"With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you're that kind of a guy! Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!" - Oh The Places You'll Go, Dr. Seuss
Never one for relying on myself to keep a journal, I decided to start my blog as a way to keep note of my excursions this summer, particularly as I study abroad during the next month. I won't pretend that I'm not usually a boring person. But, if during this summer you find yourself sick of staring at the television, searching for a way to procrastinate going to the gym, or just plain curious about what may be happening on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, I would love for you to follow along :D
As I sit here writing this, I officially have two days until my departure for what is surely to be one of the scariest and most exciting adventures I will take in life. One week ago I just officially ended my second year at the University of Virginia, and this summer I will be studying abroad in Valencia, Spain. No, I'm not a Spanish major, but I have been lucky enough to keep up with my Spanish throughout college. Last semester, as part of an initiative to encourage Spanish-speaking in the UVA hospital, I was able to Skype with a Spanish tutor, Mónica, who lives in Guatemala. I learned so much from simply being able to converse with her, and the experience really turned me towards continuing with my Spanish so that hopefully one day I can speak it with my patients!
As luck would have it, the UVA in Valencia program actually offers a course called Spanish for Medical Professionals, and I'm signed up for it! (I hope). I'm so excited to not only be taking this course, but to be immersed in a completely different culture! The program involves homestay living, so I'll be staying with my Spanish "mom" Adela, and my housemate Emily...I can't wait to meet them!
Am I ready? I would like to think so, but as I look around at my messy room I see a packed duffel of unsorted clothes I brought home last week from school and an unpacked suitcase that I need to stuff and prepare for my flight on Monday. I'm worried that my Spanish is rusty and that I haven't prepared for the month-long goodbyes I will be saying. I have doubts that I'm ready. I guess that in any big step you always have these thoughts creeping in the forgotten corners of your mind, but I'm doing my best to focus on the bigger picture: the amazing opportunity I have ahead of me.
As I've prepared for May 23rd, I've also started thinking a lot about May 22nd. My sister Emily will be graduating this Sunday, and I couldn't be more proud of her. It was such a blessing to share the Grounds with her during the first half of my college career, and while I'm so excited to see the places she'll go, I will miss her like a phantom limb. I wish her the best of luck as she prepares for her internship at Dolphin Plus, pursuing her dream of becoming a marine mammal trainer and educating the world about the beauty and importance of dolphins in the marine ecosystem.
I've been listening to a lot of Jack's Mannequin lately (in preparation for this summer's concert tour! But more on that later...), and I've found a new special connection to their first album, Everything in Transit. While I'm sure the nerves will kick in as I double-check for my passport on Monday, I'm hoping that I'll simply blast that album again and be able to sing, I'm Ready.
Kiiiiim. Kim?
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