Here we go again...

Today is my second day in Barcelona, and it's the perfect day to write this blog post.

It is currently 6:40 AM and I've been awake for almost two hours. Jetlag is trying to make its point and represent the fact that this is literally a new time in my life. Today is a Wednesday, and it is funny how things change so quickly in our lives. Last week at this time I was saying goodbye to my sister who currently lives in Brazil, which is where I am from. A few days later I was saying goodbye to my friends, parents, and brother who stayed in the U.S. And today I'm saying hello to a new life, new people and new me. Cheesy perhaps, but so true!

We take it for granted how we change when we are left by ourselves and how new situations in our lives make up who we are today. I moved to the United States about six years ago, when I was 15 -- I was born and grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I had a group of friends that were like family that I had known for all my life, I lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same school, etc. Nothing was ever truly new to me. And then when I had just finished my Sophomore year of high school my dad told my family that we would soon be moving to the United States. I was very excited to go to a new country; I have this explorer spirit that flourished with the possibility of getting to know a new culture and people. So in January of 2011, we packed our bags and headed to the United States.

Guys, cultural shock is real, and there's no shame in admitting that you went through this phase of your life -- because believe me, it happens more frequently and to more people than you know! And as I just said, it is a phase. Therefore, it is temporary! I didn't know English when I moved to the United States, and the American culture is definitely different than the Brazilian culture. So overwhelming is the right word to describe my first month in the U.S., But with time I started to learn more about the American culture, and I began to fall in love with the concept of learning about new cultures. Each culture is different and unique, and that is the beauty of it.

I am sharing my experience of moving to the United States because I know the feeling of being in an entirely different life scenario and how frightening that could be at first, but even though it might be frightening it is still very exciting. The "new" can be scary, but it is also the starting point of every amazing adventure you will ever live in your life.

And now, here we go again... new culture, new language, new life. The difference between when I moved to the U.S. to now that I just moved to Barcelona, is that today I am more confident to emerge into the unknown. Knowing that in the future this experience will make me a better me, that this experience will allow me to learn more about me and that everything will turn out great!

I'll keep you updated on my amazing discoveries of the currently unknown European life, ¡hasta pronto!

*Oh just one more thing: Make sure to do a checklist (even if it's a mental checklist) before you finish packing. I just saw that I totally forgot to bring socks and one of my camera's battery and charger! lol