“Traveling through the world produces a marvelous clarity in the judgment of men. We are all of us confined and enclosed within ourselves, and see no farther than the end of our nose. This great world is a mirror where we must see ourselves in order to know ourselves. There are so many different tempers, so many different points of view, judgments, opinions, laws and customs to teach us to judge wisely on our own, and to teach our judgment to recognize its imperfection and natural weakness.”
silvertoes
Michel de Montaigne quotes (French Philosopher and Writer. 1533-1592)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
I'd like you to meet my European adventure...
Hi there! I'm Elise, and on August 6th, I'm heading to Europe with my three best friends for about four-and-a-half months. From September to December, I'll be studying at the university in Granada- one of the oldest cities in Southern Spain. Before that, I"m backpacking through Germany, France, Italy, and Northern Spain with my best friends Laura, Tess and Tim (who is also my boyfriend :) ).
I decided to start a blog to keep my friends and family up-to-date on my travels. Honestly, I just can't help it- i'm a journalism major, and I love to write. Maybe you're wondering why in the world I chose to go to Spain for a semester. Well, there's a lot of reasons, but I will briefly explain three:
1. I want to become bilingual... it's been a dream of mine since I was little. My dad studied for a semester in Madrid while he was in college, and I grew up listening to him periodically speak a language that I didn't understand. And I didn't like being left out! My dad has used his Spanish for so many good things- through translating Spanish to English for those who can't speak English (and vice-versa), befriending spanish-speakers at church and in the community, and helping me with my Spanish homework :) Basically, my dad is a huge inspiration for me to (hopefully) someday be fluent in the language so I can also help people in those ways.
2. Different cultures fascinate me. I can't wait to explore Europe, and live with a host family in Granada. I've been to Spain once before when I was thirteen with my family and a group from my church, and I've also been to Costa Rica (to attend a language school for a few weeks) and Tijuana with my high school youth group-- but this trip is different. For one thing, I'm going all over Europe, to places I have never been... needless to say it will be an experience. I can't wait to learn about cultures outside of the US, and to actually LIVE in Spain for a couple months! I have a feeling it will change me. Actually, I know it will, I just don't know how yet.
3. I'm ready for something spontaneous. For the past two years, I've been taking a full load each semester in college and living in the dorms. It's been an adventure in itself- coming to Southern California from the good ol' Northwest was quite a culture shock for me at first, and my oh my how I've grown. But I'm ready for the next thing! I've also been running track and cross country for the past two years, which has been a blast. I love my team to death, and I'm going to miss all of my friends so much while I'm gone, BUT it's time. Time for what? CHANGE. GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. CULTURE SHOCK. HOMESICKNESS. LATE-NIGHT SQUABBLES WITH MY BEST FRIENDS WHEN WE'RE TIRED AND CRANKY FROM TRAVELING. LANGUAGE BARRIERS. DIRTY, TIRED, AND SWEATY FEET FROM WALKING ALL OVER THE WORLD. Bring it on.
I decided to start a blog to keep my friends and family up-to-date on my travels. Honestly, I just can't help it- i'm a journalism major, and I love to write. Maybe you're wondering why in the world I chose to go to Spain for a semester. Well, there's a lot of reasons, but I will briefly explain three:
1. I want to become bilingual... it's been a dream of mine since I was little. My dad studied for a semester in Madrid while he was in college, and I grew up listening to him periodically speak a language that I didn't understand. And I didn't like being left out! My dad has used his Spanish for so many good things- through translating Spanish to English for those who can't speak English (and vice-versa), befriending spanish-speakers at church and in the community, and helping me with my Spanish homework :) Basically, my dad is a huge inspiration for me to (hopefully) someday be fluent in the language so I can also help people in those ways.
2. Different cultures fascinate me. I can't wait to explore Europe, and live with a host family in Granada. I've been to Spain once before when I was thirteen with my family and a group from my church, and I've also been to Costa Rica (to attend a language school for a few weeks) and Tijuana with my high school youth group-- but this trip is different. For one thing, I'm going all over Europe, to places I have never been... needless to say it will be an experience. I can't wait to learn about cultures outside of the US, and to actually LIVE in Spain for a couple months! I have a feeling it will change me. Actually, I know it will, I just don't know how yet.
3. I'm ready for something spontaneous. For the past two years, I've been taking a full load each semester in college and living in the dorms. It's been an adventure in itself- coming to Southern California from the good ol' Northwest was quite a culture shock for me at first, and my oh my how I've grown. But I'm ready for the next thing! I've also been running track and cross country for the past two years, which has been a blast. I love my team to death, and I'm going to miss all of my friends so much while I'm gone, BUT it's time. Time for what? CHANGE. GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE. CULTURE SHOCK. HOMESICKNESS. LATE-NIGHT SQUABBLES WITH MY BEST FRIENDS WHEN WE'RE TIRED AND CRANKY FROM TRAVELING. LANGUAGE BARRIERS. DIRTY, TIRED, AND SWEATY FEET FROM WALKING ALL OVER THE WORLD. Bring it on.
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