Alrighty. So it's crunch time. Today is my official last day at American Tap Room and I'm leaving to sail (fly) over the wild blue yonder to the land of wine and siestas. I'M GOING TO SPAIN!!! Ahhh I can't fathom this. I think people laugh when I tell them that I can't afford a ticket home, but it's the truth. I can hardly (and by hardly I mean not really) afford my first couple months in Spain because as an Auxiliar (or rather, Language Assistant because I'm going through a different program) I don't get paid until mid-November/mid-December. Yikes. Add this to all of the other things I have to do to get prepared and OMG.
I've yet to pack a single thing, but I have however jumped the ball on a few things. Thanks to fellow auxiliars who are a million times better at blogging than me, I've gotten some things settled. For one, I already have an unlocked cell phone. Plans in Spain are apparently uber cheap (links to come in a subsequent post), but the phones are expensive by themselves. That and my visa I can successfully check off. As for everything else... Well, I have to get to that. In lieu of packing, I've decided to online apartment scout and drink wine because that seems infinitely more fun. Updates to come.
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The best definition for passion is “a challenge that you look forward to conquering.” --Paul Hudson (as written in an article on Elite Daily, found here) I was reading an article on Elite Daily about passion just now. I always have to take these with a grain of salt because while I do believe they are quite contrived, they sometimes unearth a few gems. This article in particular called to me. It spoke of the importance of being able to name your passion.
One of my greatest passions is travel. The connections formed with different people, places, and times is one of the best fountains of knowledge I've ever drank from (I sound horrendously fake right there, I know). Can I get a "what-what" for teleporting superpowers (THIS IS MY NUMBER ONE SUPERPOWER WISH AND IF SOMEONE HAPPENS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS LET ME KNOW ASAP PLZZZZ). But in all honesty, the idea that we can always learn something new is refreshing to me. I sometimes like to pretend that I know it all or at least most of it, but in reality, I don't. Traveling for me is cathartic, relaxing, exciting, stressful, and eye-opening to say the least. The really cool thing is that there is always something new to discover and explore. I am getting ready to upend my life as I know it in the states and move to Madrid for the better part of the year. I am absolutely terrified. Along with that, I am beyond excited because this is one thing that I truly love to do. True, I did study abroad/live/siesta/drink there (España, Madrid) for 5 months, but it was a different exploit. This time around, I've signed up to be an Auxiliar (or rather, a Language Assistant as I am going through a program called Meddeas (more on these programs to come)). Long story short, I will be teaching English. I love meeting new people and seeing new (or familiar) places and having different experiences and learning new things and finding ways to bring those all together with what I already know. Soooo here we go. This is the adventure of a lifetime, but not so much when you consider that I regard my entire life as an audacious undertaking. Come along for the ride with me and experience the ups, downs, laughs, loves, and many emotions in-between as we attempt to navigate these waters. Sooooo I had a stellar blog post lined up, but then somehow it got deleted from my drafts, which is beyond annoying, but ugh, here we go again.
