The Excitement Continues!

Several things came together this week to make me more prepared & even more excited to go to Spain this fall!

I finally met some of the participants in my program, who will also be in Extremadura next year :) Up until Thursday, I did not personally know anyone else who will be teaching in Spain. Granted, I still don't know them well, but sharing conversation over coffee, tapas, and sangria is a step up from briefly chatting online. Plans to meet up had been in the works for a few weeks. Due to work schedules, there ended up being 2 separate get-togethers.

I met a girl and her boyfriend who will both being teaching in Badajoz (largest city in our region, about an hour west of me) & a girl in Jerez de los Caballeros (1.5 hrs southwest of me) at Starbucks yesterday morning. I had not actually planned on making it to this one, because I was APPLYING FOR MY VISA that morning, but I finished up around the time they were meeting, so I was able to join :)

Dinner last night was with the same girl who will be in Jerez de los Caballeros & the other participant placed in her city. These girls have been talking a lot with others currently in Jerez & also about their living/travel plans since they're placed together. I think it is awesome that they are able to share info & go ahead and work out some of the details. I cannot wait to actually meet someone living/teaching in Mérida! (So far I know of 4 others who will be living there, and another who's returning to one of the nearby cities) ...We went to a delicious Spanish restaurant called La Tasca, I recommend going there if you are in the DC area! We sampled several tapas, and my favorite was Shrimp in a garlic butter sauce with red peppers.

One of the best things about meeting up with other participants was that we are in the same situation & able to relate to each other. Several of my friends who have lived or studied abroad are able to relate to certain aspects of what I am about to do, but their situations were still a bit different. Some of our popular topics of discussion were flights, orientation, living arrangements, our schools, expectations, things we have heard from past/current participants, what we have been doing since graduation, future plans, and traveling.

Mérida, my soon to be home!

Another town in the region

Extremadura countryside

...I briefly mentioned getting my visa, which was my major accomplishment for the week! I had just completed the last requirement the day before by getting an Apostille of the Hague (basically an internationally recognized version of a notarization) on one of my documents. I might post more details about the visa process later, but in summary it's a bit of a hassle to figure out what exactly is needed & waiting for each item to come back requires a bit of patience ;) So having this out of the way is a huge weight off my back! Now that most of the technical preparations are out of the way, I can focus my attention of the fun aspects of going abroad, as well as spending quality time with my friends and family here.

Airline Tickets: Check.

My plans were already official, but now, it seems even more real- I bought my one-way ticket for Sept. 15th!! I've checked on flight prices a few times, and although they haven't changed much, something else caught my attention- one of the many available flights for under 500 was a DIRECT FLIGHT :) Just one. I previously planned to keep an eye on prices for a few wks, but I know I'd regret saving the small bit of money if a direct flight was no longer available (last time I flew to Spain, I had TWO layovers ...no gracias).

Typically, one-way tickets are not much cheaper than round-trip. I recently found out about 2 discount websites for "Youth" (ages 16-26) airline tickets: Student Universe & STA Travel. Both are similar to Expedia or Travelocity type sites. There may be more out there, but these are the 2 I know of... I'll describe my experience with each company incase anyone reading is looking to travel soon.

Student Universe I learned about because other participants in my program purchased their tickets here. It seemed like a great place to find cheap flights from the U.S. to Europe. This is where I first found my flight, but had to get my age verified as under 26 before being allowed to purchase the ticket. I was only put on hold when I tried calling, and I also emailed them 2 days ago, around 1pm. They responded tonight with an email including "It looks like you were looking for a ticket to Madrid but didn't end up finalizing your order. Would $15 off your ticket change anything?" ...Two full days seems a bit long for a booking agency, but maybe your prices improve as you wait it out? 


STA Travel had the same flight for essentially the same price. I found out about the site Thurs. night as I was waiting to hear back from Student Universe. I contacted them Fri. morning, and they were very prompt, organized and helpful. There was a $7 booking fee, but that's not a big deal. (I do not know if Student Universe has a booking fee). ...This company also sells International Student Identity Cards (ISIC) & International Youth Travel Cards (IYTC, under 26), which provide some additional discounts while traveling.

