My Last Day At Home

I am packed! After laying out my clothes for a week and removing unnecessary items day by day, I finally took the step of putting them into my suitcase and carry-on. Then I did the scariest thing about packing...I weighed my suitcase. 7 pounds over! But there's nothing a little (or a lot) of redistributing can't fix. Now my suitcase has space and is the correct weight while my carry-on is bulging and heavy, but at least the airlines will allow me to board their planes without charging me an exorbitant amount of money.

Tomorrow, I begin my adventure with a journey to Boston! I have so many people I want to see before I leave for Spain. I'm excited to see my friends from Tufts and my summer job, but it is bittersweet because I am saying goodbye for so long and have no idea when I will see them next. It has been very strange not going back to Tufts for school this September, so I am curious what it will be like to visit it as an alum. I'm certain it will not make it easier to say goodbye when I see all of my friends having a great time there.

For those of you who don't know what I am doing this year in Spain, here is the lowdown on what I know. The Spanish government has a program for Language and Culture Assistants to help out in English classes in their public schools. I will be working at a secondary school in El Arahal, a town about 50 km outside of Sevilla (in Andalucía, the south of Spain). My contract says I will work for 12 hours per week, which, despite what may be a very long commute, should leave me a lot of time to explore Sevilla and travel around Spain and Europe. The government also provides me with a stipend that will hopefully pay for my living expenses, although that depends on how often I go out for tapas. :)

As for now, it is time for me to enjoy my last day at home with my parents, mostly consisting of watching the US Open. Before I fly to Spain on Friday evening and start this grand adventure, I will enjoy the company of some of my closest friends and the luxury of being in a familiar city where people speak my native language.