Pre-Departure Musings

In 24 hours I will be aboard a plane on an 8 hour flight across the ocean from Illinois to Madrid, Spain. This will only mark the beginning of my journey. After deplaning, I will rendezvous with the other members of my program (IES Abroad) and we will take the next step of our journey together as we bus to Salamanca, the city we will call home for the next few months.

Salamanca, located in the region of Castile and León, is often referred to as the Oxford of Spain. The University of Salamanca serves as the main hub of activity for the city -- but it is no ordinary college town as the University was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. I have pictured Salamanca in my mind many times and I am looking forward to forming my own mental and emotional map of the city in just a few short days.

As some of you know, journeying away from home has never been my strong suit. In my adolescence, I often struggled to make it through the school day because I was anxious, missed my parents and wanted to come home. Many can attest to the numerous sleepovers that my parents fetched me from in the middle of the night. Needless to say, I have grown leaps and bounds in testing my ability to venture far from home. I not only attend a college in New York City, but I have also traveled to Israel on my own. Despite my past successes, there are moments in thinking about my semester abroad when I feel trapped in a web of questions and anxiety:

Will missing home and my loved ones get in the way of my experiences? What will the students on my program be like? Will I make friends? Will I get along with my host family? How long will it take me to become comfortable in my new life? Will my command of Spanish language be sufficient?

But the more I ponder my anxieties about this experience, I begin to realize how entirely normal they are. I often need to remind myself how well my past successes have prepared me for an incredible experience and success this semester abroad. Although at times it feels unnatural, I am trying to soothe my nerves by diluting my doubts with confidence. This is a pattern of thought that I intend to repeat throughout my journey until it becomes habit.

Here are some of the things I am most looking forward to this semester:
- Gaining further fluency and command of the Spanish language
- The food (no shocker there)
- Learning about soccer and watching the games in local pubs
- Getting lost on winding cobblestone streets
- My first dream in Spanish
- Proving to myself that I am capable of overcoming this and every challenge.

This is my first blog ever, and I hope you all enjoy reading it (and I promise that not all posts will be this formal and business-like :P) So far, it seems to be a good way to process and consolidate my thoughts. I hope to post at least once a week, but you can also contact me on Facebook or via email if you have any questions.

Besitos (kisses)
Abby