The famous Esplanda de España... 6.5 million pieces of marble make up this beautiful landmark in the city. Lined with palm trees, it is famous throughout Spain.
So, tomorrow I go to book my plane ticket. I really am in complete shock because this is IT! Once I book that ticket, there is no turning back... I will be officially (almost) on my way to Alicante!!!
This has really been kind of a whirlwind to be honest... I decided to go Sophomore year and after looking into places that spoke Spanish, I picked up a guide book to Spain. Good place to start, right? Well after thumbing through the pages, I stopped at a place called Alicante. It had all the amenities: situated right on the coast, check; white sandy beaches and clear blue water with lots and lots of palm trees, check; beautiful and historic buildings, check; everything seemed to be in order. Also, there was a university located in the city, so I could study there as well as lap up the gorgeous scenery.
So it was decided: I was going to Alicante! After the appropriate meetings (in which the resident Off Campus Study advisor told me Alicante was an excellent choice!) and filling out the appropriate paperwork, all that was left to do was convince my skeptical familia... probably the hardest task of all! Dad and sis weren't too hard, but Grammy remembered it from the War as being dirty with rude people, and my mom didn't want to let me go. However, after PLENTY of discussion and PROMISING that things would work out, I smoothed things over.
So I applied; I got accepted; and now its down to the wire: I leave January 14th! It seems far off, I know. However, when you consider all that I have left to do before I take off (including packing, packing, finals at Denison, packing, re-packing, you get the drift...), the list is quite daunting! Also, I feel like I should brush up on my Spanish skills. I mean, 6 months should cover me pretty well. But getting there and surviving for the first few weeks will be the hardest part! And I only have about a month and half left to complete my flight plan, finish fall semester at DU, pack everything I will need, do last minute shopping, say goodbye to friends and family, dust off my Spanish grammar and vocab, and PREPARE myself for the biggest adventure of my life... it really is daunting!
Final checklist of stuff for the program:
1) Pre-register for classes: these will actually be finalized when we get onsite. The resident academic advisor will help us and make sure we can get all the credits we need transferred and are in all of the appropriate classes. I'll post more info when I have it.
2) Plan flight itinerary: this will be a toughie... I need to find the cheapest flight possible. But the questions remain: round-trip, or one way to allow for more travel? Fly out of Chicago, New York, or JFK? 5 hour layover in Ireland or straight to Madrid? it's all so confusing... this is why you book with AAA :)
3) Decide what to take: the average high for the period when I am going - from about mid January to mid June - is typically around the 60s, climbing into the 70s and 80s towards May and June. The average low only reaches about 40ish, normally staying in the high 40s and low 50s. Also, there is very little rain during the first half of the year, so I wont have to worry about packing rainboots :) I have heard that sandals and leather shoes are the favorite of Europeans... they like to look nice. No one wears sweats to class either!!! Somehow, I have a feeling that I will fit right in!
Once I get more information, I'll definitely be posting it. This is such a growing experience for me... I can't wait to dive right in!
No comments:
Post a Comment