Kai's foreign adventures

     This derserves its own topic because as an American one of the biggests things I´ve noticed about Spain is the lack of personal space!      It's true that Spainish culture is very tight and close. However, sometimes it can be a bit ....too close. I have been in many situations where people will talk extremely close to your face or put their hands around your neck to try to pull you in closer to make sure you hear what´s being said.       First and foremost I need to say that Spainish people already speak loud! you don´t need go very close to hear whats going on. Another thing I can´t understand is that when you're riding the metro or bus and there are tons of empty seats, someone will always sit right next to you.      It took me some time to adjust to this as I have always enjoyed my personal bubble, but living here I had to say goodbye and adjust quickly!      Many things that are considered norma...

         Obviously if you are going to visit (or live) you will need to find accommodations. The obvious choice is to find a Hotel, but what if you wanted a less touristic experience? I will share with you the options that I found to be the cheapest and what to watch out for!                                                                                                    Airbnb            I'm sure you've heard about Airbnb and may have used it in the past. Airbnb has various options that you can use to find a place to stay in Spain. You can rent just a room or have an apartment to yourself! however, there are TONS of scammers. When I tried to look for an Airbnb there was a m...

      I normally don't do Halloween, but after watching how Spaniards enjoy Halloween I might start! Halloween is relatively new in Spain (in the commercial sense), but it's very diverse and the people here go way out! first I want to say that schools are closed for two days! (well at least in the Canary Islands). Unfortunately, for us adults we still have to go to work.      Halloween is celebrated for three days in a row. The first day is the day of the witches, the second day is all saints day and the third day is the day of the dead. Each part of Spain does something different to celebrate. There are many elaborate parties, costumes and people are out everywhere.      Originally I thought that Halloween was something specific to the U. S. but here in some parts of Spain people go out of their way to celebrate and honor the dead. In the North of Spain in Galicia for example they take it very seriously.      Galici...

     So many people have asked me how I learned Spanish without any formal schooling. Well I didn't just travel to Spain and suddenly knew how to speak Spanish. So many people believe that immersion is the best way to learn a language and that by moving to a foreign country that you'll automatically pick up the language. Well this isn't true........not entirely.                                                                                                              Effort       You STILL need to put in effort. This means speaking and practicing everyday!  you have no idea how many people I've met in Spain that have lived here for 20 plus years and can barely order food in...

      If you want to travel to Spain I'm sure you would like to know about the crime rates and how safe it is to live here. Let me be the first to tell you that Spain is a relatively safe country. As of right now the Global peace index of 2019 gives Spain a score of 32 (USA ranks 128). So that should give you an idea of the safety level.                                                                                                                    Guns      Unlike the U.S. it is illegal for anyone (except for law enforcement and military) to own a gun. It is extremely rare that you will hear about someone get shot from a drive by, in school or the grocery store ...

     Whether you're living in Spain or just on a vacation you might want to get a Spanish SIM and avoid using your American phone as the roaming charges might add up very quickly. Getting a SIM card in Spain is quite easy and all you need is an unlocked phone. The phone can be American or Spanish.       Once unlocked you can purchase a SIM card from any convenient store or directly from the phone store. If you are not a Spanish resident you cannot get a phone plan as you need a DNI or NIE number. This number is used for everything in Spain and it is only available to residents and citizens.     If you are not a resident your only option is to get a prepaid SIM. Usually a SIM will cost around 10 euros and you can buy it using your passport. As with many phone plans prepaid options vary depending on which phone company you use. I still use the same SIM and prepaid plan that I used when I first came to Spain. I never run ...

     As you may know that I've lived in Madrid for 3 months from summer going into fall. I have to say that there are things I love about Madrid and there are a few things I didn't like about Madrid. Let's start with the Pros first.                                                                                Transportation system      I have to give it to Madrid, the transportation system is amazing! It isn't as good as Barcelona's transportation system, but it's pretty damn close! It's very easy to get around using just the metro. Everything is in such close proximity that you can even walk (although I'm a bit lazy and rather take the metro).      You can buy a card add trips (viajes) which is a little cheaper and buying one trip ea...

     Healthcare is something definitely worth mentioning. I really like Spanish Healthcare. I think it's very different and more accessible than it is in the U.S. So what's the difference? Well for one there are two types of healthcare, seguridad social (Universal Healthcare) and privada (private). Lets look at them both in more detail.                                                                                          Seguridad Social      This is your basic universal healthcare available to the public for free. When I say free I mean that if you have it and get sick you don't have to pay anything. I'm sure everyone has to pay taxes to make this type of healthcare work. The downside to this type of healthcare is that yo...

     I know that many Americans (myself including) have used the "traveling is too expensive" excuse. This can be true depending on many factors like: Destination  The airline Connecting flights The time you purchased your tickets IP Address                                                                                                       Apps     There are many apps that can help you locate the cheapest flights. The one I used was called skyscanner . This app tries to find the cheapest flights by searching all the airlines and connected flights to your selected destination. Also keep in mind that if your destination has more than one airport one might be cheaper than the other. ...

      Let me be the first to tell you that Barcelona is gorgeous! it has great food, a rich culture and beautiful architecture. I was there for one month living in an area called Sant vicenc dels Horts. Where I lived no one spoke English so I was able to live the life of a non-tourists.       I had no idea that there were so many languages ​​in Spain other than Spanish. The primary language spoken in Barcelona is called Catalan. When I first saw the language It looked as if Spanish, French and Italian had a threesome and somehow produced a child and called it Catalan.                                                                                                            ...

     If your thinking about moving to another country like I did, but have no idea what to do there are a few things you should consider. First: Cost of living Second: Finding a Job Third: Saving money Fourth: Learning the language Fifth: Finding living accommodations Sixth: The visa process Seventh: Location      Now I'll be honest with you and say that I didn't consider all of these things when I decided to move. I was actually just winging it and using google to help gain information. The only thing I knew about Spain was that my Grandmother was Spanish, paella was popular and people drunk sangria (later I learned that only tourists really enjoy sangria).      However, I did save money before I arrived. I saved about 5k and started to think about what I could actually do to make money and survive. I saw that many Americans would teach English, but I had no clue how to teach English. Also, I was taking classes online to fi...

     So I would like to start off by saying welcome to my blog! I am from Los Angeles California, but I currently live in Spain. I've lived in Spain for more than two years and I teach English. I have moved and been to various places around the country from Barcelona, Andalusia, to Madrid and the Canary Islands. I traveled here alone and did not speak Spanish when I first arrived. I can't say that it has been an easy road, but it has been very fun and exciting.      I would like to share my experiences with you, so if you were thinking about traveling to Spain you'd know what to expect. I know that many people might be afraid to do what I did. I literally just decided that I would like to live in another country (actually I've always wanted to move to another country, but I never had the balls to do it).      I currently live in the Island of Fuerteventura off the coast of Morocco. I am the only African American on the Island. I've seen o...