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  • Writer's pictureSydney Jameson

A Month of Preparation

Today should be the first day of an exciting and laborious spring semester at my home school, Houghton College. Normally, I would've already bought all my textbooks weeks ago, packed my life into a purple suitcase, and trekked across the state of New York. Instead, I'm at home, going to the Y and watching celebrity interview of the stars of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. For me, this spring semester will be anything but normal.


This semester, I'm studying abroad for five months in the beautiful, culturally rich, and amazingly diverse city of Córdoba, Argentina. I'll be living with a wonderful host family and studying with the Spanish Studies Abroad Intensive Spanish program. The goal of this program is to immerse students in the Spanish language and culture so that they emerge with a deep understanding of themselves and others. Because Argentina is in the Southern Hemisphere, it's their summer, so my spring semester will take place in the Argentinian fall and does not start until February 9th. As a result, I'm facing down a surreal month of studying, working, and preparing at my parent's houses in upstate New York.


It's really hard to describe how I feel about this upcoming experience. I can't seem to pinpoint my emotions. Of course, I'm excited. The country is beautiful and I will learn so much so quickly and have fantastic experiences. But I'm equally scared. I've been taking Spanish since elementary school and I still can't seem to grasp some of the most commonplace elements. Honestly, I'm a little bit terrified of native speakers, too. I'm constantly worried about making some sort of mistake that would result in a huge misunderstanding. Deep down, I know there's really nothing to worry about. People go abroad all the time and they manage to do fine. But I can't help a tiny sense of dread that lingers.


To combat this tiny dread, I've set myself some tasks for this month. I'm studying my guidebook and student handbook like Hermione studies Hogwarts: A History. I'm catching up on important Argentinian movies and cramming episodes of The Great British Baking Show when I get too stressed. By doing just a little each day, I hope to step off the plane feeling confident and excited. After all, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. There are so many things I'm bound to discover about myself but first there comes a month of preparation. 32 days until takeoff, the countdown begins now.


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