¡Adiós!

"Am I 'under-freaking-out'?" I asked my mom yesterday as we were doing some last minute shopping.  "That's for sure!" she replied.  I have been gearing up for this trip for months, but it has yet to seem real.  Well, today's the day I leave for Spain for six months.  I head to the airport in little under an hour.  It feels weird to start a blog with goodbye, but I suppose that's how this journey begins.  I have three flights, a bus trip, and a taxi ride ahead of me within the next 24 hours.  I am a little nervous about the plunge into Spanish as I have had an extra-long break to forget everything I have learned! I have been taking Spanish for several years but never before been to a Spanish-speaking country.  It will be quite the adventure; I'm sure. 



A sweet going-away poster my family made me. 
An effort spear-headed by my 10-year-old sister. 
I will miss you guys, too!!



It was hard saying all my farewells, but hopefully it will be easy enough to keep in contact with everyone over the internet: e-mail, Facebook, Skype, Google chat (take your pick).  I do not know the specifics of my living arrangement over there except that it will be an apartment shared with other international students.  I am hoping there's a connection.  (I may be a little lost without it!)  Also, another predicament with leaving for such a long period of time was figuring out how much to pack.  I have an internal frame backpack, a carry-on rolling suitcase, and my pink school backpack.  They are all stuffed to capacity.  I hope that they all clear American Airlines' requirements for height and weight.  It will be an interesting game of "what-can-we-leave-in-Raleigh" if they don't.