Travel Fever!

I've been reading this collection of non fiction about living abroad and it's making me ache with the desire to travel! Lucky for me, in 2 weeks I'll be in Spain. I know 2 weeks isn't long to wait out, but I'm hoping it goes by fast. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm so happy I'm not spending the entire summer in Maryland or Virginia. I'm really looking forward to this Spain experience as a chance to get away and see life from a fresh view point.

I know it's going to be so different from last fall when I was there. Back then I was surrounded by students and a staff that could answer any questions I had. There was structure--classes and organized trips. I know that I'm idealizing this summer a little bit, but I can't help it. I am WELL aware of the fact that it's going to be hard work caring for Alicia and Andrea, but I also know that I'll have free time to enjoy long walks, exploration, runs on the beaches, sunrises, and maybe the cultivation of new Spanish friendships. I think this time around instead of being crazy and trying to live it up every moment of my life, I'm going to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures. Of course I still want to visit my friends in Valencia and elsewhere, but I'm really trying to make the most of this experience. I hope my Spanish will flourish and that I really bond with my family. They sound incredible and I can't wait to get to know them.

I'm not really nervous about leaving for Spain. I have to admit it's a little intimidating... getting a plane by myself, being picked up by a family I've never met before, and living in a village rather than a big city. But really the thing I'm most nervous for is just what my family will think of me. I just want them to like me!

I'm going to miss so many people in the United States while I'm gone, but I also think that it's going to be a breath of fresh air to leave. Stepping onto that plane will bring me the sense of liberation that I've been longing for.

If you've made it this far in this blog entry, congrats. Haha. I just felt like I wanted to write about going to Spain because today I haven't been able to stop thinking about it (thanks for that one, travel non-fiction book). In exactly two weeks from today, I will be getting settled in my Spanish house in Pobla de Farnals, probably trying to fight off intense jet lag... bring it on!

It occurred to me that maybe most people don't know where Valencia is on a map of Spain, so I am now going to provide this knowledge! On the far right side, in the middle of the country is Valencia and Pobla de Farnals is just to the north of it (like a 10 minute car ride). I labeled this area with a black dot and "my summer home." This picture truly highlights my extensive abilities with editing pictures on a computer...HA. I had really ambitious goals of pasting my face right above Valencia, but when I discovered that was beyond my skills, I settled for the black dot. Ok. Now I'm done.