As I pack to travel to Barcelona I
feel a variety of mixed emotions. There is the obvious excitement of seeing a
new place and experiencing a new culture, but there is also a shadow of fear.
Not a logical fear, like fearing getting hopelessly lost in Barcelona, but a
fear of missing my flight. For some reason this fear has plagued my for the
past couple weeks. I plan to arrive to the airport 4 hours in advance in order
to ensure this does not happen but the fear still keeps me up at night. I think
I am just so excited for the trip; the thought of missing it is unbearable. In
order to distract myself from this unreasonable fear, I’ve been preparing. For
the first time in my travel experience I packed early. I was completely packed
three days before the departure date! I bought a Pocket Spanish Dictionary to
keep with me and began reading the course material. I am nervous that since I
have only just completed Span 3000 I will struggle with the course work. I plan
to bring a hard work ethic to Barcelona and to excel in the classes. Though I
have many fears, they far outweigh my excitement. At the moment I am most
excited to meet my host family. My previous homestay experience was memorable
to say the least and I am excited to participate in one again. I used Google
map’s street view feature to “explore” the area I will be staying in and it is
beautiful. There are American shops like Subway and Starbucks, but there are
many new shops and restaurants for me to try. I know if I stay open to new experiences
and take advantage of this amazing opportunity I will come back an improved
individual.
Sitting in the airport, I am stuck between feeling overwhelmingly excited and very nervous.
ResponderEliminarI have not been out of the country since I was very little, so to be going abroad by myself for such a long time is scary! And while I am sure that my Spanish will be enough to get me by, I can't help but worry that I will have a language barrier with everyone that I communicate with. I am also terrible with directions and can't help but worry about getting lost in Barcelona.
Every summer for the past ten years, I have attended the same summer camp. I was a camper there for seven years, and a staff member for three, and camp has become my home away from home. Rather than being afraid of becoming homesick in Barcelona, I worry that I will be campsick. It's sad to be away from there for the first time in so long, but I know that this is definitely worth it.
I am very excited to experience a new country and a completely new culture. I expect to improve my Spanish immensely, enjoy the classes, make new friends and be impacted by new people, learn more about the world that we live in, as well as to learn more about myself and grow personally.
I hope that I am able to take advantage of every opportunity that I have over the next few weeks - whether that means trying new foods, meeting new people, or traveling within Europe. My mom always tells me to "take the scenic route" and look around and take everything in because "you may never go back," which I hope to live by while I'm abroad.
I am also excited to live so close to a beach! It's crazy to think about being so close to the ocean after being landlocked for my twenty years of life.
I am excited for everything that Barcelona has to offer! I can't wait for an amazing experience!
Apparently this didn't work the first time I tried to post this from the airport, hope it still counts!
ResponderEliminarWell here we go! I'm sitting on the plane right now waiting to take off and so far so good; I got the row to myself on the flight from Philly to Barcelona so I have room to spread out. I'm getting more and more excited as the time passes and my nerves seem to be disappearing. This will be the longest I have ever been away from home so I'm worried I am going to get home sick. Even though I travel fairly often I still have the same fears of what to expect. It's always hard going to a new place and in this case for so long, but I am excited for the new experiences. I am nervous about finding my way around the city, since in the past I have gotten lost on most of the trips I have taken before this. I haven't lived with a family in a few years so it will be strange to live with one for the next few weeks. Overall my biggest fears aren't of what is coming, but of what I am leaving behind. I am going to miss my boyfriend and my cat and it will be hard to be without them for the next few weeks... Luckily there is always Skype!
I am excited to meet my host family and get settled into my new home for the next 5 weeks. I am also looking forward to improving my Spanish and exploring the city. I have been looking through travel guides at the city's attractions and I can't wait to see these places outside of the pages of the guide books. One thing I have been looking forward to for the past few months is the Spanish soccer! Even though I won't be able to go to the games in person, I can't wait to go to a local bar and find people to watch the games with! Since the Spanish national team is playing in the Euro 2016, watching the games from Spain will be a fun experience and I anticipate matches being important among locals.
One goal of mine for the trip is to step out of my comfort zone, meet new people and become more comfortable speaking in a class setting. I would like to become familiar with the culture and architecture while I am here and hopefully be able to return in the future and feel at home.