Hola!

Hola and hello! =D
Thanks for checking out my blog! This spring I'll be studying in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, as part of my Spanish major at Loras College. Here I'll record my adventures (and misadventures, because I'm sure I'll have many of those ;) ) for family and friends both at home and abroad to live vicariously for four months. I'll be living with a host family from January to May and taking classes in Spanish at la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. Also included in this wonderful experience is an internship and a volunteering placement. I will work with kids at both of these and I'm super excited for both :)

The name of my blog, 'The World is a Book', is based on the St. Augustine quote: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” I chose this theme because I really admire St. Augustine and because I love traveling and want to do as much of it as possible in my lifetime. Coincidentally, one of the blog templates was a bookshelf, so I geeked out about that. It was meant to be! :)

It hasn't sunk in yet that I leave for Spain in 5 DAYS. I've packed my bag but there are small things that I have yet to purchase. Believe it or not, it's kind of difficult to pack for 4 months in a foreign country you've never been to. I'm not sure if I'll need certain clothes or specific school supplies, so I'll pack what I pack and see how it goes from there. If there's anything I truly cannot live without, I can buy it when I arrive or my mom can bring it when she visits in March (right Mom? :). Saying goodbye to friends at Loras during finals week seemed very bizarre. It felt as if I were only saying goodbye for break instead of four months. It was also sad, of course, but I realized that I'm lucky to have so many good friends that make leaving difficult. Luckily I'll be back before graduation so I'll get to see people before everyone leaves for the summer.

That's all for now, and while this post wasn't the most exciting, stay tuned because the best is yet to come! Hasta luego!
-Brooke :)