All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...
That's a lie. But that song has been stuck in my head and I've been waiting for too long to use that line. Now seems like the perfect time.
In less than 15 hours, I will be trading my life here among the comfort of family and friends for a semester abroad in a place I've only read about in books and seen in TV shows. I do not know much about what the next 6 months are going to be like, except that it is going to be a world away (okay maybe a continent) from everything I know and am comfortable with and honestly, I am okay with that.
Since my AP Spanish days in high school I knew I one day wanted to study abroad and "live" my life in Spanish (Mrs. Newman, wherever you are, here you go hope you're proud!). Since the day I walked through those university doors, I knew studying abroad was in the foreseeable future. I craved the thrill of venturing out into a world far out of my comfort zone and somehow "finding" myself in the new experiences soon to come among unfamiliar people and places.
Although I have not quite come to terms with the idea of packing my life in one luggage and one small carry on (I mean come on, this is the girl who packs THIS much for a week vacation, oh boy), I have spent the last 11 days checking things of my to-do list, spending time with family and friends, exchanging currency and doing everything (but pack) to prepare me for this new adventure. And even though I still have a million things to do before I jet off to my new home, I have never felt more ready to move my life half away around the world.
So here I am, writing this pre-departure blog post (which along with my packing I somehow put off) and finally letting what is about to happen sink in (honestly, it still does not seem real). Although I am still hopelessly unpacked (I promise I'll get on it after this mom), I am ready. I am ready for the adventure that lies ahead. I am ready to dive into a culture a world away from my own. To meet new people and experience things I never have. To journey off into a place I once only dreamed of but is now becoming my reality. To wander aimlessly through cities and find comfort among strangers and the unfamiliar. Despite, all the unfinished business I still have to tend to, I do not feel guilty because no amount of packing, travel handbooks and BuzzFeed articles will ever prepare me for what lies ahead.
So this is my proclamation, I am ready. I am ready to build a new existence far away from everything I know and believe in.
Adios Las Vegas, Hola Madrid!
Hasta la próxima vez,
