Print this PostWriting a blog, for me, is pretty beneficial in terms of keeping me sane. Especially given the fact that I’m living in Spain instead of my home country of the USA. Why do I say this? It’s simple, really: this blog is my “lifeline” to the English language and the USA. It’s the way I keep in contact with my native language and my native culture.
Although I love Spain and am very happy living here, I think I’d probably go a little nuts if I couldn’t express my thoughts somewhere in English and generally interact with people from my own culture from time to time. This blog lets me do that on a large scale from within the tiny city of Burgos where the total “American” population is probably about five. This blog also lets me meet a lot of interesting people from around the world — another pretty beneficial thing if I do say so myself.
Of course, this blog can also make me lose my sanity at times. Running a successful blog is almost like running a business: you have to write posts, maintain contacts, advertise, etc. All those things take time and, between the blog, my job teaching at the school, and private English classes, there often isn’t a lot of “free time” left over and I can sometimes feel a little “wiped out.” What’s more, for me blogging is somewhat addictive. The more I write, the more I want to write, the more I want to write, the more I write, the more I write, the less time I have for other things. It’s a vicious cycle.
Would any of you other bloggers/expats out there like to say something about this? I’m all ears… leave a comment below.
Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com
For whatever reason you blog, you’re doing a good job. It’s really interesting and I’m enjoying going through it.
The internet is a time-sump though. I should be doing 100 other things now, but you know, I just had to check the Twit for race news, and email for … whatever.
We’ve never been to Burgos, but we were in Oviedo this time last year. It’s very beautiful.
Keep up the good work. Don’t get lonely.
@Nicky Orr – Thanks for the comment, and you’re right about the “time-slump” thing…. I waste so much time checking twitter, emailing, blogging, etc. haha Oh well!!!
Ah, and Oviedo is a pretty city. I like Asturias in general, it’s so green and so unlike most other areas of Spain.
Chris, great insight. What would you say if a mid-career professional wants to take a leap of faith and teach and live abroad in Spain. It’s been 5 years since I seriously thought about doing so, but it never happened. It’s tough to determine where to start. I’ve visited Spain a few times and absolutely fell in love with the place (the food, the people, the quaint towns, the large cities), and I haven’t even seen it all! I wish to fully immerse myself in the culture and (finally) learn the language fluently!
@Stacy – I’d say if it’s something you really want to do, it’s worth a try. The hardest part is getting the job offer and getting all the paperwork around… but if you have been able to establish a career in the States, you’ll probably have no problem establishing one in Spain with a little hard work. Anyway… thanks for stopping by the site and good luck!