June came QUICK. It felt like only yesterday that I had made the decision to get TEFL (Teach english as a foreign language)- certified, and began scribbling out my plans for moving to Madrid the following summer to look for teaching jobs. Two months later, my current job offered me a promotion that at the time I could not refuse, which then caused some major tweaks in my plans to venture abroad. I had reached a point in life where passion, creativity, and motivation were nowhere to be found. There was really no reason to feel that way, but I did ; I allowed myself to reach that point. It was a frustrating realization, but I knew it could not stay that way. Meanwhile, I was preparing to embark on another life journey- my very first apartment, ON MY OWN. The months leading up to June were filled with days of constantly trying to get on track with all areas of my life: work, social life, family, moving, and preparing for Spain. After waiting patiently ( verrrrrryyyy patiently ) for 5 months, I was placed with a host family located in Alsasua Navarra, a small village in the basque region of northern Spain, close to the french border. My host mom spoke english very well, and wanted me to teach her two boys while they're still young ( 4 and 5, she has PLENTY of time ). I was BEYOND excited! the light at the end of the tunnel finally came through! Plus, I love kids, and consider myself to be great with them, for someone who doesn't have their own ( and there is PLENTY of time before that happens ). After the third attempt at packing clothes, toiletries, and numerous paint projects and boardgames into two suitcases- the feeling of accomplishment finally hit me. I chose to do Greenheart Travel's Teach in a Homestay program because I wanted to give myself an opportunity to be challenged in something I had never done before, with hopes of growing from the experience while helping others. It was truly an experience unlike any other, and I would do it again in a heartbeat- hopefully you'll see why as you scroll through my postings :) NOTE: Images are clickable!
Chapter 2: Madrid at last
Madrid is as beautiful and wonderful as every tourist exclaims in their social media postings. Practically cloudless skies ( well, sometimes!), tree-aligned streets, historical architecture, and an organic vibrance from the multitude of cultures blending into one another through the neighborhoods. Every balcony has it's own unique railing design. I couldn't help but give in to my inner-tourist self and constantly be looking up at them while walking throughout the city. Although it was crowded, the pace was slow and relaxed- there was no rush to get anywhere, and freedom to sit as long as you'd like at any restaurant- even if all you ordered was a drink! However, it's pretty difficult to simply order a drink without giving in to the incredibly unique tapas made from fresh local produce. Once you try the jamón (Spanish ham), I guarantee the following: 1. You will fall in love 2. If you were considering becoming a vegetarian, that will soon become an afterthought 3. You will never dare to even LOOK at ham in the United States 4. You may not want to return to the United States. ( NOTE: below is an awesome picture, unfortunately it's the only image that I cannot take credit for- thank you google images! )
Madrid felt like a second home, and it probably had to do with my handsome tour guide:
OK- unless you know me personally, I'm sure this wasn't expected. Therefore, it's pretty obvious as to what you may be thinking at this very moment: " He's cute!" "How did you meet him?" " Are you going to move to Spain now?!" or my personal favorite: " OHHHH SO THAT'S WHY YOU WENT TO SPAIN!"
Lito and I are both photographers, and met on Instagram. I came across his profile while I was posting for my photography account, noticed his photography skills- and how handsome he was-and sent a message figuring I had nothing to lose. Believe it or not, I met him AFTER I had made my decision to go abroad. Technically, we had met in August of 2016, but it wasn't until October of that same year that I reached out to him again to ask about life in Madrid, since my original plan was to permanently move out there and completely wing it. I was stuck in D.C due to a hurricane passing through South Florida, and really worried about my family and friends safety. I knew he was special when I received an Instagram message from him the next day, asking how my family was doing, and with updates on the hurricane that he checked online. We have been talking every day since, followed by our first FaceTime in November, to eagerly waiting to meet each other in person in June. The connection was immediate- he was the same person from our text messages and Facetime calls ( No catfish, whew! ). I'm excited to see what the future holds for us :)
Chapter 3: Hello Basque Country
Although it was hard saying goodbye to Lito at the train station, I was also pretty excited as to how my next adventure would unfold. The high-speed train didn't feel high-speed at all, but the three hours to Pamplona flew by! The station was small and crowded, filled with people rushing to either catch a train or hug their significant other. Unlike the United States where you can use the internet without necessarily being connected to wifi- there was no luck with that in Spain. Which for me, meant that I had no way of reaching my host mom. I decided not to freak out about my inability to contact her, and focused on trying to find her in the sea of people, hoping one of their faces would click with my photographic memory of her on Facetime.
A woman rushed into the station. She was tall, wearing a green floral dress and an amazing pair of chandelier earrings I noticed from afar. She looked at me and smiled with a sigh of relief- I had found my host mom! Besides the car attempting to roll away as we were loading my suitcases, the drive was beyond pleasant. My host mom was exactly as she was on Facetime: Vibrant, energetic, sweet, and very talkative. She would only speak to me in english, and asked that I would do the same with her children. We talked during the entire drive, but at the same time I couldn't help but stare out my window and feel the difference of being in this region:
We were literally up IN the mountains, where you could touch the clouds if you climbed high enough. Small villages would pop up once in a while, but nature rules this province.
