Barcelona - I made it!

The decision:

One night, as I was sitting in the living room with my parents, I was unusually restless. I sometimes get in these moods where I just really want to go explore somewhere else or live in a new place, ya feel? I have been blessed with many opportunities to travel to new places, especially in the past year, but I've never really been able to immerse myself in a different culture because my trips haven't lasted longer than two weeks. So that night, I went down to my room and googled "how to live in another country without spending a bunch of money". As many options popped up, one in particular website caught my eye; "Aupairworld.com" came up over and over. "I could do that," I thought to myself. I already basically do that now, and it's free room and board in a different country. I made my profile immediately and already started matching with families. The next morning, I walked upstairs to find my dad sitting at the dining room table and presented my idea. More open to it that I thought he would be, I continued the search process, asking my mom later that day. Long story short, I found an awesome family of four in Barcelona and decided they were the right fit for me. After chatting on WhatsApp and Skyping with the family, I finally booked my round trip place ticket to Barcelona, Spain.

The departure:

As I sit on the plane, I really feel alone for the first time in my life. It's not the first time I've travelled or flown by myself, or been to a new country. It is, however, the first time I won't be greeted by someone or something familiar. The people are new, the continent is new, and the language is (kind of) new. And although I am both nervous and terrified for the next three months, I am oh so excited. Being on your own, as scary and lonely as it can be,

is also exhilarating. I have the chance to show myself how strong and independent I can be. It hasn't quite hit me yet, but I am going to be without everything I've ever known for three months. My family, friends, and home are not coming with me to this foreign place. I know it will suck, and I miss them already, but what's the point of life if you never take chances? Meeting new people, doing new things, seeing new places, isn't that what life's about? This world has so much to offer, and I want to experience as much as I can while I have the chance. I feel so lucky and grateful to be able to do this and to travel as much as I have before even going to college. I cannot wait to see what the next three months have in store.

The arrival:

I am now safely in Barcelona at my host family's apartment. I have my own room with a (squeaky) loft bed, my own bathroom, and a balcony with a beautiful view of the neighborhood. The family lives about 15-20 minutes from the city center, with easy access by bus or metro. When I arrived yesterday, I had time to rest before picking the kids up from school with the mom, Gemma. There are two kids, Pol, who is 7 (and has lots of energy), and Laia, who is 11 (and is super sweet). After school we took Pol to fútbol and Laia to gymnastics. Later, we had dinner and then went to bed. Although I fell asleep quite quickly, jet lag is totally real as I was awake from 2-5 am. The father, Sergio, and I took the kids to school this morning, and I have my day free until picking the kids up again after school today. The family is super nice and very welcoming. The language barrier is a bit tricky, as the Spanish spoken here is a little different from what I learned in school, and is spoken very quickly. I am sure as I spend more time here and practice my own Spanish, that barrier will slowly fade.

Thanks for taking the time to read, subscribe for more updates during my next three months here!

Much love,

Hannah