It is hard to put everything that you currently have going on in your life on hold. You can’t take moments, histories, or friends and pack them up nicely with the rest of your things to take with you, pulling them out whenever necessary to (and I think that Portuguese really captures this one...) “matar a saudade” - literally to kill your nostalgia or feeling of missing. I think that the most important thing for one to do before parting is to pull the things you don’t want to lose and lock them in your memory. The alternative to this is horrible, one tries to supernaturally preserve what is by its nature liquid and dynamic – life always changes
I received an email today from my Exchange Coordinator giving us this challenge thingy about writing down our goals and expectations for our exchange, and seeing as this blog is supposed to be about Spain, where better to write about this!
Expectations
By the end of my last exchange to Brazil, I had accomplished my prime goals for the year. They were to predominantly see as much of the country as possible, learn Portuguese as fluently as possible, and meet people from around the world. This experience developed an understanding of my place in the world and a feeling of global citizenship that is difficult to obtain without extensive travel. I feel that because of this, my upcoming studies in Spain really offer an opportunity to take what I have learned from Brazil and focus on the academic and networking side of exchange. I am going to take at least half of my courses in Spanish and work hard to achieve high grades and build relationships with my university. Having had the practical experience with a previous exchange should help me deal with culture shock and allow me to focus on performing well, travelling, and maximizing my exchange experience.
Why they might be significant?
Expectations are always significant for any new venture. I have a truly positive attitude towards my exchange and believe that this will be paramount in dealing with problems as they arise and for meeting new people and new situations. Putting academic pressure on myself will ensure that my Spanish reaches the required level for academia and business, and that my assignments are completed when I want to travel or relax. I will be living with two Spanish university students which ensures saturation of Spanish culture and language, this will reduce homesickness and create a more authentic Spanish living arrangement.
Done! As you can see, not exactly a challenging assignment, but it may have been good to reflect a bit before I begin this wacky journey.
Anyways, hope everyone is well and can’t wait to update my blog from Spain for the first time in a few days!
Mucho Amor,
Rob
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