me voy ... otra vez

last night in zaragoza. in seven hours, i'm on a bus to madrid. man, eight months have flown by.

looking back, this has been the best place for me to start in spain. it hasn't always been the easiest or most fun place to be, but it's what i needed.

zaragoza allowed me to get settled in spain, used to the culture and accent, in a city that was not bustling with tourists. gracias a Dios for rober and eva. gracias a Dios for the mazas. words do not describe how much i am indebted and grateful to those seven people. they have been astounding in their patience and willingness to help me as i started out here. i could not have asked for a smoother transition and i owe them more than i can give.

zaragoza allowed me to travel rather easily between barcelona and madrid. one of the other reasons i had such a smooth transition during my first few months were the high school and college friends i had in madrid and barcelona. if i needed a break, or just wanted to be surrounded by americans, they were just a bus ride away. it's funny how you meet people, especially living abroad, but the last of my college friends left a month ago, but i still have friends here, friends that i met through my initial friends.

zaragoza allowed me to grow and develop as an english teacher. this, more than any other point, i believe is crucial to why i'm still in love with spain. if i had had to struggle to find students/teaching positions in madrid or barcelona, i'm fairly certain i would be over the english teacher gig by now. living in zaragoza allowed me to live in a city with less americans and brits, line up more students, and even land a job teaching at banco santander through global languages (the academy i'm working for exclusively in madrid!).

so while i'm very excited to move to madrid tomorrow, i'm also grateful for the experiences i've had here.

thanks zgz, see you in october for las fiestas del pilar!