I chose to study abroad because of the immense opportunity and cultural awareness I would gain by doing so. My first study abroad journey is a 2 course, 6 credit hour opportunity in Seville, Spain. I am very excited as I will be traveling with other students from the University of Alabama. I expected to be fully engaged with the culture and city life there. However, I am nervous about the way of living as I am habituated to life here in the U.S. To prepare for my journey I researched multiple flights, social norms, currency conversion rates, TSA requirements, and the average weather for Seville. I found that it was cheaper to fly into Madrid, the capital of Spain, instead of Seville. I arranged transportation for the journey that would take me over 12 hours. From Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, I will be ubering to Madrid Puerta de Atocha-Almudena Grandes train station where my pre-booked Ouigo train would arrive in 3 hours from my arrive time. The journey from Madrid to Seville would be a little over 3 hours total. I plan to utilize buses and the metro system after my arrival as i explore the city more. I feel more comfortable ubering from time sensitive points until I am somewhat familiar with my surroundings. Planning and orgainzing is huge for me, as I am accustomed to planning as much as I possibly can within reason. However, sometimes this is difficult especially in college. I am both overly excited and nervous as I will be residing in a different country for a month while trying to breakthrough the language barrier.
