Melissa's Travels

The weeks are racing by as I make preparations for my departure to Spain. Unfortunately, because of my attempts to make money I'm finding myself with little time to accomplish my to-do's and far too much time to obsess over what needs to be done. Not only are there the logistical pieces of contacting my bank, my insurance and figuring out how to get a cell phone, but there's the looming thought in my mind that I wont be able to survive unless I thoroughly brush up on my Spanish before I leave. You'd think with my enthusiasm for enrolling in an intensive Spanish language course, I would jump at any free time offering me the chance to memorize verb conjucation. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case. My room is filled with Spanish language CDs from the library, but once I hit the road its all I can do to listen to 5 minutes before I'm itching to listen to oldies, techno, even the Christian radio station---absolutely anything to pull me back into the world of English and American culture. So this is why I find myself clinging to the one studying option that I find myself consistently excited for. Watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Spanish. The accents are obnoxious, the speed makes my brain ache, but even ridiculously cheesy Season 4 manages to hold my attention in Español. So when I head off to Spain 3 weeks from now, I may not be able to ask for directions to the train station or tell my host family how much I appreciate their hospitality, but I will be completely proficient in phrases such as "I'm going to slay you" and "I sure am craving some blood right now." Surely I will return to the states this summer with an eccentric group of international friends.