If you’re new to the party or are interested in some of the experiences I have chronicled in the past, the links in the text below will take you to more posts!

Positives:

• Scenery. The experiences of Spanish life, from the setting to the culture, have been very meaningful. I have learned to appreciate so many new things. The nearby mountains and ocean provide a backdrop to an area with a great deal of ecological diversity and history. Let’s face it: Las Fallas is an incredible spectacle any way you look at it.
• Language. Ugh. There are so many things about Spanish that I just don’t get yet, although I have made great strides toward conversational fluency. I have high hopes that the upcoming year will see a significant increase in my ability to speak and write Spanish.
• Work. I am really lucky to have a job where I am able to work here in Spain for an American company. Since my visa is for residence and not work, I would have a hard time even applying for a job here in Spain. However, my work in the States has been keeping my busy, and when you combine that with my PhD work, I definitely spend a lot of time reading and writing!
• People. My expectations of people here in Spain was very close to my actual experiences. The Spanish people are warm, gregarious, feisty, funny, engaging, and interesting. I enjoy speaking with taxi drivers and waiters in restaurants. This is a social environment, and to be part of the experience, I often have to take one small step outside my comfort zone.
• Travel. In one year, I have been able to travel significantly, usually on a very small budget. For example, I have been to Germany and Strasbourg, Africa, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Teruel, and several cities and towns along the way.
• Fitting In. Lately, I feel as though I am better suited to this environment after a long period of adjustment. I have a better sense of what to expect, which allows me to make better use of my resources and act more like a local. I have found stores where I prefer to shop and routes I prefer to walk and ride. I have made friends in restaurants and have run into friends on the streets. In short, I am transitioning from a visitor to a local.

Negatives:

• People. Leaving family and friends has been hard… really hard. While I have had a few visitors from the States, and visited my daughter in Africa, there are still so many people that I wish I could see. I know that feeling separated is a normal state of affairs, and I have worked hard to stay in touch with many people. Oddly, I think it is a good thing to miss people sometimes, because it reminds you that there are people who love you from a distance.
• Comforts. Let’s face it, I am very American, and I am quite accustomed to a few creature comforts. Unfortunately for me, a few things that I can find in the States simply are not available here. Most of those items are small but significant: American-style extra crunchy peanut butter, the spices and herbs section of Wal-Mart or Kroger, and knowing where to buy exactly what you want. What I am getting in exchange is ridiculously inexpensive fresh fruits and vegetables, an opportunity to get off my rump and walk or ride my bike to the right store for the right thing, and a city that is safe to walk in alone in the wee hours of the morning. I still miss good peanut butter, though.

So, beginning today, I have been in Valencia for a year. I am still waiting for the acceptance of my residency application, but I have done what I can to make sure it will be approved. I feel so very blessed to be here, and I am still enjoying the adventure. I hope you have enjoyed the “virtual ride” that I provide on my blog, and if there is anything you want me to cover or include, just let me know in the comments.

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There is plenty to see in Orléans, too (see here and here). I would consider visiting here before visiting Paris again. Sure, there is lots to do in Paris, but for a calmer vacation and relaxation, I think Orléans may just fit the bill.

One other thing: Joan of Arc. She is known as the “Maid of Orléans,” and led the people of the area to battle against the British, who were in the process of fighting on French soil as part of the Hundred Years’ War. She was tried for heresy in a bit of a kangaroo court, and burned at the stake. Although declared innocent in a subsequent, but sadly posthumous, trial, she still was a pawn in the powers of the government at the time.

This was an excellent day to walk and stop as often as we liked, and the result was a thoroughly pleasant afternoon. There were several sights that are pictured below, including some amazing pizza from a little shop where we grabbed a quick bite, the St. Jaques (St. James) Tower, a massive courtyard where beach volleyball was being played, the back side of Notre Dame, and the locks commemorating love on the Pont de l’Archevêché bridge behind Notre Dame.

Interesting note on the St. Jaques Tower… it is the beginning of the Way of St. James, a pilgrimage that goes from France into Spain, ending on the west coast of the Iberian peninsula.

After classes tonight, there is a cruise on the Seine for the residency participants. I’m looking forward to sharing some pictures of the event!

To me, traveling that way is only possible if I focus on the end goal, which is seeing some of my dearest friends and experiencing new adventures. I left Sunday afternoon for New York’s JFK airport, which connected me to the plane to Paris, France. It was an uneventful ride, and I watched three movies to pass the six and a half hours I was on the plane. The first, Bridesmaids, was pretty funny, and a nice way to start the trip. The other two (Hansel & Gretel and Dark Shadows) were more time-killer and mindless entertainment than anything else.

