Asian Food

So with about a week before I leave to Spain, one of my main concerns is food. What to eat before I leave to a world of pan, queso, y jamón.  So I need to get my share of Asian food. Not just my Mom's amazingly good Thai food, I'm talking Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, and well I guess that's it. It was very hard to find a good Thai restaurant in Madrid, I found three, all of them good in different dishes. Never ate chow mein or sushi or pho. Both times I studied abroad though I lived with host families, so this will be different.

I am extremely excited to live on my own with roommates in a foreign country. It was difficult to go from living on my own in college to being under a parent's rules again, only it wasn't my own parents so there was no way to try and fight back, out of respect and awkwardness.

I've been looking online, befriended a French girl with whom I'm looking for pisos. Always check in real life though before you finalize anything! It's difficult though because I am arriving late in comparison to others. It's because I'm going to take my little brother to college literally the two days before my flight. That's another great aspect of this experience. Him and I are both embarking on incredible adventures literally days within one another. Both of use are leaving very important people to  us in order to do these incredible things. It's been nice having him around since we relate so closely to what we're experiencing right now. Which means my youngest brother will be an only child, it's okay though I'm sure it will be like heaven to him. Not that we're that bad.

One of my favorite and most inspiring professors will be in Spain this academic year as well, which I took as a sign to definitely do this program. It is reassuring to have him in the same country, although four hours away, it is still a benefit.

The other times I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and Quito, Ecuador were different than this. I found myself at my last "going away party" that it was just one of many that I had had. It felt repetitive, and therefore less important. However I thought about it, and this is different. All of them were different. But this one is not just something I will come back from and jump right back into school after to be surrounded by the same friends and environment. After I return I'll be taking on the real world. Finding a real job (I guess), moving into a semi-permanent place, getting a teaching credential and masters, bills, health insurance, everything. I am fortunate to have only had to worry about some of these things up until this point. I know many have to grow up much faster than I do.

I'm having the typical sensations before I leave. Anxiety, excitement, fear, antsy-ness, worry, wonder. My mom has already packed me a small pot and pan and spatula for my apartment, plus packaged foods i'll need (Mama's), and a surprising amount of flashlights. Which reminds me, maybe I should start planning on what I'll need to pack.