I like to plan things.
If it's happening in the future, somewhere, I have a detailed procedure written down for it - whether it's my bathroom schedule each quarter or the internships and jobs I want to land for the next two years. I have a life plan that has been in place since I was seven years old.
Now, I'm headed on my first real venture out of the country and will be spending 10 weeks in Toledo, Spain, as part of Ohio University's Spanish Language study-abroad program, and you'd better believe I have planned the heck out of this trip.
I have created lists of places I want to visit during long weekends, calculated how much it would cost to go to each and narrowed down the sights I want to see once I'm there.
I have determined the words I'll need to know during basic conversations the first few days I'm in Spain, and I have constructed flash cards to make sure I don't forget those words.
I have discovered the exact size requirements for the suitcases I will tote along, and I have found two that meet those requirements as closely as is humanly possible - and that's after you account for clothing bulges.
I have made a painfully detailed packing list and cross-referenced it with dozens of suggested lists created by travel veterans.
I have created colorful luggage tags to help my drab suitcases stand out, planned for airport storage and mapped my route from the airport to my first European hostel.
I have memorized my host mother's name, the distance from her house to the university in Toledo, the exact furnishings she has placed in my room and the fact that she does not have a pool - perhaps my biggest disappointment yet.
Despite the efforts I have made to plan for this trip, though, I have reluctantly conceded the fact that I will not be able to predict everything.
Without the distractions of two jobs and 2,000 extracurricular activities that would normally face me in Athens, I hope to allow myself to relax and enjoy the ride during these 10 weeks abroad - even if that means setting aside my lists every once in a while.
During these upcoming weeks, I will push my boundaries and see places I have only dreamed about. I will visit museums and historical sites, but I will also seek out places that don't cater solely to tourists.
As I jump into these experiences, I want to be taken by surprise. I want to do something spontaneous. I want to change my mind. I want the tremendous cultural opportunities waiting for me in Spain to force me to loosen up. I want to stop writing the word I so much.
The lists and plans aren't going out the window just yet, but I am determined to go with the flow and see where it takes me while I'm abroad - just as soon as I finish checking off the 77 items on my airport to-do list.
- Rebecca McKinsey is a sophomore studying journalism and Spanish who is studying abroad in Spain. Send her an e-mail at rm279109@ohiou.edu.
3 Culture
Rebecca McKinsey
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