So, here I am, on the even of my next adventure to Spain. This time I’m off to Burgos, in the region of Castilla y Leon, to assistant-teach in English classrooms at the IES Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente. I’m SUPER excited to be heading back to Spain, to see my friends there, and to see what this year has in store for me, but there are plenty of reasons that leaving is going to be hard again! Friends, family, perfect weather, comfort…but I suppose one of the reasons we travel is to get outside that comfort zone and experience new things.
This time around, as opposed to last year when I was leaving, I’m MUCH more composed and less anxious about the whole transition to a foreign country. At least I know basically what to expect – things will not work the way I want them to, I’ll be flustered because I can’t quite communicate everything I want to say as quickly as I’d like, I can’t just pick up my phone and dial home because a) it’s expensive and b) the time difference is killer – and that makes me sooo much calmer about the whole thing! And I have people who are “expecting me” in one way or another: fellow teachers at my school, people that I met last year, potential new friends through a Couch Surfing group I’ve joined. And I know everything is going to work itself out. I’ll find an apartment, I’ll get my bearings, and I’ll be into the routine before I know it. And in the meantime, I probably won’t even have time to be sad.
And as for adventures, I’m already planning on stopping by Logrono for a few days to take in their Fiestas de San Mateo, the week-long wine harvest festival that takes place at the end of September and is supposed to be really fun and interesting. I think being someplace familiar, with friends, will help me feel more quickly at home in Spain this time around. And really, it’s only 3 months until I get to come home for Christmas, so there’s really nothing too hard about that!
So, here’s to beginning the adventure!
