Coddiwompling

The amount of twists and turns in my past 8 months has been unreal. I've never had so many switches and plans (that I have had to act on). Figuring out life is fun, exhausting, exciting and unsettling with all the waiting. all the highs and lows . And there are so many outside factors. I initially was set on returning to Spain for another teaching opportunity with a different private school - with a contract lined up and just waiting for what I thought was a simple signed paper - 3 months later, I finally receive the dreaded words. That feeling when all your secret thoughts come true and there is nothing you can do. "Sorry we can't hire you. Goodluck". My heart sunk.  It's really been such a whirlwind that I just have photos and a few good stories from the past few months.  I took a trip to Peru with some friends and have never been more challenged - physically and mentally. Walking for five days never seemed so difficult, but we did it and g...

It blows my mind that I have been in Valencia for 261 days (almost 9 months). The time has flown by and I am absolutely not ready to be finished here. But I am so excited to see my family and friends, my people!!  The past 9 months have been filled with adventures, lessons, love, chaos, and lots of growth. I have gotten to see the improvement of the English language with my kids and have seen improvement in myself with understanding the Spanish language (not so much the speaking Spanish on my part). I have been able to see a whole other culture and see a part of the world I hadn't before. I was able to visit new cities and meet incredible people. I have marked down my favorites to visit for a longer period of time in the future. I have had lots of ups and a few downs, but all great adventures come with both.  When I first applied to this program, I really had no idea what I was getting into. I applied on a whim and convinced myself it was right as the date to leave ap...

I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS I HAD MY FIRST VISITORS After only 8 months of living my life in Valencia, I finally got to give a full explanation of how happy this place and these people make me in the best way I know - introducing new people to my original people and showing my places. Grammy and papa were able to see my new city finally and I can only hope they loved it as much as I did. We skipped the touristy parts and headed straight to where I am everyday - the school. AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD'VE HOPED FOR. The kids were so excited to meet them and were able to practice their English with them and ask them all sorts of questions. They were able to meet the teachers I work with and they met 1 family member from all 3 of my host families. I was overjoyed to share my people with Grammy and Papa and it brought me so much joy to see the instant connections. once a teacher, always a teacher It made me that much more exci...

 Last trimester has already begun and I cannot believe I am in my final months of my first teaching abroad experience. It has been nothing short of amazing, all of it including the difficult teaching days and the days where I quite literally fell off my bike. Or the day I lost in pingpong and pool (but won in bowling) and I had to wear a monkey onesie around Valencia - but I got wine, jamón and queso so who really won? Also I have never heard "que mono" more than this day.     There have been great days of day trips to the villages around Valencia. Hiking to the tops of beautiful mountains and hour train rides and lunches on the tops of mountains. This hike was in Llíria, Spain. All of the days, including these rascals. This day everyone was dressed up in costumes (for their favorite books) when I got to school, so naturally I had to run home and grab my costume. The kids loved it and so did I. Can you spot the monkey in the back?  I never...