Part 2: Preparations for my Quest to the Land They Call "España"

I kept getting emails and notifications about what I should be doing to prepare, which classes I would be taking, and things of that nature.

This was actually happening. 

I think this was one of those moments when you fully comprehend the power that being an adult has and how your actions have very real consequences. There's no, "Oh, let me just sign up to travel to Spain and study the spanish language intensively for 2 months," whims. It is very real. And I don't think I realized this fully until the months progressed and deadlines started coming up. 

We had meetings to tell us about what we should bring, what to expect (more or less), and safety precautions to take when traveling abroad. Again, I don't feel as though I was taking this as seriously as I should have been, thinking, "Psh. I've traveled around the world like it was my job. (It was actually my mom's job, I was just lucky enough to tag along sometimes, but anyway...) I got this. I'll be fine." And there was nothing wrong with doing that. Optimism is my go-to. But I was about to be reminded that my previous travels were a bit different than this one. 

You see, I had forgotten that when I had traveled before, I had always had my mom or dad or another adult to guide me and tell me where to go and what to do and keep me on schedule. It's in these moments when travel documents and travel emails and bills are sent to you that you have to again realize, "I am not a child anymore." Of course I couldn't have done this without the help of my parents and advisers at school, offering support and help all along the way, but this time was a little different. Documents were made out in my name. I was responsible for turning things in on time. I had to know which clothes to bring, what I had to do before I left, where I had to go and at what time. Adult things that I was not used to. 

Again, like I said though, I was not alone in this at all. Shout out to my mother dearest, who talked with the travel agent about getting me on the group flight with my other classmates and gave me much more peace of mind when traveling with a group. Life saver. Another shout out to my dearest father, for helping me out with financial information for the trip and making sure I had the best time I could in Europe and not have to worry about money constantly.

Finally, the day arrived. The day that had been circled on my calendar for the past 3 months. 

May 18th, 2015