#1 Hola from Spain!

Hello everybody!  Welcome to my new blog, Un Idea Peregrina. 

You may have followed my travels through Asia last year on my blog, Celestial Navigation, or maybe this is your first time reading my work.  In any case, welcome to all. 

It has been a while since I have seen most of you, as I have spent the better part of the last two years working and traveling in India and Asia.  Now I live in a small town in Spain where I am teaching English and learning Spanish.

I left for Asia one year ago today.  I had a one-way ticket, a small backpack and a head full of crazy dreams, and I spent seven months chasing these dreams from Singapore through all of South East Asia, China, and Eurasia to St. Petersburg Russia.

Now, one year later, I’m trying to continue the adventures.  I’ve got big plans for the future but small-town life in Spain is not turning out how I expected.  When I accepted the offer to teach Spanish in a 7,000-person pueblo I figured it would be a nice, quiet place to learn Spanish and take a stab at writing my first book. 

I envisioned this idyllic little town where all the men spent the days lounging in the shade and draining wine skins while beautiful girls danced to flamenco music in the streets.  Thrown in a couple of bulls and matadors and you can imagine this Spanish Eden I had in my head. 

Life has dealt me a different hand.  I’m not saying the village is bad; it’s actually quite beautiful and peaceful.  Too peaceful. I’m going to go nuts if I stay in such a small town every weekend.  So I am forced to lead a double-life: part-time English teacher during the week and full-time adventurer on the weekends. 

So far my adventures have gone well.  I have traveled across Spain in my free time but I have many more plans in my head.  Maybe too many plans...  First I want to travel to…well, I am getting ahead of myself.  Perhaps I should explain the title of my blog before we go any further… 

But I am rambling, and it’s five o’clock - time to take my daily paseo.  What’s that?  You don’t know what a paseo is?  Don’t worry.  Come with me, I’ll explain the rest along the way…