So today is Monday, August 26th. It’s not just an ordinary day though, it marks one week until my 20th birthday (not a teen anymore!) and eight days until I leave for Spain!!!
I still have so many things left to do before I leave and I one of them includes packing! (If you have any tips on packing, please let me know). I’m working until 4pm, and some days until 11pm and still trying to see some friends up at USC before I leave. Before things get too hectic though, I wanted to make a list of goals to keep me on track…so here it goes.
1.) Practice as much Spanish as possible
Many of you don’t know this, but I have been travelling to Mexico almost annually since I was 3 years old…yet I am no where near as fluent as I would like to be. My current Spanish language level is probably comparable to that of the typical Southern Californian, aka…Hola, Gracias, Adios, Buenos Dias. Do “Taco” and Burrito” count?
I’ve taken 6 years of French and know a fairly good amount, so people wonder why I’m not going to France. I personally think France is a little cliche for studying abroad (nothing against anyone who has gone there/is going there for study abroad), even though I almost chose to study there. I wanted to learn Spanish while being in Europe, so Spain seems to be the best place for that. Guess I’ll find out 4 months from now…
I will achieve this goal by:
*Speaking Spanish primarily with my house mother, American roommate, Sindhu, and Spanish classes from the university. Sindhu took Spanish in high school and will be a great help. My house mother is required to speak to us only in Spanish. I want to be immersed in the language, so I am really going to try to learn as much as possible.
2.) Travel!!!
Things on the travel bucketlist: *Warning: most of the content below is extremely touristy*
-Spain: Madrid Fashion week, Gaudi, Granada
-France…practice my french, manger les croissantes, the Eiffel Tower, love letter and lock bridge, and potentially fashion week, visiting my friend Fantine who attends the Sorbone, and the Louvre of course! #artjunkie
-Germany…Oktoberfest, visiting my malaysian friend Ameer who is studying in Germany,
-Italy, Morocco, London, Ireland, Greece, Switzerland, and many more…
3.) Make friends from all over.
This one is pretty self explanatory.
Well that’s all I can think of for now, though I am sure the list will expand when I land in Spain.
The possibilities are endless, the world is my oyster!
christiannek 