So here we are in another new month. June was a time for beginnings and ends for me. The last day of school. The start of summer. Finishing the project of helping my sister get organized. The world Cup starting. It was exciting overall but I’m at the end of the month at a turning point.
I wish I didn’t say this but I don’t have a plan for the next month other than working out my paperwork for staying in Spain for another year. I don’t really know what else I’m going to do. I want to make sure that I take more time to write and work out. At the end of the month, I see two of my best friends in Barcelona. But until then… for once, I don’t really have a plan.
Of course, I’m excited to watch the rest of the World Cup – that being said, one of my 3 teams was eliminated (more to come on that in a minute). If you have any ideas for new projects or skills that I could foster – let me know. Just keep in mind that it is currently almost 100 degrees here in Spain and frankly I just don’t have that much energy.
What did I do in June:
In addition to finishing the school year on a high note, I had a lovely trip to visit my sister in Germany. I was there on a purpose – to help her organize her house. It was a big job but we made the best of it. I’m going to write a whole blog post about it soon.
I also was able to visit old archaeology friends in the lovely town of Schwabish Hall. It was literally from a post card it was so quaint. It was really interesting to see how their lives had changed in the five (!) years since I last saw them. It was sort of a perfect 6 hour visit.
I spent lots of time watching the World Cup in various parts of the Stuttgart area which was mostly wonderful. We had a rough night trying to watch Germany against Sweden. Just lots of asshole kids around but hey – you live and you learn where to watch the world cup.
I had lots of time to hang out with my sister and her adorable, giant cat Ramos. He is seriously enormous. The first time I met him, he was kind of shy. While he still always chooses Sam to cuddle with over me – I totally get it. My cat Oscar ALWAYS chose me over anyone else in the room. It’s a sign of a really sweet cat-human connection. The three of us spent many hours watching my new favorite show: Escape to the Continent. It’s basically more culturally immersive House Hunters. I’m not sure if it’s available in North America but if it is I highly recommend.
What I brought in:
- My first Germany Jerseys – so I love the German National Football team. Exactly three days after I bought these two beautiful new jerseys, including one from their goaltender Manuel Neuer, they were eliminated. So that was kind of a huge bummer. However, I’m confident that Neuer is going to go down as one of the greats which is why I went with his name over some up and coming players.
- My favorite Hand-me-Downs – my sister really kindly gifted me some Buffalo themed tee shirts which I basically plan to wear whenever I’m not feeling like making a fashion statement. The one with the Zubaz stripes is my favorite – #billsmafia
- Photo Album – So up until this point, I basically just had my photos in a ziplock bag. My sister who lives in America sent me some gorgeous photos of her babies which was the kick I needed to finally get a proper album.
- Planner stand – This doesn’t look like much but this simple Ikea stand is something I’m really excited about. It can hold up my planner or my bullet journal on my desk so I can actually see it! The minute I realized what this was – I put one of these bad boys in my yellow bag. Long live Ikea.
- Cream Makeup up the Wazoo – So I went a little nuts when it came to searching out dewy products that would – if not stay on – decay beautifully in this ridiculous spanish heat. I absolutely love the Chanel Base. The two Maybelline cream blushes have been my go-tos and the cool pink highlighter reminds me of an old Nars Staple – Copacabana highlighter.
- Colorful beads and more – My sister gifted me this amazing yellow necklace she got on a work trip to western Africa. I decided to get a couple of fun earrings for the summer – the gold ones have been my go to.
- Tons of well wishes and drawings from my students – June 15 was my last day at my school in Zaragoza. The kids sent me out in a really lovely way with plenty of notes, drawings and tokens. Many of them even managed to spell my name right!
Things that went out –
- Clothes, clothes, clothes – I had a huge wardrobe clear out in June. These were the things that I just wasn’t reaching for in the past few seasons. It was time to retire one of my favorite target dresses which has been on many lovely adventures with me. Also plenty of tops which just aren’t fitting me as loosely as I want them to.
- School books – I felt considerably less stressed once I was able to turn in the many books I had from my school year.
- A shit ton of stuff from my sisters house – yes, I brought in a bit this month. And I didn’t get rid of that much stuff from my own house. But hot damn did we do a good job decluttering many parts of my sister’s house. From a flood of disorganized papers to LONG expired makeup to linens to textbooks – we really went through everything. Lots of the things I brought in were from my sister’s house. I don’t really see that as a huge problem – they just needed a good home.
Planning this month –
This month I took a step back from planning in my bullet journal while I was away. I did catch up in my Erin Condren but mainly just to keep memories from my trip. I did finish this week and I’m planning on going full steam ahead in July. August might be a little bit stilted thanks to my trip to America but I’m looking forward to it nonetheless.
What’s Next?
Well as I mentioned, July is sure to be a slightly more solitary month. I’m thinking of doing some local day trips around Zaragoza. I’m also planning on basically dying of heat stroke in the 100 degree days. If anyone has any advice – I am genuinely all ears. Overall, June was a really good month – one of the first in awhile. I’m hoping that I can find ways to make July the same!
The Minimalist Abroad 