And I'm Off!

It’s difficult to believe but two weeks ago I was saying goodbye to the two greatest parents in the world and the three wonderful weirdos I get to have as siblings. From Chicago O’Hare International Airport I flew to Madrid and then to Santiago de Compostela. I’m participating in the North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain program for the 2016-2017 school year. Also referred to as Auxiliares Norteamericanos, the program offers the opportunity to work in a Spanish school as an English teaching assistant for twelve hours per week. In exchange you receive a monthly stipend, health insurance, and legal residency in Spain. If you’re thinking that sounds like a sweet deal, I’d have to agree. 

When I applied to the program, I requested the northwest region of Spain, the autonomous community of Galicia. The infusion of Celtic culture into this rainy coastal region appealed to me from the outset. Although I loved the sunny south while I studied in Granada for six weeks in the spring of 2014, I was looking for a change of scenery. Fortunately, I was placed at IES Plurilingüe Fontexería in the small fishing town of Muros on the Atlantic coast. The town has a population of about 10,000 people and is one of the best preserved historic fishing villages in the region.

Muros

Although I will be teaching in Muros, I arrived thirty-four miles inland in Galicia's capital city Santiago de Compostela. It's larger than Muros with a population of about 95,000 and is home to one of the world's oldest universities, the University of Santiago de Compostela. It is also the destination of the famed Camino de Santiago or Way of Saint James, a  pilgrimage of varying routes that leads to the apostle Saint James' remains in the Cathedral of Santiago. Santiago de Compostela roughly translates to Saint James (Santiago) of the Starry Field (de Compostela) in reference to the discovery of the remains of Saint James in the location of the present day Cathedral.

 

Santiago de Compostela

 

Routes of the Camino de Santiago

I am fortunate to have the opportunity to spend my year in this incredible part of a country I've come to love. I plan to use this blog as a diary of my experience living and teaching English in Spain and as a way of keeping friends and family up to date on the goings on in Spain and in my travels. I’m unsure what’s in store for me here, but I’m excited for the adventure ahead.