If I were ever asked to drop everything, hop on a plane, and fly to any destination in the world, I would be Spain-bound in an instant. No questions asked. I don’t know what it is about
Seeing as this will be my first time traveling out of the country, there are many things that I hope to experience on my journey, as well as some things I am apprehensive about. Let’s take the language, for instance. I have always considered Spanish to be one of my strong suits, and I hope that throughout my stay I will become an even stronger Spanish speaker and pick up some Spanish slang along the way (and maybe even that famous Andalusian accent). But at the same time, I can’t help but worry about the language barrier I am sure to encounter. Will I be able to communicate my message fully and effectively? Will I make a fool of myself by using what I mistakenly assumed to be a cognate? (Don’t worry — I already know that “Estoy embarazada” does not in fact mean “I’m embarrassed”, but rather “I’m pregnant”).
Aside from the language aspect, I hope to fully immerse myself in a foreign culture and open my eyes to ways of life I never knew before. I want to dance the Flamenco, feast on tapas, and greet people with a kiss on both cheeks. Again, I have some apprehensions regarding life in a new culture. I worry about the transition I’ll have to make living five thousand miles away from the comfort of my own home for four weeks. I wonder how difficult it will be to assimilate and if there will be sacrifices I’ll have to make in order to fully experience the Spanish culture.
Whatever fears I may have, however, are small and insignificant compared to my sheer excitement about my upcoming adventure. As I said before, going to
