If It Scares You, It Might Be a Good Thing To Try.

            Today marks the end of my first semester in Spain. It’s hard to believe that I’ve made it through maybe the most difficult semester of my life. From the beginning, I was scared to be away from home for so long, I was sad to miss my first Christmas with my family, I was missing a big leadership opportunity in my sorority, and my Grandfather’s health worried me. Life in Sevilla has not been a walk in the park; it has been a semester of growth, hardships and loneliness. My Spanish has improved, my emotional self has matured and I have faced new obstacles and have come out on the other side stronger than before. And while the rest of my program heads back to the States with heavy hearts to leave this beautiful city, I am embarking on a new, exciting and challenging chapter in my life. I don’t get to spend the holidays with my family, but I get to spend it in a beautiful country with wonderful company in Northern Spain.

            After the holidays, I will be leaving Spain for Eastern Europe to see, experience and be challenged in a completely different way than ever before. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous and anxious about my coming travels. The thought of this trip is overwhelming, I’ve never been to these countries before, I don’t speak the language and I have no permanent traveling buddy. It is a trip that doesn’t happens more than once in a lifetime, and that may be the scariest thing of it all. These final days of the semester have been stressful booking tickets, hotels and trying to learn the basics of a language that doesn’t make sense.

             I am blessed with amazing parents who remind me on a daily basis that I can do it and that it will be so worth it in the end. It won’t be easy and smooth at every moment, I’m sure to get lost, lose track of time and maybe miss a bus, but it’s in those moments of struggle that we grow and learn and become better for it no matter how rough the ride. I’m looking forward to witnessing places I’ve only read about in history textbooks, experiencing countries from my heritage, and being pushed beyond what I thought were my limits. I know that after this trip, I will be so happy to have accomplished it all by myself and so thankful for the opportunity to have had such an amazing experience.

            I’ll try and update this blog during my trip, but because I won’t be bringing my laptop, unfortunately it won’t be as frequent as wanted. I’m not comfortable posting where exactly I’ll be on the Internet. But if you are interested, please message my parents or myself on Facebook or shoot us an email and we’ll be glad to let you know where I am and where I’m headed. I return to Sevilla February 1^st.

I can’t thank everyone enough who has supported me thus far in this chapter in my life. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the love and words of encouragement from all of you.

Here’s to new experiences, new places and the adventure of a lifetime. I can’t wait to share it all with you.

All my love to you and yours, Happy Holidays and Happy New Years.

XOXO