The First 48 Hours in a New Country

This weekend marked the third time I have flow out of the United States, all three times occurring within this year. This is to say, travel is new to me, but it is something I have come to have a yearning for. So, what are the first 48 hours like in a new place? They’re exciting and terrifying and challenging all at the same time. 

I boarded my flight out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 10:15am on a regular Sunday morning. I choked back tears as I said goodbye to my parents, because something about leaving this time felt different. I waded through the airport as anyone does, stopping to buy a water and a snack along the way. My first flight was short, only two hours, and then the real nervous energy set in. 

I sat there during my layover trying to calm the headache I was experiencing. With too much running through my brain it was hard to pinpoint exactly its cause. I board my second flight off to Madrid and realized there was no going back now. Settling in, I was lucky enough to secure an open middle seat in my row, as I attempted to tackle my second ever overnight international flight. I am here to report, I was not successful. Sleeping maybe an hour on the flight I choked the cost of the Wi-Fi simply to watch my comfort TV show, Gilmore Girls. Hoping the show would help me calm some of my anxiety, I deemed my thirty-five-dollar Wi-Fi purchase a success.

Upon arrival I scrambled to figure out where I was supposed to meet the group. Planning ahead, I had many hours to spare which helped calm my anxiety in the event I got lost in the Madrid airport. Once I located the meeting spot, I downed two shots of espresso and tried my best to keep my eyes open. 

At noon we departed from Madrid to Valladolid where we would spend our first night. I felt and immense pressure to make a good impression on the other people in my program, hoping I would find a possible travel buddy for trips outside of Spain. We all took power naps on our bus ride to Valladolid and then were given time to settle in. I think everyone can agree the shower following a plane ride is one of the best feelings! 

We had the pleasure of walking around Valladolid and seeing various sites within the city and then enjoying dinner together. Honestly, I was most nervous for the first night’s sleep in a new place. Once I retired to my room, I fought back many rounds of tears as a wave of loneliness washed over me. I have never been so far away from my family without anyone I know closely with me. However, I joined this program to challenge myself and the first night was the beginning of said challenge. 

After eventually falling asleep I awoke the next morning in preparation for even more changes. We engaged in some fascinating training sessions, met our region coordinators, and then off to our towns we went! Bittersweet goodbyes were had with people I had just met, and promises were made to meet up in beautiful places. 

If I had thought the first night was challenging, the move-in to my town was ten times as hard. In my first few days here, I keep wishing I had paid more attention in Spanish class growing up and thanking my lucky stars I am traveling in the twenty-first century. A language barrier is something I have never experienced before, and it is mentally and emotionally draining even with the help of modern technology. While I know it will only become better, the first few days are hard as I work to learn Spanish and those around me work to learn English.

So, it has been 48 hours. Many hours filled with incredible excitement and fear, yet determination and resilience. For the next seventy-five days I will soak in every second living in the small town of Pradoluengo. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, but being outside one’s comfort zone is the only way to grow. Even in the many moments so far where I have questioned why I even joined this program; I have continued to remind myself I can do hard things. With moments of crying here and there when I become overwhelmed, I tell myself I will not give up. 

If you’re reading this and are terrified to try something new, take this as your sign to step outside your comfort zone. Not every moment is going to be bliss as many like to brag, there will be times of hardship, times you want to give up. I made it past the first 48 hours in a completely foreign place and, while there are many to go, I know each day will be better than the last!