First, let me start by introducing myself.  My name is Madison Rice, I prefer to go by Maddie, I am a senior this year, and I have very little experience with the Spanish language.  What I mean by that is I completed Spanish 2 and proceeded to drop the course, therefore I am not anywhere near fluent.  I can choke out a few butchered sentences about the weather and my day, so I’m very nervous to completely dive into a whole new society where English is not their first language.  Quite frankly, I’m terrified.  This sense of fear has been shoved to the side as I’ve been packing and getting ready for the trip, but now that I’m a little over one day away from loading my suitcase onto a plane and flying to Cuba, the fear has settled in.

This fear is accompanied by a strong desire for adventure and curiosity.  I am excited to dive into a new country and to be enveloped by a new culture.  I’m overwhelmed with joy to be able to go to a country with beautiful weather.  I’m also excited to be able to take this leap into Cuba with many of my friends.  This is my final hoorah as a senior at Westtown, my second home.  I am so thankful for this opportunity and I cannot wait to come back and share my experience, and learn about other senior projects once we return from spring break.

Maddie Rice