"Fall seven times, stand up eight." - Japanese Proverb

One of the first things that I was told as an aspiring exchange student was that this experience is going to be a long journey, and definitely not always easy. They compared it to a roller coaster, with every down there will be an up. It was hard for me to imagine having periods of time where I wasn't completely ecstatic about it all, but over the last 10 months of preparation, I can see exactly what AFS is talking about. For Instance, the Visa process has been very long, and VERY painful, and I have another batch of documents due before school ends. To say the least, I am feeling quite overwhelmed. Did I mention finals start in a week? The school year is finally coming to an end, and as of right now I have 97 days until I depart for Madrid. So Even though I have two very stressful weeks ahead, I will have the next two months to enjoy with my family and friends. Two months before they all slip into "Megg withdrawal," which is what most of my friends are calling it now. So back to the roller coaster, I mentioned before that with every low point, there will be a high point to remind you why you chose this path in the first place. Today during lunch I got an email with the subject line, "AFS: Your Permanent Host Family Placement with AFS-Spain" I am going to under exaggerate, but I freaked out. I am going to live in Ponferrada, Spain with my Host Mom, Dad, Sister, and two Brothers. I will have a cat, and a dog too! They honestly seem like my exact family, translated into Spanish! Now when people ask about my exchange to Spain, I can say more than "Yep, I'm going... nope, I have no idea where I'm living, but YES I AM VERY EXCITED!!!" So even though I've fallen, and way more than seven times throughout this process already, I am now standing up straighter than ever, ready for my next obstacle. 

“Life is like riding a bicycle. In order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

All of my normal daily activities such as school, or going to rugby practice, or eating dinner with my family have begun to have a little more significance. Knowing (for sure!) that I will be leaving for ten months, gives me a new perspective on the simple things. The things that have always been constant are turning into "my last time..." doing this or that. Tonight my dad grilled and we did our regular warm weather activity, eating dinner on our back patio. My sister and her friend Zoe were asking me questions about where their classes will be next year. I answered "Oh, It doesn't matter! I'll just show you around on the first day of sch.." I got about that far when we all realized that no, I wouldn't be able to show them to their classes. Next year I will be in Spain. I feel like this quote really explains it, of course I want to be with my sister on her first day of school, but of course I want to move to Spain for ten months. I need to remember that life goes on, and change is what balances it out. I know that most fifteen year olds don't move to another country in the middle of their high school experience, but I will. I chose to apply, I chose to spend hour after hour working on my application, I chose to learn everything I could about this program, because this is all I've ever looked forward to. I will be leaving behind a lot, but in return I will be gaining a year's worth of new experiences and memories with a new family and friends. But for now, I'll just keep moving.