The first week in Spain is in the books, and it was possibly, what felt like the longest week of my life. While moving to a new country is exciting, it is also extremely frustrating at the same time. I arrived in Bilbao, Spain on Monday and had officially one week to find housing, set up all my accounts and registrations, and most importantly get started on my Spanish ID. Now me being the person I am, I did not choose a location in Spain where English is somewhat common, I chose the Basque region, which is the top north near the French border. It is a beautiful region filled with mountains and towns all along the coast with beautiful beaches where surfers can be spotted every few feet and very old renaissance buildings and churches. I chose the region because of all those things and more, but what I did not think about was the LACK of English that would be spoken, or dare I say none spoken at all. I do speak Italian though and I knew it could get me by enough until I get better at Spanish, what I didn’t account for were the very STRONG Basque accents that sound almost Slovak, and another amazing thing about this region is Spanish isn’t even the common language, it’s Basque, their own native language.
Now add all those things up, plus sharing a tiny room with seven bunk beds and loud snoring men and women in a hostel, and that is what my past week has consisted of. Even though it was the most stressful week and I really questioned why I had chosen such a hard location/ job in general, it all paid off when I got the news that I would be moving to Bermeo, Spain in my own apartment and I would be living on the main docks next to the ocean. So, I said goodbye to the smelly loud hostel and packed my bags faster than kids when they hear the school bell. I am very fortunate the people I work with at my school are kind and helping people, and truly have them to thank for everything. While this week was filled with stress and anxiety, it was all worth it in the end, and I got a place better than I could’ve imagined with the perfect location. A quote I love is, “no good things come easy in life,” and this week I got to experience that firsthand.
After moving in I was able to explore Bermeo, where I live, and Bakio where I will be teaching. Both are coastal towns known for their surfing locations and in the summers are filled with tourists. I live in the old sea fishing port where mornings it is filled with children playing soccer and riding their scooters while the parents are drinking coffee in the cafes nearby. The evenings are the best part though, all of the restaurants come alive, and you can hear music and laughter for hours on end. It doesn’t seem real that I’m even here and getting to live in such a beautiful place. I’m excited to explore more of Spain and see what else is in store for me!
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