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Fluency in Spanish: The journey of a wannabe Spanish speaker
I had an amazing epiphany this morning: Spanish is getting easier! It seems so insignificant and yet… for someone who is trying to learn a new language the road to fluency can be tough. My first steps towards learning Spanish started in December 2017. I had been dating my then Mexican boyfriend for a few months and we were planning my trip to Monterrey a little while later to visit him and the family. There was only one problem. His parents spoke no English and my Spanish consisted of little more than “hola”, “gracias” and “sombrero!”. Ay dios mio! Since I’m a pretty social person and I’m not one for awkward silences,…
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Thoughts on leaving friends behind when moving
My move to Barcelona is coming up shortly – only 3 weeks to go! As I empty my cupboards, and pack my boxes, it occurs to me just how fortunate I am. I’m moving to Barcelona! I have the opportunity to completely reboot my life again. To re-shape myself and my surroundings. To go explore what new experiences might be out there for the future. It’s a pretty exhilarating feeling at times. I’ve started to notice a shift in my natural energy levels too. I do feel tired a lot, which I think is a side-effect of moving stress combined with a lack of exercise for the last month. I…
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What to do when you have no idea what to do?
I really don’t remember too many times in my life when I’ve felt completely at a loss on what to do next. I’ve always been the woman with a plan. Earlier this year, however, I found myself in that unusual position. I had absolutely no idea of what I wanted to do next and found myself in something of a crisis. Whenever I tried to talk about this issue with my friends, they would say things like: Trust yourself! You know what you want to do. You don’t need to have life all figured out… just go with the flow. I in turn would respond with: How do I do…
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The ups and downs of the moving change curve
Let me tell you… making the choice to quit my job and move to Spain has not been an easy one. This decision entails moving from a country with currently one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe (Czech Republic – 2.8%) to the second highest (Spain – 14.55%). And doing this without a job lined up or any meaningful business connections in the country to boot. It also means living off carefully accumulated savings from the past 3 years with no back up plan – at all. Not to mention, those savings were meant to fund a housing deposit in the near future. One of my larger life goals. It…
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Manage relocation anxiety in 7 steps
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: moving IS a big deal. Whether you’ve only moved once or you move all the time, moving inevitably leaves you with change. It is how you deal with this change that will ultimately determine whether or not you are successful with your move, which is why knowing how to manage change is an important skill to have in the event of a relocation. People who move a lot (and do so successfully) usually have a host of opportunities to encounter situations that put them outside of their comfort zone. New houses, new countries, new people, new schools, new neighbourhoods, new taxes,…