Today, I turn 20 years old. Tomorrow, I embark on a 3.5 month long adventure in Spain. And at the moment, I'm just trying to let the full reality of what I'm about to experience sink in.
Seeing as this is my first blog post and I haven't even left yet, I figure I will give a rundown of what I am actually doing this semester for all the devoted readers that I'm sure I have ;). The program is based out of the Fundación Jose Ortega y Gasset, which has a partnership with the University of Minnesota. I am staying at a building called the San Juan de la Penitencia, which is a renovated 16th century convent in the heart of Toledo. Toledo is about 45 miles southwest of Madrid, and is Spain’s former capital. It’s a very historic city with “old” and “new” sections, and it was declared a UN World Heritage Site in 1986. I’m sure I will be able to elaborate much more on the city of Toledo after I see it with my own eyes!
I will be taking five Spanish classes while I am there, and they will be a combination of language/grammar, literature, culture, and service-learning classes. When I arrive in Toledo, I will have to take a placement test to make sure I will be able to handle the classes I signed up for. I’m a bit nervous about that, but I have the whole plane ride to review right? ;) My plane gets into Madrid at 10:15am, which is 3:15am Minnesota time, so hopefully they will let us rest a little when we get there…lol.
Right now I am about 50% excited, 40% nervous, and 10% just plain scared haha. I still can’t really fathom that I get to spend the first 15 weeks of my third decade of life abroad in Spain! It will be the longest amount of time I have spent away from home/family/friends, but I feel I am ready to explore on my own. I will miss everyone a lot though! My building will have wireless internet, so I will be able to email, skype, be on facebook, and of course, update this blog! You can click “Follow” to keep up with my blog if you’d like, or just check back now and then.
Alas, my half-empty suitcase is calling my name…I will try to write again a few days after I reach. Wish me luck!
Besos,
Angie
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A Semester in Spain
I'm Angie, a sophomore at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities studying Physiology and Spanish. I'm spending Spring 2010 studying abroad in Toledo, Spain...my first big adventure on my own. If you want to keep up with me, I'll be posting about my thoughts and experiences throughout my whole trip! Adios Minnesota :)
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