Year Abroad Goals

I was completely inspired to write this post after reading Becky's blog post - I already had ideas in my mind but it made me think 'you know what? I'm going to write them all down!' So I have :)

1. Get damn good at Spanish

If I come away from Spain and I'm not damn good at Spanish then I should just hang my head in shame.  I think I'll find it really difficult at first and feel like I'll never learn anything but there is no excuse for not coming back 100x better than when I came!

2. Integrate with Spanish people

There's no better way to learn a language than have Spanish friends! Luckily I'm living with a Spanish teacher so at least I'll always have him to speak to in Spanish.  Also, the locals have all the insider knowledge on the best places to go and the best things to do so it's definitely a good idea.

3. Adopt the Spanish way of life

I want to eat what they eat, eat when they eat, wear what they wear, sleep when the sleep and speak how they speak!

4. Have the confidence to earn a little extra cash on the side

I've seen loads of people post on the auxiliares Facebook group that they are teaching english privately on the side and have very willing and paying customers!  I would love to do something like this but I don't think Ihave enough experience as a teacher yet to charge for a service like that. 

5. Don't forget Italian

I study Italian at university alongside Spanish and I chose to come to Spain just because I love it so much when, in reality, Italian is my weaker language.  I was hoping to take Italian classes in Spain but I'm finding them hard to come by.  There are plenty in Alicante but with it being an hour bus-ride away, I have been advised by my mentor at the school that it may not be the best idea. 

I'd like to meet someone Italian just to talk with, I may look on tusclasesparticulares.com to see if there are any private Italian teachers in my area.

6. Keep in regular contact with friends back home

I definitely don't want to lose contact with any of my friends due to living abroad.  Hopefully I'll be living with all my uni friends next year!  Can't wait to update them on my time in Spain :)

7. Travel!!!

I want to see much of the country as I can, starting with Madrid after the orientation that is there on the 1st October!  But here's my list of places I don't want to leave without visiting:

• Madrid
• Alicante
• Valencia
• Barcelona
• Zaragoza
• País Vasco
• La Coruna
• Salamanca
• Sevilla
• Córdoba
• Murcia
• Formentera Island
• Mt. Teide Tenerife

But I'm also hoping to discover and explore loads of other places I don't even know about yet!

Allow me to leave you with one last thought...