As you know I am currently living at home and anticipating my next move in life. But in the meantime I need some cash moneys, so I’m waiting tables at a local “casual” dining restaurant. It’s not my ideal job but sometimes I love it. Let me be more specific: 1. I get to work […]
Category: Lifestyle
I live in the land of power walkers and strip malls
So there’s a great career blogger, Penelope Trunk, who I often read. Not necessarily for the career advice, but mostly because she makes me feel okay even though I’m a career-failure right now . Anyways, a while back she wrote a good piece about things to consider when moving to a new city. One factor in […]
7 things you can only do when you are NOT traveling
I spent last year teaching English in Madrid (you probably already know this). The year wound down in June and on June 28 I moved all of my stuff out of the Madrid apartment and, well, traveled. I had no address, no kitchen, no reliable internet, no specific plans to speak of. I left my bags […]
The sunset at the end of the world
Last night I watched the sun set in the Atlantic Ocean. It was cool. It went down kind of groggily because the clouds and the stratosphere were getting in the way. It’s funny ’cause at the moment that the sun was going down here in Fisterra it was approximately 2:40pm where you are (always 7 […]
The stages of trying (and failing) to make friends in a new city
I’m going to start off with a disclaimer: yes, I have friends in Madrid. I’m actually surprised how often people ask me if I have friends in Spain. (I guess it’s kind of a good intro question to life in another country…) But to me, friends are like food. Erm… I mean friends are as […]
Translating music: a note about learning new things
I unintentionally joined a jazz group with a few other teachers at my school. I play the guitar. We practice on Wednesdays. Here is an example of how practice goes: We’re playing some Duke Ellington piece to which I lost my last page of music and I don’t know the last chord. I play the […]
I hate it when that happens: stepping in wet paint
This crosswalk is about three blocks from my apartment. It’s on Calle de Toledo, just south of Plaza Mayor (oh yeah, I’m back in Spain!). Not only did someone walk in wet paint. They walked in wet paint with no shoes on. Can we stop and contemplate this for a second? … Seriously though. Little […]
True life: I live in a closet
When I was eight or nine—I’m sure my mom can attest to this—I was determined to have a walk-in closet. What I actually had was one of those closets with folding doors. Ew, I know. All of my friends had walk-in closets. Some of them even had their own bathrooms! What injustice! Life is so […]
Haircuts/I am still young and naive
Getting my hair cut still makes me nervous. Let’s be real: a stranger is wielding scissors against my hair. Now imagine haircut + non-native language. That makes for a fun time. I’ve had a few of these experiences outside the U.S., including once when I cut off about twelve inches. That was in Mexico in […]
Anne Foster 