Lift-Offs Revisited

Note: Written yesterday, ran out of wi-fi

Today is Monday and currently I am finishing the remains of what once was a coffee beverage while sitting within an open aired cafe named El Beit. The warmth of the drink to my right has nearly lost all of its temperature and a pair of middle aged foreign women are sitting to the side of me speaking in some unknown European dialect. Views of Bedford Street can be seen as I take in a gradual sip of dark espresso mixed with water.

For the past three days I have been rummaging around alongside a close friend named Jack with hopes of taking in the diverse flavors of New York City. Jack lives in the trendy neighborhood of Williamsburg which is located in the heart of Brooklyn and despite only being in town for a few days we managed to accomplish more than should be admitted. Shifting from midnight pizza slices, enormous pastrami sandwiches, rooftop brews with friends, free concerts in Central Park and a lot of laughs this trip to the East was one that I am truly thankful to have experienced. Hopefully I will be given an opportunity to pay back the hospitality shown to me during this visit sometime in the near future.

The duration of stay in Williamsburg, like the coffee in front of me, is reducing right before my very eyes. Within a handful of hours I will be hopping a subway train towards John F Kennedy Airport to catch a plane destined for a place located a great distance away, Madrid, Spain. 

After flying to Madrid I will board a second flight to Alicante which is a southern Spanish city, then take a bus to Murcia. Murcia is the capital city of a province in Spain that bares the same title and once unpacking my bags it will become my home for at least the next 8 months. 

The purpose of this move will be to work as an Auxiliar de Consejeria which means I will be working as an English teacher's assistant in various schools close to Murcia. The first day of school is this upcoming Wednesday and there was a good chance due to delayed deliveries of necessary documents that I would have had to wait a few more weeks for the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco to process my Visa application. Marta is the person who interviewed me and I'll forever be indebted to her because she managed to get the paperwork done in half of the normal time. Rather than sit home waiting for what could have been a few more weeks I luckily find myself ready to start the journey. 

With a Visa for Spain newly obtained a series of concrete travel plans became officalized via the purchasing of plane tickets. There was very little time to savor the moment with family and friends before leaving but I feel truly grateful for short yet equally important moments we were all able to share together. 

Once inside Murcia I will be temporarily living in a backpacker stopover called Cathedral Hostel and try to get some rest before starting orientation on Wednesday. Hopefully this week I will be able to find a more permanent living situation, buy a local cell phone, open a bank account, and begin the final stages towards obtaining a Student Identification Card.  

More updates are coming soon ;)

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this blog, for your support and for your friendship. Without you this blog probably would have never left the airport and stay grounded for unwarranted amounts of time. 

Finishing this post I realize that time is becoming less available and that the moment to prepare for departure is nearing arrival. Standing up I feel a wave of fear, excitement, curiosity, terror & utter happiness. The only thing I don't have racing through my now speeding mind and imagination is regret. It's time to catch a plane.

The time for lift-off to parts unknown is approaching faster than I could have ever imagined and like the saying of my favorite comicbook, it's a wonderful world out there so let's go exploring :)

Take good care of yourself, much love, biscuits & some gravy.