So where am I in this whole process? Well, I've taken care of my visa and right now I am just confirming my living situation. I will be living at a private residence hall, which I figured would be great for meeting new people. It seems pretty nice with lots of amenities (pool, computer room, study rooms, gym, central air (yes!!)). Right now I am still trying to find out how far it will be from campus or my facultad specifically to see if I can walk or if I should take the bus. The only thing is that the residence is super expensive. Oh well, we can work with that. I have also been regularly checking the weather in Málaga...and it was 70 degrees yesterday! ...on Christmas day! Ok, I see that I like this place already. Right now I am home with the family for Christmas, but I have been feeding my excitement about this trip by checking the weather, going on google earth and checking out the city planning and streets (obsessive, I know), checking out the university's website and looking at fun things to do in the city. I havent booked my flight yet, but I have definitely been looking at flights prices and dates.
I have so many goals and plans for my time in Málaga. First of all, I plan to perfect my Spanish skills. Obviously this is something that will naturally develop by just being there and I know that I already speak fluent Spanish, but my goal is to speak like a native speaker. Second, I would love to develop a good social network. I do plan on studying really hard, but I am looking forward to meeting people and developing not just surface friendships, but also more solid friendships that I can keep up with once I return back to the States. Third, I would like to connect the local culture with what I am actually studying. That is, I am studying Spanish literature and it is a great benefit for me to be able to study that within a Spanish-speaking country...and as I have learned with my previous time there, Spain is the perfect culture-rich place to immerse myself in Spanish culture. Finally, I plan to travel and get to know not only various places in Spain, but in Europe as well. I will keep you updated on that.
Ok, see you next time for more updates on this journey.
