Pre-departure information... also known as: boring exposition

As my Midwest summer comes to a close, I can not BELIEVE that in a matter of days I will be hopping on a plane to Barcelona. Although that makes it all sound pretty easy, I have a feeling that the next few days will involve much more running around, shopping, packing, unpacking, and repacking than just "hopping on a plane." And there will probably be at least a couple "where are my [jeans/dress/shirt/shorts]?!" squabbles between my sister and I before I leave (love you!).

At the end of all the chaos that the next few days are sure to bring, I will be walking out of the Barcelona airport with my (hopefully not too heavy) luggage, ready for my semester in Spain. I'm still under the impression that I can pack sensibly, but really, who am I kidding. I know the scale will be out come packing time to make sure my bags are under 50 lbs.

I am going to be studying at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra - click the link to check out their website or view their facebook page here!

That's an aerial view of the campus - I couldn't believe how close it was to the water! (Wow, could I sound more like a Midwesterner?) Anyway, I think that with only two hours of class a day for the first couple of weeks that I will have more than ample time to hit up the beach... I'm going to be studying there (UPF, not the beach :) ) through my program's advanced liberal arts studies, meaning that I will be taking all of my classes in Spanish. I signed up for some Literature, Cinema, and Philosophy classes, but I have not received my determined schedule as of yet so I will let you know when I do! In the meantime, I've been brushing up on my Spanish by getting my news through BBCMundo, the Spanish version of BBC. If anyone has any suggestions for a good Spanish book or movie, let me know!

With only a few days left, my time at home is getting shorter and my to-do list is getting longer. I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly, but I am so excited for what the next few months will bring!

Linds