Counting down the days...

I can't believe that next week at this time I will be on my way to Spain for the semester! I am getting very excited (and nervous) about the whole trip. I have created this blog for family and friends to read while I am in Spain and other parts of Europe until I come home on June 8th. My goal is to write in it about once or twice a week and to also post a few pictures. I obviously can't post all of my pictures on this website so most of my pictures will be on my Facebook account, or I might make a Flickr account later on.


Next Wednesday, I will drive up to Sioux Falls with my family and from there I will fly to Minneapolis to New York to Madrid; arriving in Madrid Thursday morning their time. There are a total of 19 students going on this trip from Iowa State. We will meet at the Madrid airport in the afternoon which is where we will meet our director. We will travel with her by bus from Madrid to Cáceres (which is where I will be staying for the remainder of the semester.)


Last night, I received my host family stay information! My host mom's name is María Dolores Correyero Tello. I will also be staying with another student from Iowa State. (I feel like a freshman all over again!) Her name is Claire. Hopefully I be as lucky with the whole random roommate thing as I was freshman year!


For those of you who don't know, I will be staying in Cáceres until the end of the semester which is May 5th. At the end of the semester, my dad will be flying out to visit me for about a week and a half. After my dad flies back, I will have about two weeks on my own. Around Memorial Day weekend, my mom, Paige, and Kaicer will be coming to visit for about a week and then we will all fly back together.

Most frequently asked questions:

*Where exactly is Cáceres? It's about 3-4 hours west of Madrid and about an hour east of Portugal.
*Do you plan on visiting Portugal since you'll be so close? Yes, I do!
*Will you be visiting other countries in Europe? I plan on visiting France, England, and Portugal for sure.
*Will you visit other cities within Spain? There are 4 mini trips included with this program; Cordoba,  Granada, Salamanca, and Merida. (I also want to visit Seville and Barcelona.)
*What is the name of the university where you will be studying? Universidad de Extremadura.
*What classes will you be taking? Spanish Grammar and Composition, Spanish Conversation, Civilization and Culture of Spain, and Spain Today

Also, I won't be able to use my phone while I'm in Spain. I have to shut it off the whole time, so I won't receive any texts or voice mails until June 8th. If you need to get in contact with me, Facebook, email (smcgrath20@gmail.com or smcgrath@iastate.edu), and Skype (shea_mcgrath) are the best three ways to get in touch with me.

Feel free to ask any more questions! Otherwise, happy reading!

Shea