[Click here to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8]
On August 16th, I returned to my beloved Spain after two weeks of being in my birth country. As soon as the airport-city shuttle bus spun into motion, I felt like I’d jumped into the arms of a long-lost lover.
I was home.
Continue reading “6 Years Ago, I Moved to Spain. You Won’t Believe What’s Happened. [Part 9/9 – Year 6 and Onward: There’s No Going Back Now]”
[Click to read Part 1 and Part 2]
In fact, doing anything that wasn’t staying at home was often illegal.
First, the government restricted movement outside of Madrid due to rising covid cases.
Then, there were curfews and limits of how many people could gather in a group at a time.
Continue reading “6 Years Ago, I Moved to Spain. You Won’t Believe What’s Happened. [Part 3/9 – Year Two: So Lonely My Bones Hurt]”
My plan was to stay in Spain for one year. I thought it was my only opportunity to live in Europe. My goals? Travel. Party. Make a bunch of friends. Fall in love. Try to enjoy teaching again.
It was August 2019, and I had 7 months left of being 29. 7 months left of society still thinking I’m young, beautiful, and a ravishing rebel without a cause. I figured that, once I turned 30, society would deem me overnight old, ugly, and irresponsible. What would I do when I turned 30 and my visa expired? Where would I live? Who cares when you’re in Madrid and the wine is cheap, the men are beautiful, and every day feels like a dream?
Madrid was my oyster, and I was grabbing as much as I could, headfirst and hands full. Every date, every drink, every discoteca, every experience–it was mine for the taking. And oh, my, was Madrid gorgeous.
Continue reading “6 Years Ago, I Moved to Spain. You Won’t Believe What’s Happened. [Part 2/9 – Year One: Feeling So Gatsby]”
I don’t know where to begin. I’ve barely updated this blog this year. How do you give a huge announcement to whoever’s still reading? One minute, I was in a snowstorm, and the next minute, I’m moving to paradise.
I’ve learned that, as a writer, sometimes it’s best to speak from the heart. Not everything we write has to be manicured and shiny and edited to a T. Sometimes, the best writing comes straight from the soul. So, here we go, from the heart, as cluttered and messy and raw and real as it is.
Continue reading “Life Update: I’m Leaving Madrid and Moving to the Canary Islands”
Thursday, January 7
It started out innocently enough. Just a light snowfall on a Thursday morning in Madrid.
Snow is not common in Madrid, but it does happen every now and then. However, it only sticks for a day or two at most.
I’d seen videos of the snow in Madrid before, one from two years ago. It was more of a slush than a snowfall. Such was the snow this Thursday morning as I walked to a coffee shop.
“It’s been awhile since it’s snowed, hasn’t it?” I asked the barista as he served me my coffee.
Continue reading “24 Never-Before Seen Photos of Snowstorm Filomena in Madrid”
Inspired Around the World 