Sitting here in the Pittsburgh airport, laptop open, headphones in, I cannot believe that I am about to spend the next four months of my life in SPAIN. Is this real life? I have been looking forward to this trip for so long now that the dominant emotion that I am experiencing right now is pure excitement. I could not be more prepared to start this adventure. Beneath the excitement is a little anxiety. What will the people be like? What will the food taste like? Will my host family like me? Will I experience culture shock? Will I get to use spanish everyday? Where will I travel on my own? Also, I know that I overpacked; getting home might be an issue! However, I am going into this experience with a "go with it" attitude. I do not wish to rush things or plan everyday experiences. Instead, I tend to take full advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. This may be difficult seeing as I will have to fight my instinct to put school first. Yet, with the understanding that studying abroad is a once in a life time opportunity, I believe that I will make the most of it and enjoy it while I can. Besides, I have worked my butt off thus far the past year and a half to ensure that this (and pharmacy school, I hope) works out-- it's time to sit back and enjoy the path that I have chosen for myself.
Now I am putting my life in Pittsburgh on hold in order to start a new chapter. I know that life will continue at home and that I will keep in touch with family and close friends, but my focus is set on this new and exciting journey that I am about to begin. My best friend Kelsey told me to see this as a clean slate-- I can be and do just about anything that I want these next few months. While I do not intend to plan my trip down to the last detail, I do have a few goals in mind. For example, I would like to become fluent in spanish and get into pharmacy school. And if pharmacy school doesn't work out, I would like to discover my true path. Also, I would like to return as a more confident, stress-free, selfless person with a "live in the moment" attitude. Finally, I would like to apply one of my favorite sayings to this experience: "Don't pursue happiness-- create it."
I will do my best to update this regularly, but we'll see; I'll just "go with it" and see what happens...
