Hey all!
With my first blog post, I wanted to introduce some of the most important parts of my life here in St. Charles, Missouri before I venture off to Barcelona, Spain and start missing them. I’m currently writing this from my kitchen counter while two of my brothers, my soon-to-be sister-in-law and my parents have dinner (I’m a fast eater). My family is absolutely a vital part of my daily life (and my heart!) and I’m trying not to think about being away from them for a whole month. In addition to my three older brothers, their ladies and my parents, I am also a very proud aunt to an adorable 2 year old named Kennedy. I do, however, call her Kermy, so if I slip up and refer to her by that, be forewarned I am not referencing a certain froggy Muppet. Lastly, my boyfriend Marc and my close friends will be consistently in my mind as I journey off to España.
As these last couple of weeks quickly pass by, I keep transitioning from moments of ecstatic excitement and absolute terror. What really helped, however, was an email from my future roommate in Spain, Stephanie! IES gave us each other’s email addresses and it has been such a relief to be in contact with her and to get to know her before we land. We decided that we are going to share a cab to get to our homestay, which is literally 2 miles away from La Sagrada Familia and the beach! 2 MILES! I couldn’t have prayed for a better location. I don’t know much about the family, other than the mother’s name is Eva, so I am so excited to meet her.
I included some photos of my family and friends, so I hope you guys enjoy them!
Sarah Semmel
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<div><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Sarah Semmel and I am a senior at the University of Missouri, majoring in Secondary English Education with a minor in Spanish. In my free time, I run a small freelance photography business, and I enjoy capturing life’s precious moments with my beloved camera, Camcam! I also love to cook, craft and read. When I was 15 I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Spain through a student ambassador program and I have been dreaming about returning to Barcelona ever since! I am absolutely ecstatic to see the work of Antoni Gaudi once more and to take in the beautiful lights of my favorite city again.</span></div>