Crowded planes are always the perfect time to think. As strange as it sounds, the chaotic, boisterous atmosphere of the machine filled with anxious people can be quite calming. As though you are in the eye of the storm. At least for me. This setting provided the perfect opportunity for me to reflect on what I really wanted to accomplish within the next year.
There are 50 days left. 7 weeks and 1 day. 1200 hours left. 72,000 minutes left. 4,320,000 seconds left.
If you think about it, that isn’t very much time. At all.
I guess this plane ride made me have an epiphany of sorts. I need to do everything before I can’t anymore. So I made a list of a few things that I want to do in America before I leave for an entire year, and a list of things that I want to do in Spain.
America List: Pre-Departure:
See Hamilton live with Lin-Manuel Miranda (better give up on this one because he left)Teach Vicky to French braid (so she doesn’t need me to do that)Make more connections with the other CIEE Spain kids- Clean out my room so that I don’t have a lot of stuff there when I leave
- Get some gifts for the host fam
- GET my host fam
- Learn Spanish vocab
- Level up my Spanish game
- Get a good tan
- Dye my hair?
- Research packing tips
- Download a lot of music
- Connect with the host fam
- Eat a really good Big Mac (yeah okay I know this is disgusting but I want to do it anyways)
- GO TO TARGET
- See another Broadway musical
- Laser tag?
- Plan a going away party with Cecilia
- HAVE a going away party
- Learn some basic photography skills
Get my visa!- Eat an entire bag of chocolate chips
- Get a great bikini bod
- Eat a lot of mac n’ cheese and delivered pizza and Chinese food
Sail- Watch Graeme and Jacob in the Olympics
- Write. Every. Day.
Continue adding to this blog 😉- Figure out some way to contact some future Spanish chillins
- Take advantage of some uber
- Take advantage of the free wifi EVERYWHERE
- Binge watch a TV show for 24 consecutive hours
- Learn some Spanish curse words
Spain Bucket List:
- LEARN SPANISH
- Actually make friends (big goal, I know)
- Eat paella, jamón, churros, etc.
- DON’T gain 20 lbs during my exchange year
- Try flamenco dancing!
- Try a new sport
- Sign up for a musical
- get involved in school government
- plan a prommmmm
- Learn some Spanish music
- Enjoy some Spanish nightlife with friends
- Become like an actual family with my host fam
- Find some amazing Spanish fashion trends to copy
- Tapasssssss
- Get myself a Spanish boyfriend ;))))
- Spend a night in a hostel
- Become a fan of espresso
- NOT FAIL CLASSES
- Start a diversity club in Spain
- Learn how to cook some amazing Spanish food
- Take some fantastic photos
- Hang out with the locals
- Hang out with the CIEE squad
- Find some fantastic Spanish fashion
- journal
- win the best blogger award (heyo CIEE 😉 )
- Travel to different cities!
- learn about Spanish government and about what it’s like to live with a different system
- live life without regrets
- have the best year of my life (no biggie)
Well it’s late and I have an early flight tomorrow (my flight was cancelled for “weather” aka kill me) and I will update this often.
Wish me luck finishing all of these!
Peace,
~Parker Grove