First things first, don't get used to these regular posts, though I am killing it today. Number One, new and noteworthy: DoYouYoga.com. Currently digging this site and it's contents. It was released a year ago, but they have this 30-day Yoga Challenge that I am currently doing. OMG I'm loving it! The sessions are no longer than 20ish minutes, which means that I always have time to squeeze one in sometime during they day. They slowly progress to work on different techniques and stretches. And the teacher. I LOVE HER. Erin Motz teaches the classes and she absolutely fantastic. She is friendly, funny, down-to-earth and really has a passion for what she does. She makes yoga super accessible and not as pretentious as some yoga teachers have a way doing. I would consider moving back down to Florida to take yoga with her, which is saying a lot because I was not of fan of the state when I lived there. Good news is I don't actually need to move there! She is starting a new online yoga challenge that unlocks week by week as it is shared with more members. So please please please for the sake of my yoga and yours, share this! OMG this is fantastic. Number Two, new and noteworthy: This image. Nicole Richie looks absolutely flawless as she makes her way to/from the gym in this outfit. Plus, she's wearing one of my all-time favorite designers, Alexander McQueen. Functional meets fashionable here and I want everything she's serving. Looking good both to/from and at the gym is huge motivational factor for me to actually go. Mental note to reevaluate my entire wardrobe and maybe (just maybe!) I will go to the gym more than 3x month. I originally found this image here, but then I wanted to know who made the bag, which led me to here. Upon further reading of the initial first website, I found that I actually kinda liked the blogger and learned that she has moved to here, from which I will read more at a later date. Okay, so in keeping with my previous post, I have a lot of cleaning to do. One thing in particular I have a lot of are t-shirts. From sports teams to summer camp to old jobs to freebies, I have a ton of shirts that I simply don't wear. Now, one could argue that I can wear them to work out in. Yes, fine, but how often do I really work out? (Answer: occasionally). And if you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I both A: endlessly pin cute workout clothes and B: would prefer to work out in ways that involve team sports, water, or snow. The current "workout" clothes I have fit neither of these parameters, but I can't buy something without getting rid of something else. I'm holding onto all of these shirts for sentimental purposes when in reality if I hadn't bothered to clean the darkest depths of my room, I would have never remembered they were there. In order to both preserve these sentiments and get rid of things in my closet (because let's be honest, how many tshirt quilts am I really going to want/use?), I'm dedicating this blog post to these shirts in case I ever want to reminisce. There is absolutely no order to any of this. So I'm in the process of simultaneously unpacking everything from my move back home from Florida, packing up things to go to Spain, and organizing and packing things for the future and OMG THIS IS AWFUL. I have so many things and I both want more things and less things at the same time. So, I've decided to really really work on (one of) my new mantra(s): If you want to get something, you have to give something away. It's a tried and true philosophy, brought to you by Mother Earth. I mean, think about it. You breathe in (most probably because you want to sustain your life) and you breathe out. You need the oxygen that the plants give off because they don't use it, and they need the carbon dioxide that we don't use. It's a mutualisitic (did I make that word up?) symbiotic relationship that you typically don't have to think about because it occurs naturally. (Side note: Plant a tree. Or, if you're particular, some other type of plant no matter the size. Everything benefits. BOOM, MESSAGED.) It's the give and take that I'm really trying to work on and be conscious about. Not only does this philosophy work in regards to breathing, but also in all other aspects of life. I'm a fan of giving love and friendship and getting it in return. Also, seeing as how I love to shop, this activity too can fall under new mantra category. Speaking of shopping, here's a bag that I really want: Look how cute it is!! It would make a great weekend getaway bag (or a gym bag if we're going to pretend that I will actually go semi-regularly, ha!). Plus, I love the separate compartment for shoes. There are a couple different color combos online, but my favorite is this sky blue striped combo because I stay on that nautical trend. Bonus: it's lined in NEON PINK. It has a couple of straps on the front to carry a yoga mat and a detachable shoulder strap should I decide top handles are too much work. According to the website, it's made of "weatherproof" fabric, is vegan, and has reflective accents (which honestly is great for me considering how often I tend to wander during the nighttime). Count me in! Buuuuuuuuut...... Right. Well, I clearly have a lot to do. So.. happy cleaning and happy giving away to me (and perhaps, you??)!!
So basically I wanted to see how the mobile app worked. These are some various pictures I have on my phone (they're random, I know..). Most, if not all, of these were probably taken from buzzfeed articles, but I'm not sure. Important to note that these are not my photos... "It means no worries, for the rest of your days. It's a problem-free philosophy: hakuna matata." -The Lion King. I say and mean no worries all the time and I've been thinking of getting a tattoo of this (if I can bypass my crippling fear of needles). Love this incorporation of the infinity with my life motto. Side note: I did add hakuna matata to my grad cap when I decorated that a while (1 word? 2 words?) back. Remind me to show that to you. |