A Spanish trip in three bags

Packing for a study abroad semester in Madrid, Spain, is no fun. Because of weight and space restrictions, airlines only allow two suitcases and one carry-on. Normal people take a large suitcase on a vacation. I usually have to squeeze my clothes, shoes and hair rubber bands into two for a typical week-long jaunt. The airlines expect me to fit the next six months of my life into two suitcases -- less than seventy pounds each, and only one carry-on? That's ridiculous!\nBefore packing both suitcases, I had to clean out my room to figure out what I wanted to take with me. Did I mention I have yet to unpack the boxes I brought home from fall semester?\nAfter sending off many, many bags to Goodwill, I narrowed down the precious few items that would make up my wardrobe until July. Then came two content revisions where I pared down my T-shirts, sweatshirts, shoes and comfort items. Do I take a book or some mini-boxes of cereal as snacks? Should I FedEx my extra deodorant and contact solution, or can I cram that in the suitcase's side pockets? Shoes or umbrella? An umbrella would be handy if it rained, but a snappy pair of sandals would be oh-so-cute in the discotecas. In the end, my Harry Potter books have taken their places on the bookshelf at home because there wasn't enough room after packing the cereal and deodorant. And anything even remotely resembling fashion? Left hanging in the closet, replaced by basic black pieces I can mix with other black pieces. \nThen came packing both suitcases (super-sized), which is an art form in itself. Fitting everything in there just right to maximize space is a talent few have mastered. Thank goodness my sister has her degree in travel packing, otherwise I'd be up the proverbial river because a paddle doesn't fit in the overhead compartment. \nBut it's not about the umbrella or the proverbial paddle. Or the cereal, the sandals or Harry Potter books. Mainly, though, it's about the experience. It's about leaving everything I've known for 21 years to go live with people I don't know in a metropolitan city I'm not familiar with where the people speak a language in which I'm not yet fluent. Experiencing both the good and the bad of a new culture will help me figure out who I really am. Learning to live as a little fish in a giant pond will be an important skill so I can stay afloat in the sea of life after graduation.\nBut on this trip, it doesn't really matter if I sink or swim because my seat cushion turns into a flotation device.