VOY A ESPANA!!!

It's almostttt here!  I will be flying out tomorrow afternoon at 2pm to begin my journey to Spain!!  I can't believe how rapidly the date of the trip has gotten here, but it's almost time to leave.  I have just gone through my suitcase for the 4th or 5th time to ensure that I have gotten it down to the correct weight (with a little wiggle room of course!) and to make sure I did not forget to pack anything important.  Mom keeps asking me about stuff to make sure that I have it packed, but like I keep telling her, there's not anything that I absolutely cannot live without.  

But it's getting kind of late, so I'm about to pack up my laptop and head to bed so I can be up bright and early and ready to leave on time!  The next time I'll write, I'll be in Spain!!! :D :D :D

5 DAYS!

I am officially 5 days away from leaving!  Mom came to stay with me in Chapel Hill last night to help me finish packing and what-not.  We've got to empty out the fridge, freezer, and pantry in a little while.  We did have a chance to run a few errands and get some last minute items for my trip earlier today.  I saw that the carry-on size for the flight was larger than I initially though so we went to find a suitcase that was as close to that size as possible without going over in order to maximize my luggage space.  We actually found one almost the exact dimensions as the maximum size (just slightly under them) at TJ Maxx for only $20.  I also got a small laptop bag/briefcase since the additional carry-on that we are allowed is either a purse or a small briefcase.  I'm going to fit a small purse inside the laptop bag/briefcase so I can bring both.  :)  We also got a money belt, a couple of bright luggage tags, cold meds/headache meds, a small travel blanket, and a small purse.  

So now that I have everything that I need I have to actually pack it all.  YIKES!  Like I said, we started last night, but I have wayyyyy too many clothes so I'm definitely going to have to go through and take some of them out.  I'm pretty sure my suitcase weighs approximately 800 tons at the moment---and the maximum weight for luggage is 50 lbs (well, for free that is).  Therefore, I'll definitely have to lose some stuff.  I just figured that once I packed it all I could look and see what I really had to have and what I could do without.  I would rather buy stuff there than have a ton of clothes and no room to bring anything back.  

But now that the trip is rapidly approaching I definitely am a big mess of nerves.  I'm really nervous about the flight and going through customs and all of that.  But I'm also extremely nervous/anxious about classes over there.  I have talked to students who have been to Sevilla in the past so I kind of know what to expect, but at the same time I only know second-hand information.  

Above all I am just extremely excited about this opportunity!  I absolutely cannot wait to begin my journey!

ONE WEEK

I can't believe that I'm only one week away from leaving for Spain.  We fly out of RDU next Tuesday!  I am soooooo extremely excited, anxious, nervous, and - quite frankly - overwhelmed.  Not only is this my next to last semester as a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student, but also I am in the middle of applying to law schools.  I knew when I decided to go abroad that I would be applying to law schools abroad, but I don't think I really took into account how much applying to law schools really involved.  Luckily I have found professors who are willing and able to work with me on getting my letters of recommendations done a little early since I won't be in the country.  I have spent the last several days getting the materials together for them to write the recommendations as well as working on getting everything together to apply to law schools (applications not so conveniently open on September 1st - the day I arrive in Sevilla).  But at least I feel that I am so what "on-the-ball" with applying and a little ahead of the game since I have already taken the LSAT and gotten the process of letters of recommendations started.

Now my packing experience so far is a WHOLE other story.  I can't even begin to imagine how to pack for 4 months away from home - not even away from home, but with a whole OCEAN between me and home.  I don't think that I'm all too scared/worried about forgetting something that I desperately need (I mean really, what could I need so horribly that I can't get in Spain?).  I think I'm more nervous about overpacking, not having room to bring back all the cool stuff I'll buy over there, and not being able to pick up the phone and say "hey mom, can you run to Chapel Hill and bring me....?" 

But, I am SUPER excited that it's finally here and that I finally get to go.  It seems like such a surreal experience.  Yes, I'll definitely miss family and friends back home (and wonderful UNC of course), but it really is the opportunity of a lifetime.  :)

29 days away!

When I started thinking about studying abroad in October of 2009, I don't think I had any idea what I was getting into.  I had never really considered it until my parents suggested that I do it instead of graduating a semester early (so I could graduate with my friends on time).  But once they planted the thought in my head, I couldn't have been more excited.  I quickly researched study abroad options at UNC.  I knew that I wanted to go to a Spanish speaking country since Spanish is my primary major.  After speaking to several classmates and friends at UNC, I decided to look into the program in Sevilla.  It's location in Spain and the rich culture and history of Spain (and Europe in general) lead me to apply for the program.  After getting accepted, one of the first things I did was to plan a dinner get-together for the UNC students traveling to Sevilla with me.  We got together for dinner and I think more than focusing on the food, we spent a few hours just talking about and planning our trip.  We attended a pre-departure meeting about a week later and then all went our separate ways for the summer.  But now here we are here approximately one month before flying to Sevilla to spend the next four months...and it's all starting to seem a bit overwhelming.


I've been working on my packing list (which has proven to be an almost insurmountable task).  I can't even begin to imagine everything that I should bring and things that would be better off left at home.  I have a piece of paper laying on my desk that has been written on, crossed out, marked over, etc. so many times that it'll be a miracle if I can figure out what I should pack at all.


But the closer I get to leaving (29 days!!!), the more anxious I become.  I feel like I'm finally starting to realize that this is really happening.  I am so blessed to be afforded this opportunity to go and can't want to start the adventure!