Travel Fever!

I've been reading this collection of non fiction about living abroad and it's making me ache with the desire to travel! Lucky for me, in 2 weeks I'll be in Spain. I know 2 weeks isn't long to wait out, but I'm hoping it goes by fast. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm so happy I'm not spending the entire summer in Maryland or Virginia. I'm really looking forward to this Spain experience as a chance to get away and see life from a fresh view point.

I know it's going to be so different from last fall when I was there. Back then I was surrounded by students and a staff that could answer any questions I had. There was structure--classes and organized trips. I know that I'm idealizing this summer a little bit, but I can't help it. I am WELL aware of the fact that it's going to be hard work caring for Alicia and Andrea, but I also know that I'll have free time to enjoy long walks, exploration, runs on the beaches, sunrises, and maybe the cultivation of new Spanish friendships. I think this time around instead of being crazy and trying to live it up every moment of my life, I'm going to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures. Of course I still want to visit my friends in Valencia and elsewhere, but I'm really trying to make the most of this experience. I hope my Spanish will flourish and that I really bond with my family. They sound incredible and I can't wait to get to know them.

I'm not really nervous about leaving for Spain. I have to admit it's a little intimidating... getting a plane by myself, being picked up by a family I've never met before, and living in a village rather than a big city. But really the thing I'm most nervous for is just what my family will think of me. I just want them to like me!

I'm going to miss so many people in the United States while I'm gone, but I also think that it's going to be a breath of fresh air to leave. Stepping onto that plane will bring me the sense of liberation that I've been longing for.

If you've made it this far in this blog entry, congrats. Haha. I just felt like I wanted to write about going to Spain because today I haven't been able to stop thinking about it (thanks for that one, travel non-fiction book). In exactly two weeks from today, I will be getting settled in my Spanish house in Pobla de Farnals, probably trying to fight off intense jet lag... bring it on!

It occurred to me that maybe most people don't know where Valencia is on a map of Spain, so I am now going to provide this knowledge! On the far right side, in the middle of the country is Valencia and Pobla de Farnals is just to the north of it (like a 10 minute car ride). I labeled this area with a black dot and "my summer home." This picture truly highlights my extensive abilities with editing pictures on a computer...HA. I had really ambitious goals of pasting my face right above Valencia, but when I discovered that was beyond my skills, I settled for the black dot. Ok. Now I'm done.

The blog is back!!

I re-vamped my blog a little (ok really the only thing I changed was the title and the description) because I am going to have more bloggable adventures in the very near future! And when I say very near future, I'm talking about in precisely 22 days and 15 hours. It's so crazy! The fact that I am going doesn't even feel real yet.

A lot of people have asked me how I got the au pair job, but basically I just applied through an agency and based on your preferences they try to find you a match. They were VERY efficient and found me a match like a week after my application was in. I got a call while I was visiting my friend Caitlin (from my first Valencia adventure, see posts below) in Florida for Spring Break. My Spanish dad, Raul, speaks very good English, but his wife, Alicia, doesn't really speak any at all. They have two daughters Andrea, 4 years old, and Alicia, 8 months old, who I will be taking care of while their parents both work during the summer.

I have pictures of my family, but I feel like posting them will be an invasion of their privacy haha...I'll just wait until I have pictures WITH them... then I will feel much less creepy. For now, here is a picture of Pobla de Farnals, the town I will be staying in. My house is apparently 50 meters from the beach (hard life right? ha).



So I'm just waiting out the rest of May, enjoying time with friends in Newport News. Then I will have a week with my family at home and then it's off to Spain. I know it's going to be a much different experience than last time, but I can't wait to see how I grow and learn. Bring it on, Spain Adventure Part II!!!