Finally, my first post!

After three weeks of work and what seems like two months of activity (which I will write about in the future because it is a long, long story), I am publishing my first post. I am so excited to start this school year and be sharing it with you through this blog.

However, I should go back to the beginning so as not to ramble. My name is Austin, and I’m 22 years old. I’m a Phoenician by birth, but my family and I have lived in so many places in the United States that it’s hard to call Phoenix my only home. I just love all the places that I grew up in. Regardless of my identity, it’s in this dry and majestic city that I got my dual degrees, History and Spanish, at Arizona State University.

Now, I know what you are thinking. But Austin, why leave the lovely temperatures of Phoenician autumns for the likes of Madrid? Well, interested reader, it all goes back to when I studied abroad in Spain two years ago. Almost from the beginning, I was captivated by the people and their language and lifestyle. Everything seemed easier and more tranquil (in retrospect, I was in a program which facilitated my day-to-day life immensely). Spain was just so new, and living in a foreign country, with all its challenges and struggles, was something that I had never dreamed would happen to me. I got involved in intercambios (or language exchanges with native speakers), university workshops, and program activities while at the same time tutoring English in different homes. I was sold on returning to Spain, but my second semester abroad solidified my need to come back as a teacher. It was then that I got an internship at two schools, instructing two age groups. Although I didn’t develop a fondness for the secondary level, I quickly feel in love with the primary. The kids were always so eager to see you and learn something new each day. Although teaching them presented me with new obstacles every class, I found that I was doing meaningful work. That I was helping students integrate into an increasingly Anglo-centered, globalized world. That I was not some book to read, but a real person that made the ideas presented in class stick in their heads. That I made English fun (at times). That was missing in all my previous jobs. An objective that I really could get behind.

So, what is my reason for being here? Well, other than my lofty ideas of meaningful work, I am looking forward to improving my language proficiency, which I have noticed had diminished during my hiatus in Phoenix. I also want to have time to think about next steps and future career aims. Do I want to be an ESL teacher or return home for a different path? Do I want to pursue a master’s degree next year or in two? Certainly, with four weeks in Spain already gone, I am no closer to answering those questions, but I remain hopeful. We have many more days to go. Finally, I would like to reach some health goals, including running a 10k or two and learning how to ski in the Pyrenees. 

All in all, I look forward to sharing my experience with you and hope that you can get some benefit from my time in Spain for your own life.

P.S. I’ve included some pictures of my time abroad. I’m hoping to add some new ones of this year to my photo album!