If you had told me two years ago that I would be moving to a different country for a year, I probably would have laughed in your face. I was the least confident 17-year-old you could possibly meet and I would never have dreamt of leaving home for a year. I couldn’t even go into a fish and chip shop and order food by myself.
But then I started university, and I was totally dreading it. I had to become completely independent, I had to try and fit in with new people and in a totally new environment. Okay, I wasn’t totally dreading it; I was terrified!
Luckily enough, I made it through my first two years of university, but now the real adventure begins … my year abroad. I love Spain and I have always thought both the language and the country were beautiful, but going to live there, on my own, for close to a year? Am I really ready for that? The real answer is I’m not sure and I don’t know if I will ever be ready. However, university has helped make me a different person. I’m not the unconfident girl that I was two years ago. Now I am 20 and looking forward to starting a new chapter of my life in a place that I love.
Being away from home will be hard but living in Spain will be like living a dream. The weather is (usually) amazing and the food is incredible. I love the Spanish people; their attitude to life is phenomenal. I wish people could live with their attitude back home. I cannot wait to fully immerse myself into Spanish life - a siesta every afternoon and paella for dinner? Yes please!
I know that life will seem hard for the next year, but I am looking forward to the challenge. I can’t wait to meet new people and try new things. Life is all about living, and when given an opportunity as amazing as a year abroad, I would have been stupid to turn it down. Hopefully things will run as smoothly as I’d like them to. Fingers crossed!
Do you have a lot of self-confidence?
