Reflecting and Thinking Forward

nyu study abroad Throughout this semester I have found myself facing excitement and anxiety about my trip abroad. After signing up for classes I became more excited about them because it is the one set activity I know I will be doing. The classes I am taking pertain to my interests and sound like they will provide opportunities to get involved with the city, whether that be music performances for my Latin American Music class, a tango performance for my Tango and Mass Media course, or watching a movie for my Latin American Film class.

Something I am considering more and more is doing community service throughout the semester. It sounds like NYU has many options to participate in activities that will get us involved with natives and have a rewarding experience. This also sounds like yet another good chance for me to practice my Spanish. My Spanish language class this semester has been a real challenge and borderline discouraging, I just keep telling myself that it will come much more naturally once I am submerged in the language.

I still face basic anxieties about being abroad for so long that includes being so far away from my family and everyone I know. This would never be a reason enough for me not to go but I cannot help but think about how hard of a personal struggle and opportunity for personal growth this will be. I also now have new anxieties such as my recently acquired fear of traveling around the city. Obviously millions of people bustle around the city each day but I suppose that this is part of the problem. With more people, there are more chances someone pick-pocketing you will seem like someone who happen to bump into you. I think the most important thing is to just be as alert as possible and draw as little attention as possible, especially as a tourist (a lesson given in the second novel I read).

My original excitement still exists. The two things I am really looking forward to is eating and watching/dancing Tango. I love to try food from other cultures so naturally, while traveling, my favorite activity I can do anywhere is eat. The emphasis on meat sound delicious and I cannot wait to decide which are my favorite restaurants. I think dancing will also be really fun. I used to take a lot of dance classes when I was younger and I think it will be really nice to get back into it during my trip. It will be a way to get exercise, learn about the culture, and meet people. It will also be a wonderful life-skill, I mean how many people know how to Tango?