almost there

well, it's january 2nd. which means that it's officially 2011. which means that i'm 21 tomorrow. which means that i have one week left in the states. which means i need to pack.

ugh.

i'm the type of person that always likes to be well-prepared for an adventure. and this is going to be quite the adventure. 5 months. out of one suitcase. that has to weigh less than 50 pounds. and meet airplane regulations.

ugh.

since i don't want to have any issues with my baggage, i have a feeling that i'm going to be under-packed. which is okay, i guess. it just means that i'll have to be making some purchases once i get to españa :) shucks, right?

i did some research this morning, and i think i've found a church that i'm going to be going to (at least initially--maybe i'll pick a different one later) while i'm abroad. it's called the community church of madrid, and it's for the english speaking community in madrid. i'm not exactly sure why i want to go to services in english, but it might be a little touch of home for the next 5 months. it's across the city, so i'll be taking the metro at first, but once i get a bit more comfortable i could walk!

also, i don't know if i mentioned this in a previous blog, but i've got a roommate! i'm looking forward to that; it'll be nice to have someone else to adventure with :)

this is a really random post, but i don't have a whole lot else to say. sorry for the briefness of it, but i feel like i should get back to the task at hand.

packing.

ugh.

also, i've decided to start all of you on a spanish lesson!

so, the word of the day is: viaje (pronounced vee-ah-hay) which means "trip"

i doubt you'll be able to use this in conversation any time soon, but maybe eventually--after 5 months of my lessons! ;)

still burning toast?

little known fact about me: i don't get homesick. ever.

example numero uno--my senior year of high school i went to guatemala with a group from my church for 10 days, and didn't once email the parents...not even to let them know that i had arrived safely. the funny part is that i made sure that one of my friends emailed his family right away. slightly ironic.

example numero dos--last january i went to greece to study ancient greek theater through luther. i was gone for 25 days. i emailed the family twice. once when i got there. and once when there was a bomb threat on parliament in athens just to let them know that i was alive.

i'm such a considerate daughter, no? thankfully, the parents have known this about me since i was about six. apparently i made a list of all of the places that i wanted to travel in my lifetime, and i think the number was up to at least 20. pretty intense for someone who doesn't know to make toast without burning it. needless to say, mother and father resigned themselves to the fact that once i went off to college, they probably wouldn't be seeing a whole lot of me.

this time, though, i'll be peoplesick. yes, i made up that word, but it gets across the point that i want to make. and actually, it'll probably mostly be personsick.

now don't get me wrong, there are lots of people that i will be missing when i'm abroad, no doubt about that. but i know that i will specifically miss the boy most of all. i'm sorry mother/father/brother braden--i promise that i love you toooo :) it's just that it seems like i've spent the majority of my fall semester with the boy (when i'm not going to classes, obviously) and it's been incredible. the boy and i met 2 summers ago working at sugar creek bible camp, and started dating this past summer. i don't know what words to use to describe our relationship besides amazing, loving, and God-centered. and according to weaver, "the two of you together are obnoxious, plain and simple. but not a bad obnoxious. i just can't believe some of the random conversations that you have. i can't even get a word in! your brains are...i just don't know". i don't think real adjectives really do it justice. which is fine, because you probably have had enough of me talking about it. so, i'll spare you from any more of my sappy feelings. for now anyway ;)

this personsick revelation hit me last night as i was trying to fall asleep in my dorm room for the last time until i come back to luther as a senior. it made me feel old. i'm almost 21, but i sort of still feel like that incompetent 6 year old trying to make toast. i don't yet know what i want to do with my life, which is slightly nerve-wracking. BUT i know that God has a plan and i will eventually find out what that is. i've just got to trust that things will turn out according to His will. prayers would be greatly appreciated!

and as i prepare to leave luther until next august,

i hope that you all have a very merry and blessed christmas and spend time with those who are truly important to you.

one month!

hey all!

i figure that i might as well get in the habit of this whole blog thing, since i'm sure everyone will be dying to know about my life in spain once january rolls around ;)

kidding!

but in all reality, it's coming up sooner than i expected that it would. it's actually time to start preparing, which is crazy! i'm definitely ready for classes at luther to wrap up, but i'm not sure how ready i really am to leave the country. i haven't quite thought about the logistics of packing for 5 months, and if it ever comes to my mind, all i do is groan!

i just got the information about my host family last night. they're a family of 6, with one of the daughters being a year younger than me! also, this is amazing, my spanish parents OWN a theater school! ridiculously amazing? i think so! apparently the house is "big and luminous, and the student's [that's me :) ] room is quite large". needless to say, i'm already feeling spoiled.

as much as i've been looking forward to being away for 5 months, there are definitely some hesitations. it's going to be much harder to leave everyone than i had originally thought. things will go on here without me, and i'll be learning new things and experiencing new things across the ocean. everything will change--which is not necessarily a bad thing!

i've got to get to class now, but i wanted to get this blog underway!

i'll keep you all posted for updates :)

¡que tengan un día magnífico!