Reguarding my trip as of now, what do I know? Well, not much really. I do not have a clue where in Spain I will be living. Not a one. The top of September I will fly to New York for an orientation, and the next day to Zürich, Switzerland. That´s right, Switzerland. From there I will switch and fly to Madrid. I´m guessing that´s about 4 hours of extra plane time... probably cheaper or something, oh well. Learning a few German words may help to navigate around the airport...
Since last year I´ve been an AFS volunteer and have worked at many orientations. Being at the arrival orientation was one awesome experience. My family also hosted a student from Italy, and so far that has been the best year of my life. Hosting an student is a difficult experience to explain. Having an older brother was awesome, and the whole year was filled with a kind of spark that we´ve never had before. The students from this year left less than a week ago, and it´s been a rough few days with our newest family member not in the house..Along with my flight schedule, I´ve received a note from AFS saying I will get the chance to communicate with an AFS returnee from Spain. This was VERY helpful news as I am stuck on what to pack. Europe in general dresses up more than us here in the United States. They are more into the fashion, and I have heard packing one pair of shorts is one pair too many. My first thought? I hope it´s not too hot there.. But realistically, I am allowed one suitcase at 44lbs. (Let´s see, the suitcase itself has got to weigh atleast five so now we´re down to like 39...) and one carry on- under 22lbs! So everything I take I must use. I can´t afford to take clothing or something that wastes space and weight...so my packing will be light, as I´ll plan to buy clothes there (too bad Europe is expensive..) My rule of thumb? Take what I need divided in half.
I´m not sure what to expect from Spain. Orientation tells me to expect nothing so I won´t be disappointed. I hardly know anything about the country of Spain itself. Finding information on the internet is very difficult, I mean, after you fight your way through the touristy information every house is different.
When someone finds out I am going abroad for a year, I can never understand their first question of- ¨Why?¨ I am shocked to find the number of people who say they would never leave their small town to travel and experience another culture. Very ignorant, I think. And then theres the others who say- oh, i´d never be able to learn another language. Think!, people! If you were in another country, heard no English for one year, of course you can learn! I think people underestimate themselves, which is unfortunate. And then theres the last group of people who would not leave for one year for social reasons such as school sports or friends. I get the feeling some people think going on an exchange year is having no friends for one year and doing nothing, when quite frankly it is the exact opposite! After returning home from being abroad, your true friends will still be there. And the school sports? Seriously. Is one year of hockey or soccer or football or basketball really going to change your life? And if you get injured? Then what? An exchange year is a way to open up new doors for yourself and change your life forever.
The second most question asked, "are you nervous?" and my auto reponse is no. But, the more I think about it, the more complications and ¨what ifs¨ pop into my head. For example, my host family. In Spain there are different languages or dialects you can say. Not everywhere castillian spanish (what we learn in school here) is dominant. People can understand it, just don´t speak it first. That´s the language I´m learning and hope to become fluent in...learning two languages could become tricky, but, we´ll see how it goes. Thinking too deep into other aspects is distracting too. I could be kept inside a house all year with a 8 oclock curfew, have loud and annoying siblings, no air conditioning, walk an hour to school, have no siblings and be stuck at home alone, live in a rural area with nothing for miles, get injured and not be able to be active, live on rice and bread, BUT! I know AFS only places AFSers in a good home, and change is a good thing. Different doesn´t mean bad, and I am ready to experience different. Because, why not? You only live once, and if you live right, once is enough :)
I hope to keep my blog updated, there probably won´t be much real soon but I´ll write more as time gets closer!
Ciao! -mb
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