As a recent grad who doesn't have a ton of money, I will continue to search both sites for future travel. A good price is my biggest concern. If I can find a much better deal on Student Universe, I would not be against booking with them in the future; however, I do plan to start with STA Travel next time.


Here are the prices of my flight (including taxes & fees), if you'd like a reference point:
STA Travel: $439
Student Universe: $443 
Travelocity: $728
Expedia: $728
Orbitz: $728
Aer Lingus: $728
United: $2,692 
...on all of the flight search type sites, this flight shows up as a United flight, operated by Aer Lingus, which is why I added those two. (A round-trip flight returning on a random day is $750 on United (unless you want a refundable ticket ...making it 3,300?), but I plan to return in June, which is too far in advance for a RT ticket) ...basically, I'm very excited I qualify for "youth" status :) 


Once I get to Madrid I plan to take a train to Mérida (or possibly a bus). It will take about 5 hrs, due to several stops along the way, and cost about $30. 

Gold lines are regular train routes, Purple lines also offer the high-speed trains

My flight will arrive early on a Friday morning, which should make me available for whatever the train schedule happens to be. I've already been narrowing down my list of hotels/hostals for my first few days, so I may book that soon too. I'll probably take a couple days to explore the area while I get a feel for where I'd like to live!

Viviré en...

MÉRIDA para el año que viene!!

Mérida is a city in the region of Extremadura. It is
3 hrs. North of Sevilla,
4 hrs. Southwest of Madrid,
4 hrs. South of Salamanca, and
3 hrs. East of Lisbon, Portugal.
I think I see some exciting day/weekend trips in my future :-P

Here are a few reasons why I am excited about my city:

1. Since I already mentioned this, I'll start with central location. It is at the intersection of a North/South & an East/West highway, and public bus transportation is incredibly affordable in Spain/Europe. Additionally, it is along a train route.
2. Population is about 60,000. This should give me plenty of things to do & places to go, while still being very walkable. While I know it's not the biggest of cities, several participants in my program are placed in tiny pueblos of 10,000 people or less, and Mérida is one of the largest cities in my region of Extremadura. 
3. I love walking, and I'll be able to walk to school each day! I'm also glad I won't have to rely on rides from another teacher or public transportation on a daily basis. 
4. Río Guadiana- Cities on water are so pretty! 
5. Southern-ish Spain = warmer temperatures. While it won't be as warm as Sevilla, the low in Mérida rarely drops to freezing, and it also should not get as cold as Madrid or Salamanca.
6. Southern-ish Spain = less rain. I actually enjoy rain, but not all the time and not when my main means of transportation will be by foot. In Northern Spain it can rain nearly everyday during their rainy season.
7. Very low cost of living. (i.e. rent should be about 100-150 per month for a shared apartment)
8. My Spanish skills should improve greatly :)
9. Mérida was an important Roman city back in the day, so there is a lot of neat architecture and ruins throughout the city. 

Puente Romano sobre el Río Guadiana

Mérida's Plaza de España ...there seems to be one in every city! 

Plaza de Toros

Roman Amphitheater 

Check back soon for info about my teaching assignments! I am very pleased with those too :)

Photos & Intros

I found the pic below as I was browsing the internet. It was a causal, unofficial meet-up for new participants of a teach abroad program a couple years back. I love this about Spain (and Europe in general). Awesome things surround you everywhere you go. Just taking a walk around town can be a breath-taking experience.

...ok, now for a confession: Even though my blog title implies I'm currently in Spain, I will not be there until mid-September. I will be working in a Spanish public school as a Language & Culture Assistant!

I studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain for 4 months in 2009. I cannot believe I will be returning so soon! When I left, I promised myself I would go back and visit within 5-10 years but did not know how and when this would be possible... Less than 3 years later, this will be a reality. And not just for a vacation, but TO LIVE. For now, I'll leave you with a flashback to that semester...

I love living in cities on water! I crossed over this river nearly every day. Oh, the little 

tower on the right side of the photo is La Torre del Oro. My Art History class met 

right next to the torre for the lesson we studied it. nbd.

The architecture of La Catedral in Sevilla is absolutely gorgeous. It's the 3rd largest cathedral in Europe!

My classes were held in a portion of this building, which used to be a hotel.