Taking the Jump

My love affair with Spain began in the Fall of  2000 when I spent fall semester studying at Universidad de Alcalá de Henares.  Fourteen years later, I am just as enamored with the country as I was back then.  I was supposed to be a Spaniard, I just feel it in my bones.  If I believed in past lives, I would claim to have been Spaniard in another life.

Every time my finances allow, I book a flight to Madrid.  I call it my "Happy Place".  My soul is at peace when I am there.  So this past summer, when the opportunity arose to spend the summer in Madrid, I booked a flight and rented a flat.  I decided to take classes toward my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) cert.  The program offered a student visa so I could stay there for an entire year, working in the field which I would become certified.  Being the responsible adult I am (or claim to be rather) I figured I would take the class, have an awesome summer in my most favorite place in the world, and return home to "real life."   I should have known better.  The city that I love, sucked me in once again.

The actualization that I could actually live my dream and move to Spain suddenly became a reality,  This was confirmed even more when I spoke with Spanish friends, and my TEFL instructors.  The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced I could actually do it.  So I called the principal of my school, resigned from my teaching position, informed my friends and family of my plan and haven't looked back.

So here I am, in the process of packing up the past 14 years of my life, packing a few suitcases and the dogs and I'm moving to Spain.  Did I mention I don'have a job or a place to live yet?  The majority of my family thinks I'm crazy.  But despite all the unknown, I'm absolutely calm and cool about this huge change that's about to take place in my life.  It's like it's the next logical step in my life.  It's the only thing that seems to make sense in my crazy life.

I try to keep journals, but it usually doesn't happen.  I've kept an education blog for a few years now (that's right students, I've been talking about you for years) so I figured I'd continue my adventures here.  This is more for me than anyone else, but if you want to read it, go for it.

Ready, set, go.....