As the days count down and the pile of items stacked on my bed to pack increases, I am beginning to wonder how much one can really prepare to study abroad. Getting some new coats and clothes is always lovely, but keeping all that fewer than fifty pounds? Please wish me luck (Especially when it comes to shoes).
You can buy all the travel books you want on Spain (I have bought one myself and will be reading it on the plane- That’s not too late, is it?) but I don’t think anything could prepare oneself to be fully immersed in a culture foreign to one’s own. I’ve had feelings of excitement, anticipation, nervousness, and downright terror. Four months seems so long on a small scale, but when I step back and look at the big picture it is going to fly by SO fast.
This is my first big expedition outside the country besides Cabo, but I don’t think that really counts. It was strange not going back to school when everyone else did, my school being on the quarter system and my new school being on semesters. So in the meantime I creep on my friends at school via Facebook (I know you do it too) and enjoy the extra time at home with my loving family, friends and boyfriend.
So how exactly does one start to pack for a 4 month excursion? LISTS. I have become the Queen of Lists. First, you make a list of all the things you’ll need. I thank Maya Curtis for helping me on this one; without her I’d be lost. I recommend going through your daily routines when it comes to bathroom stuff. Very important: check average weather and temperatures
for wherever you’re going. Luckily it’s not going to be too much colder where I’m headed (Córdoba, Spain) so I didn’t have to go out and get an entirely new wardrobe. After you’ve gone down the list of everything and rummaged through your closet, make another list of all the items you need to go out and get. To my surprise I didn’t really need too many new things, which means more dinero for España!
I can see myself starting to babble, so as I wrap up my first abroad entry (or I guess pre-abroad entry) I’ll say that open-mindedness and adaptation are two things that are going to get me through this new experience. I’m eager and nervous to see what happens, and since I’ve already filled out the crap loads of paperwork, there’s no turning back now.
Happy Trails,
Katie