Pre-departure thoughts

"List of fears".

These are the typical comments that I have heard for the last few months from friends, family, casual acquaintances and co-workers, upon discussing the fact that I am volunteering for a bit: "You are so lucky. Wow what an adventure! You must be so excited! Don't worry, you'll be fine...you're perfect for this! Volunteering while traveling is your lifetime dream. I wish I could do that...I just don't have the guts (the money, the time, can't leave my job, family, boyfriend, etc.) You're soooo lucky. Don't worry...it's 2011, you'll definitely be fine on your own, you'll have the best time!"

Thanks for all the encouraging words guys, but it still didn't stop me from compiling this list of fears. I thought it might be encouraging to other prospective volunteers to know that they are not alone, and that no fear is too crazy. To those of you who know me personally, say a prayer and let's have a good laugh when hopefully NONE (or very few) of these fears become reality.

-Being deathly bored
-Not being able to succeed on my project!
-Not being able to get a job when I return.
-Getting really sick with Yellow Fever or something worse
-Nobody visiting me or writing
-Not having a sense of humor in Spanish
- Not having a place to stay
- Missing home

- Feeling alone
This should probably be number one on the list (if it were in any specific order). Probably 90% of the people I talk to are nervous about traveling alone, or flat out won’t do it.
- My personal safety
the world can be a dangerous place but the simple truth is that it’s not nearly as dangerous as most people expect.
- Wanting to leave
Who am I kidding! It’s always nice to come home, but I’ve never been ready to leave when the time came. Chances are I'll be pretty disappointed to leave but there’s always the next trip to look forward to :)