Two weeks of being home has snuck up on me! Although a quick family trip sped up a few days, overall the two weeks sped by without much of a chance to realize it was happening. And yet, that’s one of the best things about winter break; you get so caught up in enjoying your days that you don’t even pay attention to how quickly they pass. Luckily for us in the Alicante group, our break started early so we’ve barely gotten started! In these couple weeks however, I have found myself missing Alicante in small moments. Seeing an Instagram ad for a store in the town, browsing through old pictures. Even though I’m relishing the physical closeness to everyone I love, this time apart from Spain has really allowed the fact that I am not returning to sink in. That can be a sad thing! In my reflections on my time abroad, I have thought about what suggestions I would give someone getting ready to go to Alicante. So, if you are preparing to go abroad or specifically to Alicante, here are some packing suggestions!
First off, one thing I would’ve changed about my packing is more warm clothes. Before leaving, we were given the impression that it is constantly summer weather in Alicante and the temperatures would only dip in our last bit of time there. Consequently, I only packed a couple sweatshirts and 3 or 4 long sleeve shirts. We were wrong! By the last week of October into early November, the mornings were chilly and wind running through campus buildings didn’t make the days much warmer. In comparison to East Coast winters, it was still warm, but it seemed much colder without access to sweaters or jackets. I bought a jacket from Zara before it was even chilly and ended up wearing it every day as an extra layer. Central heat is very rare in Alicante because of the sky-high energy costs, so the apartments were as cold (if not colder) than the outside especially at night. Haley and I were fine sleeping with down comforters and sweatshirts, but those floors were chilly without carpet or the warm rush of indoor heating. In conclusion, Alicante is still definitely not close to the winter temperatures I am back to experiencing now, but make sure to bring a jacket and some warmer shirts even if you only need them for the last month. It’s worth it! Another packing suggestion of mine is one you will find on all travel sites but I didn’t heed it: leave room for things you will buy! When I was packing for going abroad, I kept telling myself that I won’t need to buy any clothes and any gifts I get will be small, so there’s no real need for extra room. I definitely underestimated myself. Even if you aren’t a big shopper while at home, being in another country is a whole different experience and that feeling of limited time access will convince you to buy things you would likely walk away from at home. My friends and I probably used the phrase “You’re in [whatever country], when are you going to see this thing again?”, a hundred times. It was dangerous. I also ended up buying all my Christmas presents while in Spain, which is making my December much easier but made my suitcases much heavier. In the end, everything was able to fit and the luggage was underweight, so no real damage was done. In hindsight though, I recommend just assuming you will buy more than you think and packing accordingly. My last quick suggestion is remember to bring a gift for your host mom/family! It is not necessarily expected, but is always appreciated and everyone in your program will be doing it too. A gift specific to your town is great and special, though something from America in general is cool too! I brought some Baltimore-specific gifts to my host mom, including an Old Bay canister and speciality candy popcorn. Host families aren’t in it for the gifts, but it is always nice and respectful to give a little something back. Plus it can spark conversation! Hopefully I will be able to put some of these packing suggestions to use again someday if I am able to return to Europe, but for now I hope someone preparing to go abroad will find them useful!
1 Comment
Keli Emmons
12/19/2021 07:41:55 pm
Hannah, you are definitely a pro at packing these days!
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