Study Abroad Diaries: Arrival Day

By: Taryn-Mina Chase

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Entry #1 : 01.23.2024 | Time : 12:15 am BCN

Songs of the Week 🎧

♫ Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift

♫ Losin Control by Teddy Swims

♫ And This is Just the Intro by Torey Lanez

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Dear, whoever cares to read this,

Hi! My name is Taryn Chase. If you haven't read my bio, I am a junior studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain for my spring semester! I shared this blog link with many of my friends and family, so if you know me personally, I promise you you're in for a treat. :)

The final hours leading up to my trip were extremely stressful and overwhelming. Long story short, I finally got a new phone! Two hours before my flight. I overpacked my checked bag (no surprise there) and had to remove weight to not pay a fine. Saying goodbye was extremely hard, as my family is a huge foundation in my life. I'll miss my kitty Leo as well. Overall though, everything worked out smoothly and I successfully made it in one piece!

It's always been a dream of mine to study abroad, and it still is hard for me to believe it's really happening now. I'm sitting in my apartment in Barcelona, Spain, about to sleep for the night. It's been an extremely long day of traveling, and I let myself down by taking a 4-hour nap at 2:00 pm BCN. I had the best first day, despite the craziness of traveling. I'm grateful to have been roomed with three other amazing girls, and we have grown closer already! On my flight over the Atlantic, 70% of the plane was booked for study-abroad students, and I was able to meet some great people!

After waking up from my long nap, some friends and I headed out into the city of Barcelona to explore! We tried out the metro for the first time, which was simpler than I anticipated. We ended up having a lovely dinner at Santa Anna and enjoyed some lemon gelato at a nearby cafe! The city was beautiful at night as we walked around, and I took a moment to be present.

Tomorrow, we have orientation, and then classes begin on the 24th! I'm super excited to meet more people and hopefully explore more of the city. I'll be posting a blog every week while I'm here, so if you're interested in seeing what I'm up to, you know where to look :) It's officially 12:30 am here.

Peace and Love,

Taryn Chase