…Less than two months

Oh my paella. It is already less than two months until I leave for Seville, Spain on my semester abroad to study Spanish and hopefully travel around the country. I haven’t really started packing yet but I have been working this summer to save up for my trip and Spain is on my mind everyday.

Ever since I started studying Spanish in elementary school, I have wanted to study abroad in Spain. In high school I tried to study abroad for a year but had some setbacks when the school told me I wouldn’t be able to graduate on time. Through Rotary International, I had the opportunity to travel to Cordoba, Argentina. I spent six weeks in the city and attended school, went on day trips to the country, ate copious amounts of alfajores, visited Buenos Aires, and bought an Argentine futbol jersey after La Copa America. The most valuable thing I came home with from my trip was the relationship with my host family. My host sister, Felicitas, (Hola!!!) studied abroad during her summer break the following February. We still write to each other sometimes, even though I am so terrible at keeping in touch but I hope to return to Argentina some time very soon to visit the warm people and vibrant culture.

This past year, it would seem like the decision to study abroad in Spain was going to be easy but the choices began to get all muddled in my head. I wasn’t sure if I could finish my Spanish major on time even with studying abroad so I thought maybe I should just focus more on my primary major- Political Science. I was considering South Africa, Japan, the Middle East, and more. I also was truthfully getting a little tired of all my friends trouncing around Europe, seeing the same sights, posing for the same pictures, and not really becoming integrated into a new or different environment. While I am still wary of what Europe may be like as a possibly unchallenging experience – I decided that this had been my dream for many years and that it would be smart to work on building my knowledge of Spanish. It is also important here to note that the college where I attend, Goucher College, requires students to go on some sort of study abroad whether it’s for three weeks or a whole year.

I know that my study abroad experience, as everyone says, is simply what you make of it. Currently I am nervous about my Spanish because in the past year it has actually gone downhill a bit after I didn’t take it for a semester. I also hope that with the language barrier and the challenge of a new city that I won’t “shut down”. I really am looking forward to finding different ways to interact with the communities and I hope that I will feel energized and confident to do everything I can. In my opinion I recognize already that I sound slightly naive about my study abroad experience. But in my first post I will say a goal I have is whether I am doing a cliche thing like drinking Sangria at a bull fighting ring while learning to dance flamenco… I will find meaning in the experience and/or just have fun!

Being a tourist in Buenos Aires, July, 2011