Rewind and Recap: Spreading the Word

Flashback to Easter when we told my dad we were moving. When it comes to things like this; things with risks, we couldn’t be more different. I’m a mix of his risk avoidance and my mom’s ability to chase and embrace the best of every opportunity.

Knowing how much this news was going to rock his world, we waited until we were both fully vaccinated before we even thought about telling my dad we were moving to Madrid. Looking back on this moment brings me tons of joy and makes me more and more excited to spread the word to people in our circles. 

Most of the conversations go the same way “Wow, that’s so exciting so what’s the plan?” Since this arc of questions seem to pop up in every conversation we have about the move we’ve  answered these three basic questions below with a little more context.

When do you leave? 

So our departure date is based on our visa and that is based on appointments and paperwork yet to be processed. Based on the program we need to be in country by September but if all goes well we will head out in the last couple weeks of August.  If you’re looking to hang before then or grab a coffee let us know, we’re available and eager to connect with people before we peace out.

Where are you working?

Audrey plans to continue her position a Community Specialists working remotely and providing off hour support since Spain is seven hours ahead.  And she plans to continue recording and making No Wrong Turns podcast episodes.

I’m excited to say that I’ll be doing some co-teaching next year as an ‘auxiliar de conversación’. This position is a hybrid between co-teaching and culture sharing. From what I understand, I will use my English speaking and educational background in a bilingual school with students who are building English language proficiency and seeking to understand cultural context not their own. I’m super excited to be co-teaching because it’s a role that I’ve rarely experienced in my classrooms. Interacting with teachers and students as a part-time facilitator and overall guest will be an interesting balance to learn. I’m excited to see what this new role holds.

Are you gonna stay out there? 

Yes! For at least a year. (but honestly who knows maybe max 5...10 year...Idk) The name of the game as always is make it sustainable if you want it to last. We’ve been saving to my make this transition less of a headache since the work I’ll be doing won’t pay much. Moving or staying will most likely come down to potential for employment. Once the program is over and after earning a masters in bilingual and multicultural education my plan is to find a high school position that allows me to exercise my experience as a World Language Teacher or support English Language Learners. Where, I don’t know? But we’re open to whatever comes our way. We know that the best laid plans sometimes never come to fruition, and things can be best that way.

Conversations usually pivot to, "Well at least I’ll have a place to stay in Spain."  But no joke doors open if we’re in town and all works out, visitors welcome we’d be happy to host and have you around for a couple days.