Travel. Write. Repeat

I'll never forget the day that I moved to Spain. Picture this, the day after my 21st birthday, I flew the coop, spread my wings and left my safe, comfortable life in Northern Ireland for pastures (or should that be 'playas'?) new.

I don't remeber having ever been as terrified or as excited as I was that day. I left the house with two suitcases, filled with my worldly possessions, got on a plane, and left.

Since I'd never been to Spain before this point (although I had studied Spanish for years) it was a completely new world for me, and as I was not particularly well traveled before this, the first thing that shocked me was being surrounded by people speaking a different language.

Disorienting, discombobulating, disbelief. As I lugged my suitcases to the rental car that would take me to my new home in Valencia, it struck me that this was my life now. Warm weather, sunshine and sea views. Incredible!

As we approached Valencia, the sheer size of the place was astonishing. For someone whose experience of city life was limited to tiny Belfast, this was like another world. Skyscrapers and high-rises were everywhere, piercing the skyline with their myriad of shapes and sizes.

How could one insignificant person ever feel at home in this bustling metropolis? How could I live surrounded by people at all times? I don't think I had ever truly realized before that point what a small corner of the world I come from. There is so much world to explore and so little time to do it in! Studying languages has always inspired me to travel, but that moment, in those few minutes as we drove through the city, I felt the urge, the irrepressible desire to roam, to wander, to explore, and over the next nine months that's exactly what I did.

Getting to know "my" city was incredible, exploring the winding streets of the old quarter, climbing to the top of the Miguelete and seeing the city from above, sitting in on mass services and of course, eating tapas and drinking sangria! Visiting old Roman ruins, climbing mountains, and just taking advantage of everything that the city had to offer.

By far, my most important lesson was that of the 'sobremesa', that time after a meal where everyone sits and chats, and people appreciate each other's company. In our fast paced world, we so often miss out on those opportunities, and it was amazing to slow things down and 'disfruta de la vida'.