hi everyone… i’m just coming on here i guess looking for support, maybe friends. i’m recently arrived from the US. i moved to spain because i’m an EU citizen and even tho i was raised in the US, i couldn’t get papers squared out there, so i packed up and moved out here with a friend. my friend’s only staying 4 months and returning to California… I got my TEFL earlier this year in preparation for the move to help with work, but things are so bleak. i just arrived this last weekend and i think i’m in shock. i can’t stop crying, and i keep wondering if i made a mistake. i think i’m really stressing out my friend… and i don’t really know what to do, where to go, or where to look for support… my family at home can’t call me because i don’t have a spanish cell phone number set up yet and the international rates are too expensive with the cell I brought from home. I just wanna hear my family’s voices and get some support. I’m totally lost, and i’m starting to regret everything. Our roommates aren’t really friendly, and I’m getting horribly homesick and lonely. Can anyone offer some words of comfort or advice?

goldbabyshriek
what exactly have you done since you moved here?
have you looked for jobs as a teacher? what documentation have you got?

aritz - 01 September 2010 09:05 PM

goldbabyshriek
what exactly have you done since you moved here?
have you looked for jobs as a teacher? what documentation have you got?

hello Aritz…
thanks for replying. i just arrived Sunday… I think I am just sooo overwhelmed, maybe i just need a few days to get over everything. the flight, the culture shock. I’m from a small town in California, and it’s my first time going anywhere new. Since I got here I’ve gone to an interview & had a disastrous first day of work, and then following that, pretty much a nervous breakdown… I’ve got my EU passport/ID, already have a Spanish social, but otherwise I’m kind of just floating around. I don’t know what to do to adjust myself… I know this sounds horribly childish, but I miss my mom so terribly :( But everytime she calls me i have to pretend everything’s ok because i don’t wanna stress her out… I feel so ridiculous and naive, packin up and moving thousands of miles across the earth & just expecting everything to work itself out. I am so embarrassed :(

Tell your mom but reassure yourself and your mom that culture shock is to be expected and it will pass. 😊 Your mom will understand. That’s what good parents are there for.

Sounds like you’re doing a good job so far, keeping up with things.

1) grow up - you made the decision
2) get busy - spanish class if you need it- menial jobs- volunteer work anything
3) get excercise -get out and move - it will clear your mind and aquaint you with your new surroundings
4) talk to everybody you meet - build a contact network

I did the same thing 33 years ago but in Sweden - be happy you are in Spain - scandis are tough people to associate with…

I learned to make Skype my new best friend. You literally feel like you are with the person you are talking to face to face and its so important to see those faces when you are alone in another country and feeling homesick. The best part about skype is that it is free and if you have ever been abroad before you know how expensive basic communication can be. Also if you do not have a camera on your computer - you can buy a cheap one for like twenty bucks at any electronics or computer store. Hope you are keeping busy and learning to love your new home abroad!!

GoldBabyShriek, where are you living?

Where are you living???? Like you I only arrived here at the beginning of August and then returned home again for a months work in October, but I am back now and willing to lend a hand ... message me…