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Sydney Vance: Pre-Departure Blog

 

Listen to my Spotify Playlist here!

Leaving to go abroad, to me, feels unreal. I have been given this wonderful opportunity that not many college students get to experience. I am traveling across the world without my family. And I am going to spend four months in Barcelona, Spain, one of my dream destinations. I feel truly exhilarated, scared, thrilled, blessed and eager to explore the culture, art, theatre, food and all Spain has to offer. I am looking forward to meeting new people and making new connections with students at other campuses across the US and Europe.

Honestly, I haven’t slept well in the past few weeks. This is a much different feeling than going back to TX, I would say it’s even different than leaving for college for the first time. It is hard to fully comprehend the fact that you are leaving behind a place that has been constant, but taking some of the people with you. I don’t even know how to put it into words, but the second I try to sleep my mind wanders to what I imagine the streets of Barcelona will look like, all of the food I will eat, the places I will travel and the things I will do. Before I know it it’s 3 a.m. and I have to wake up in 4 hours… oops!!

Starting to pack for abroad was so daunting to me. It took me a while to get out the suitcase, plan outfits, decide what was necessary and then to actually pack it. When I travel with my family out of the country, it is for a week, maybe two, but to pack for a whole semester… how do you even begin?? The good news is, I am going to Barcelona where the weather in the winter isn’t unbearable and the vintage stores and shopping are supposed to be amazing.

I watched about 1,000 TikToks on “What I packed for study abroad,” but I came to the conclusion that there is not a perfect science. Pack what you will want to wear to class, what you feel most confident in and what will be worn the most.

The clothing culture in Europe is much different than ours in the US. Oftentimes students “dress up” for class, which I love to do on occasion in TX, don’t get me wrong, but I love my leggings and Lululemon align shorts. It’s going to be different, which is a good thing.

I have always wanted to establish a personal style. I feel like I love a lot of different types of fashion, but then I don’t have my own personalized touch when styling outfits. I hope that abroad I will find more inspiration and maybe some fun, statement pieces that inspire me to create outfits I feel authentically me, confident in and excited to wear.

Anyway, back to packing! Here is a rough list of what I have packed and where:

Cosmetics:

  • Shampoo & conditioner (travel and full sized)
  • Makeup – 2 extra concealers because I’m picky
  • Makeup remover
  • Face wash
  • Skin care
  • Pimple patches (hoping they have these over there too)
  • Multi-vitamins
  • Hair brushes – normal and pony tail
  • Slick back cream
  • Travel dry shampoo
  • Sunscreen
  • Pony tail holders and bobby pins
    • All put in a cosmetic folding bag that can hang!

Suitcases:

  • Check bag:
    • 5 long skirts
    • 4 pairs of jeans (cheetah, white, dark wash, medium wash)
    • 1 pair of black slacks
    • 2 linen pants
    • 2 tights (fleece and sheer)
    • 4 plain colored shirts
    • 4 fun patterned shirts
    • 5 dressier/going out tops
    • 2 workout sets
    • 3 pairs of pajamas
    • 3 oversized tees
    • 1 sweat-sets
    • 3 jackets
      • 1 rain
      • 1 puffer
      • 1 leather
    • 2 cardigans
    • Swim suits
    • 14 pairs of socks and underwear
    • 1 pair of tall boots
    • 1 pair of heels
    • 1 pairs of running shoes
    • 1 statement shoe (I samba Mary Jane flats)
    • Flip flops
    • Clothes pins (no dryer abroad)
    • Gloves
    • Winter hat
    • Baseball hat
    • My travel backpack
  • Carry-on roller bag:
    • An outfit or 2 in case my suitcase doesn’t make it
      • A workout set
      • A clean pair of socks and underwear
      • Maybe a pair of pjs
    • Cosmetics I want on the plane
      • Toothbrush/toothpaste
      • Floss
      • Travel brush
      • Eye patches
    • Plane pillow that turns into a blanket
    • Stuffed animals
      • I have a bear I’ve had since I was a baby, I take it everywhere, and a jellycat peanut that’s matching with my little 🙂
  • School Tote:
    • Computer
    • Planner
    • Pens/pencils
    • Sunglasses
    • Water bottle
    • Wallet/passport/ID/important documents
    • Euros
    • Notebook
    • Chargers
    • Digital camera

I feel like I get asked “Why Barcelona?” every time I talk about the fact that I am going abroad. The short and honest answer is that they had the classes that helped me fill in the rest of my core and some major electives while also allowing me to try new things and visit new places, by being centrally located in Europe. I was all over the place when choosing a city to study abroad. A lot of my sorority sisters are going to Rome, which is one I really thought about because I would have people I would travel with, a roommate and a sense of security. I also wanted London for a little bit because of the theatre scene over there, but I have been to London before. I decided I wanted to explore a new place in Europe and Spain has always been a place of interest for me. Then within Spain I went back and forth… I’m indecisive, ha. At first I wanted to avoid Barcelona because the housing is not necessarily close to the campus. However, the distance has become something I am excited about. It gives me a chance to explore the city before and after classes. It also will really give me a feel for the city as opposed to being in a little campus bubble, that I never leave.

I have three wonderful roommates, Kacie, Livy and Sofia and we live about a 15 min walk from the Sagrada Familia in residential housing, meaning our neighbors are locals not students. I leave January 7th and I could not be more excited for this new chapter in my life.

I made a playlist of songs I think best represent the feeling of getting ready to leave! Give it a listen:)

Listen to my Spotify Playlist here!