Let the countdown begin!

I'm coming up on the last few days before I leave for Europe. Now, I have been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. I've been planning and saving and making extensive lists for well over a year now. My grandmother was incredibly excited for me to have an adventure of my own. Then my uncle told her about the movie Taken. (Thanks for that Uncle Mark. Really. Bravo.) The only thing I found to pacify Grandma is the promise to periodically post on a blog so she can be sure I haven't been kidnapped and sold to a human trafficking ring. And so the blog is born.

Here's a quick overview of my trip for anyone interested:

• I leave Monday, January 25th
• January 25th-May 4th will be spent studying in western Spain to get my Spanish minor. I will live with a host family. My mother's name is Mercedes and my brother's name is Fran (I'm assuming that's short for Fransisco or something. If his name is just Fran it's going to take me a while to not giggle like a little kid every time I say it).
• After my family stay I am going to backpack through Europe for the remainder of May and most of June
• I will return to the United States on June 23. Just in time for my sister's wedding the 26th.

I am going to do my very best to post at least once a week to keep everyone apprised of my whereabouts and experiences. I say once a week and not more because, let's face it, I will most likely be having a fabulous time and blogging will not be my number one priority. Also, I am supposed to be improving on my Spanish and taking frequent breaks to speak English would be counterproductive. Then there's that whole backpacking thing where I won't always have internet access.

Frequently asked questions:

• Where are you going? Everywhere. The tentative list is: Spain (of course), Portugal, Greece, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, and France. But that list is tentative.
• Are you excited? Yes. Very much so.
• Are you nervous? Not as of yet, but I expect nerves will set in about the time everyone around me is speaking a language I don't know. At least they won't understand me when I say "Oh shit."

So there you have it. I'll do my best to post regularly. I will also check Facebook, email, and have a prepaid phone so I can text. I have Skype, too. If you have an address just Facebook me and we can set up a Skype date.

I'll miss you all tons. I'm sure 5 months will fly by for everyone though.

¡Besos!