FAQs

FAQs

Who am I?

Hi! I’m Madeline. I’m a young woman in my late twenties just trying to figure out how to live a comfortable and happy life. I recently followed my life dream by moving semi-permanently to Europe after finishing my Master’s degree. During this process, I’ve discovered a moderately anti-consumerist and semi-minimalist lifestyle.

What is this blog about?

I plan on talking about the way I live a curated, semi-minimalist life abroad.  I hesitate to call this blog a lifestyle blog for a few reasons. I am not someone who I think is particularly inspirational. I wouldn’t say my life is too pinterest-y or instagram-y. But I do feel I’m maybe more realistic than some other people with a blog. I’m not an amazing artist. I don’t really want to stage my photos too much. I don’t have a load of money that I spend on fancy clothes or dinners. I’m just sort of your average person. That being said,  I do think that I have an interesting point of view which I hope you identify with!

 

How did I get here?

My life story is honestly too much to get into so I am going to break it down into the most relevant things to who I’ve become today.

First, my sisters inherited 3 houses full of stuff. Of the three sisters, I was definitely the most ready to get rid of things. I didn’t have a permanent residence so I couldn’t take a lot of furniture, kitchen supplies or antiques. Three painful garage sales and seven later, we had come to a point where just about everything was finally distributed, sold or given away. It really affected the way I look at owning a large house or even just having a lot of possessions. My grandmother’s house in particular was just a mess – it seemed like every drawer was a junk drawer. It really changed my outlook on life.

The next thing was losing a box in a move which was full of my absolute favorite books. Not only were they my favorite books but they were also sentimental – all were given to me by my late parents or signed by my favorite authors. After grieving the loss for several years, I now realize I can live without just about anything.

I’ve spent a lot of time in self reflection over the past few years and something I’ve realized is that I feel happier, healthier, less anxious and more inspired when I have less. I use everything I have. If I don’t use it – I declutter it – either finding it a better home or donating it. It’s true that less really is more. I spend more time to develop as a person and a professional.

It doesn’t hurt that I moved across the ocean only taking two suitcases. While I still have a few boxes of documents and mementos in the states (as well as all of my classic Nintendos), I brought almost everything that I want in life with me. I do plan on eventually relocating more permanently over here which will bring all of my scrapbooks, the contents of my fire safe and few books.

 

Where am I now?

Currently, I am a language and cultural assistant participating in the Beda program in Zaragoza, Spain (with a move to come).