About four years ago, I was sitting in my junior year Spanish 3 class back in Minnesota, and the travel bug was eating away at me. It killed me that I was trapped at my desk on the second floor of Chanhassen High School instead of being out in the world exploring.
My profe was going on about her incredible traveling experiences, and my case of the travel bug just continued to worsen. I was obsessed with the idea of Spain, Spanish music (“Danza Kuduro” was my jam) and churros con chocolate. I spent more time daydreaming about myself walking through Barcelona while “Strut” from the “Cheetah Girls” played in the background than I did worrying about the preterite versus imperfect conjugation of the verb “ser.”
At that time, I had no idea I would be attending Bradley University. I had no idea I would be pursuing a major in Spanish. And I really had no idea I would be presented with the opportunity to spend the spring semester of 2017 in Madrid.
People keep asking me if I am excited to study abroad. My answer: most definitely yes. But going abroad means a new culture, new people, a foreign language and not being able to call my mom at any second of the day. If I’m being honest, the six-hour time difference is daunting, the thought of not being on Bradley’s campus for a whole semester makes me sad, and not being able to go home to my cozy apartment where I can find three of my best friends is a thought that has been hanging over my head this entire semester. But I know this trip will be the experience of a lifetime, and the memories I will gain from being abroad for four months will be irreplaceable.
So this is me saying “Hasta luego a la universidad de Bradley.” I will miss you dearly.
I will miss having my breath taken away every time I walk up Founder’s Circle toward Bradley Hall in the spring as the trees out front are blooming vibrant, pink flowers.
I will miss Kathy’s smile as she makes my vanilla latte at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night in Stacks.
I will miss my excessive trips to the Campustown Starbucks and the peaceful, quiet aura that resides over campus at 8 a.m. on a Friday morning before Visit Days.
I will miss giving tours to prospective students and watching them fall in love with Bradley the way I did.
But mostly, I will miss walking through campus every day and seeing the many familiar faces of Bradley students and the community we have worked so hard to build and maintain.
While I may get very sentimental about leaving, I know that before I can even blink my study abroad experience will be over. It will be May, and I will be on a plane heading back to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The summer will then fly by with my 21st birthday, an internship (hopefully), trips to the lake and a ridiculous amount of iced Caribou Coffee.
Then mid-August will roll around, and I will be heading back to my home on the Hilltop where I can strut like I mean it and free my mind around Bradley’s campus for one final year.
