Hey everyone! There’s officially t-minus 2 days until I leave for Madrid, and I’m scrambling to get my suitcase packed and ready to go. I tend to be a procrastinator, but I’ve made efficient progress with the help of my sister! What really makes this process great too is having a sibling that is also getting ready to study abroad. It’s been an exciting process for the both of us since we plan on seeing each other once she arrives in France in August. This past semester has been filled with many fruitful conversations of what we could accomplish while abroad, and I’m so excited to be able to share this experience with her directly and indirectly. However, while planning and orienting myself for this new opportunity, I’ve made my see you later’s to many of my friends these past couple days, and I could not be more excited. It is a bit bittersweet leaving people for some time, but everyone I have talked to has been nothing but supportive for what this program entails, and I am incredibly grateful.

With just a few days left before I leave, I’ve gathered all the materials I need to enter Spain with ease and begin my journey to learning more about the country’s approach to serving their immigrant/migrant communities. Since graduation, I’ve taken some time to set some running goals of mine while I’m there. Of all of them, I wanted to emphasize the importance of having a meaningful time abroad, learning as much as I can, and enjoying my time there in the process. Since I’ve never spent an extended time away from home such as this, I want to go into this experience cultivating a joyful environment for myself and others filled with rich memories. Being able to make new connections, learn new skills, and develop an international foundation that I can bring back to the U.S. to better serve the community is what I hope to do by the end of this program.

But in all honesty, I’m pretty nervous to embark on this journey without the immediate help of other peers from home. Although I’m sure I’ll spend much of my time stepping out of my comfort zone, bettering my Spanish speaking and professional skills, and meeting new people, I still can’t help but feel some nerves diving into this. I’ve spent two summers studying abroad, but those were expertly planned experiences that I never had to worry about. Now, I’m in the shoes of the planner, and it is a bit more overwhelming than I thought it would be. Yet, I like to approach these new challenges with an “I can do this” and “nothing can stop me” mindset and tackle them head on because I won’t let hindrances add on and negate my ability to accomplish my goals. All in all, I’m incredibly excited to head on over across the pond and can’t wait to pour my experiences however I may contribute and share what I’ve learned out into this blog throughout these next 3 months! To those reading, thanks for accompanying me on this journey. 🙂