Cheyenne Payne
Major(s): Political Science, Global Studies
Pre-Departure Blog Post #1
¡Hola mis amigos! Hello, my friends!
I am somehow just days away from boarding a plane to Barcelona, Spain! For months, my morning routine has consisted of waking up and immediately checking my calendar to see how many days I have left until I embark on this European adventure. A number that was once in the hundreds has now somehow dwindled down to single digits, and I cannot contain my excitement!
Ever since I applied to UMBC as a senior in high school, I knew that studying abroad would be a part of my college experience. If you know me, you know that traveling is not only an obsession of mine but my greatest passion in life. If you do not know me, hello, my name is Cheyenne, and I am a compulsive traveler. Since I began my travel journey in 2020, I have been fortunate enough to visit many of the world’s most beautiful places, including 17 countries and counting.
One thing I have yet to check off my travel bucket list, however, is studying abroad. This summer I will be studying abroad at the world-famous Universitat de Barcelona in, you guessed it, Barcelona, Spain! While in Barcelona, I will be spending my time at the Hispanic Studies institution, where I hope to drastically improve my Spanish speaking abilities. I chose this program because after over a decade of Spanish learning, my knowledge of the Spanish language consists of basic greetings and a few Bad Bunny songs. My goal this summer is to change that.
Some things that I have done so far to prepare for my study abroad experience include packing way too many articles of clothing, talking to my host family, looking at pictures of La Sagrada Familia (a famous basilica in Barcelona), and impulsively changing my entire phone to Spanish. One of the things I am most excited about when I land in Barcelona is to meet my host family. Over the past few weeks, I have exchanged a few emails with my Spanish host mom about what time I am going to arrive and how to get into the apartment when I arrive. In addition to talking with my host mom, I have also talked with an Italian student who will also be staying in the apartment with me during the summer. Although I am slightly scared to live with people I have never met before, I am so eager to finally meet my host family in person and hopefully form lasting friendships with them.
Another thing I am very thrilled about is my layover. Before I fly to Barcelona, I have an eight-hour layover in Copenhagen, Denmark! I am really hoping that I will have enough time to leave the airport during my layover and explore the beautiful Scandinavian city. I have already researched places I want to visit when I arrive (the Nyhavn harbor and Christiansborg Palace) and foods I want to try (smørrebrød and pølse). I also picked out an outfit that I think resembles the results that come up when I search “Scandinavian style” into the Pinterest search bar. Hopefully, in my next blog, I will be able to give you all my ratings of the Danish cuisine and architecture in the city. 
Despite being beyond ecstatic to embark on this new journey, I am admittedly a little nervous about meeting new people and making new friends in my program. I am not studying abroad through a UMBC Faculty-led exchange or with any other students from UMBC, so making new friends is a necessity. As I get closer to departure day, I keep having this recurring vision of walking into my classroom on the first day of school and seeing absolutely no one I recognize. Although this vision is slightly terrifying, I think it is also equally invigorating.
Anytime I get nervous about not knowing anyone, I remind myself that I am not really alone. This past semester at UMBC, I was lucky enough to meet and become close friends with two exchange students from Spain named Carolina and Alba! Together, the three of us recently visited the Spanish embassy in Washington, D.C., which made me even more excited to visit Barcelona. This summer, I plan to explore the north of Spain with Carolina and travel around Barcelona with Alba, who lives near the city. It is super cool to know that my UMBC connections span far beyond Hilltop Circle.
Vale (okay), I am going to get some much-needed rest for the long travel days ahead. I cannot wait to share my experiences in further detail with you all once I touch down in Spain! ¡Hasta pronto! (See you soon!)