One day at a time

It's been a while and I have some news, but I'll get to that soon.

Although I'm a terrible procrastinator, I also really enjoy planning my time and knowing where I have to be to do what. Sometimes I get so consumed by all the planning that I forget to make the best of the situation I am in. I like looking at the bigger picture, seeing the final goal, and looking forward to getting there. It becomes a problem when I associate that final goal with happiness, and everything before that seems miserable. It's an extreme way of thinking, but I'm guilty of getting caught in such a mindset.

Here's why all of this is relevant. I have now received an offer for an internship, accepted it, and started filling out paperwork for it. In other words, I finally have a return date for my year abroad. I have my final goal in sight. However, anyone that knows me may remember that before coming here I said I'd have to spend between nine to twelve months in Spain. Since Scotland has become my home, I was really hoping it would be nine months.

The place that offered me an internship, alas, wants me for a longer period of time. Six months, to be more exact. That adds up to 11,5 months in Spain for me. Don't get me wrong, I feel very blessed to have secured an internship so soon, a paid one, and I'm trusting God it will also be an experience that helps me find a job when I return to Glasgow. One that requires thinking, instead of the mind-numbing manual labor I'd done the last six years. My mind feels like it's on a battleground. Fighting to focus on everyday life, passing my exams (those where possible, Greek is not one of them), and preparing for the next chapter of this year abroad. I want to be able to invest this time in self-development and self-discovery that I hope will lead to clarity about what comes after graduation.
The difficulty is not focusing on how much I miss all my loved ones in Scotland. How much I wish this year wasn't mandatory.

I recently spoke to a few friends about what we expect from 2020. It felt surreal when I realized I'll spend the majority of it in Spain. Not going to lie, that sounds quite daunting to me. So, to keep my sanity, I am trying to find little things to look forward to.

I've decided which project of writing I want to continue with and have created a rewards system for myself. A certain amount of words written leads to a certain item I can buy myself. I'm hoping it'll keep me motivated and appreciate the process more until I get into the habit of writing all the time.

Now going back to my internship, I expect you are curious to find out what it is. Although I'm studying Journalism, Creative writing, and Spanish, I was open to trying out different things. There also weren't many internships related to my course, if any. Therefore, the one I got is Digital Marketing with English! It is a second-hand online clothing store called Micolet, that operates in a few European countries, one of them being the UK. My job will be to communicate with customers, email marketing, develop new markets and collaborations, and some more. I am sure my creativity with words will come in handy and I look forward to trying myself out in a new field.
Also, this internship will be in Bilbao so it will be refreshing to change the scenery. I am excited and grateful for this opportunity and I am sure that above all, it'll teach me to take things one day at a time.

Matthew 6:34 New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.