Spain: FAQs

Good day, friends. I understand that my imminent plans are a little off-the-wall and that many people have questions about my trip. I answer at least five of these questions three times a day hahaha. Feast your eyes upon my honest answers, and get pumped for many beach photos!

If you read any of this, make sure you cover the last point, most important point. iheartyou.

My future home!

Where are you going?
I am headed to Málaga, a coastal town in Southern Spain. It is part of the Costa del Sol (coast of the sun) and Andalucía, the southwestern Andalusian region of Spain. Its "lowest" temperatures occur in winter, January-February, and it never gets colder than 40 degrees Fahrenheit (even temps in the forties are very rare). Its warmest months are July and August, and temps range from 85-95 degrees Fahrenheit. Year-round, rainfall is at a minimum, hence Costa del Sol. It is mostly sunny with temps hovering around 65 degrees most of the year. For example, even though it is winter there now, it is 66 degrees today. The coldest day this week will be 61 degrees. This makes my packing job much easier! I plan on traveling all over Spain and visiting other countries while I am based in Europe. I will be there approximately 6 months.

When are you leaving?
January 27th. I'm flying out of Chicago in the evening to Madrid.
Pro tip: Flying from major city to major city is literally a price cut in half. I'm still saving hundreds of dollars even when I factor in gas money and train tickets.

When are you coming back?
July 13th.

What are you doing in Spain?
I'm going to be an au pair for a family who works for the Spanish government. They are both my host family and my employers. I will live with them and teach their children how to speak English.

What is an au pair?
This is copied straight from Wikipedia: "An au pair (plural: au pairs) is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a monetary allowance for personal use. Au pair schemes are subject to government restrictions which specify an age range usually from mid-late teens to mid to late twenties; some countries explicitly limit the scheme to females."

I will exclusively provide childcare. I signed a contract with the family, so this is pretty offish. It's not a free-for-all, and it's not dangerous. If I hate it or if they hate me (which will not happen), I am allowed to give 2-weeks notice, like a regular job, and then peace on out. My responsibilities will include seeing the children off to school, after-school snacks and activities, and helping put them to bed, all while improving their ability to communicate in English. The children are 9 and 5 (twins). The family is so, so kind. I love them already!

Do you get paid?
Unless you're my BFF or my mom, I find this question to be pretty rude. What's it to ya?

What about your job?
I quit my full-time job as an operations manager for a financial group. The position is decent and Columbus is fabulous, but I was not happy with that lifestyle. I still write for Hellogiggles and Salty Running! Yay for freelancing!

Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. I am very good at reading Spanish, but I am only an intermediate speaker. I will be taking classes in Spanish to improve my skills!

What about your apartment?
When I moved into my one-bedroom apartment in the summer I signed a short term lease, unsure of what I wanted to do. My lease conveniently ends this month, and I will no longer be tied to an apartment.

What made you decide to do this?
I've been looking for a big change for a long time. I just couldn't find the right change. I knew that my job was no longer satisfying, and I wanted something new. When 2014 ended, I had thought I wanted to go to graduate school to study English/Literaure. I was scheduled to take the GRE the week after Papaw died, and I knew I wasn't ready, especially after that emotional blow. I rescheduled for March, and I knew I would be missing all the 2015 deadlines. This caused me to re-evaluate the decision to go back to school, and I knew that I wasn't ready for that either. I wasn't 100% sold on a Ph.D., and I was using grad school as a crutch to leave my job. I spent most of 2015 applying to new full-time jobs. I applied to many positions that I thought I would enjoy-- in Columbus and beyond. I tried to intern at an interior design firm in New Orleans. I interviewed at a running company. I was a candidate for the NBC Page Program for months. I was a candidate so long, that I was convinced I would get it. The program is prestigious and the interview process is tedious, but I had faith. My dreams of working as a page for Saturday Night Live came crashing down with a rejection letter in November. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed of any of these rejections because they directed me to a place that I want to be. While waiting for word from NBC, I decided to take my fate into my own hands. I became tired of waiting for others to decide whether or not I get to do this or get that; whether or not I am worthy to work with them. I got tired of waiting for other people to make up their minds. So I made up my own! Life is a waiting game, and I am not a patient person. If I got the job, I would be thrilled. I would be poor as hell living in NYC, but so be it. It would be an amazing experience. I also decided that if I didn't get the job, that I was going back to Europe. Equally, if not more amazing. I've been looking to go back to Europe long term for awhile. And this is it. I'm going to make one of my dreams come true.

Runner on the beach in Málaga.

How did you find out about this?
A writer at Hellogiggles wrote about traveling as an alternative to college right after high school graduation. Obviously I missed that mark. I have a B.S. in Architecture already! But one of the affordable ways to travel was to become an au pair. So here we are!

What are you doing when you get back?
I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine. This concern is part of the American way-- always having a plan. It's exhausting. I'm going to live in the moment in Europe and not worry about the end of the six-months. I'll cross those bridges when I get to them. Unless you plan on hiring me, I don't care to hear your opinion to be quite honest. If you do plan on hiring me, I'll send you my resume. ;)

Will you be out of the boot by the time you leave?
YES omg, yes. Thank goodness. My fracture is healing, and I will be out of this stupid boot very soon. I will still be unable to run for 4-7 more weeks, but swimming, biking, and yoga will be back on the table shortly!

What are you packing?
Another post to come on how to build and pack a capsule wardrobe! :) In that post I will also cover pre-departure details that people think of at the last minute, such as medication, contacts, etc. I'm going to start a new travel blog, so my packing post will be shared on that platform! While I'm at it, I'll also write about the Visa application process.

