The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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Going Back “Home”: A Weekend in London

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The London Eye and River Thames from Westminster Bridge

Five and a half years ago (!!!!), I spent a fall semester of college studying abroad in London. It was one of the most important experiences in a long chain of events that contributed to me eventually living in Spain. During that semester, I had more fun than I’d ever had in my life. I met some of my very best friends, I was able to jet off to different countries over the weekends, and I got to live a lifestyle unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Most importantly, I learned that I could do it. I could adjust to life in a foreign country, away from everyone/everything I knew and was comfortable with, and thrive while doing it. [Read more…]

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The Truth About Living in Spain

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Portrait of the author recovering from tonsilitis on a Wednesday

You know how people will post photos like “Instagram vs. Reality?” I don’t really see myself as someone who highly curates my image or digital presence, but to anyone who doesn’t talk to me on a regular basis, it may just look like I’m living the dream all of the time in Spain.

Which is totally true. This is my dream! But there are also lots of parts that aren’t easy; parts that are unglamorous and hard work, and I don’t talk about them much. So I wanted to share an inside look as to what it’s really like living in Spain. Here are my realities! [Read more…]

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Why Christmas Lasts Longer in Spain

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Part of the Cabalgata de Reyes parade

My first Christmas after moving to Spain, back in winter 2018/2019. I noticed something odd. Through the first days of January, Christmas music was still blasting in all the shops and restaurants I visited — whether it was English classics like Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Last Christmas, and The Little Drummer Boy or Spanish favorites like El Burrito Sabanero. (Which I had only just managed to get out of my head after listening to my third-grade class practice it for weeks before school let out for Christmas break).

And it turned out it wasn’t a case of the shops being too lazy to change their playlists. I was pretty confused at first — for Americans, Christmas ended at 12:00 a.m. on December 26. But in Spain, and some other countries in Europe, Christmas lasts almost two weeks longer. [Read more…]

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A Sardinian Christmas

I’ve been living in Madrid for four months now, and I decided not to go home to Kansas City for Christmas. It was too expensive and I figured the money I would’ve spent could be saved and used for other things (read: other trips).

But that didn’t mean I particularly wanted to spend Christmas totally alone. Most of my friends in Spain were traveling – home or elsewhere – for the holidays. So I went to spend Christmas with my family on this side of the world – with our exchange student from last year, Gaia, and her family in Sardinia, Italy. [Read more…]

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Double Exchange: From Missouri to Barcelona

Pep and I at the famous Bár Tomas de Sarrià

If you know me or have followed this blog for any amount of time, you already know that I’m really passionate about international exchange programs. The AFS program has changed my life in so many ways – it’s responsible for the chain of events that turned me into an international traveler, and it also brought me an Italian sister last year. This year, I’m the one living abroad, and Gaia’s family has become my family on this side of the world. Next week, I’ll leave Madrid to spend Christmas in Sardinia.
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7 Things I’ve Learned from Living in Madrid for 10 Weeks

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Sunset in my Madrid neighborhood, Prosperidad

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been in Europe for almost three months now. After 10 days in Spain, I wrote “7 Things I’ve Learned from Living in Madrid for 10 Days.” Well, now I’m here to tell you about 7 things I’ve learned from living here for 10 weeks. (Technically I moved here 11 weeks ago, but I was in Italy for one of those weeks. 🙂 )

I think it’s interesting how much more subtle some of these things are — they probably aren’t things that I would have ever noticed without living here. So, without further ado…

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For the Love of Language

I’ve been in Europe for two weeks now, and I have just under two weeks until I start working. Because as much fun as it’s been, living life in Madrid without any responsibilities other than feeding myself, work is the real reason I’m here. The reason I’m able to be here. Someone’s gotta teach the Spanish children some English. [Read more…]

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7 Things I’ve Learned from Living in Madrid for 10 Days

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View from my apartment terrace.

It’s hard to believe I’ve already been in Spain for 10 days! Thankfully, the existential “what-am-I-doing-why-did-I-think-this-was-a-good-idea” phase seems to have passed for the time being, and I’m really enjoying life right now. Whether it’s café con leche every morning (or when I wake up, which uhhh, isn’t always the morning) and shopping for things I need to feel at home, it’s exciting to have a fresh start in a new place. And while I’ve visited Spain as a tourist before, living here is totally different. Here are some of the things I’ve learned in my first 10 days living in Madrid. [Read more…]

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The Struggle of Eating While Abroad

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I arrived in Madrid almost two days ago, my new home for the next year. I feel like I’ve already accomplished a lot; I’ve visited some of my favorite spots, navigated the Metro, and even procured an apartment in record time (hallelujah). There is, however, one thing I’m definitely not succeeding at – feeding myself. Why is it so hard to eat while abroad?

Now, my family and friends probably aren’t surprised by this (since in the past few months especially I became increasingly reliant on others to feed me, out of pure laziness for the most part). But let’s put that aside for a minute. I actually realized this during my trip to Asia last year, and to Mexico a few months ago. Feeding yourself while abroad is surprisingly difficult, especially when you’re traveling solo. [Read more…]