Hmmm. Well it’s fair to say that I’ve been quite the slacker when it comes to keeping this blog updated. Korea just didn’t really excite me in that… ‘eww fascinating, let’s write about it’ kinda way.
Since my last update, the last few months of my contract seemed to really fly by. I had an absolute blast the last 6 weeks or so just partying and spending time with good friends! Leaving my job at Hanvit was amazing however, leaving my good friends behind was definitely more heartbreaking, when you meet people all over the world, you cross paths for a while and I find that you form stronger relationships with people given the circumstances but when you part ways you never really know if you will see any of these people again. It sucks. However, I have a feeling that I will see some of the amazing people that I made friends with over the past year again, someday, somewhere.
The day finally came for me to leave…. and it just so happened to be my birthday AGAIN this year! haha… I had a midnight flight from Seoul to Valencia via Istanbul. I seem to be making a habit out of flying on my birthday!
Valencia – Arriving back into western civilization and being surrounded by people that actually look like me was quite a shock for the first day or two. It was odd not being stared at everywhere I went but also kind of a relief. I spent 4 weeks in Valencia doing the CELTA course, which is an English teaching certification that will enable me to teach almost anywhere in the world, or as far as my American passport will get me! Which is not everywhere, as shocking as it may seem! The course itself was extremely intense, I would go to the school from 9-5:30 everyday and then have to do at least 2-3 hours of homework every night – like lesson plans, prepping materials, etc. It was really hard work but I learned a massive amount about teaching and some interesting things in my language analysis class about the, oh so prevalent, English language. This type of stuff really interests me so I enjoyed that part. I was sooo happy when the course was over though! It literally consumed every minute of my life while I was in Valencia. On the weekends I did have time to do some things like shop, go to the beach, and I also went to the City of Arts and Sciences – Valencia’s big attraction. It was a huge modern facility that had an IMAX theatre, an aquarium (largest in Europe), a science center, and a concert hall. I had 2 roommates when I was in Valencia, I lived with a Spanish girl named Begona and an Italian guy named Francesco, both were excellent and nothing but nice to me! We had a great time together! I also became friends with the 5 other participants on the course, as we spent every waking moment together for 4 weeks! Overall I had a great time in Valencia and I enjoyed this city much more than Barcelona mainly because people were more friendly and welcoming. At this point, I’ve been to most of the major cities or points of interest in Spain and if I was going to live here, I’d prefer to live in Valencia.
After the course ended vacation officially began! First stop was --- party central, birthplace of the rave --- IBIZA!
Ibiza – I’ve always wanted to go to Ibiza to witness the parties known around the world. The majority of my 4 nights spent there were X rated and included some really awesome clubs and parties. My days however, were spent on the most beautiful white sand beaches, even more amazing than the Philippines. One day, I sat down on this beach about 30 minutes outside of this town that I was staying in and about 10 minutes later this girl, that was by herself also, sat down close to me. We were both there for about 2 or 3 hours before she asked me to take her picture and when I realized she had a British accent I asked her where she was from…the conversation started from there and before you knew it we had talked for almost an hour. She then turned to me and asked me my name… I said ‘Annie,’ and then she said… ‘no way! That’s my name too.’ It was one of the strangest things that has happened to me in a while and also turns out that she was staying in a hotel about a block from mine! What a coincidence!
Overall Ibiza was amazing and I wish I had more time to see more of the beautiful beaches. It would really make a great honeymoon spot!
From Ibiza I flew to Seville – the capital city of Andalusia and one Spanish city that I’ve always been interested in traveling too. The main goal of this trip in general was to travel and see more of southern Spain. Granada captured me last time and I wanted to see more of the southern coast.
Seville was interesting, I stayed in an okay hostel, it wasn’t the best and just so happened to be full of French people, needless to say, none of them really spoke to me. This was the first time that I’ve stayed in a hostel and not really made any friends. The first day I was there I saw almost all the main sites in one afternoon, haha. I tend to do things quicker than the average traveler I think! One day I rented a bike and biked all over the city, that was fun! Overall Seville was a nice city although it lacks a beach, which I didn’t like. Good food though!
