I've always been one to pack light. Just my style I suppose. Don't worry Mom, I have everything I need packed away in those bags. It's hard to believe that in twenty four hours I will be on a plane headed to Santiago most likely trying (and most likely failing) to get some sleep. At this point the emotions tend to fluctuate between excitement and apprehension. I think it's normal that upon the embarcation (I don't care what you say auto correct, it is a word) of a unique journey such as this, excitement is always present. This is, however, not purely a vacation. There was a lot of music to learn, some of it quite demanding *cough cough* Strauss *cough cough* Stravinsky , and a good deal of preparation was required. Furthermore, when entering any new situation with a new group of people you never know what the dynamic will be and how things will come together ( of course, I'm thinking the band will sound great). Mix all that togeter with the mundane details that must be attended to before you leave the country for a month and things can get a bit hectic. But alas, that nonsense is over and I've done all the prepping I can do. Now there is nothing left to do except dive in head first and hope the water isn't freezing. I'm looking forward to getting the plane rides out of the way and settling in and getting started. I hope the Pacific is as blue as I remember it being. EAL