*** Before I start, I feel like this is a great time for a disclaimer: I am not a talented, grammar-free, polished writer. In fact, I have only written one college essay, and I predict I will not be writing any more. In my world, numbers and computer code are much friendlier than words. Therefore, the purpose of this blog is not for me to be elegantly describe the poetic city life of Barcelona. Instead, it is for me to share my memories, pictures, and experiences with any friends or family members that are interested in the next five months of adventure in my life.

My Prolonged Packing Proccess

Much to my surprise, my adventure has already begun with packing my bags.I have packed my luggage three times already… (no this is not a typo). Although this may seem a little aggressive, please do not think that this was the work of a risk-averse actuary. Rather, my Mom recently taught me that to have a fun, exciting, and most importantly, safe, time studying abroad, I must pack using her brilliant three-step packing process. The three steps are as follows:

1. Pre-Packing
2. Actual Packing
3. The Pack More Phase

As you may assume, the pre-packing phase is vital, and I am glad that I got started on this a more than a 10 days before I left. This would leave ample room for any disaster that could occur. During this phase, I basically packed my entire suitcase like a normal person would. Despite my doubts about the over-cautious three step method, my Mom assured me that pre-packing is a talent that must be learned, so I am glad that she was beside me the whole time to teach me her ways. From there, I went on to phase 2: the “Actual Packing” phase. Lucky for me, my Mom also helped me through this phase. She helped me take everything out of my suitcase, triple check to see that I had enough socks and underwear, and then repack all of the original items I had in my bag. Although this was physically exhausting, I felt a little saddened that I had finished 2/3 of the packing process. Nevertheless, I continued onward to third step. I originally thought that this phase would be the same as step one and two, but I was sadly mistaken. We first took everything out of the suitcase, added in 3 more of everything that we had put in, then struggled to close the suitcase. After finally finishing packing, I started to finally get excited, so I made a list of my Barcelona bucket list.

My Barcelona Bucket List

1. Go to two different continents on my trip

a) I am planning on going to many countries in Europe, and I have a trip to Morroco planned so this one should be a piece of cake.

2. Make new American friends, but make more foreign friends

3. Meet up with Jules

a) Jules was a student who studied in the US during my junior year, and we had a blast. I would love to visit him in France.

4. Get lost (this is bound to happen to me)

5. Become a regular at a coffee shop

6. Regain Spanish fluency and start to pick up Catalan

7. Listen to new music and find a new favorite artist

8. Journal everyday

9. Keep in touch with friends/family (only to a reasonable degree)

10. See Messi score a goal in person

11. Visit the Atlantis Bookstore in Greece

12.Find new hobby

13. Go to a live concert in Europe

14. Go to a Catholic Mass in Barcelona

15. Volunteer in Spain

16. Hike someplace dope

17. Learn a thing or two about fashion (watch out ladies)

18. Find a new favorite food

19. Learn about Spanish architecture, government, and history (a lot of my classes will be about this

20. Teach Europeans how to ball

a) Euro-step in Europe

21. Never let my facial hair get out of control (see below)

This wraps up my first post, but if you want to get in touch with me, my email is: craig.nielsen@drake.edu. I will also be keeping my same phone number. I will try to check these at least once a day. Adios suckers!