estoy de vuelta en madrid

Friday, September 16, 2011 1:29am · Madrid, Spain

flying back to españa

Estoy de vuelta en Madrid = I’m back in Madrid!

After a long journey (over 20 hours, door-to-door from my house in California to my apartment in Madrid), I’m FINALLY back in Madrid. It’s strange, it feels surreal because everything feels so familiar, but still distant. My body feels out of whack from the jet lag, and I’ve been sleeping/feeling zombie-like.

I’ve noticed that my “neighbors” (the indignados) that were protesting in the center of Madrid in tents are now gone.

Now time to readjust back to Spanish-mode :).

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estoy vivo

Friday, September 9, 2011 1:44am · Expat

Sorry all for my brief hiatus. This week, I got back from a nice family trip to Utah and Arizona (Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Lake Powell). Then yesterday I went to a taping of The Price is Right!

I am super SWAMPED trying to do many things at home in lovely California before I return to Madrid next week! I can’t believe my short stay at home in California is soon coming to an end. I have been having a great time at home hanging out with family and friends, and enjoying all the good stuff home has to offer. I feel like I am TWO people, I am the Spain me and the USA me. While I am looking forward to going back to Madrid, I am going to be really sad to leave my friends and family back home…. Why can’t California and Spain be closer, or flights become much cheaper?

But stay tuned…more photos and tales to come :D

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A delicious Thanksgiving in Madrid

Friday, August 26, 2011 12:32pm · Expat, Food, Holidays

¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! gobble gobble!

Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays! Last November 2010, for my first Thanksgiving outside of the good ol’ US of A, I was determined to celebrate one of my favorite holidays abroad. Thankfully I had some interested students at school, and friends and roommates who were eager to share the awesomeness of Thanksgiving with our international friends.

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Last year’s first school field trips: Museo Reina Sofía and IMAX

Wednesday, August 24, 2011 1:41pm · Art, School, Spain

excited to go on a field trip! they're so little you can barely see their heads lol

Last November 2010, I went on a field trip with my 2nd graders to the Museo Reina Sofía, and that same week, I went with my 4th graders to IMAX. At first, I was worried about how we would be able to control and discipline 20 six-year-olds roaming around a museum…

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Segovia: Charming Roman medieval city near Madrid

Monday, August 22, 2011 1:01pm · Spain, Travel

The famous Roman aqueduct of Segovia

Last November 2010, two of my old roommates and I went on a day trip to Segovia, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Segovia is a charming old Roman medieval city about 90km northwest of Madrid. I loved it!

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Last year’s Halloween in Madrid: at school and at the piso

Thursday, August 18, 2011 1:03pm · Expat, Holidays, School

our piso decked out at our international Halloween party

Halloween 2010 with my 4B class

Halloween has always been a big part of any Americans’ childhood. In the states, we have the fun traditions of trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, costumes, and spooky tales of ghouls, ghosts, and vampires, oh my. In college, I used to celebrate Halloween for 4 days, and had different costumes for each day!

But I didn’t know what to expect in Spain.

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Torrejón de Ardoz: My school and Parque Europa

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:00pm · Spain, Travel

Nike of Samothrace in Parque Europa, Torrejón de Ardoz

with my cute 2nd graders

So the school I work at is in Torrejón de Ardoz (or just “Torrejón” for short), which is a city about 18km east of Madrid. I am a very lucky girl because I absolutely love the school I work at. From the beginning, my colleagues made me feel like part of a family. Everybody is very friendly, and the students are generally well-behaved, very loving and appreciative :). I am always showered with hugs, kisses, and random drawings and paintings.

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Mallorca, Spain: Oktoberfest island getaway

Sunday, August 14, 2011 4:49pm · Food, Review, Spain, Travel



Last October 2010, just a few weeks after I moved to Madrid and only one week after work started, there was a long weekend and my (old) roommates and I jetted off to the lovely island of Mallorca.

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New beginnings: Looking back at my first days in Madrid

Saturday, August 13, 2011 4:19pm · Madrid, Spain, Travel

puerta del sol

Almost a full year ago, in September 2010, I made the big move to Madrid Spain. Many friends thought I was crazy for moving to a place that I had never been to before, and where I didn’t really know anybody!

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¡Hola!

Saturday, August 13, 2011 8:38am · Uncategorized

Hello world,

In September 2010, I made the big move from California to Spain. I was previously working in beautiful Santa Barbara, California. But I wanted a big change, so I moved to Madrid to continue exploring the world, teach English, and also to work at an amazing humanitarian non-profit.

I have a confession to reveal… I am addicted to taking photos, I take tons of photos BUT I have been really behind at organizing/editing/uploading photos online. One of the main reasons I love taking photos is that I want to share them with my friends and family!

Before I moved to Spain, I had the intention of maintaining a blog to document my global adventures. But I got so busy with many things that I kinda brushed the blog aside….

But NOW, I am really excited to start up my blog again. Traveling and photography are some of my true passions and I really want to document my trips and adventures for myself, and to share them with the world!

Since I made the big move to Madrid, I have been lucky enough to travel extensively. So my goal is to back track a bit, and I am going to initially post photos and stories and re-visit my trips from last year. And after I get ON TRACK, I will continue to blog about any upcoming trips and adventures AS THEY HAPPEN.

I hope you have fun looking at my photos and learning about my adventures! Stay tuned!

Besos y abrazos :)
Tina

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