Juliettiful

Today I am sharing some exciting travel news – I will be spending my fall semester abroad in Spain! This decision was one that I’ve been contemplating for over a year now… if you know me in real life you know how indecisive I am. I try on about 4 outfits before deciding what to wear, I make pro/con lists about EVERYTHING… but with my senior year of college approaching and I had a total “Oh shit” moment.I realized if I wanted to study abroad it would have to be ASAP. I have a year left of college and may not have the opportunity to live in another country ever again. I always knew if I were to study abroad, I would want to go to Spain. Ever since I was in preschool, I have been infatuated by the Spanish language. In my preschool yearbook, we had our quotes/catch phrases listed under our photos. I always laugh looking at mine – apparently I always used to write my name “in Spanish” (which I guess was just Julieta? don’t remember!). I studied Spanish language and culture for 7 years – it is my true passion although I haven’t been able to take any classes in college. I will be in a hispanic studies program over in Spain, so I will get plenty of practice with the language and culture!
My biggest internal dilemma was deciding between spending a few weeks during the summer in Spain, or going for the full fall semester. I originally thought I wanted to go for a short period of time. With this option, I would spend 4 weeks in Spain with a friend from college! It was a safe and comfortable option. Spending over a month in a foreign country is SO out of my comfort zone. However, a full semester would allow me to fully immerse myself in the culture and even travel to other countries during my time overseas. I had a deadline to make my decision by, and for WEEKS the decision consumed my mind. Literally all I thought about. I reached out to literally every single person I know who went abroad. I spent hours talking to my boyfriend, my family, and friends who are currently abroad. The conversations I had with my friends who have studied abroad are the ones that really inspired me to go for the full semester. I also did a ton of research on different cities and regions, and I found a small city that was absolutely breathtaking and I immediately fell in love. I also met a friend online, who is currently at the same school I will be at. Talking with her and seeing her photos gave me BUTTERFLIES. Of course I was still nervous, but seeing how stunning this country is really made me want to spend more time there, and have it become my second home. There are so many things to see and do, so many places to travel around Europe, and so much personal growth potential. My boyfriend was also very supportive and encouraged me to “send it”, so I filled out my application over a few days, submitted it, and heard back within a week.
Now that I have my flight booked and it’s really official, my nerves have gone down a LOT. I’d say I’m 98% excited, 2% nervous. I’m mainly freaking out about what clothes I am going to bring and how I will fit everything in 2 suitcases. Also – can we just talk about how POPPIN’ my Instagram is going to be? Hahahah. I am already looking at weekend trips to Italy, Portugal, Amsterdam… I cannot wait and quite frankly I wish I were going sooner! I just want to say that I know that I will get homesick. I know that I will struggle, and it won’t always be rainbows and sunshine. To be honest, I am looking forward to the not-so-pretty parts too. My new year’s resolution for 2019 was to do more things outside of my comfort zone – and this is probably the biggest one so far. I am looking forward to learning in another country and seeing Europe for the first time. I’m looking forward to meeting lifelong friends, drinking Sangria, and experiencing the culture. You can expect to see lots of flamenco dancing, tapas, and beautiful art and architecture allll over my Instagram later this year!

The holidays are right around the corner – don’t scramble for a last minute outfit! View Post