But it's really weird to be sitting here all alone knowing that I really am here all alone right now. And I won't being seeing Deidre anymore. It's weird going from being with someone almost 24/7, to maybe never seeing them again. At least my friends back home I knew that I was going to see again in a few months. I know it's going to be even harder once I leave. I know I plan on coming back, but if it doesn't actually happen, I'm never going to see the friends that I have made here. And I am so thankful for everyone that I have gotten to know here. It's hard moving to a different country where you're not comfortable with the language and you only know one person, but that person is on the exact opposite side of the island. It's a very scary thing. Four years ago, this was just an idea that I wasn't sure was actually going to happen. Even this summer, I wasn't sure that I was actually going to do this. There were so many times that I just wanted to give up and chicken out. I wanted to give up even a few months ago. But this trip has taught me that I really can do what I want if I set my mind to it. I'm a very ambitious person, and that's one of the things I like best about myself. And now I'm going to be spending the summer living with 2 different Spanish-speaking families, and doing everything in Spanish. I know my Spanish has improved so much this semester, but it's still going to be difficult to get used to. But if my Spanish can improve this much with how little Spanish I actually did, then I do think that I can become fluent (or close to fluent) this summer.
XOXO Ericka