Hello there, welcome to my travel blog!! My name is Robert Nelson and I study Marketing at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. I enjoy being outdoors, cooking, reading, and taking photos. Recently I acquired interests in programming, web design, and open-source software projects.
I have decided to study abroad in Madrid during fall 2018, my penultimate semester. Why choose Spain for study abroad, you might ask? For me, the decision boiled down to a three main points:
I want to travel before I launch into my career.
Save for brief trips to Victoria, Canada and Lima, Peru I have not been outside of the United States. Every trip I have been on up to this point has been with family, so I am looking forward to the independence and autonomy I will have abroad concerning travel. With an increasingly connected world, I value having a global perspective to more accurately process current events. I hope to reinforce my belief that the similarities humans have greatly outnumber their differences and bring more understanding perspectives to discussions about global issues.
I want to photograph Europe.
Going hand in hand with travel, one of my biggest motivators to choose Madrid as a “home base” is its international airport. Since travel in Europe is generally a fraction of the cost as that in America, and because there are so many countries packed into about the area of Texas, I figured Europe was a great choice to experience a vast spectrum of terrain, architecture, culture, and history. I usually photograph people or plants and I would like to add more landscape, architecture, and street photography to my portfolio.
I love Spanish!
I have maintained a steady interest in the language since I took my first Spanish class almost ten years ago. Throughout high school I was the star student in my Spanish classes each year and even took an online AP Spanish course in addition to my regular class schedule. I lived in a predominantly Spanish-speaking neighborhood during my brief time in Boston after high school. The past few months have been spent listening to music and podcasts in Spanish. One of my biggest goals during my time abroad will be to pick up more of the language and work towards fluency.
Now that the decision has been made and appropriate paperwork is being compiled, I have a few more things to do before starting this experience. I have to travel to the Spanish consulate in Washington to file an extended stay visa, I have to finalize housing arrangements, and I would like to start brainstorming travel plans for my time in Europe.
Here goes!