She's Leaving Home (Again)

Welcome back! It's a been a hot minute...I couldn't think of a more fitting title for yet another

backpacking photo in Ireland, July '24

blogging renaissance (my 3rd? I think?) because just as the titular Beatles' song says, on this Wednesday morning I'm silently shutting my bedroom door and leaving home for another adventure. In this case, though, I would guess my parents don't feel nearly as abandoned as the song characters do.

But yes! After coming back to Indy post-SAS/backpacking and graduating, I am beyond excited to begin another international experience and return to Spain. Starting Tuesday, I'll be working at a high school in Menorca, Spain as a part of the North American Language & Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP), acting as an English Auxiliar for the next eight months. This is a new foray into traveling for me, as I'll be staying on the island for the school year, both the longest I've stayed in one country and the longest I'll have spent abroad ever. While I'll technically be in Spain on a student visa, NALCAP is far from a study abroad. Once I get settled into my position at school, I'll be sure to highlight the application and onboarding processes in their entireties, with the fair warning that this programs requires several small trees' worth of paperwork and forms.

Like I mentioned, I've been placed in a secondary school in Alaior, Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Barcelona. I'll be living in the slightly-larger city Mahón nearby, though some might recognize it by the name 'Maó' instead. In fact, most every city in Menorca has multiple spellings due to the region's preference for Català (Catalan) instead of Castellano (Castilian, or what many people call Spanish). Most people on the island will speak some combination of Catalan, Castilian, and English, so I'm hopeful the 'lost in translation' moments won't be too frequent! Perhaps I'll gain some conversational Catalan while I'm there, complete with Menorcan slang 😊

June '22: Summer in Madrid

July '24: Post SAS/Backpacking

March '24: SAS in Barcelona

As with my last couple of long-term stints abroad, I look forward to sharing my experiences here & on my social media. While I'm sure this program will challenge me in a myriad of ways I've yet to dream of - apartment sharing with strangers, my first Big Kid Job, or good ol' culture shock, for starters - I am beyond excited for what the next few months have in store. Thanks for following along on this next season of adventures!