Mi primera entrada bilingüe en el blog - ¡la oportunidad ideal para aprender unas palabras nuevas, ya sea en inglés o en español! My first bilingual blog post - the perfect opportunity for you to learn a new word or two, whether that´s in English or Spanish!

After a lovely trip catching up with family and friends, I recently flew back to the island with one of my best friends who was visiting for the week. We were planning out our days and comparing our plans with the Mancunian lad who was sitting next to us on our flight. He said he had been to the island a few times and was buzzing to be back, so naturally, I thought to ask about his favourite beach.  His response shocked me to my core... he had never stepped foot on a beach here! I think he was also equally shocked to find out that neither of us drink alcohol, and that we wouldn´t be going out as soon as we landed. Which got me thinking, how many other tourists come to our gorgeous island just to chase the discotecas—without ever sinking their toes into the sand?

This year has been a monumental year, with some huge shifts both internally and externally. On a personal and global level, A LOT has been happening, to say the least, and we´re only half way through the year. 

Fallas. A festival like no other!

February 28th.

At the start of November, my boyfriend and I were lucky enough to spend a few days on the gorgeous sister island of Ibiza: Formentera. I'd visited a handful of times previously, hopping over on the ferry for the day when friends and family were visiting, each time in the height of summer. I knew I'd only ever experienced a snippet of the island, so I was really looking forward to a good few days of exploring, away from the crowds of the peak tourist season. As the island is so small, and a majority of the roads are not suitable for heavy traffic, there's restricted vehicle flow on the island during summer. But, from October 1st - May 31st these restrictions are lifted! So, we boarded the 9am car ferry from the Puerto de Ibiza, waved adiós to the moody clouds above Ibiza and soon arrived at a slightly sunnier Puerto de Formentera.

Ibiza is often dubbed a hedonistic playground. While it can certainly live up to this name, it´s become the place where I´ve embraced a calmer, more grounded way of life. 

September. A long awaited month on the island. The temperatures are much more welcoming, the beaches are no longer fully packed and the intense energy of high season has come to an end. For most seasonal workers, it´s a time of winding down, and of contracts drawing to a close. In contrast, for me and the many teaching staff on the island, it´s a time to  step it up a gear as we prepare for another academic year. 

Where to begin?

This page has been a long time in the making. It´s been nearly 4 years since I made the move to this magical island and what a 4 years it has been! Kicking off my teaching career amidst lockdowns and navigating life in a new country during a time when the world stood still is what has inspired this blog...