Just a Train Ride Away: Girona

Up until this past weekend there have not been any weekends away in quite a while. And while borders are slowly beginning to open again, I won’t be traveling to the far flung places I had envisioned for myself when I moved to Europe. This strange time we are living in has altered, at least for the time being, travel and all that it entails. While I long for a weekend trip to places far and wide I am just going to have to practice some patience and exercise caution as I stay closer to home. This summer I will […]

Continue Reading

Quarantined Journey From Spain

Journeys.  Great. This should be easy.  I love to write about journeys. I’ve written many blog posts about places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen while traveling. But ironically, these last few weeks stuck alone at home with nothing but my own spiraling thoughts and endless hours of being alone; this is this journey that has been the most taxing and life altering, this journey into isolation. Never in a million years would I have predicted this, nor do I think anyone else could have. Looking back to the not so distant past thinking about how excited I was […]

Continue Reading

Fiesta Time

I wrote this post earlier this month before the protests and demonstrations began. By the time I was ready to post it, it didn’t feel right to put up a post about celebrations when we had a day off school because we weren’t sure if busses would be able to make it to school. It felt a bit disrespectful to post about parties and celebrations when there was so much unrest. There are still protests and demonstrations but as things have begun to calm down a bit and it is in fact another holiday, Halloween, I think it’s safe to […]

Continue Reading

Dress It Up

Loungewear is not a thing here. An everyday yoga pant is not something you see sauntering down the street. You want to run out and throw out your trash? You better be wearing something presentable and have a full face on. Running to the store real quick to pick something up? Leave the oversized sweatshirt at home. The people of Barcelona are always dressed to the nines. For someone who had totally embraced the yoga pants are real pants movement back home, this has been a real wake up call. No, yoga pants are not acceptable to wear unless you […]

Continue Reading

A Few Favorites: Life in Barcelona

Clinking coffee cups, the chatter of locals and the alluring smell of fresh brewed coffee waft through my living room windows when I pull them open in the morning. Living next to a bakery certainly has its perks. As tempting as those smells are, I also plan on continuing to fit into my clothes, so I have settled on a nice compromise with myself. Each Saturday, I select one treat and a coffee from downstairs to indulge in. While I could enjoy the ambiance of the shop, I have made it a habit now to take my coffee llevar (to […]

Continue Reading

Settling In

So much happens in a week. Just last week at this time I felt lost and confused, as my last post talked about. This week, things are starting to look familiar. I walk in the correct direction before I pull up Google Maps. I’ve started to make it to the bus stop in time without having to watch the bus I wanted pull away as I walk down the street. And I’ve started to get to know other new teachers from my school as we do different activities together. Barcelona is slowly but surely starting to feel more like home. […]

Continue Reading

Lost and Confused: First Week in Barcelona

Is that the street I want? Wait, have I walked too far? No, I haven’t walked far enough? Why didn’t I just keep my cellphone plan so I could use Google Maps?! Just a few of the thousand of thoughts that have crossed my mind in the last week. My first week living in Barcelona. But before I jump into that you should know a few things about me. 1. I like to be early to things 2. New things/situations/people way stress me out 3. I do not enjoy being lost, ever Wait, wait, wait you’re thinking. Katy, you chose […]

Continue Reading

Moving Day

It’s here, it’s here! Moving day has finally arrived! With a flood of emotions and building anticipation I can’t believe it is finally moving day. There is so much to look forward to. New places to discover, foods to try, and languages to learn. Even better, I will get the chance to experience some of these new things with my family as they travel with me for my first week in Barcelona. While it’s a bit nerve wracking, I am thrilled to be living out a life long dream of living abroad. Besides the excitement of day to day life […]

Continue Reading