The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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7 Reasons Why You Should Visit Sevilla, Spain

sevilla, spain - plaza de espana

From my first visit to Sevilla, Spain

A few months ago, my mom and I spent a long weekend down south in Sevilla, Spain. I can’t even describe how magical that time felt. Even though I was only a few hours away from Madrid, I felt like I’d been transported to an entirely different world.

During a visit to Spain, many travelers think about visiting the beaches of Barcelona or enjoying Madrid capital. But if you’re looking for a more thorough Spanish experience, I can’t recommend Sevilla enough. From Madrid, it’s easy to access – an hour flight or a two-and-a-half hour train ride – and though it’s Spain’s 4th-largest city, it has a distinctive personality that feels uniquely Spanish.

Have I convinced you to visit yet? If not, here are 7 reasons why you should take a journey down south to the capital of Andalucía! [Read more…]

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Hasta Luego, España

To say that my second year in Spain didn’t go quite how I expected would be an understatement. It makes me more grateful for the whole, uninterrupted first year I had. Traveling to another country every month, riding the metro around the city on the weekends, meeting friends at cafes, taking the train or bus to new cities in Spain. [Read more…]

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Top 5 Things to Do in Valencia, Spain

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Plaza de Arzobispo, Valencia

Hi, friends! Do you ever lay in bed, late at night, when you’re supposed to be sleeping… and decide to creep on your own Instagram? Like scroll way back? Well, I was doing that a few days ago — looking through all my posts since I got to Spain. And I came across a post from Valencia! And then it hit me… I never wrote a post about my time in Valencia.

It was in April, on the same trip I went to Palma de Mallorca with my friend Morgan, but it’s not hard to remember! Valencia was a great city, so I thought it would be fun to finally write about it now. Better late than never, right?

So… here are 5 of the best things to do in Valencia. [Read more…]

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A Day in the Life of an Auxiliar de Conversacion – Spain

Yes, my school is far AF from Madrid… but how could I not love it with views like this?

It’s November, so you know what that means – the application to become an Auxiliar de Conversación for 2020-2021 is less than two months from opening! If you’re dreaming of moving to Spain for a year, this might be your best chance. And I highly recommend it. 🙂

I’m almost two months into my second year as an aux here in the Comunidad de Madrid. Since I got here, I’ve had a great experience at my school, so I decided to come back for a second year. Also, I’ve been really fortunate as far as my school’s expectations for me as a language assistant – which unfortunately isn’t always the case. [Read more…]

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Auxiliares de Conversacion Guide – Madrid 2019 (Part III)

Hi all! We’re t-minus 6 days away from the start of the auxiliar school year now… and I’ll be arriving back in Madrid on Monday! First, I’m going to a wedding in New Hampshire this weekend, which is going to be a great reunion with a bunch of friends I don’t get to see enough. And I’ll head straight to Madrid (via London) from Boston, and straight to work the next day 😉

I’ve had an amazing couple of months at home, but part of me is itching to get back to my constant jet-setting life and the stability of my daily life. Also, I’ve missed the kids A TON. I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown! [Read more…]

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Auxiliares de Conversacion Guide – Madrid 2019 (Part I)

spain flag

I’m about halfway into my “summer break” here in the U.S., but the start of the school year in Spain is fast approaching. It’s crazy to think: one year ago at this time, I was a week away from the big move to Madrid. With nowhere to live and no idea what I was really getting myself into, I couldn’t be happier with how my first year turned out.

But it got me thinking about the newest round of auxiliares who are starting to arrive in Spain right about now. Especially in the big cities, it’s crucial to get a head start on the apartment hunt before the droves of university students start moving in. So I thought I could put together a little “survival guide” for new auxiliares. [Read more…]

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What To Do After Receiving Your Regional Placement (Auxiliares de Conversacion Program)


Originally, I wrote the skeleton of this post last summer, when I was newly excited about getting my placement. This year’s new auxiliares should be getting their placements soon, so I decided to resurrect this topic!

I’d been checking my email every morning for way too long – the application period for this year’s Auxiliares de Conversacion program didn’t even close until April 13, but I was vigilant, just in case. I couldn’t wait to receive my regional assignment! [Read more…]

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All About the Auxiliares de Conversacion (NALCAP) Program

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On the playground at my school

I recently talked via Instagram with my 11th-grade English teacher, Ms. Thompson. She asked me for more information about the Auxiliares de Conversacion program (also known as NALCAP) because her daughter is a college senior and may be interested in doing something like this after graduation.

This caused me to realize that, for as much as I talk about the program and how to apply, I’ve never written a post on what all the program is and actually entails. So, here it is! [Read more…]

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How to Get a Low Inscrita Number for the Auxiliares de Conversacion Program (Spain)

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Hola! I wrote this post quite a while ago, when it was all still fresh in my head from the application process. However, I decided not to share until now, because I wasn’t ready for everyone to know I was moving to Spain. 🙂
[Read more…]

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