How can I contact you?
Technology is fan-freaking-tastic. Apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime prevent a dire need for an international phone plan. If you have WiFi, you can contact people in other countries free of charge. WhatsApp essentially works like a text message. You download the app and add contacts. Then you message the contacts through the app just like a text message! There is also Facebook messenger, Skype, and FaceTime. All you need is WiFi!

But, Jamie, I love you so much, and I will miss you. Can we Skype?
Of course! Let me know if you want my Skype name, and I'll send it to you.

Where should we send your mail?
This is important!!!!!! I no longer have an address in Columbus, since I am leaving my apartment. I'll give you my home address in Southern Ohio if you need it. Message me privately for it!

Won't you get homesick?
No kidding. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a complete stone-cold beeatch. I love my family and friends from the bottom of my heart, and I mean that genuinely. But sometimes you gotta bite the bullet if you want to have a real adventure. I'll be back soon enough! It will fly by for all parties involved. I promise! To end this, I'll quote Drake in Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life." "Everybody dies, but not everybody lives." xoxoxo

Sugar is Not the Devil

I would like to preface this narrative by saying that I am an endurance athlete, and between training and off-seasons, I run approximately 80-115 miles a month. I have also been treated for an eating disorder. This week Oiselle, the women’s running company, shared an article by The Spectator about the dangers of clean eating. This is my experience as an athlete, and I thank Oiselle for bringing this topic to the forefront! Link to Spectator article: http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2015/12/clean-food-is-a-dangerous-fad/

I have essentially always been a vegetarian. When I was a child, I would throw down with my mom if she tried to make me eat a pork chop. The act of ordering a burger at a restaurant, or ribs or steak at a steakhouse, never appealed to me. It’s a texture thing, and I also have problems with eating stuff that once had a face and a heart. Ugh. Anyway, I recently made my vegetarian status official. And… I sort of became a vegan. On accident.

In the summer, I got a little bored with food, so I started following some local food bloggers to spice up my diet—more specifically, health conscious food bloggers. The Instagram posts of their bright, fruity oatmeal bowls looked so glamorous. Their superfood salads looked fit for a queen. I was hooked. I wanted to be part of their pretty sugar-free worlds. I was both entertained and stunned when their posts of a singular banana on a whitewashed, well-lit surface garnered hundreds of likes. I mean, it’s a dang banana. That’s when I finally realized I had bought into a cult.  

It started with some innocent muffins. They were made with all raw ingredients, and quite frankly, this recipe satisfied that voice of my eating disorder that still lingers inside. Raw. Guilt free. Dairy free. Gluten free. Wait. Since when couldn’t I have gluten or dairy??

It felt good, so I started making more recipes each week. It was time-consuming as I made each dish from scratch. Suddenly I was replacing my whole milk with almond milk. I was baking with coconut milk and coconut flour. (I was basically trying to be a coconut.) I bought $5 medjool dates to sweeten some bullshit paleo snack bars instead of using the raw sugar I already had in my cabinet. I made my own salad dressing from hemp seed, orange juice, and olive oil. (honestly I’m surprised oil made it into the recipe)

That’s right. I let some food bloggers who know nothing about my intense, active lifestyle, to swindle me into not eating dairy, sugar, or carbs. I bought into their cult-- their glowing social media presence-- to become an unhealthy disciple of this false lifestyle. I was in it for the glamor of it.

Over time I had unintentionally adapted a vegan diet, and since I’m not a vegan, I wasn’t taking any vitamins to supplement my diet. My iron, calcium, and protein levels were down for the count, and I got a nice lecture from my doctor about that. Which is nightmarish when you’ve already struggled with an eating disorder. In a nutshell, I was running 100 miles a month and consuming minimal amounts of fat and sugar and very little protein. (Don’t worry, carbs, I would never give you up!) It wasn’t about the calories. It was about the content and whether or not what I was eating was raw, or “clean.” Eating disorders manifest from obsessive behaviors, and I was obsessing over “bad” and “good” foods. I was at the point where I was having my tea and coffee with no sugar or cream because that wasn’t “clean.” I would only eat cream-less soups and drink soy lattes. I cut milk out of my diet for absolutely no reason other than paranoia about “clean eating.”

Believe it or not, when you’re an athlete, you actually need sugar, carbs, and fat!!

I understand that there are people who benefit from removing certain products from their diet. Do you know why? Because they have a diagnosed medical condition that prevents them from eating such things. One of my friends has Crohn’s disease and must closely monitor her diet. Another has Celiac’s disease, and another is lactose intolerant. They have actual, diagnosed medical conditions that prevent them from consuming certain either gluten or dairy. As for me, I was obnoxiously amending my diet because I religiously read healthy food blogs, whose writers communicated false information; whose writers made me feel like what I was doing was bad.

In the past I have mocked this fad, writing Facebook statuses such as, “Had Bottle Caps and Lucky Charms for dinner. #cleaneating” because I could see through the bullshit. So how did I end up in my vegan, paleo, sugar-free, gluten-free disastrous diet nightmare?

I realized I was wasting money on half of these ingredients when I had to throw them away at the end of the week when they spoiled. I live by myself, and no one else I’m associated with gives a shit about paleo snack bars. I wasted money on some frozen spinach when I tried to make some “green” blueberry chocolate smoothie, and it was freaking disgusting. One sip and I denounced green smoothie-making. I’ll have my Lucky Charms back, thanks. And also I love sweet tea and ice cream. Like the sweetest, most southern sweet tea. Those are two of my greatest loves in life.

I had a great balance going on until I became hypnotized by some pretty social media accounts, and ironically, blogs. (Since I am a blogger myself lolz). I'm still a vegetarian, but I happily consume gluten, dairy, and sugar again. Beware, my friends, especially my athletic friends. Clean eating is a mirage. Sugar is not the devil.