Stories from Spain: Traveling to León

By Raechelle Pidone - 2019 Cohort

I was of course a little nervous to leave home even though I had done most of it before. I had flown in a plane before, gone away from home for more than six weeks, left the state of Washington, and traveled internationally. This was different though because the last time I left the United States I was around 3, and I hadn’t ever been without at least one of my parents. But despite all that I was so excited. 

During the drive to the airport, I was super sleepy but as soon as I got there and talking with the other fellows while we waited to check our baggage, the excitement began. We were all just cracking jokes and bonding over this next experience we were about to experience together. Discussing things like Instagram photos we wanted to take and the classes we were enrolled in a school. 

Once through security I was grateful for the Uno and playing cards I brought with me. They became a nice addition throughout the day of traveling. Majority of the fellows and I played Uno together at the gate before boarding to Texas. On that flight, I sat next to Geo and Brian. We also played Uno and then I taught them how to play rummy. The four-hour bus ride to León had some serious long parts. But in between watching the eastern Washington like scenery pass by and napping the group played together. This was a bit challenging due to us sitting in different seats but so fun. I considered not bringing the cards. I thought things like “who’d wanna play a silly card game?” and “are these just wasted baggage space?” But bringing them allowed something so small to become so useful. Suddenly all of us were laughing together and able to talk to each other more casually. Though the day was exhausting, it was a great start to our trip.