Tomorrow...or should I say mañana?

Well I guess this is the "ceremonial" first blog post, and I am in awe that I leave tomorrow. When I decided to study abroad for my entire junior year so many months ago, I never actually thought the day would come that I would leave. I have counted it down...six months...then four months...100 days...50 days...2 weeks...and now 1 day. There are a lot of emotions running around in my head right now. I'm excited, nervous, anxious, enthused, scared, and thrilled for all the opportunities that await me. The thought of the unknown is scary, but I know that after a while it will not be unknown--it will be comfortable and just the new normal for me. I think I'll give a little run down of what I'm actually doing.

I'm studying for the year in Valencia, Spain. It's the third largest city with a population of 1.5 million in the metropolitan area (MONSTROUS compared to Des Moines and Decorah), and located along the eastern Mediterranean coast. I am studying abroad with the group ISA (International Studies Abroad), and there are 30 students who will be in Valencia this semester, with five students, including myself, studying for the year. I will be taking classes at the University of Valencia with other ISA students. I will be living with a host mother in Valencia. Her name is Amparo, and she works in the hospital in Valencia. I will have a roommate. Her name is Marli; she's from South Dakota and also will be in Valencia for the year. We will be sharing a room at Amparo's flat, which is on the top floor of the building. According to my housing information, the room I'll be staying in overlooks the University's sports complex. My flat is 5 minutes walking distance from the University and also from the ISA office, which will be great! :)

When I leave tomorrow, I fly from Des Moines to Dallas at 1:30, then flying Dallas to Madrid at 5:30pm--arriving in Madrid at 9:55am (2:55am in Iowa). I am lucky to have another ISA student on my flight from Dallas to Madrid. We'll get to have our first trans-Atlantic flights together--plus we can be buddies going through Customs. Once arriving in Madrid, we will meet the ISA group and travel in Madrid and Toledo until Sunday. The thought of being in Spain in less than 48 hours is mind-boggling. I will have many adventures while in Spain, and I am blessed to have this opportunity to study abroad. I was lucky to be able to travel to Luther this past Thursday to say goodbye to friends there. I was able to talk with friends who have studied abroad, which helped give some calm to the roller coaster of feelings I have had. I know that I am not alone in being scared of leaving home. Once I'm there, the thrill of being in another country with a different language and culture will be so exciting. I can't wait! I hope all of you will enjoy reading about my travels during the year. I will be posting pictures along the way--and I'll let you know when I do that. Feel free to email me, facebook me, skype me, or just communicate with me along the way. I'll need a little support and would LOVE to hear from you.
All for now--love you all.
Kels