The Blog Has A Sister!

It was August 2025 when I started writing this blog - just over 6 months ago, before I left for Spain. To say I'm relieved that I've consistently published my writing is an understatement, as we all know it's hard to start new projects and I was worried it'd be difficult. But it was important to me to write about my experience and this was the perfect way to do that, and also share it with loved ones. I'm glad I've challenged myself, and now it's time for a new challenge (in addition to this)! 

I have been someone who documents everything - almost to a fault - since I was old enough to have a journal and a camera. When I was 14 years old, I started creating videos with my GoPro and iPhone, and since then, I haven't stopped. I've used all different cameras and filmed all different subjects, but one thing has remained the same: how I feel when I first watch something I created.

I cherish my memories and think of them like books in the library of my mind. I haven't quite gotten to the bottom of why I’m insistent on remembering so much, but I’ve been this way for the majority of my life. I have endless lists, completed diaries, and a mind that never seems to turn off. I’m almost positive it’s unnecessary because, does all that mundane stuff really need to be discussed at length? No, yet here I am anyway, writing about how I write about the mundane. 

What I’ve decided it boils down to is that I have a love for creating. Videos are a way for my writing to come to life. They also allow my fixation of documenting the world around me to be displayed visually, combined with music that does my memories justice.

Although TikToks are primarily short form videos and I’m not creating a film like it might seem, I’m excited that as of two weeks ago, I’m in charge of the CIEE Teach in Spain TikTok account! I have already started creating and posting videos about my experience in Madrid and it has been really fun to bring new ideas to life. I'm grateful that this blog is the reason they reached out to me, and I'm also just grateful to get the opportunity to create more.

When it comes to everything I make, my hope has always been to ignite a feeling in the reader or viewer behind the screen: joy, a longing for more, awe, a fleeting sense of hope, or a combination of the sorts. I want others to feel the way I do when I read or watch something that reminds me of a memory I have, or I'm transported into a world I'd never be a part of otherwise.

All of this makes me feel more alive! Thank you for being a part of something I love so much.

Follow the newly made TikTok account at: @cieeteachspain

Follow the Instagram I will be posting on as well over the next 3 months: @cieeteach