But there is a reason for that. I work pretty hard to write something that's balanced and isn't just about how great life is here (it is pretty great pretty often) or how annoying different it is in Spain (there are also definitely things that get on my nerves), but a mix of both. That's real life--both sides. But this kind of balanced post is pretty hard to write and pretty time consuming, and now matter how much I tell myself I'm going to do it...it clearly hasn't been happening.
So. Instead, I'm going to do a question and answer of sorts--things people have actually asked me or would ask me if they knew what life was like here.
Also, for my travels, I'm going to try to do mostly photo journals from each trip in order to capture it more quickly--I've gone some awesome places and without a blog post, I haven't put anything up here about it. So I'm going to try to remedy that.
Without further ado...Q: Is the siesta thing real? Do you eat at super different times?
A: It's super real. Most businesses and restaurants close for three or four hours in the afternoon and many shops then stay open until ten or so to compensate for that mid-afternoon time. I am actually trying to eat more on Spanish time, but real Spaniards wouldn't say I'm succeeding. I try to eat lunch around two or so and dinner around seven or eight. Dinner is far too early for real Spaniards, but I'm doing the best I can. I do usually close my eyes for a half hour or so, but since I'm not in a constant state of sleep deprivation, I don't need a longer nap than that most days. I highly recommend sleeping seven or eight hours every night. I do like naps, but I don't need them the same way I used to, so they are far shorter and I usually wake up before my alarm goes off, so that's lovely.
Q: So, what do you eat?
A: Some of what I was eating before, some different things. The limitations are: I only have two small burners and the tiniest toaster oven you've ever seen, plus a microwave and a mini coffee maker. Most mornings I eat a tortilla de patata (which if you're ever asked is your favorite Spanish food--not paella) which is basically a egg and potato frittata. It's more complicated than that, but that's the easiest way to explain it. I buy one in the store and cut a piece ever morning with coffee. And yes, I did find creamer that is not condensed milk. Usually I make a bigger meal for my late lunch after a snack of an orange, and lately the meals have been rice based or pasta. I've been making a killer sausage and sautéed veggies with rice a lot. For dinner, I sometimes have a salad, sometimes an apple with ham and cheese, sometimes popcorn. Not terribly different than home. If we go out for tapas, I have part of whatever we order, plus there are usually free olives--which I have grown to like!--and a cana or a glass of wine. I eat more bread too than I've eaten in recent years, and certainly it's the first time I've had this much bread while not gaining a tremendous amount of weight.
Q: Ah, do you ever work? It seems like all you do is post beach or travel pictures.
A: Indeed I do work! But not much, and never on Fridays. I work no more than 12 hours a week with students. I don't have any grading or extra-curricular responsibilities and I might have a short (or at times, really long) gap in my schedule depending on the day and if teachers don't need me in class for some reason.
Q: And they pay you for this?
A: They do! Not a lot, but they do pay me monthly, the exact same amount no matter how many teachers have actually needed/wanted me to come in during that period.
Q: Is it enough to live on?
A: Mostly. It's 700 euro a month which is not a lot, but it's al
so not taxed here. (I think I need to report it on the other end in the US, but that's for my dad to figure out.) I do have significantly lower costs of living--I pay 225 euro a month for rent, utilities, and WiFi. We pay about 8 euro every six weeks or so for butane when the tank runs out. But that low living cost is largely how I make it work--we are living in a beach community during what they think of as winter--October-May.
Q: But it seems like you're traveling a decent amount. How do you afford that?
A: Well, I've got a side gig or two including teaching online that's largely funding my travel. Plus, realize I haven't spent more than 65 euro on any of my flights so far. So mostly I can afford it, and I'm splurging on a few up-coming once in a lifetime kinds of trips. And if you think I've traveled a lot so far, wait until you see mid-January through early March. You (and I) haven't seen anything yet!
Q: Is it really as cheap and easy to get around Europe as everyone in America thinks?
A: On the whole, yes. Sort of. If you're flexible with dates and designations, yes it is. I sort of said to Google Flights "I want to take a three day weekend trip somewhere in the next six months. What do you have?" And they had Paris. Rome. Prague. Geneva. London. But, when I specifically wanted to fly to Dublin for a day in January it was a little more expensive. And yes, there are trains which can be cheap if you book really far in advance. And the bus is really cheap if you're staying fairly local or don't mind a long overnight ride. I know there are flights for 10 or 20 euro, but you either luck into those or you have to just say, "I'm willing to go anywhere. Where can you send me?"
Q: So you're traveling alone?A: Uh, yeah, pretty often. When it works out to have people come or when people are coming to visit and want to go places, that's awesome. But, if not, that's okay too. I've waited a really long time to have this experience and there are so many places I want to go that I'm not willing to wait for someone to be interested in going with me. It's not always my very favorite thing to go alone, but I don't really hate it either. I'm excited that in the next few months I've got about a fifty-fifty split of travel alone and travel with people. That's pretty optimal.
Q: You're staying forever, aren't you?
A: No, probably not. It's not that I don't love it here. But, honestly, I'm probably just staying for the ten months I originally planned to stay. There's a lot to post in another post about the way teaching and credentials and everything works here, but suffice it to say, I would have a really hard time getting a teaching job here. And since I don't have an EU passport, I can't just legit decide to stay until my money runs out. Plus, I have a home and a life and a job and friends and family and everything in the US. So, don't be surprised to find me back again in the summer and ready to travel back over to Spain or anywhere close by as often as possible.
Q: Are you homesick then?
A: Okay, last question for tonight. (Yes, I am answering myself.) This one is a tough question. I am not homesick in the way I was when I moved to Grove City for college or even when I moved to Northern Virginia for grad school/life. It's actually pretty surprising to me that I haven't been a pit of sadness and wishing people were here or I was there. And I think there are a few things contributing to that: a) I have been traveling so much and trying to stay busy so I don't have a chance to just sit around and wish I were at home. b) FaceTime is super helpful c) I've known from the very beginning this is for a very set period of time and not a forever life change. The other times were forever life changes. This is realizing a life-long dream. That's very different. d) I've already made it through the longest stretch I'll go without seeing someone I love from home (if everything works out the way it could/should). The first seven weeks from when Mom left until I saw Nellie for Thanksgiving was the longest time of the whole ten months I'll be kind of "alone."
But, I think more than anything else, I think this was something I really just needed to do. It was time to be selfish and do something just for me and have an adventure all of my own. I have been learning so much about what it means to rely on God for everything and to walk forward in faith and trust that everything will work out. And it has, so beautifully.
Plus, I am older and much more comfortable in my own skin and confident as a person. That helps tremendously. I don't worry that people will forget me or not care about me when I come back or that they'll have found someone to replace me. I know that I am loved and cared for and uniquely important to many people, and I trust that's the case no matter where I live for any period of time.
Don't get me wrong--the people are the things I miss the most. I look at pictures of Baby Lu and want to snuggle her and lay with Tim and read a book together. I want to curl up on the sofa with Jade after the kids have gone to bed or gossip over wine with school friends. I want to watch a Carolina game in my parents' house and have them laugh at me when I make popcorn for dinner after telling my dad I didn't want any. But, I trust all of that will be there when I come back. So until then, I'm going to see the Eiffel Tower and eat German Bratwurst. I'm going to do my damnedest to learn Spanish and soak in all the Vitamin D the Mediterranean has to offer. So, I do have more questions and answers--especially about the teaching part--written for part 2, but if you have anything specific you want to know, feel free to ask!
Love lots <3 nbsp="" p="">
