I moved to Spain!

It's been radio silence from me on this blog as of recent and there's a good reason for that.

Last month I decided to do something that I've always wanted to do, which is pursue my dream of living in Spain (specifically Mallorca) for 3 + months...so here I am...writing this from my bedroom in Muro, Mallorca...

Since the age of 16 I've known that for a period of my life I would live out in Mallorca. I had no idea how or when this would happen but I just knew it was something that I wanted to do. Mallorca was my first holiday abroad and is a family favourite of ours. We regularly return to a beautiful town called Pollença every other year, and because of that, it now holds a very special place in my heart and feels like home. During my last year at University I was toying with the idea of Au-Pairing* in Spain for a few months after my Graduation. I'd never really heard of Au-Pairing before and in all honesty I can't actually remember how I even came across the idea. In February, earlier this year, I'd gone off the idea, thinking it was probably better if I just focused on finding a job instead. However, that completely changed when I found myself back in my hometown by March, due to the outbreak of Covid 19. After spending 6 months in a partial 'lockdown' with my parents, it's understandable that, a now 21 year old, would want to venture off and do something more interesting than drive to the allotment everyday to paint pictures of vegetables on a shed (yes that is how I spent my lockdown...). I decided to check my Au-Pair world account inbox, only to find that I had several messages from families, all keen to find an au-pair for August/September time. Within my inbox was a message from a family living in Mallorca. I hadn't before specified where I wanted to stay in Spain and was receiving mostly offers from mainland Spain so the message from Mallorca really excited me. I started talking to the family more regularly, and then a few FaceTime calls later, I found myself sat on an Easy Jet flight, mask on, sanitiser in my hand, ready to fly off to Mallorca for the foreseeable. I didn't really know what I was throwing myself into, and to my surprise, I wasn't really very nervous either. I think after all the confusion that came along with Covid, I was ready for anything different to what we'd all got used to at home. I was a little apprehensive about flying during Covid. I didn't know what to expect for one, and I also didn't want to expose myself or the family to any potential dangers. Luckily everything was fine and I can safely say that myself and the family are Covid free. I am living in Muro, a very small town in Mallorca where there are very few cases of Covid currently. You wouldn't know Covid was happening here in Muro, despite the obligatory mask wearing whenever you leave the house, most everyday occurrences are somewhat normal. However, from what I've seen of Spanish culture so far, I can completely understand why Covid has hit mainland Spain so hard. The Spanish are extremely family oriented and within the first few days of moving here I'd already met half the family!

So a little about what I'm doing here in Spain...

I'm here in Muro working as an Au Pair for a really lovely family that I met on Au-Pair World. The family have three children, two boys (13 and 10) and one girl (6), all of whom are so lovely and really quite funny. My work here consists of 30 hours a week spent with the children, talking and playing with them in English (less so with the eldest however). In recent weeks I've also started hour long English lessons with each of the 3 children 2/3 times a week, which I'm actually really enjoying! I'm very lucky that the children are so keen to learn and cooperate with me. Weekends I have off but I usually choose to stay with the family as they tend to travel around Mallorca and that's something I definitely don't ever want to turn down. I'm extremely lucky to get on so well with the family here, they've really welcomed me in and from the very start I have felt so comfortable and at home here. Already I've been to so many beautiful beaches and towns, and just last week I hiked up a mountain with my host-Mum's walking group which had the most beautiful views from the top. I've also since returned to Puerto Pollença for an ice-cream and a walk along my family's favourite walk: The Pine Walk. A stunning walk across Pollença bay that always feels magical to me. If what I have experienced here so far is anything to go by then I know that these 8 months are going to be really special.

Which leads me onto how long I'm out here for... I had originally planned to come out to Mallorca for 3-4 months with the intention of returning home for Christmas. I'm now however enrolling in a Spanish School here in Muro, which is a 6 month long language course, starting in November and ending in April, which means I'm here for a lot longer than first anticipated. I'm still hoping to return home for Christmas, I don't think I could ever enjoy a Christmas without the company of my own family (or the cold British weather outside whilst I sit enjoying a hot chocolate from the comfort of the sofa...). However, it will certainly be interesting to experience Spain during the 'colder' months. I say colder, it's apparently still t-shirt weather in November...

Whilst I'm out here, and whilst I have the time now that the children are back at school, I'm thinking of doing a little series of blogs of my experiences here in Spain, i.e A day in the life, Spanish food etc. Hopefully you will enjoy these posts, they'll certainly be a bit different to my usual posts as it's a completely new experience for me. As always, let me know if there is anything in particular you want me to write about - especially now if you have any questions about Au-Pairing or Spanish culture!

Thank you for reading, I hope everyone is well and safe during this time, I'll leave you with a few photos from my stay so far...

Bar Coral, Pollença

Playa De Muro

Cala Molins

Port Adriano

All my love,

Emily x

*(For those of you who are unfamiliar with Au-Pairing, it's when a foreign speaking person goes out to live with another family for a period of time to teach the children their language. I.e I am helping the Spanish children in this family to speak English).