Greetings students!

Friends, our time together is quickly approaching. Soon we will be embarking on a remarkable journey together, and Pedro, Leah, and I hope that you are beginning to feel ready to step onto the plane, and out into Bolivia. This incredibly diverse, complex, and beautiful country awaits you.

As a first step towards getting to know each other, we want each student to post a yak intro. The sooner we begin to learn about each other as unique individuals, the sooner we will begin to create a learning community in which we feel open to challenge ourselves and others, knowing that we are supported every step of the way. This is a first, and important step to create a healthy and safe group culture. After all we will be spending nine months together! We will also be using this yak board throughout our course as a reflection and teaching tool.

In your intro yak we would love for you to share the following:

• Your name and your hometown (or wherever it is that you live and call home these days). Tell us something about the place you come from.
• How is it that you play at home? Do you like sports? Games? Books? What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy your relaxing moments?
• What are some of your passions? What do you find yourself reading about in your free time? What do you volunteer about? Debate over?
• Please post a photo of a Bolivian dish that you are excited to try. Please explain what this dish is called and what you know about it.
• Please share one thing that you are doing to prepare yourself to move to Bolivia. It could be a cool article that you read and want to share, a music video about South America, a travel tip you learned from a friend or from previous travels, etc. etc.

For nine months we are travelers, students, and teachers together. We hope that you are feeling prepared for this new adventure. If you have any questions, know that we are here to answer anything and everything that we can.

Abrazos,

Mateo