Hello friends! So so thrilled to announce that I have been accepted into the Seville semester abroad program in Spain! I will be there from January to May of 2017! This opportunity scares and excites me, but I know that this is what I need to really become fluent in Spanish and learn about the beautiful hispanic culture.

Things I am PUMPED about: 

-All of the sights, foods, people, photo ops, little shops, bakeries, and restaurants that will turn into weekly stops,  music, dancing, and conversations that I will experience!

-Getting to skip Indiana winter!!

-Meeting my host family!

-Attending not one, but TWO different universities while I am there:

• University of Seville
• University Pablo de Olavide

-Taking weekend trips to other new places!

-Semana Santa and Feria de Abril festivals 🙂

-SO MUCH MORE.

Things that make me nervous:

-My safety when I travel within the country.

-Getting lost.

-Meeting my host family. (It’s a two-way street just because I don’t know how we will get along.)

-Being homesick/experiencing culture shock for too long.

-The professors talking too quickly for me to process and understand what they are asking of me.

Things I know I will need to adjust to:

-Speaking in Spanish 24/7.

-Dinner time. I have heard from many people that I will eat dinner around 9:30 or 10 at night, and considering I normally have dinner around 5:30, that will be a big adjustment.

-Not having a gym, where I can work out whenever I want.

-Not being able to drive home and see my family if I’m feeling homesick.

Things I will miss…like a lot:

-My family.

-Roomies.

-Teaching my aerobics classes at the student gym.

-Sushi Tuesday’s with friends.

-Going to Easter mass and parties with my family.

-The annual Egenolf family ski trip to Michigan.

-Seeing both of my brothers at prom next spring.

-Spring Break in Florida with my family.

My expectations:

-I will miss home a lot, but hope to start feeling comfortable with my surroundings after the first 2-3 weeks.

-I need to push myself to practice my Spanish everyday and not only stick with the other American students in my program.

-I will love seeing a new country and culture.

-I will develop a newfound sense of independence.

-I will be sad when I have to leave Spain to come back home.

-However, I will burst into tears of joy when I see my friends and family at the airport when I come back home in May 🙂

 

I’ll keep you posted!

XOXO,

Miranda

 

 

 

Cover photo credit: http://flamencocalgary.com/spain-cultural-tour-and-flamenco-join-us-in-seville/