one week/introduction

Hi. I'm Maren. I'm twenty. I go to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. I'm starting this blog for friends and family who want to keep up with my four-month adventure in Spain, and also to discipline myself into remembering and recording my time in Alicante. You'll probably find out more about me as I post (and chances are you already know me quite well) so I'm not going to waste internet tube space with an "about me".

I leave in a week. Most everything is squared away, except for little things like getting pepper spray, a train ticket to Alicante from Madrid (which is crucial, and I keep putting it off...), and making copies of my passport. I mostly waste my time downloading music and trying to finish my reading list.

I'm extremely excited for this new adventure, but terrified, too. I have a lot of anxiety about traveling. At the moment, I'm assuming all my worldly goods will be stolen, and I'm thief-proofing my stuff as best I can, but I can't put padlocks on everything. I'm worried about my host family situation, and if it'll cause me roommate-stress or just be the loveliest time. I'm worried about having enough time and money to travel. I'm worried about the proficiency of my Spanish. Sometimes I'll try to translate conversations in my head and I can't think of how to say basic phrases like "I put on mascara" or "can you please not bleach my clothes" (the last one is also another anxiety. I am unaware how to voice it in español).

But I'm mostly excited. I'm excited for the beach, and the wine, and the metro, and the streets, and the people, and the language, and everything. I'm excited for the experiences.

I leave in a week! Check back!

Con cariño,
Maren