Jumping Jubilation

This is your cue to turn green with envy ... I'm going to the Galápagos in March! I got my acceptance email today, for a 2-week volunteer trip to San Cristobal Island, working on native habitat restoration and sustainable agriculture. If you know me at all, you know that that's the perfect project for me. And the fact that I get to do it in the Galápagos is almost too cool to be imaginable right now. I feel like I've been on one continuous "Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!" since I got back to my desk at 4:15 this afternoon and saw the email (to think that it had been there for 3 hours without my knowledge!).

Details are yet to be worked out, but I sent in my application fee to secure my place, and will be doing some noodling on plane flights, extra travel options, etc. They recommend an extra 4-5 days after the volunteer portion to tour the rest of the islands, and it might be fun to see some more of Ecuador as long as I'm down there. I just have to make sure I'm home in time to start my permaculture class for spring quarter. :) Goody goody!

I just realized that this will be my first solo international trip - how exciting! Not that I've taken very many non-solo international trips, but there has definitely been a sense of wanting to have somebody else along, which is probably a big reason I haven't done more traveling. Hopefully this will get me over that and instill a deep travel bug that will withstand the apprehensions of going solo (not that it's not still more fun to have a friend along!). And I think it will help to have at least the first part of this trip pretty much organized for me, to get my feet wet, so to speak... and literally - March is supposedly the best time of year for snorkeling around the Galápagos. :)

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!
:D