Letter to Myself (Pre-Exchange)

Dear Delaney,

        Hopefully you are reading this around June 30th 2018, after you have gone home. Hopefully nothing happened that made you end your exchange early or you messed up and got sent home. I don't really think I (meaning you) am going to get into trouble on exchange, but I guess time will tell.

       As I am sitting in Miami's airport, I can't help but think how much better it will feel in 11 months when I can order my lunch in Spanish with the Cubans, or eavesdrop on all of the conversations in Spanish around you (and understand all of them). I know that learning Spanish isn't going to be the easiest thing in the world, and I know that I am going to get frustrated with myself (because I don't know what the heck is going on) but I also know that I can do it. I've wanted to go on exchange since the 8th grade, and I'm not going to let the fear of making mistakes prevent me from become fluent in Spanish (life-long goal).

       I also am wondering how not being able to drink water from the faucet for 11 months has effected you. I'm thinking at the beginning it will be a nuisance, but by the end you will have grown to cope with it. Did you end up using all of the medication you brought with you? How did putting the toilet paper in the trashcan instead of the toilet go? I'm thinking you will probably throw it in the wrong place a few times (hopefully you don't clog the toilet).

      I know when I read this letter I will be really sad to have left my new home. But I also know now that this is only the beginning, and I have to come home before I can travel to new destinations. Going back to Eastside after a year abroad isn't going to be easy, but you can do it. Will you like it? Probably not.

I'm pretty sure you are one of the only (if the only) person on your flight that doesn't speak Spanish. JAJAJA (are you reading this HAHA yet?) I'm definitely not wishing away my year abroad, but I can't help but feel impatient to get on my plane and start this journey. I hope you lived it up in Peru girl, you can do it! You board your flight in approximately 20 minutes!

                                                                   Tu gringa,
                                                                     Delaney

P.S. I hope you did some blog posts in Spanish.