Countdown: The To-Do List

I have less than two days until I leave for Spain. This week, I made a to-do list to organize my activities. Today, I checked off most of those items. Tomorrow, I plan to finish up the last-minute items. I still need to pack. The anxiety is starting to sink in. Although I've been planning this trip since April, I honestly didn't think that I would be able to spend a semester in Spain. Despite the seemingly-endless series of preparations and a shrinking departure date, I'm still skeptical. I don't mean to imply that I'm not excited. On the contrary, I have been wanting to travel to Europe since high school. However, I have to tendency to become anxious before I engage in something completely unfamiliar.

The to-do list is dwindling down to a few straggling items. One more day to finish everything. Here we go.

Countdown: 6 Days

I have less than a week until I leave for Spain. I was going to make a blog post at the 7-day mark, but life got in the way. Ah well. At this point, there's not much to update; a travel blog isn't particularly interesting when the author isn't traveling. I've just been going through the necessary preparations. For instance, I opened a new bank account, obtained my first credit card, ordered euros, bought a new suitcase, and so on. With less than six days to go, I really should be planning more. I still haven't unpacked my things from when I came home in December. On Saturday night I will probably be scavenging through cluttered boxes, trying to find much-needed items for the trip. Oh dear.

Well, in order to make this post more intriguing I have posted some pictures of my euros.

It looks like Monopoly money (no offense, Europe).

Introductions

Me voy: in Spanish it means "I leave." As I approach my departure date, I become increasingly preoccupied with the trip overseas. I dream of airplane trips, of endlessly wandering the Barajas airport (which, in my dreams, looks surprisingly like San Fransisco), of lost luggage. I wake up mentally planning my trip from the airport to the Hotel Senator Espana (where I will attend a mandatory program orientation). However, I don't give much thought to what happens after. My mind has not yet registered that, for the next three-and-a-half months, I will be living with strangers in a foreign country while speaking a language I don't fully understand. I suppose that's for the best. The reality of it all hasn't sunk in yet. Nevertheless, I think I'm excited for this trip.