Post for Tuesday June 26, 2012

I cannot believe I leave for Spain tomorrow. So much has happened the past two weeks that I have not put as much thought to this as I think I normally would. Less than two weeks ago I finished my Spring term finals and my sophomore year of college, I said my goodbyes to my residents and friends, and I moved back home with my family. I have been spending some time preparing for my departure by doing things like getting cash Euros, doing some last minute shopping, and packing. My mom and my brother just left to Mexico four days ago and I am sad I will not be able to go with them. Before they left I asked to take a family picture just because we had not taken one in an extremely long time. It’s not the greatest picture because we took it just as we were on our way out to the airport, but I like it.

Yesterday I got an e-mail that described what my home stay will be like. The e-mail said I will stay in an apartmetnt with a large terrace right around the corner from Camp Nou (Barcelona’s Soccer stadium). It also said my host family has two boys, one three-year-old, and one seven-year-old. I am anxious to meet them and see the apartment, but I’m also very nervous because I hope they like me and I like them. Although I have been on several flights to Mexico in the past, I am scared I might get sick on the planes since I have never had such long flights. I do not know how well I will do with three long back-to-back flights. I hope I do not get sick though. I am almost done packing but I am not sure if I should take more because I was told to pack light but there is still a lot of space/weight left available and I feel like I should take advantage of that. I have learned that Barcelona is supposed to be pretty warm in July so I am taking a lot of shorts. My first flight is tomorrow morning at 8am, so my dad and I will be headed for the Portland Airport at 5am! I just want to make sure I don’t miss my flight though.

Besides my small fears and nerves, I am extremely excited to finally make this dream of mine come true. I have been hoping to travel overseas, to southern Europe in particular, for as long as I can remember. I know this will be a worthwhile experience and I cannot wait to share more about it.

– Jose

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine