I have finally escaped the evil clutches of England and returned to the holy land for which this blog is named after, Spain!

Over the next few weeks, I will be doing a bit of traveling, and my first stop was back in Mataró to visit with my au pair family and friends from last summer! It is so nice to see familiar and loving faces, delicious food in shop windows, and feel the sun on my skin. At this point, I’m not sure I’ll ever return to England.

This week has been pretty relaxing. I’ve still been teaching and writing, so not much has changed during the day, but it’s super nice to walk around my old stomping grounds in my free time. Ona (the not so little girl anymore) and I have been cooking a bit and making some slime. I’ve visited with both sets of grandparents and seen some friends as well. It’s still a little chilly for the beach on some days, but I’ve still been going to enjoy my favorite view of the Mediterranean.

Mostly, I’ve just been enjoying the great company. Alex and Ingrid were the most wonderful host parents I could’ve asked for when I decided to au pair. Every night we eat, sit, and talk for hours. I usually lose track of time. The lifestyle here is so much more relaxed and everyone is very friendly.

Did I mention the food? On the first day back, we made a paella. I captured the instructions step by step, so that I could hopefully make it on my own in the future. Ona also baked a homemade apple pie, so needless to say I was stuffed. I’ve also enjoyed some jamon (Spanish ham), frankfurt (not Spanish per say, but still yummy), chocolate croissants, Spanish omelette, jamon croquettes, and so much more.

This trip has also made me realize how terrible I currently am at Spanish, so I’m hoping to practice and improve over the summer.

We are heading back to the mountains tomorrow, where I spent my first weekend here last summer. I’ll be back Monday with some photos of the weekend and another update before I head to Switzerland!

Also, thanks to everyone who follow me over here and who continue to read my ramblings!