I have some news since I last wrote: I got two callbacks from the company, one to test my English and Spanish, and the other to test my German. The company was happy with my language levels, so now the next step is to schedule an interview. I was really hoping that would happen before the weekend, but it didn't.

So since there was really nothing I could do this Saturday and Sunday to move the process forward, I decided to take a trip to the town where the company is and take a look at the room I want to rent. It actually felt kind of good having nothing else that I had to do, and like a little bit of adventure in all this sea of stress.

It was stormy when I started out, but I enjoyed the half-hour bus ride through the green rolling hills. The town lies on an inlet from the sea, and as we approached, I could see the harbor looked pretty industrial with cranes and stuff. When we arrived, I set forward southwards through the town on foot to find the apartment.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the town has an old-timey New Orleans or Havana feel to it--I've never actually been to either place, but I mean from what I've seen in movies and pictures. It also has a few nice parks, which is something important to me.

I arrived at the apartment and one of the guys showed me around. It looked good and the people seemed nice. I found out that the guy actually works at the company I applied to, so that was cool. The street is called Calle Paz (Peace Street) and the guy's name was Shalom, which also means peace, so I took those as good signs, as I've been praying for peace in my life. I really hope it works out for me to rent the room. I wasn't able to book it yet since I don't have the job confirmation, and they said another girl is interested, so I hope I hear back soon.

This would be my room. The perspective makes it look a bit bigger than it actually is, but it would be enough space for me to keep my things and work on my art.

On the way back through the town, I took a little time to explore the streets and parks. The whole town is only about 1 kilometer across, so it's easily walkable.

Eugenia Martínez Vallejo, La Monstrua

Then I decided to try and find the beach. I wasn't actually sure if there even was a beach. I just knew that if I walked north I would reach the sea, so I started in that direction. I remembered seeing a place on the map called "Salinas." In Malta, salinas meant salt flats, so I knew it might just be a place for harvesting salt and not an actual beach, but I wanted to see for myself. I lived by the sea for three years, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it until I saw it again when I arrived here in Spain.

I stopped along the way at a bakery and had a bacon and cheese sandwich and some water, and stopped a few more times to ask for directions, but as usual, I got a little turned around because I went off the main roads to explore some nature trails. In spite of the fact that I was lost, I really enjoyed walking those paths. They reminded me of the nature in Florida.

Finally I asked some bikers which way the beach was, and they pointed me back in the right direction. I came out of the woods into an open area, and saw that beyond the closest building there was open space, so I knew the sea must be behind them. As I walked closer I started to hear the waves and smell the salt in the air.

And then I saw...

The Sea!

A vast, sandy beach stretched out in either direction, and in spite of the fact that it was June 30th and a Saturday, it was completely empty except for one surfer! I rushed down to it, feeling the joy of the sand beneath my bare feet and the cold clear water rushing over them--not in a half-hearted, Mediterranean plash, but with real rolling, breaking, Atlantic waves.

After a few minutes, I looked at the far hill to the left and saw what looked like some kind of ruins on it. On the hill to the right there was a lighthouse. I knew I needed to get back to the town to catch the bus, though.

I'll have time, I thought. If I get the job, I'll have time to explore all of this.

So with that hope I climbed up the sand dunes and set back the way I had come. Even though I'd walked a roundabout way, I decided to stick to it so that I wouldn't get lost again.

Pretty soon it started to rain and thunder, and even though I had an umbrella, pretty much all of me except for my head got drenched. I stopped again at the same bakery to dry off and get a coffee and an almond tart.

It felt good to treat myself. To save money I haven't been allowing myself to eat or drink out at all, in spite of all the wonderful cafés I pass day by day. I hope so much that soon I'll have an income and can relax enough to explore the local fare, but for now, just spending €5 on a sandwich, water, cake, and coffee, was a feast.

I made it back to the bus station 45 minutes before the bus would leave, so I decided to explore the inlet. It was industrial, as I had thought, but there were green hills on the opposite side, and some little marinas with small to medium pleasure boats as well.

As usual, I cut it close and had to run back to the bus station, but I made it in time.

Altogether, my impressions left me with the feeling that I would not mind living in this town at all. I'm hoping and praying to hear back soon.

P. S. I know I haven't been writing much besides personal news and keeping up with series like Travel Tuesdays and the Tristan and Yseut screenplay. I have ideas for articles, but I just haven't had the peace to think them through and flesh them out. I've lost a few followers (hopefully they were just bots) but if you're reading this, I just want to say thank you for listening to my story. It means a lot to me that you read what I write. I hope to get back to writing deeper stuff soon.