ATX---> Charlotte---> Barcelona
In very typical behavior, I worked myself up into a panic about leaving for Barcelona. It was not Barcelona really, but the idea of leaving my family for six weeks, living in a foreign country and communicating in a langauge that I am hardly versed in. In recent times, (even though I hate to admit it), I have come to realize that I am a homebody, a mama's girl if you will and this was what was affecting me the most. But as my parents said their farewells to me at the airport, a sense of acceptance seemed to wash over me. I felt that this goodbye should be more monumental than it was, I should be clenching tightly, tearing up and grasping for my parents as they departed. But I realized something, this journey is something I needed to do. Something for me, something for the person I was becoming. This goodbye wasn't the movie-scence one I was expecting, but I know I would feel the consequence of the departure later.
But for now, I write to you from the Charlotte, North Carolina airport. A quaint environment with a typical airport vibe. My first meal on the trip? A bowl from a Jamaican place with a side of jelly beans. Four of my study abroad comrades sit around me and we take turns envisioning our near futures. I cannot help but watch the people around me... a man sitting alone in a Tommy Bahama shirt waits nervously, a small, blonde service dog leads its owner, and I find a fellow lover of jelly beans just across the way.
As the flight nears take off I am thankful to have an aisle seat. Knee surgery and a constant need to use the restroom make me that pestering companion to sit near. I am also thankful for the neck pillow I bought (see picture below).
As I finish this post, I sit in my bed on Calle de Cardener in the heart of Barcelona's Gracía district. I am six days into my trip and already falling behind on my blog!
More to come.
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