Upon arriving in Paris, I needed to wait for my friends who would be arriving four hours later. I found out that they would be arriving in Terminal 1, which was several terminals away from my arrival terminal. In Charles de Gaulle airport, such a dilemma is only rectified by a really long walk and a tram ride. And a cup of coffee, a croissant, and three hours of reading to pass the time.

After my friends arrived, we went to the house that we had rented, and we all took a nap after we got settled in. I’ll send more pictures of this place, but it’s quite lovely! We went out to find a grocery store and a restaurant, and ended up driving to Versaille and eating at Chez Lazarre, a nice little place. Here’s my review on Yelp. However, we got there as the restaurant was closing, and the staff was an interesting collage of restaurant workers. The food, however, was delicious! You can see how much was left!

P.S. Gentle readers, if you thing that this blog is anything BUT stuff about my trip to Spain, then you are largely right… right now. Trust me, we’ll get to the Spain stuff really soon. I just have to get there.

Of course, there will be pictures and words as the residency progresses. This is almost a “last hurrah” with my friends before I leave for Spain, and I am thankful for the opportunity to travel with them again.

I’m getting pretty good at packing for trips!

And from Michael’s camera…

If I haven’t introduced you to my tribe, let me give a quick overview. Darin, Traci (from Sacramento), and I met in Jacksonville, FL, in 2009, at a Walden Residency. The three of us decided to go to the residency in Spain a year later, where we met Tawnya (from Oregon) and Darin’s partner, Brian. Darin’s new job moved the two of them from Canada to Novato, California, where Tawnya and I promptly invited ourselves to use their home as a retreat from the rest of the world. We have since reunited several times, and since Darin, Tawnya, Traci, and I are all PhD students, we often talk about school.

So, back to the rum on the patio. Tawnya and I are both professional educators. She works at the university level, while I work for a K-12 district. Both she and I are members of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and we had noted that the 2013 AERA conference would be held in San Francisco, where we could stay with Brian and Darin. But what to present? AERA is a prestigious researcher-driven conference… and so we combined our interests, and created a topic that was accepted by the AERA planning committee:

Are ESL Students Ready for Online Science? The Intersection of Poverty, Language, and Online Science Education (Read the full paper here!)

Since we were staying with friends, we were able to use times around conference events to do some sight-seeing activities, too! As an added bonus, Michael was able to join the festivities this time, and he and Brian took about a billion photos.

The final result? A good conference, an opportunity to present professionally, and a great meeting with friends. Perfect.

Suddenly, I find myself with more travel than I expect. In January, I was in Spain. In February (albeit early in the month), Michael and I travelled to Mobile for their much calmer version of Mardi Gras. This month, which happens to host both of our birthdays, we decided to go to Charleston, SC. As soon as I can steal the photos off of Michael’s camera, I will post a few from the trip.

Next on the agenda of this runaway train toward my goal of moving to Spain? Let’s see…

• In April, I am presenting at the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference with one of my tribe members, Tawnya. She and I are working on a research project that considers the ability of English-language learners to work in an online environment to learn science. Trust me, you’ll get the full summary soon! The conference is in San Francisco, which means Tawnya and I will be staying with Darin and Brian, at their house in Novato. Break out the rum! As an added bonus, Michael will be joining me on this trip, and I am sure will come home with a camera full of nifty images!
• In May, my youngest daughter graduates high school. I’m very excited for her and what her next steps will be toward her own career. I’m very proud of her!
• In June, I have been hired to speak as the keynote presenter for the Kentucky Association of School Administrators in Lexington. This is the first time that I have worked with this group, and I am excited to meet new people. I am hoping to connect with Steve, a friend who lives in Cincinnati. He and I have stayed in tenuous touch since we were in grad school together, taught at Melbourne High School together, and actually worked at the same company twice, but never at the same times. We recently had a chance to say hi in person when he visited my district in the Atlanta area. He and his beautiful family would make that trip awesome.
• In July and the first few days in August, I am completing my final residency for my PhD program. After that point, I should be working quite diligently on my dissertation. I am very excited, because my tribe is going, and Tawnya, Darin, Brian, and I are renting a house on the outskirts of Paris instead of staying at the residency hotel. Did I say Paris? I meant Paris, France. Aside from airport experiences, I have not been in Paris since 2000 or 2001, and I am really looking forward to travelling with my tribe again!

That leads us to the line in the sand. Since returning from Valencia earlier this year, I realized that the timing of my move to Spain was really up to me. Okay, I knew that before, but it was suddenly MUCH more clear. I have decided that my moving goal date is September 15, which is a little less than six months from this posting. I’m still getting used to the idea, but it feels pretty good at this point.

Suddenly, the year seems very short! Oscar Wilde’s quote comes to mind: “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”

To be honest, making this decision is really giving me some relief. After several years of thinking, planning, hoping, and changing, I am glad to have a date to use as a focus point for my move.

My next post will feature some Charleston, SC pics. Woo hoo!