The Backstory

Howdy hey! , I’m just your typical college student who’s choosing to leave behind friends, family, and familiarity to live in Madrid, Spain for a semester. While I’ve known I’ve wanted to go abroad for a couple years, only in the past few months have I made this dream a reality. I filled out the apps (bleh) and applied for scholarships (double bleh). I got my visa. I got a really large suitcase. I had meeting after meeting with my advisors to make sure that I’ll receive class credit, that I’ll have a place to live, that I won’t get robbed by gypsies.

Don’t be fooled though- I’m no where near prepared. Besides the fact that I don’t speak all that much Spanish (6 years of language-learning still haven’t left me confident), I won’t know ANYONE once I’m there. I’m not doing one of those fancy, affiliated programs with a bunch of other American-students; once the plane sets off I’m on my own.

Yes, it’s terrifying. Yes, it’s absolutely sucked saying goodbye to everyone in my life. Yet at the same time, Spain excites me more than anything in my life ever has. I cannot wait to be surrounded by history and art, to be constantly challenged, to be so completely independent. I cannot wait to have only God as a companion and the chance to admire His work and His beauty. I cannot wait until January 19th, when I fly from DFW International Airport to El Aeropuerto de Madrid.

So I invite you, whomever you may be, to buckle up and come with me. In creating this blog, I simply want to share my stories and misadventures, as well as to document the Spanish culture. Maybe it’ll be interesting, maybe it won’t be (I can almost guarantee that the next two weeks, before I actually get to Madrid, definitely WON’T be). But it’ll be my life.