“Are you excited for your trip?”, I was asked this question by many friends, acquaintances and random people who knew about my travels. My usual answer was “Yeah, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see what lies ahead on my journey” until this last week. Now I have mixed feelings. On one hand there is all this excitement to see places all across Europe, on the other hand I’ll be missing all of my friends who I have made most of my memories with since I started college.

When I leave home to go back to Portland for school, I usually feel some type of homesickness within the first week. I assume this is because I get nervous about being alone, and honestly, becoming/being an adult is a little scary to me. At home, I still see myself as a young adult: not quite an adult, but enough of one to have various responsibilities, since my parents and the rest of my family is there. But at school, I'm the adult.

Bonjour!

I left off my last entry getting out of the airport. Here's how it went down.

          Not even two weeks into this adventure and I already love Ireland more than I could have imagined. Everywhere I go gives me something new to love about this place. The food is amazing (I’ve grown a bit of a bread obsession), the history is fascinating, and the culture is one of a kind. As hard as it is to pick one favorite part about this place, I may have to say it is how slow-paced everything is. I learned that when I go to a pub for dinner I usually have to walk up to someone at the bar and ask for a menu.

This week I’ve probably introduced myself over a few dozen times. “Hello,” I keep saying, “I’m Kaylie. It’s nice to meet you.” 

I’ve gotten into the habit of googling the same things over and over again.

“What’s the weather today in Amsterdam?”

“What’s the time difference between California and Amsterdam?”

“What are the best restaurants near Uilenstede?”

“How much does it cost to rent a bike for 4 months in the Netherlands?”

I brainstormed long and hard about what to say and how to say it in this blog post; my first since arriving in Milan a week ago! How do I capture everything I’ve experienced so far here for someone reading, someone who is perhaps contemplating their future study abroad adventure here? In the end, I decided to keep it straightforward and, most importantly, completely honest.

I’ve been in Madrid for just about a week now and, while I’ll openly admit I’ve been struggling to adjust fully to the schedule and lifestyle pace, I’ve been settling in nicely. My week started out with a night with all of the IES Abroad Madrid Spring 2016 students in a hotel near the Argüelles metro stop. On our arrival day, we had a number of meetings, including a meeting all about safety in which we saw some fascinating examples of different pickpocketing methods.

After two sleepless flights and a three hour bus ride, I finally arrived in Mariazell, Austria, joining the rest of the 170 or so students of the program. Dinner was shortly followed by presentations, a bit difficult to follow thanks to the lack of ZZZs. Despite the disorientation, everyone was friendly, the staff was organized and so welcoming they truly made us excited for all to come.

I’m sitting at my computer the day before I leave Ohio with two empty suitcases beside me.  You could say I’m a procrastinator.  Preparation has never been my strong point, and even now I find myself surrounded by a familiar calm despite having less than 24 hours to pack up my life for the next four months.  I’m working under the semi-dangerous assumption that someway, somehow I’m going to end up in Salamanca two days from now.  I picture myself arriving at my host family’s house, giving hugs and apologies for my Spanish.  I