Culture shock officially sunk in the moment we entered the town of Alsasua, where every street corner greeted us with a small but growing blaze of fire! Noche De San Juan, which is also known as Saint John's Eve, is the traditional festival to welcome the summer season. Families gathered at the top of the mountain in front of the church of San Juan, lit a huge pile of wood on fire, followed by children taking turns jumping over the flames. According to locals, this was the best time any foreigner could possibly come! The fires are meant to remove any and all bad spirits in the town. All of their effort really paid off, because there wasn't a scent of negativity that could be traced.
There was a sense of freedom that filled the town square as laughing children ran aimlessly, adults greeted each other with a hug and homemade wine while showing off their newborn babies, and everyone partook in traditional basque dancing as the town orchestra passionately played their familiar folk tunes. After several moves across the United States, I am pretty comfortable in new surroundings full of strangers- I actually look forward to it! Each person I met was a pleasure. Getting to experience their unique personality and authenticity was refreshing.
Although it looks as if the boys weren't ready for the picture, it was actually me :P they posed that way from the beginning!
Maria Luisa and her husband Pablo, the boys grandparents :) Maria Luisa came to the house every morning to clean and make breakfast to sell at the local bakery that her son managed. She would then picked us up in the afternoon to have lunch at their house and farm. Her husband told me that his wife is considered the BEST cook in all of Alsasua. She was by far one of the sweetest people I met in Spain, and her work ethic inspired me as I watched her prepare what looked like millions of meals for the entire family ( she refused to let me help with anything ) immediately followed by rigorous cleaning. I remember one specific (and random) moment, where she was mopping the floor of the bakery after closing hours, to help her son lock up at a decent time to get rest after a busy day. As I watched her mop the floor back and forth with what looked like effortless force, her strength and diligence shined through such a simple task- and I then heard these words in a soft whisper : "Keep moving forward, you can't just give up." That was the first of several instances where it was brought to my attention that I had been stuck, and embraced feelings of giving up in many areas of my life. This may come off as weird to some people, but sometimes - random moments can serve as a purpose for reawakening the mind and spirit.
Chapter 4: Teaching English with no experience....
......to a 4 AND 5 year-old
Alain and Amet :) Where do I even begin?
Naturally, they were very shy meeting me for the first time at their grandparents' house the day I arrived. After an hour, Amet threw a pillow at me, and a minute later I was chasing them around the house covered in a red blanket- pretending to be some type of mythical creature that was after them. After a bunch of laughs and exhausting myself, I felt this would be easier than I had expected, confident in the connection I had just built with these adorable boys. When we arrived back into the town square for the children's festival, I became a complete stranger to them again, as if the laughs and red blanket monster game never happened! I realized that the challenge was beginning to unfold, and my confidence with kids was going to be put to the ultimate test the next day when my first english lesson would begin, and for the next four weeks......
Operation, Mr. Potato Head, High Ho Cherry-O, stickers, paint, sketchpads, brushes, markers, tie-dye t-shirt kits, and playdough. The boys were intrigued the first couple days with everything I had brought for them, but the excitement faded after 1-2 weeks. I speak Spanish, and had originally planned to progressively ease into English as the boys became comfortable with me- but my host mom insisted that I begin with and only English, so the boys would have no choice. I respected her wishes, and approached the boys each morning with one of the fun activities I had planned for them. It didn't take long to realize that they understood what I was saying, but didn't have the confidence nor interest to speak themselves. Alain would quietly paint and create awesome playdough pirate ships, but would be too shy to tell me in english what he had made. Amet would participate when he 'felt like it', and responded to me in Spanish whenever I asked him a question in English. Both boys have distinct personalities, but they tended to switch roles depending on how interested they were in the english lesson for the day. Surprisingly, during the first couple weeks, they were very willing to participate in the games and art projects, and my host mom was very supportive in encouraging her sons to engage with the English language. I strategized to present one new game to them each day, and once I had their attention, we would practice pronouncing and repeating new vocabulary before playing the game or starting an art project. However, once I ran out of new things to show them, it became a challenge keeping their attention and getting them excited about playing High Ho Cherry-O to learn numbers and practice phrases like "My turn!" or " I want to go first". When kids get bored, it's very easy to resort to mobile applications, which I admittedly did many times, but still made it an educational experience. Before allowing them to play Mario or Angry Birds, they had to do the following: Play several rounds of "Fun English"( an ESL Mobile app ), and practice asking me permission in English to play on my phone.
It didn't take long to realize that the boys would EFFORTLESSLY practice their english when they wanted to play games, were stuck with me as the only adult who could approve/deny their requests, and my personal favorite: When they were genuinely having fun with me :)
Chapter 5: Reawakening Photography
It's been 6 years since graduating with my associates degree in Photography from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, and I can confidently state that I am proud and honored to have photographed every person, couple, baby, wedding, birthday, and event up to now. This trip not only challenged me with the ups and downs of teaching English to kindergartners, but served as a pleasant reminder of the genuine love, creativity, and passion for storytelling that photography excites me with:
I hope you've enjoyed reading and scrolling through my Spanish/Basque adventure :) Whether this blogpost has just sparked or reignited your interest in going abroad, take this as a sign to
GO.
Enjoy every moment.
Walk in confidence.
Allow time for the new relationships to grow.
Don't be afraid to face yourself ; embrace personal growth.
Say YES to everything: learn a traditional dance, try an odd-looking dish- it makes the experience that much more enriching for everyone.