After Seville I headed to the southern coast of Portugal called the Algarve for the weekend to see some amazing beaches, and amazing they were! I went to a small town right over the Spanish border called Vila Real de Santo Antonio. It was an amazing weekend full of relaxation and excellent food! The only downside is that I accidentally shut my thumb in a car door. So, currently, my entire thumbnail is black and will probably fall off soon. It has been pretty painful and has made it harder to do things. Hopefully it will get better soon!
Sunday evening I headed back on the bus to Seville, stayed one more night there, and then headed to Cadiz on a bus the next day. Cadiz is a smaller city on the southern coast of Spain. After being in the Algarve, the beaches in Cadiz couldn’t compare, they were nice however, just smaller and the waves were a bit rough. I stayed at a good hostel though and the cathedral and the old city were nice for an evening stroll.
I only stayed 2 nights in Cadiz and headed to Malaga on a 4-hour bus ride one afternoon. I stayed in Malaga for 2 nights also.
Malaga was busy and it was nice to be back in a bigger city after being in smaller towns for the past week. I stayed at a great hostel here and the staff was really nice. My first evening there I strolled around the old town and had some excellent, authentic, Italian pizza. The next day I signed up to go on this wild beaches tour with the hostel but, unfortunately, not enough people signed up so the tour was canceled. Instead, I went to the Picasso museum and then I rented a bike from the hostel for 5 Euros and proceeded to bike around the whole city and out to some nice beaches. The sand in Malaga was not white or yellow; it was a strange grey color. It was really smooth sand but the beaches were full of smooth rocks instead of seashells so I was a little disappointed. By the end of the day I was a mess from biking and being at the beach. Therefore, a shower was in order. I got a good nights rest except for this crowd of 5 British girls staying in my room pouring in at 7 a.m.!
I’ve just finished a 10-hour bus trip from Malaga to Valencia. I’ve headed back here just for the night to get my things that I’ve stored at Begona’s house. Tomorrow afternoon I will head to Barcelona to stay with my Spanish friend Montse for a few days before heading to Finland to stay with my family again and then to Amsterdam for 3 days before returning to the USA on June 29th.
I’ve recently had a lot of free time on buses to think about anything and everything. One thing I have discovered recently is that I think I’m starting to get tired of traveling alone this time around! Last time I was in Europe, I traveled on the weekends and it was a fun escape from my 3 roommates at the time and I had a blast in every city I went to! This time is different though, I can’t quite pinpoint why. I think, as is only natural as a human, that I’m starting to miss the companionship of a good friend after being alone for so long. I’m not just talking about the past 2 weeks either; I’m talking about the whole past year and half! Korea was more than a bit lonely at times. I enjoy my alone time better than anyone I know but I beginning to think that I’d like someone fun to travel with sometimes too. I’ve enjoyed traveling this time of course, don’t get me wrong, but I’m starting to see in myself and through others that it’s going to be hard to find someone who shares the same sense of adventure for life and travel as I do. I’ve chosen such a different path in life, one that is in no way typical. I’m not interested in traveling for a year and then coming back to the US to ‘start my real life’ kind of thing and I’m beginning to hate the types of people that make that suggestion like that’s what I’m doing….
I’ve also had a lot of time recently to think about what is next. I’m going to need to find a job sooner rather than later. I have a pretty awesome job offer back in Korea where I’d be working for a great company and making even more money than I made last year with 2 weeks of vacation whenever I choose to take them. It’s a sweet deal and hard to turn down but I find myself thinking really hard about how happy I could really be there for another year. At this point in my life, I’d like to venture out and try something new before all my ‘need and will’ for adventure runs out. I wish money didn’t dictate so much where I could and could not go. Student loans are ruining my life and at this point, if I’m not planning on permanently living in the USA in the future, therefore I see no valid reason to actually pay them. I know that may sound horrible but it’s the absolute truth. My theory is this ----à If the world ends tomorrow, next week, 2 months from now, am I going to say… ‘Boy oh boy, I sure am glad that I paid my student loans last month.’ FUCK NO! I’d probably be saying something along the lines of ‘wow, wish I would have used all that money to do something cool, like travel to a new place/’
Oh society of this world today….I hate how corrupt our minds are and how greedy our hands are because of you… Therefore, I refuse to conform to you…. I feel like I might end up a hippy before long or something.. lol
From Espana xxxx
