The beginning.

I think it is important for me to start by telling you how and when I actually got to Madrid. First off, I had been to Madrid once back in 2017. I was visiting a friend who was living and teaching there temporarily. During that visit, it was clear to me that I wanted to live abroad again. This time for a longer period of time; and I knew that once I finished university it would be possible.

I graduated from Cal State Long Beach in May 2020 with BA in psychology. Around that same month we were all quarantined. Despite all the setbacks the pandemic brought, I quite enjoyed being at home and taking a break from the fast paced life I was living. With so much downtime I started to apply for a masters program in Malibu, and a working position in Spain.

To my surprise I got into both!

At this point, choosing was easy. I obviously didn't want to pay loads to be sat on the couch doing an online masters program. I wanted to travel! So, I chose the next best thing; to teach English in Spain.

I am sure you're like dude, why does this all matter? Well, I'm getting there. September rolls around, and my visa was almost complete, my plane ticket was bought, and I had probably said goodbye to most of my friends. However, one evening during dinner my mom received a call. She walked away from the dinner table to take it, and sat in her room crying.

That night we found out that she had a tumor in her breast that tested positive for breast Cancer. It is so crazy to think that we have so much control over what happens to us, but truth is, anything can happen at any unprecedented time. Hence a pandemic, an acceptance to teach in Spain... cancer.

That week was difficult, and although mentally we were all thinking about different things, I sat down with my mom and talked about what we were going to do. I remember she looked at me and with tears in her eyes she said, " Honey go! What type of mother would I be if I cut off your wings and tell you to stay for me? I will get through this. We will all get through this. Traveling is your dream, and you don't always get opportunities like this!".

After so many tears, and anxious thoughts I did decide go.

At the airport, my mom looked strong. I remember thinking, how does this woman have cancer? She looks so good. And that's the thing, sometimes we look fine to others from the outside, but deep inside there are other things happening.

As I said my goodbyes to everyone, I was weeping! All I ever wanted was this. To go abroad, start from scratch and meet new people. But there I was saying goodbye and almost not wanting to leave. My mom came over and hugged me. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said,"You are so brave! When I get older I want to be just like you." This was the beginning of my Spain adventure. My mother is the one to thank, and the one to encourage me to pursue happiness.

Now it is 2023. I still live and teach in Madrid, my mom still calls me and sends me long voice messages; and I have never been more happy.