Who Am I? And What Am I Doing Here?

Hello! Blog author, here. To kick off this blog, I thought it would be nice to write a bit about myself and why I decided to start my Ultimate Travel Scrapbook.

So, let’s start with that first question: Who am I?

I’m Emma, an aspiring oral historian who enjoys baking bread, hiking, and caring for plants. For the first twenty-two years of my life, I lived in the same town in the United States. There, I attended a university, from which I graduated in May 2022.

I’m sure there’s more to say about who I am, but I’ll leave it at that for now. Let’s move on to the other titular question: What am I doing here?

Well, in college, I studied history and Spanish, and by the end of my four years, I felt that the Spanish conversation skills I’ve been working towards were juuuust within my reach. So, I accepted an assistant teaching position in Spain, and in September of 2022, I made my big move abroad.

I teach English through the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP). Through NALCAP, I am an auxiliar de conversación, a language and culture assistant, at a primary school in Andalusia. Each week, I plan interactive activities to encourage my students to speak English.

So that’s why I’m here in Spain. But why am I here, online, writing this blog?

First and foremost, I wanted a place to document my travels and my experience teaching English in Spain. I’m a bit tired of social media, and I wanted to create my own space online to serve as my—wait for it—Ultimate Travel Scrapbook.

I’ve always loved the idea of scrapbooking, but I never seemed to be able to keep up with it. Because of the time involved with taking out materials and physically cutting and pasting, it always felt like there was such a big barrier to entry anytime I wanted to document my experiences. Maybe it’s because I’ve been raised in the digital age—it probably is because I’ve been raised in the digital age—but I find it much easier to document my experiences digitally. So, that’s what I’m doing here.

Secondly, I created this blog to share about my experiences with others who might be interested in embarking on similar adventures. There are a lot of great resources already online related to moving to Spain, teaching English, and traveling on a budget. Buuuut I’ve found less information available on moving to my specific area of Spain (Fuengirola, to be exact). So word-of-mouth has been a primary way I’ve received the crucial tips that have guided me through my move. Along the way, I’ve been compiling those tips so that I can share them here as resources to help others.

(Please note: this blog is meant for entertainment purposes, and you should ALWAYS do your own research before making important decisions about moving, working, and traveling. Rules and policies change and often vary from region to region of Spain, so my experiences may differ widely from yours.)

As far as teaching English, yes, there are LOTS of amazing resources already available online. Still, I put a lot of work into my lesson plans, and I would love to offer them as resources for other teachers to recycle. I hope some auxiliares or other English language teachers find these resources to be helpful!

Well, I think that just about covers it for now. See you again on the next page of my Ultimate Travel Scrapbook!

— Emma <3