¡Hola! My name is Kate McLaughlin. I am a History and Spanish double major from Pelham, New York.
Tonight I set out for A Coruña, Spain, where I’ll be spending the 2019-2020 academic year. When I applied to study abroad last fall, the idea of living in another country for a year felt so distant and abstract. Now, after a long summer of working and saving up for the trip, I can’t believe the time has finally come–and I’m both so terrified and so excited!!
I can’t help but think of how I felt the night before Freshman year move-in day at Holy Cross. I had absolutely no idea what to expect from the first few weeks of college, but I knew that they would be confusing and challenging.
Now, as I wait anxiously in the airport and prepare to board my flight, I once again have butterflies in my stomach. But after two years that have been so enriching and transformative–both academically and personally–I feel confident that I can face this next challenge and embrace the uncertainty of the next year.
I will be spending the first three weeks in Pamplona (a city about four hours north of Madrid), where I will be taking a language and culture course with all of the the other Holy Cross students studying in Spain. In early September, I will head to A Coruña, meet my host family, and start classes at the city’s university, Universidade da Coruña.
I hope to use this blog to keep my family and friends updated on my travels and to allow myself to write about and reflect on the amazing experiences I will have. I can’t wait to immerse myself in a new country and culture and am ready to open my mind and heart to all that this adventure will have to offer!
¡¡Vamos!!
