Spain: Madrid day one :)

 Well....

I'm in Spain!!! I haven't been able to travel far seeing how I've only been here for a day, however, Madrid is beautiful. The hotel we are staying in is the cutest thing ever. The Royal Palace is so grand. The only sad part of my life in Madrid? Still feeling like I'm in a dream... lol. I'm here, but it's just soooo much to take in all at once.

The plane:

Thank you. thank you. thank you! so much for your prayers for the plane lol. It was seriously the smoothest plane ride ever. I did find out one thing, however, I cannot sleep on planes... so I did not get the few hours of rest that my fellow study abroaderes had...sigh...36hrs is a very very long time to be awake.

API (the program I came through)...:

...is so great. We have so much freedom but security at the same time. They even gave us all a beautiful dinner for our first night in Spain. I had Paella for the first time and some beef dish. It was delicious, but, oh my goodness, it was SO much FOOD!

Most of my sight seeing yesterday was around the Royal Palace...

It is so so beautiful as you can see...Around the Palace are performers, beautiful gardens, statues. It really is just an experience needed.

Other sights are just fabulous. And all of this in one day! I can't wait for what's in store for the rest of this week :)

Last night....

Yup, that's just about how I feel haha. I can say that I was definitely expecting the nerves and anxiety that a four month trip to a foreign country would bring, but I was honestly not expecting them to be this bad. I've been an emotional roller coaster this past week. I've been super excited some days and other days I've felt like I didn't even want to go anymore.

I've always been independent. I've been able to leave home and go to college a good distance away, pay my own rent, buy my own food,

keep my own job. BUT for some reason, I am completely TERRIFIED. All I've wanted to do is sleep and cry. I finally just became numb emotionally. Oh! and did I mention that EVERYTHING is going wrong?? Haha. So typical...

However, last night at church, I was able to talk with a friend  I hadn't seen in a long while. He was such an encouragement. I've gotten several words of encouragement and advice, but his advice really stuck. What was his advice? MAN UP! Haha! Really though, it was all I needed to hear.

So today is my last day in the states. I leave around noon tomorrow. I'm excited :). Completely unprepared but very exited for what God has in store for me :). Next time I will be writing on this blog I will be enjoying life in Granada, Spain :).

9 DAYS!!!! Ahhhh!!!!

Wow, nine days left! Today was an interesting day. I helped substitute at the school from which I graduated. It's so weird to see all the students that were barely in junior high now way into high school. Definitely makes me feel old, but I'll definitely say I've grown so much since graduating from my small private school. I've been on so many journies like moving 5hrs away to another school, going to an actual university, starting all over there and making new and very interesting and special friends. Now, I'm about to do something I almost thought wouldn't be possible. Spain. Leaving the country. ON MY OWN.

During lunch today I ran into one of my childhood friends. I haven't seen her in years. She was such an inspiration to me when we were in junior high. She was the girl that made being a Christian a cool thing and not a boring thing. Now, I have a lunch date set with her for next week! EXCITED! God had been putting her on my heart so much lately so now was the perfect time to run into her. :)

To top off a very eventful day, tonight, I had a junk food night with my siblings :). Yup, JUNK FOOD NIGHT. McDonalds, cookie ice cream sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, "whoop" cream (as Makayla puts it), and, of course, HOT FRIES! while we all watched the Smurfs. Definitely a cute cute movie. It's good to hang out with them and be able to spoil them. Makes for good memories.

This is basically my last week in the US then off to Spain for four months. It still hasn't really hit me yet. I still have so so much to do this week as far as packing and paperwork and people to see. God continues to show off for me everyday. Everyone is so supportive of me taking this adventure, and that definitely makes things a little easier. Thank you everyone who makes my life a little brighter each day :).

Well, tonight I received  from a good friend the luggage set I will be borrowing for Spain. Yay! It's two weeks before the I fly out of San Antonio and don't return for four months. It's nerve-racking to be sitting here. Just sitting here. Did I mention I'm JUST sitting here??? Let me explain...

When you have to pack for a trip where the "packing motto" is: "Pack the bare minimum for survival. Then cut it in half," you CANNOT pack two weeks in advance because you're most likely using everything you would absolutely need. So... this leaves me sitting here with an empty luggage set and nothing to put in it...yet.

It is all starting to sink in, however. My nerves about flying overseas has started to settle down though I'm almost positive I'll want to die as I'm stepping on the plane. I know the experience is so worthy it :)!

A toast to myself (because everyone needs those kind of toasts every once in a while):
"Here's to buying every last item on my shopping list and printing out every last document and mentally preparing myself for adventure over the next few weeks!"

-Allysse