I’ll be totally honest. When I saw that there was an opportunity to study abroad and learn about sustainable agriculture and beef production, I was immediately hooked! However, I probably couldn’t point out on a map exactly where Uruguay even is. So, when I got accepted, I started doing research. “Where is Uruguay? What language is spoken? What kind of government do they have?” These were among a few of the questions that I needed an answer to before we leave. Once I started diving into the research, I discovered so much about Uruguay! I found pictures of the country and beaches so beautiful I couldn’t believe that in a month, I’d be traveling the scary distance of 5,000 miles to a country where I couldn’t even speak the native language (Spanish). All at the same time, this excited and terrified me. My parents had their concerns, but the College of Ag. put their minds at ease with all of the procedures in place regarding the trip. The next big challenge was packing. Whoever made up the whole “50 lb. suitcase rule” really has no idea how difficult that is for a 20 year old college girl going out of the country for 8 days. Lots of time was spent on the phone with my mom asking her “Do you think I need….?” or “Should I take this or that?”. But once everything was all packed on Thursday evening, it was “hurry up and wait” until our 10 hour flight left on Friday evening. At this point, I had no idea what to expect from this trip, but I was excited and decided no matter what, it’s a blessing to just be able to say “I studied abroad at the University of Georgia.”