Goodbye and Hello

This leads me to the present day, 4 weeks away from boarding a plane to Barcelona, Spain.

Up Until Now

When I was a kid, I stumbled upon an oversaturated Pinterest photo of a mountainous region in who knows where. This is when I decided that I wanted to travel. I remember thinking that I wanted to experience more than the mundanity of my life in Indiana, setting a goal to find ways to do just that. This led me to many adventures and the drive to always do my best.

As it turned out, those goals pushed me to work hard in High School, be awarded a variety of academic scholarships, and pursue a degree in hospitality and tourism management.

During my time in college, I have worked hard to make opportunities for myself. One of those opportunities was to apply to a study abroad semester, which initially seemed hopeless in the face of a pandemic. Eventually, I found an opportunity. 

This leads me to the present day, 4 weeks away from boarding a plane to Barcelona, Spain.

Goodbye

There will be plenty of time to remark on all of the wonderful things I will encounter. For now, I want to take the time to write about the negatives, or rather the things I will miss.

To my family, I always knew this part would be the most difficult. I will miss my nieces’ birthday. I will miss getting together on random weeknights to have pizza and ice cream. I will miss being there to get my nephew off the bus. Lastly, I will miss all of the things that make up my day to day.

I am beyond thankful that I have a support system that has been nothing but excited and joyous about this next step. I will always be grateful for them. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky, as to have and be a part of a family that loves each other so much.

To my school, I did not expect to be so disheartened by leaving. Although saying goodbye to a place is different than saying goodbye to people, there really is no difference when it is the people who make up the place. That is one thing I know to be true about my university, having seen it firsthand for the past 3 and a half years.

I have developed personal relationships with the students in my classes, sought out advice from professors, and found my place within an ecosystem. Although I am beyond excited, I recognize that this trip means saying goodbye.

When I first applied, I knew it meant that it would be my final semester of college. It is melancholic and bittersweet. I am embarking on a life-changing opportunity but giving up everything that I have built in the process. 

Hello

Now that I am finished with the cheesy and emotional sentiments, I want to share things I am excited about. I recognize that this is something that few people have the ability to do. Not only am I doing it for myself, but I am bringing back my experiences to everyone at home.

The first thing I want to do is watch the sunset atop Montjuic. It is a perfect view of the city and a place I had wanted to visit long before applying.

I want to visit La Sagrada Familia and other buildings designed by Gaudí.

Having spent a large amount of my recent time engulfed in the World Cup, I cannot wait to watch an FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou.

As far as things outside the regular tourist lens, I am excited to know what it smells like. I am excited to taste the food and hear the music. I am excited about dependable public transportation. And lastly, I am excited to finish my remaining degree requirements in Spain.

Goodbye Again

Three months is not a large amount of time in the grand scheme of things. It is not forever, and that makes the aforementioned excitements all the sweeter.

Now I only have one thing left to decide: What happens after?  

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