Pre-Departure Jitters

¡Hola amigos y familia!

I wrote this entry on March 27th before I left for Spain but hadn't officially set up my blog (or figured out how to use it) at that time so please ignore the post date of the next few entries.

Studying abroad has been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. I started taking Spanish in 8th grade to start learning Spanish so I could live in a Spanish speaking country. I’ve always had my heart set on Spain and my dream is becoming a reality. I will be living in Santander, Spain for the next 3 months studying at the University of Cantabria. Santander is on the northern coast of Spain and has a population of over 180,000 people. Of those 180,000 people I will be living with a brave host family who is willing to allow a strange 20 (almost 21) year old American college student to live with them. Although I have 7 years of language under my belt, I feel like I hardly know any real Spanish. Ask me about my family, my home town, what I like to do on the weekend, my daily routine, or the colors of the rainbow, but only in the present tense, and I can talk your ear off. I think the most useful phrase I know how to say is “donde está el baño” or “where is the bathroom.” I hope to expand my repertoire of vocabulary.

I’ve been going through waves of excitement and nervousness during the past week of preparation. One of my biggest concerns is the lack of space in my suitcase. Narrowing my wardrobe down to a few pairs of jeans, shirts, and shoes I want to wear for the next 3 months is a challenging task. Some people face world hunger, I face the dilemma of packing a few clothes.

When people ask what I’m most excited for about studying abroad my answer changes almost every day. Last week I was looking forward to taking only 3 Spanish classes because taking 7 classes in different subjects last term was a lot to juggle. Yesterday I was most excited about living near the beach with 80 degree weather since I was experiencing rainy days in Oregon. Today I’m excited about meeting my host family and getting settled. When it all boils down, I’m going to a strange place where I have the language abilities of a 4 year old, don’t know my way around, and will be living with complete strangers. It’s scary to think about but it will be a once in a lifetime experience!

This is my first time blogging and it seems like this will be a great way to keep in contact with all my friends and family while I’m away, document all my adventures in Spain, and reflect back on the things I’ve learned along the way. This also gives everyone back home, nearly 5,000 miles away, a chance to live vicariously through me.