My first days

Excited. Scared. Eager. Exhausted. Overwhelmed.

I have wanted to study abroad in Portugal ever since I knew what studying abroad meant. I’ve wanted to explore new places, eat delicious foods, practice my Portuguese language skills in a place it really counts, and learn about a culture that I always knew through my immigrant father and grandparents, but never really got to experience first-hand. I’ve wanted the freedom to learn in a city where no one knows me and I get to start fresh. I’ve wanted it all.

So naturally, now that the time has come for me to study abroad, I’m realizing that there’s a lot more to it than all of those amazing things I’ve longed for since I was a child.

Yes, I am absolutely loving walking around the city and looking at the beautiful buildings and tilework. I am loving meeting new people, drinking copious amounts of rich coffee, finding decadent new pastries, and exploring a place I’ve never really spent time in before. These parts are truly wonderful.

However…

Fighting with the Portuguese consulate to get my paperwork to leave? Not too fun. Finding out they filed the paperwork for the wrong type of visa? Mildly irritating. Not receiving my visa until the very morning I left for Portugal? Extremely stressful. Jet lag causing me to have no perception of time? Confusing. Missing my friends and family back home? Isolating. Dropping a carton of eggs on the ground because I didn’t realize it was perforated? Embarrassing. Trying to coordinate a class schedule that includes two languages, four universities, and multiple campuses? Overwhelming.

And yet, I know that where I am right now, is exactly where I am supposed to be. Studying abroad is about learning and growth and the complications and mixed emotions about being in a foreign city are all a part of that process. In order for me to experience all the good things, I have to work through the tough parts too.

So stay tuned because this journey will have its ups and downs and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of stories to tell, and I appreciate having you along for the ride.

Tchauzinho!