And So The Real World Begins…

It is done…Just hours ago, I (and my classmates) made our way up and across the stage set on the Upper Quad, each of us receiving a black folder emblazoned with our school’s seal and name inscripted…

And so, I can now say that I am a proud alumna of Wake Forest University (magna cum laude, no less)!!!!…

Now, what was the point of sharing all this (besides being all cathartic with my excitement)???…Well, I’ve always made it a point that I will always actively write on this blog whenever I had some exciting upcoming adventure in store for my little life–and indeed, I do!!…

You see, back in January, I completed the application for the North American Language and Cultural Assistants in Spain–or “NALCA”, for short…It’s an official program sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Education, through which thousands of native English- or French-speaking young people from, well, North America can live over in Spain and work as English teaching assistants (auxiliares) at a school (or 2) in exchange for 700 euros a month (1,000 for those placed in Madrid)–and the really sweet thing is, you only have to work 12 hours a week (or 16, if you’re in Madrid)!!…

A few months later–on April 24, to be exact–I got an e-mail from the program that told me the comunidad autónoma that I’ve been placed in:

…[epic drumroll]…

Aragón!!…

O.K., chances are, you might not have heard of it before–it’s not as well known as, say, Cataluña or Andalucía…However, it’s often referred to as one of Spain’s hidden gems, with a terrain that boasts mountains and deserts…It also has Zaragoza, which is the 5th largest city in Spain (and where I hope to get placed)…

Knowing that Aragón only has a select few auxiliares per year, I immediately put it down as my first preference–and, thankfully, my strategy worked!!…But why, you may ask, did I want to go there???:

1. It’s a region that I haven’t been to before, so I really wouldn’t mind exploring it.
2. Zaragoza, the city that I hope and pray I get to be in, has around 700,000 people–so it’s big enough to where I’d actually have stuff to do, but small enough so that I get used to living in a larger city (and a really good stepping stone before life in Madrid, say).
3. Zaragoza is part of the AVE high-speed railway, with connections directly to Madrid and Barcelona (it also has a small commercial airport [RyanAir, anyone???]).
4. Because it’s not so touristy, Aragón is a region where I can definitely use my Spanish a lot.
5. And who would object to living in a place that looks like this:

Alas, I am now impatiently awaiting my carta de nombramiento, the letter that will tell me in which specific city and in which particular school I’ve been placed (I really hope I get high schoolers)…In the meantime, I’ll be trying to find a job and save up $$$ for my future endeavor, as well as gathering all the paperwork for my visa (lovely)…

But, all of the fuss will be worth it, though–I’m dying to go to Europe again and explore more of the Continent…Plus, I already know I like Spain, so that’s a double positive, in my book!!…

Has anyone else been to Aragón–and how did it strike you???…

P.S.-I now have an *official* Facebook and Tumblr–check it out, check it out!!!!…