In less than a month I will be boarding a plane to start my journey to Argentina, by myself. On July 10 I will say good-bye to United States and Hola Argentina! My stomach turns to knots and my brain dazes off into a dream when I realize the journey is sneaking up.
To start, I'll admit it: I'm nervous! I have never traveled outside the United States without my family. Not only am I lacking my family, but I do not know any of the other students partaking in the program. I am eager to make new friends, but I'd be lying if I said I was 100% comfortable traveling "alone." Once I make it to Argentina, this experience will truly test my level of Spanish. I have been taking Spanish classes since freshmen year of high school. I speak Spanish at work, I have traveled to Costa Rica for vacation and I have taken two years of college level Spanish; however, I have never been forced to use only Spanish on a day-to-day level. I can't help but panic that maybe Argentinians have a incomprehensible accent, use different slang, or won't understand me. These fears are the causes of my stomach knots.
On the other hand when anyone (myself included) mentions Argentina, my eyes light up and my mouth just starts gabbing about how excited I am. Because let's face it: it's flipping awesome! This is an opportunity of a life time to study abroad during my undergraduate career. Ever since I was a child, I have loved to travel. I have yet to travel to South America - I am so thrilled for the new experience. I want to see the new terrain, make an adventure through an unknown city and be immersed into a culture different than my own. Despite my nerves of speaking my second language, I want to use this opportunity to become fluent. That is my top goal while I am in Argentina: to become fluent in Spanish.
Yes, nerves exist. Yes, I am nervous. But no, my nerves will not stop me. The closer July 10 gets, the more I can't wait to pack my suitcase and head to airport!
To start, I'll admit it: I'm nervous! I have never traveled outside the United States without my family. Not only am I lacking my family, but I do not know any of the other students partaking in the program. I am eager to make new friends, but I'd be lying if I said I was 100% comfortable traveling "alone." Once I make it to Argentina, this experience will truly test my level of Spanish. I have been taking Spanish classes since freshmen year of high school. I speak Spanish at work, I have traveled to Costa Rica for vacation and I have taken two years of college level Spanish; however, I have never been forced to use only Spanish on a day-to-day level. I can't help but panic that maybe Argentinians have a incomprehensible accent, use different slang, or won't understand me. These fears are the causes of my stomach knots.
On the other hand when anyone (myself included) mentions Argentina, my eyes light up and my mouth just starts gabbing about how excited I am. Because let's face it: it's flipping awesome! This is an opportunity of a life time to study abroad during my undergraduate career. Ever since I was a child, I have loved to travel. I have yet to travel to South America - I am so thrilled for the new experience. I want to see the new terrain, make an adventure through an unknown city and be immersed into a culture different than my own. Despite my nerves of speaking my second language, I want to use this opportunity to become fluent. That is my top goal while I am in Argentina: to become fluent in Spanish.
Yes, nerves exist. Yes, I am nervous. But no, my nerves will not stop me. The closer July 10 gets, the more I can't wait to pack my suitcase and head to airport!