Well, I’ve officially been in Spain for six weeks and it really feels more like six months. In the last month and a half I have eaten more tapas than I ever thought possible, passed (with flying colors) the most rigorous course of my life, lived in five (going on six) different rooms, found employment (without a Visa, mind you), made friends from all over the world, and fallen madly in love with Seville… Here’s a lil recap of my adventure so far:

I arrived in Madrid, checked into my hotel and was overwhelmed with contrasting emotions. And I was empowered, curious and excited… and I was lonely, heartbroken and afraid. I was far away from home and that gave me a sense of freedom, but once I realllyyyy figured out the time change I realized just how far away I was. It was hard. After a couple of days of solo exploring the city, I hopped on a train to Seville. I wrote in my journal (thanks to Hanz) about how Madrid might not be my “place” (due to lack of friends) and that Seville might be the city for me… and it was!!! A large part of my likeliness of Seville was due to the mere fact that I had friends. My friends Nolan and Noelle Fargo (TP nation/ world) are both living here and after meeting my fellow CELTA course-mates, I felt much more at home. Once the course got rolling I befriended some of my students, as well, and they are my very best gal pals here today! (Te quiero Lau y Chuchi)

OK cool, got me some friends √ Now onto the city…

I hope you have seen some of my photos, but if not, let me just paint you a picture:

I live in a fairytale. I’m not kidding… not even a little, not even a tiny bit. I am literalllyyy a princess in ancient Spanish castleland and it’s effing amazing. When I think of Seville I think of golden yellow paint, intricate tiling and mosaic work, regal palm trees (you know, the expensive, Newport Coast type palm trees), narrow cobblestone streets and perfect weather. The Cathedral is in the heart of the city and it’s massive (3rd largest in the world) and it’s constantly surrounding by awe-struck tourists and horse-drawn carriages. There is something enchanting about the sound of the horses’ clip-clops on the cobblestone pathways… Sometimes I run to the balcony eager to see the carriage pass by (and add it to my snap story) and am disappointed to find a couple of tourists rolling their suitcases out to their non-horse-drawn taxi, LOL, But that’s not the point! My favorite place in all the land is the Plaza de España. Even the best picture, with the nicest camera, by the most talented photographer would not be able to capture the beauty of this place. It’s so detailed and meticulously well-done that the more you walk around it, the more you appreciate it’s grandeur. I took so many #selfies with my Kim K #selfie camera and I didn’t even care that people were looking. That’s how amazing this place is… it makes toothless smile #selfies totally chill.

I am apartment hunting right now and think I have a place lined up (updates to come) and I have two weeks of working with Baby English and Academia Méndez Núñez under my belt. I teach little kids (ages 1-2 who come with their mommies, 4-5, and 5-6) and we sing and dance and play for an hour. Friday’s we have two hour craft days, again I am not lying to you, and I also teach a couple of speaking classes for high school students looking to pass their English Exams. I love work… it’s fun.

And while all this is going on over here, I do miss home… I really really miss my family, obviously miss my betchy little dog, I miss laughing with my friends and not having to explain what “Caybabe” means, I miss going to DG in between classes, I miss steak and sushi and Mexican beer with lime, I miss the ocean, and I just miss the comfort of life in California.

But I am not here to miss everything I left behind… I am here to find new things to miss when I come back home. Hasta pronto!

Un besito.