different in that I will have my own personal Spanish instructor with me! My Spanish tutor happened to buy a school in P.V. so he will be one of my instructors (and most likely, tour guide) while I'm in Mexico. This is particularly exciting for me as I will have someone who will be able to give me "color commentary" on some of the sites. As always, I'm excited and a bit nervous about the trip. What will I learn? Will I be able to communicate clearly? What if I don't like my host family? It my surprise some people that I still get nervous before a trip considering how many I've been on. I actually look forward to the butterflies in my stomach as it a sensation that I only experience right before a big excursion. I often talk about this "feeling" with my students in my international business classes. I believe that having a little bit of an uneasy feeling before a trip is good. It reminds me that I'm about to experience something new, that I need to keep an open mind AND closed mouth so as to immediately jump into "ethnocentric" mode and start listing all the things that are "weird". My plans for this week are: to focus on the subjunctive (the bane of my existence), participate in some cultural activities such as taking a cooking or dance class, soak up some sun and explore some sites.