The Mid Career Gap Year.

Triple threat.

What IS a gap year?  So, Google says it’s: a period, typically an academic year, taken by a student as a break between school and university or college education.

But should it only be for students?  I had the least direction when I was an undergraduate student, desperately trying to enjoy my first taste of freedom and independence.  I hadn’t a clue what I wanted my life to look like thereafter and couldn’t see farther into the future than my next meal.  

At that age, and with such little life experience, should we still be expected to graduate college at 21, find a job and work until we’re 67 years old without ever questioning, “Why?”.  I don’t think so, not for me at least. 

A gap year, call it  “extended vacation” if you can’t reason with the concept, should be considered like any other opportunity, professional or otherwise.  I originally came to Spain because I wasn’t squeezing the juice out of life in Boston.  I made decent money, could go out when I wanted, had great friends, my family was close by but I was so distracted that I didn’t really do any one particular thing to it’s fullest.  I lived a very basic life that I didn’t feel was “me”.  

In the end, I didn’t come to Spain to become an English teacher.  That’s what happened and I’m happy it did.  This journey started out as nothing more complex than, ‘I want to try something new and I have a good feeling about Spain’.  I didn’t expect to love my Master’s program so much.  I didn’t expect to meet my now boyfriend at a bar after what would be come the first of many “going away parties” (the downfall of being international in a transient city).  And I certainly didn’t expect it to be SO difficult to get papers (even today, I had another “paper” appointment) and the experience evolved and continues to do so.  

Added a new member to the fire escape squad.

Boston, Massachusetts.

Ain’t nothing more American than baseball.

In no particular order: Cheese Festival in Trujillo, Spain. 

Visits to Rober’s family’s village in Valencia de Alcantara, Spain. 

Quick border cross to Portugal from Rober’s family’s village.

Granada, Spain. 2017.

My 30th birthday trip / graduation trip.

Lot of things going on over at the Anthropology Museum.  Maybe too much.  I went to see a temporary photography exhibit there and the next thing I know, I’m in the wing where the once- founder did some...strange research once upon a time.  Not sure how I feel about it now, kind of gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Patones, Madrid, Spain.