Have passports; will travel!

The girls are off to Spanish camp! This is their second year heading off to camp, so they're feeling like old pros. And yes, they literally do need passports to do this (albeit passports issued by the language villages, not the State Department). It's like going to Spain for a week, if Spain was in the northwoods of Minnesota. They'll go through customs, where any materials in English are considered contraband and will be confiscated*. Their money will be converted to pesos. They get immersed in the language and various Spanish-speaking cultures. And there will be mosquitoes. Lots of mosquitoes. (Don't worry. We packed plenty of insect repellent.)



Last year we drove them up to camp. This year they're taking the bus. Morgan was very excited about traveling all on her own, but Emma (who has flown and taken trains and generally likes traveling) surprised me by being a little leery about this...until she got on the bus and realized that, just as we kept telling her, a charter bus is a very different beast than a school bus. And, "It even has its own bathroom! This is so cool!!!"



They were so bouncy-excited that they wouldn't (couldn't?) hold still for the picture. Also and in case you hadn't noticed, they're really into bandannas right now. Muy cool, no?

I would love to be a bug on the wall during this 250 mile trip. I'm sure they'll be fine. Of course, they might also lose their passports and money along the way; in theory, I suppose it's possible that they could even lose their bags. But you know, even if any of that does happen, ultimately it too will be a grand learning experience that teaches them to be that much more careful with their IDs and money on future journeys. But oh! I wish there was a webcam I could watch just for the hilarity factor. "Emma and Morgan's Excellent Adventure..."


*and then returned at the end of their stay. They both brought books to read on the bus, but know they'll be taken away at customs and so wrote their names and addresses on the inside covers.