Being alone was not something I was too concerned about before starting my year abroad. I knew I’d be able to find other people also on the programme who I could connect with and I’m pretty comfortable in my own company. I’m going to list some things I found helpful when arriving in Spain as well as some personal thoughts on being alone.
After a scroll through my school’s website, I found the previous language assistant who put me in touch with my current housemate. She went to University near my home town in Basingstoke so we had a coffee and chat before we met in Prado for the first time. Social media is a godsend for connecting with people, specifically when moving to a new country. There’s a host of Facebook groups for language assistants and for ex-pats abroad, I’ll list the ones I found useful below:
There are online groups for pretty much ANYTHING now. See Facebook group for magnet collectors. Which is a fantastic resource. Once you’re abroad, if you’re happy to meet with new people, then the groups are a great way to organise meet-ups.
Being in Prado del Rey is a little more challenging if you’re wanting to expand your network, as the public transport links are limited. However we have found other language assistants in neighbouring towns such as Arcos de la Frontera and Ubrique. It's been great to meet up with them for particular events. One being the Ubrique Carnaval, which was amazing btw. If you’re living in a small town then all hope is not lost, hopefully a little social media digging will help you find someone to connect with.
If you would like to really explore your local community then get involved! We found a yoga class in the town after it was advertised on posters put up. This then allowed us to meet a couple of people who then connected us with other things such as the circus class. I’m also now aware of a trekking tour group through going to yoga classes. Pretty much everything is done by word of mouth, so hopefully once you meet one or two new people you should be in the know more frequently.
I admit I have not really pushed myself to make real friendship connections with locals. This is a mix of my discomfort speaking Spanish as well as my contentment at just being alone. If you’re like me, don’t push yourself into making deep social connections if you don’t feel like it. I’ve learned to prioritise myself and just do what I feel like doing. Most recently I drove myself to Seville and spent a glorious 24 hours there, because I felt like it. I find lone city wanders liberating and it also gave me a new environment to read, draw and pigeon-watch (below). There was more than enough to keep me occupied for the weekend, however cloudy Mondays in Prado always feel a little harder when I’ve had such a high in the days before.
I’m very aware that socialisation and connection is a human need. I can say that I get more than enough of my fair share at school, especially with the Primeros. It’s fascinating to see how crazy kids are before the beginning of their self-conscious years (12+). I love talking to them and they really try to speak English with me. Trying to keep their attention can be a challenge, but a good one. Of course there can be brief spells of feeling lonely, especially if my day at school hasn’t been great. However I’m fortunate enough to have frequent visits from my partner, now an airport navigation expert, and calls from family or home friends who love a venting session.
Every Primero ever ^^^^
I only have around two months left of my experience in Spain. I can’t say that I’ve befriended a whole town during my time away, but I’ve done what's best for me and have tried not to squeeze myself into the same fun-shaped party box I was (happily) in during my first year abroad in Segovia. That girl would probably call me boring, but I know she just hasn't experienced the joy of consuming palmeras in bed while watching Bridgerton before falling asleep to comedy podcasts.
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