No Pasa Nada

This past week may have been one of the longest weeks of my life to date, and yet all I can do is smile.

Upon arrival in Spain, there were a few speed bumps. Literally and figuratively (At least they weren’t like the mini mountains that passed as speed bumps you find in Mexico).

So I bet you’re thinking that this chick is just complaining about silly nosense.

Yeah, I kind of am. There is a point though, I promise!

Listed below are the barriers my new roommates and I were faced with. If you want to bypass them please feel free to scroll through!

-Was late to the airport and had to pay an extra baggage fee
-Bag didn’t fit on the train and was forced to sit in the last car on top of my bag.
-Apartment booked on AIRBnb was a disgrace to all bookings on AIRBnb.
-Found other listings for apartments, but lost deposit for “the rental” (all without internet!)
-Lost about 400€ between lodging and luggage
-My 5 year old laptop finally broke for good.
-It rained for the entire Festival de Los Romanos y Carthaginians.

BUT

Despite all of these road blocks we have been able to settle into our new apartment and city. Moving to a new city can be frightening and a hassle, yet rewarding. Now imagine moving across an ocean, to a country that speaks a different language, while working a position you’ve never done before. It can be intimating to say the least.

My life has already changed quite a bit from these experiences. You learn so much about yourself and what you can handle from traveling. All the hair-pulling and frustration now makes me laugh. On to the next lesson España!

What Does it Mean to be Blessed?

bless·ed
adjective

1. consecrated; sacred; sanctified.
2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.
3. favored; fortunate
4. blissfully happy.
5. beatified.
6. bringing happiness and thankfulness

Pick any of the definitions above if you think it suites your current situation or phrase.

For me, I pick number three my lord!

(Those of you that have watched Shrek will appreciate that reference)

In all seriousness, I choose number three.

My fabulous family and friends decided to make me a scrapbook so I could look at it when I missed home. Backed by my incredible mother, I now have a scrapbook filled with pictures and words of encouragement from those that I love the most. There are 55 pages of pictures, letters, and jokes I can share with all these great people from thousands of miles away. You all are my inspiration.

Ever since I was a child, I knew that my family was fortunate. Parents that love each other, brothers and sisters that love each other, friends that care about my well-being:does the list end? The fact that there was a roof over my head and food on the table every night was enough. Some people are not blessed with all of these privileges. So why in the world would I choose to leave?

Other than the obvious answer everybody is thinking: You are twenty-two and need to live on your own. Grow up woman! Maybe a better question would have been: So why would I choose to leave this all behind for a different culture and lifestyle, filled with other people?

Other than my burning curiosity of what every crevice on this planet holds, why would I limit myself? Yes, I have a wonderful life that is filled with fabulous people, but why limit it to just those people? Traveling has given me not only experiences that one could never gain in Western New York, but forever friends.

You never realize what you have until you leave. These adventures have taught me to be grateful. With every new place that I am to explore, I will be blessed with knowledge, new friends, and experience.

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This is what being blessed means to me. What does it mean to you? 

Packing My Life in a Couple Bags

Well here it is folks, my first post!

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Packing might be one of my least favorite activities. Ever. What clothes do I bring? More importantly, out of the 30 or so pair of shoes that I have, which ones do I bring on a trip lasting 9 months? Before I go into my packing fiasco that may or may not have lasted a week, some context may be nice. Starting on October 1st, this chick will become a Language and Culture Assistant for the Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte de Espana. Teaching was not what my degree was in college, but it is a way for me to work on my fluency in Spanish. My focus in college was Spanish and International Studies. Throughout college I was fortunate enough to travel to different countries for study abroad programs that not only helped me learn about other cultures, but fueled my passion to learn about those cultures. Curiosity is definitely my most prominent character trait. After finding my passion for other societies, I found a way to feed that passion:travel.

Enough jibber jabber about la vida de Kerrin Murphy, let’s get back to my packing fiasco! As mentioned before, packing drives me up the wall. My dear friend Allie was able to lend me a hand this afternoon as I finally decided to put those compression bags to use (Which by the way are fantastic for packing more into a smaller bag…but they weigh a TON). We started last night, but found out my current luggage was too small for this next adventure. We trekked to the store and picked out a larger bag. The new bag was 29 inches and had more pockets than the old bag: all for the wopping price of $80.00! When we resumed the next day, it was smooth sailing for the packing crew. Earlier this week, I had my organized friends come over and help me make a packing list:

After going through the list 2 billion times…the packing commenced. A couple hours later the results are as follows:

Last minute items will of course be added…and forgotten. Well I hope this did not bore you too much and that you will come back to see what this trip has in store for me!