It’s been a few months since my return to the United States from Algeciras, Spain, but I recently realized I had never completed a final blog post to commemorate my time as a Language and Cultural Assistant. Therefore, enjoy a delayed recap of my last few weeks abroad, as well as a brief life update.
I believe my last blog post came shortly after Semana Santa, with only three weeks remaining of the spring semester. What an emotional three weeks it was, too!
In my (our) free time, the boys and I continued to play a decent amount of pick-up basketball, often going late into the night. I also wanted to make the most of being so close to the beach, so often trekked by foot or bus to either Playa Rinconcillo (it was on my running route) or to Playa Getares. I made a couple of trips to Tarifa too, soaking up my last little bit of life wedged between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. We enjoyed some tapas on the boardwalk and admired the wildflowers along the walking path, as well as made an interesting sandcastle. I also had farewell drinks with Tori and Natalia in Tarifa and we reminisced over our months abroad.
The teachers invited us out for one last hoorah, so we joined them for dinner and drinks along the main strip of bars. Turned out to be an interesting night - note to self, the story is handwritten in a small blue notebook. Let’s just say hot music teacher ran, yes RAN, after me when he found out I left the group to walk home and it left me all sorts of confused. Overall, it was really fun and I wish we would have gone out with them more often throughout the school year.
I went to Gibraltar a couple more times, as well, as I was trying to score a free iced coffee with my punch card. I’m sad to admit that I was only one punch away from a free drink, but I was running out of time to make that trek! I did spend a Friday in Seville to enjoy my favorite city one last time before heading back to the states. :/ I just love it there SO much and was living such a main character day, even in the 103℉ weather. I went to my two favorite cafés and strolled through the Plaza de España and the park, walked along the river, and took some cute pictures. I WILL be back someday!
Throughout my last few weeks at school, I completed some fun activities with my kiddos and embraced allllll of the hugs and compliments! We did a Pou activity one week, which reminded me of Club Penguin. Basically, they have this creature, called a Pou, and they had to create a story where their Pou friend came to visit them in Algeciras and detailed what their activities were, as well as their outfits. It was a lot of fun, and I had some seriously silly Pou stories and drawings!
I took plenty of pictures, both as a full class and with individual students, and let them follow me on Instagram. I kid you not, I had at least 50 new followers in the span of a couple of hours from the kids passing on my info to their friends. I felt like a celebrity hahah. As I left on my last day, I started crying about halfway through the courtyard and most of my walk home. I miss them so much. Jude, Wafae, and I were able to enjoy lunch with a small group of teachers on our last day, so that was a nice little goodbye.
Some of my last days in Europe were spent on a solo trip to Lisbon, Portugal and wow, what an experience. Have I mentioned that I am a vibe and a freaking half? Sorry, little personal boost there. I stayed at a super cute hostel a little more ways from the touristy sites, but that was also the gem of Lisbon is that there wasn’t necessarily a city center and things were dispersed throughout the city. In my first hour, I scoped out a thrift shop right next to my hostel and scored some seriously cute clothes that are so flattering and timeless! I got invited to have a drink with some guys sitting outside the bar next door, and while the Portuguese men are quite beautiful, I declined and went about my day.
The first night, I took the metro down to the bay area and wandered through the streets. There’s a street called Pink Street that is literally painted pink with a bunch of umbrellas overhead! Pretty cute. I did splurge and spent €12 on a mojito while sitting by the water… But hey who cares. Most of my meals derived from the natural grocery store near my hostel because while I love food, I refuse to make my body miserable while traveling and dealing with my chronic stomach issues (yes, I am 100% self-diagnosing myself because the doctors won’t). I ended up meeting a girl at my hostel and we spent the trip together exploring the city. She sat nearby while I got another tattoo - I have 7 tattoos and 4 of them were done abroad hehe - and we also spontaneously joined a boat party music festival! Yep, this is where the vibe comes in to play. I think we were easily among the five youngest people on the boat but made so many friends! I had a killer photographer take some incredible pictures and he sent them to me on Instagram. I think it’s beautiful to see yourself through the eyes of someone else, living in the moment and just enjoying life.
Now, I may or may not have met a guy on the boat who may or may not have purchased my ticket for the festival the next day. We met up a couple of hours prior and he showed me around Lisbon and introduced me to some incredible pastries. I think Portugal might be at the top of my list for pastries! We drove to the festival, which was right on the beach and danced the night away. It was so beautiful, and I hit 47,000 steps that day according to my FitBit. The next day, my hostel friend and I made our way to the Palácio Nacional da Pena, which was about an hour tram ride away. The pictures don’t even do it justice, but the vibrancy of the colors and the unique architecture was absolutely breathtaking! We definitely had ourselves a photoshoot.
I also just so happened to be in Lisbon during their Festival of Sardines. Yes, the tiny fish. There are little neighborhoods throughout the city that host the festival, full of food vendors, music, and dancing. There’s spots specifically to meet other international travelers vs locals, vice versa, or the spot with the best cream pastries and so on. I could not bring myself to consume a sardine, but I did enjoy some of the food and sangria. We also watched some really cool street performers right outside of the metro exit. Very much Step Up vibes.
Back in Spain, I only had a couple of days to soak up the sun and enjoy this life that I will cherish forever. I ate breakfast on my terrace, indulging in my favorite chocolate croissants, spent the day with Cristina getting sushi and relaxing by her pool, and got goodbye tapas with the boys. Side note - the waiter at the sushi restaurant offered me a job to stay and work with him hahah. My flight back to the states was an earlier flight, so I had to catch the bus from Algeciras to Málaga at 6:30am. I cried several times throughout the day; on the bus, in the airport restroom, on the plane. Needless to say, I wasn’t ready to leave Spain and even now, months later, I’m still not ready.
When people ask me, “How was Spain? Tell me all about it!” it can be hard to put it into words. The quality of life, the sense of community, the people, the food, the history and scenery, all of it just melded into this absolutely incredible experience. Did I complain sometimes about Algeciras? Sure, but that’s what makes me human. My mind - and very seriously my body - have struggled to adjust back to life in the states, and I am already planning ways to go back as soon as possible. My dream continues to be that I move to Seville within the next few years. For now, I practice my Spanish daily and am planning a hot girl European summer with Hattie. I’m happy to announce that I do dream in Spanish sometimes, but constantly trying to think in two languages keeps me up a little later than I’d like at night.
While I was abroad, I knew I wanted to remain in International Education in some aspect, whether it be as an online ESL teacher or through study abroad. I had applied to several positions and frankly, was becoming very discouraged. However, the organization Spanish Studies Abroad reached out to me after sending in an application and I interviewed within my first few days back in the states. Flash-forward, and I officially began working with SSA full-time on July 18th and a Institutional Relations Coordinator. I’m enjoying the work and love that I will be able to continue to utilize my Spanish language skills and travel. I relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina on August 5th and have explored the SE United States through work and have been creating wonderful, genuine friendships. I think that’s one of the toughest yet most fulfilling things of your 20s is finding people who actually share your values and likes, versus the more “convenient” friendships you find in college. To my college besties: I still love you endlessly and am so thankful for our friendship every single day. :) To my new besties: I could not be more grateful for finding you girls and navigating this new chapter of life!
To all: stay tuned for the next adventure. I have things brewing in the works already. :)
Hasta luego,
Amanda