As I rush from family gathering to preparatory errands to dates with my beau, I'm left feeling scrambled. I didn't realize exactly how stressed I was until Thursday night, when I was officially one week from takeoff and burst into tears. It’s crazy how quickly things seemed to change from having forever before I left to having no time at all. The magnitude of my adventure has finally sunk in.
Here are the small and (hopefully) accomplishable goals I’m setting for my first couple days in Spain.
1. Start at least my first day with a long stroll through Barcelona.
I'll be landing at about 1:15 AM CST, which is 7:15 AM in Barcelona. I'll do my best to sleep on the plane, but the excitment might be too much. :) To help counter the jet lag, I'll start my day by dropping off my bags at my hostel and then wandering the streets, eating delicious foods and figuring out what I'll do for breakfast the following day. Because I do a lot of walking at school here in the States, I'll try to continue doing morning walks while abroad. My first walk will most likely be one suggested by Rick Steves. I mean, look at the guy. He obviously knows what he's doing.
2. Refuse to speak English during daylight hours for the first week.
Both this goal and the following come from another blog. I'm hoping that only speaking Spanish will help me get into the swing of things more quickly, make classes easier, and maybe even decrease homesickness. I know I'll feel much more comfortable and confident once I prove to myself that my Spanish hasn't suffered too terribly much over the three months I went without studying it. The one caveat of this goal is that I'll be using English after sunset since I'll be writing the blog and Skyping or e-mailing my family.
3. Never refuse an invitation.
Studying abroad with a group of about 25 students from my university, along with all of the Spaniards attending the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, will be a great opportunity for me to meet new people and make friends. Plus, this is a perfect way to ensure that I experience as much as I can while abroad. So my goal is to accept every invitation I receive, assuming I haven't already made plans of my own.
4. Actually unpack.
Since my family usually does road trips, I have a habit of not unpacking when I travel. Why would I unpack when we'll be off to see another beautiful (or weird- cough Mom's idea cough) place so soon? However, unpacking will definitely be worthwhile and help me feel more settled in seeing as I'll be in Barcelona for nine weeks. But I might just be like this monkey for the first couple days.
5. Write at least two posts per week.
To keep my family remotely satisfied and to keep a record for myself, I want to write two or three posts per week. I also want to limit my Internet use though, because I want to be as immersed in my incredible reality as much as possible.
That's that. With any luck, these goals will help others who are feeling anxious about their first few days studying abroad. In the meantime, look for more posts soon! I'll post once more before I leave, and then once at the end of my first day.
Until next time!