The chalk squeaked as I drew a line under the word SUCCESS. My 4 ESO students read it, es-soox-essss, a habit I hadn’t been able to break in my three years working with them. I always knew it would be an uphill battle.
I crumpled small slips of paper from atop the teacher’s desk and picked one up. “Teacher, you are beautiful.” That little paper ball went right into Franci’s face.
At the end of my three years of teaching at I.E.S. Heliche, I asked my 16-year-olds to tell me one thing that made them feel successful before turning the question, “Has your English teacher been successful?
When I graduated, I made a list of three things to accomplish in my first three years out of college. Five years later, I’m closing in on my fifth anniversary of moving to Spain on September 12th. I told myself I could consider myself successful if I accomplished three things – but that list seems to grow as my years in the land of sunshine and siestas climb.
Last year, I examined the four things I love about Spain. This year, the five most important things I’ve accomplished during my years in Spain.
Year One. Move Abroad
Once I had studied abroad, I knew that the only place for me to go after graduation was to anywhere but America. I did all of the research, using my study abroad office and contacts I’d made through the Daily Iowan. When the opportunity to participate in the North American Language Assistants program came up, I abandoned my plans to do a work holiday in Ireland and brushed up on my Spanish. Working just 12 hours a week gave me time to do an internship at a travel company, make friends and travel throughout Iberia.
My parents came to visit at Christmas this year, and I struggled at even mundane tasks, like translating menus and asking for directions. My dad joked that I’d been to busy guzzling sangria to actually learn the language, so my goal for my second year in Spain was to work on perfecting my castellano.
Year Two. Learn Spanish. Really, like actually speak it.
As anyone who has traveled to Spain can tell you, the Spanish they teach you in school no vale over here. I struggled with my accent and theirs, didn’t understand their slang. It even took the Novio and I several months speaking in English before I worked up the nerve to ask to switch to Spanish.
The majority of my life in Spain is now down in my second tongue, but it didn’t come easy. I bought several books, began watching TV in Spanish and made an effort to use it as often as possible. Become proficient in Spanish has taken me thirteen years, but I finally have the C1 Certification of Proficiency from the Instituto Cervantes. Toma. Time to focus on something more fun, like traveling.
Read about preparing for and taking the DELE. Then read about my weirdo accent.
Year Three. Travel to 25 countries before turning 25.
The time I didn’t spend learning Spanish during my first year was time I spent traveling, hitting six new countries andseveral regions in Spain. My goal to travel to 25 foreign countries looked more and more possible.
I traveled overnight from Budapest to Prague with my friend Lauren, and she snapped a 6am picture of me setting foot in the 25th. Since then, I’ve been to several more, but all the while I’ve felt fortunate to have a springboard from which to explore Europe. I’ve done some cool things, like snuck into monasteries in Romania, ridden a donkey through rural Morocco, camped under the stars on Spain’s Most Beautiful Beach.
Read my Top 25 moments (with links between all five posts) on Backpacking Matt.
Year Four. Beat the Paperwork Game.
By far one of the biggest pitfalls of being a non-European in Spain is the paperwork hassle. Any guiri can tell you that the standing in lines, running from one office to another, surrendering all of your personal info and then not hearing back for weeks is enough to make you turn around and say adiós to Spain.
Stranded with few options for renewing my student visa status after the Auxiliares program dropped me, I struggled to find a way to legally stay in Spain, even considering working illegally. I exhausted my contacts one by one until the US Consular Agent suggested something that have never occurred to me: lying.
I already had paperwork pending for a Master’s I’d decided not to do, so I hopped on the first bus to Madrid and applied. Having never filed paperwork in the capital, I wasn’t aware that the Foreigner’s Office worked on an appointment system, and that they were booked for months (which also meant I stood out in the cold for several hours alone). The guard gave me the number, and I called. Tensely. Making things up. And I got in the day before my residence card expired.
Kike and I had also done a de-facto partnership, which was passed from a simple piece of paper denoting that he was responsible for me to a piece of plastic denoting I could stay in Spain for five years without having a porque to go near the office. I fought the law, and the law handed me a loophole.
Read How to Deal with the Foreigner’s Office and how to trick funcionarios and pretend you’re smart.
Year Five. Find a Stable Group of Friends
The problem with being an expat is that many people come and go, making my cycle of friends constantly in motion. Even those I think will be long-term sometimes pack up and go. And with a partner in the military, I still find myself alone. Finding friends is easy, but keeping those who are inclined to stick around – both American and foreign – has been more difficult. Thanks to the American Women’s Club, working at a school with Spaniards and making an effort to befriend Kike’s friends, I’ve got friends all over Spain, and I sadly don’t spend much time with people I know will only be in Seville for a year.
Algo se muere en el alma, right? Have drunkenly sung that sevillana far too many times.
Year Six. Figure out how long-term this all is.
My students decided that I had, in fact, been successful in my first three years in Spain. Still, all of these years abroad has gotten me a little disconcerted. I’ve spoken with a lot of expat friends on the subject fo staying in Spain, especially admist a crippling financial crisis and little job security. Why not go to America? I ask them and myself. Who wouldn’t want a mortgage, kids and to deal with all those stupid jingles?
Haha, oh yeah. Looks like it’s time to set some new goals – what should they be?
I hear ya Cat. Your 5th goal about finding a stable group of friends was high on my list too… Who would’ve thought I’d be the one who left?! Oh well, times are rough over there, but my novio and I are going to try it out over here in the land of the free and the brave! Congrats on those 25 countries though… I’m jealous!
Making friends with married people is a good idea, but sometimes they leave too! I think Stacy and I are both in this for the long haul, though……..
You have a lot to be proud of, Cat! Finding what the next step is is always the most difficult. Suerte!
Hi girls, having not planned on all of this turning out the way it did, I’ve definetely had to re-assess as time goes on! Still, I think the biggest goal of all has been making this work, and perhaps I’m most proud of the papeleo!
Wow. I’d say you’ve been successful. Success is all dependent on what you make it and what you consider it to be. I’m with you on the “What comes next?” despite having a job for the next 9 months in Spain. An unexpected, at that!
It seems as I get older (approaching 30), I’m starting to get caught up in those silly conventional American ideals…all the ones I’ve resisted and said my motto in life is “Defy Convention!”
Will see what this year brings for both of us.
Wishing you well!
25 countries by 25, I’m impressed.
Thanks, Lauren!! Only you can really live up to your own expectations. You’ve got a big year coming up, too, but it will be exciting!
Congrats! You’ve done so much in your time in Spain – I’m seriously impressed! Good luck for your next year.
Thanks, chiki! I may be in BCN soon, and definitely over Xmas. Will you be around?
These are all wonderful goals. You may find yourself finding an even more ambitious set of goals in the future. I hit 30 countries recently and now I’d like to get to 100
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Thanks, Samuel! By no means is 30 a stopping point…! If all goes well, I’ll get to 30 this Spring!
I love these goals. I have created a mental list for myself in Florence, but what a difference it is to read it. Thanks for the great idea. All the goals you listed were perfect and so important. One of mine is to cook more, which has not been easy since my Italian husband is so good at it!
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Writing them down makes all the difference. Learning to cook is one of my smaller goals, too, as I am a total disaster. Starting small – one new dish a week!
Another big thing on the list this year is completing my Master’s in PR, which I just started. It will really be about balance between the blog, my day job and the work required for the program!
I’m commenting so I can get a free postcard! But I also love your blog!
Send me your address por el FB, guapa! And thanks tons for the compliments!