Host Family, Travel Dates and more

Well, I obviously need to be better at updating this blog! I've been meaning to ever since I went to a pre-departure orientation down in Phoenix last May. My dad and I got to spend the day learning more about culture shock and some important rules. I was lucky enough to get to talk to a girl who was studying abroad in Phoenix from Spain, and she answered a lot of my questions!

In early June I got my travel Itinerary! I'll need to leave September 5th for New York, because there's another orientation there before we leave.

And, most exciting of all, I got my Host Family, just last week!! I've talked to them a little through email, and they are super sweet. There's a father, mother, 12 year old boy and 8 year old girl! They really like being active and eating healthy, and they live in Alcorcon, a city just outside of Madrid.

The Visa process for Spain is proving very tedious, but hopefully it's all going to come together. At the end of July I'm going to have to head out to Los Angeles to visit the Spanish Consulate for a 10 minute appointment, and then keep my fingers crossed that my Visa will come in time for my September 5th flight to New York.

I'd also like to give a huge thank you to everybody for being so supportive of me in this endeavor (: especially my Aunt Judith and Uncle Lance! It means so much to me.

I'm still trying to do a little fundraising, and I've been really busy so far this summer. I'm doing "Story Time" at Bookmans on Fridays and babysitting in return for getting papers translated into Spanish for my Visa. I'm also taking two online classes, U.S. History and 11th English, because I won't be able to take those classes in Spain. Just this morning I ran my third race in the Flagstaff Summer Running Series, and of course, I am also trying to spend a lot of time hiking and with friends.

Overall, it's shaping up to be a great summer. Again, thank you everyone for your encouragement and support!