2 weeks and counting!

I have two weeks left before I embark on my big adventure to spend the next 8/9 months in Spain - ok so the title of the blog may be slightly incorrect - and am freaking out about how fast this time has come around. Summer has gone by in a haze of travelling, and catching up with friends and family before I leave. So, before I go I decided to start writing a blog because I’m so bad at communication normally (I went 6 weeks without ringing my parents earlier this year) that I’m worried I’ll come home in June to find myself without any friends and family to update about my travels.

For my year abroad I originally wanted to go as south in Spain as possible but, as many other people will know, students who want to be language assistants have very little say in where they will end up. Despite the initial upset about being placed in the Basque Country I am now really looking forward to living there, and it’s probably for the best that I’m in the north because I’d fry in the southern sun anyway.

The two secondary schools where I’m teaching are in a town called Ermua, about a 45 minute commute from Bilbao itself but I've decided to live in Bilbao, the capital city of the Basque Country, for a number of reasons:

   1.   Living abroad is scary enough without living in a town where I’m the only English language assistant.

           2.  The idea of only being friends with the other teachers or older students that feel sorry for me isn’t very appealing.

            3.  I’m working 12 hours a week (luckily they don’t put students who are used to lots of free time under too much pressure) so I don’t think the commute will be an issue.

           4.  Bilbao generally has more things to see and do so I can put my free time to good use. Obviously in between writing my dissertation...

I was lucky enough to spend the first 6 weeks of my summer holiday travelling around South America so I’ve adopted the attitude of if I can do South America then I'll be fine in Spain, which has been quite detrimental to my preparations really. I haven’t yet organised accommodation, I don’t know anyone in Spain, my Spanish is pretty average, I don’t know where Ermua is in relation to Bilbao or where the schools are, and I haven't yet been in contact with either of the schools. I’m also not really sure of how to pronounce Bilbao which could get slightly awkward. I definitely think I should be more worried than I am given the circumstances but the overriding feeling I have is excitement. However, I’m sure that will all change in the days leading up to the big move…