Iām a procrastinator. I leave to study abroad in Barcelona in two days, and Iāve yet to load my first suitcase up. I have a general idea of what Iām going to bring ā itās all laid out on my bedroom floor, but I have a long way to go. And this morning, instead of starting to pack, Iāve decided to write this blog post. Because Iām still being productive that way, right?
I think Iām procrastinating so much because it hasnāt really hit me that I leave in 48 hours. Studying abroad has been a given for me since I was in high school. I always knew I wanted to do it, but it was something Iād do āone day.ā After two and a half years of undergrad, that āone dayā is suddenly approaching ā fast.
My biggest goal for the trip is to improve my Spanish, which actually might be pretty hard. Iām a Spanish major, and Iāve been taking Spanish classes for nine years. But Iāve never been fully immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment. In fact, Iāve never even had a native Spanish speaker as a teacher. Learning to communicate with my host family will be a challenge for sure. Right now, Iām thinking it might take me a few weeks to become comfortable even communicating simple thoughts with my family. Iāll be worried my accent isnāt perfect. Am I conjugating right? Should I refer to them all āustedā? Will I accidentally insult them if I mess up a word?
The pre-trip preparation has been stressful to say the least (finding out I lost my passport two months ago didnāt help), but I havenāt taken enough time to acknowledge the excitement that lingers underneath. Iāve been to Italy and Switzerland in high school, but thatās where my international experience stops. Iām so thrilled thinking about spending the next three months traveling around Europe with two of my best friends and new friends that I know Iāll make along the way.
A few months ago, my two friends, Claire and Allison, and I made a list of the places we want to go visit during our time in Europe. Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Budapest, etc. For the past few weeks, when Iāve gotten nervous or stressed about living in a foreign country, I go back to that list on my phone. I think about all the amazing things that are out there that I havenāt seen yet. Iām so lucky I have the opportunity to go on a trip like this, and I hope to come back with a better understanding of the world we live in.
Adios for now! Next stop: Spain.
Julia Plant
<p>Julia is a junior at Miami University triple-majoring in journalism, media & culture, and Spanish. She loves to read, write and spend time with friends in her free time. This past summer, she worked on a dude ranch in Colorado for three months. It was a life-changing experience that motivated her to study abroad.</p>
