Chasing Butterflies

If you have been wondering where I suddenly disappeared to after posting my last piece, then wonder no more. I´d like to reassure my readers, some of whom have kindly been leaving me messages during my rather lengthy departure, that I´m still alive and that, more importantly, I´m back. This time for the long haul.

That said, I feel it´s only fitting that I fill all you lovely readers in on what I´ve been up to the past few months. I smile to myself as I type the words “few months”, realising that next month marks my year long absence. Once the dedicated little blogger, accustomed to posting once, maybe twice a week, I became quite disloyal to my followers, I hope you do forgive me.

Right, time to get the ball rolling and answer that big burning question: why has my absence been so lengthy? I won´t bore you with all the details, just introduce you to the wonderful new journey I have found myself on.

I moved
As you might remember, if you can cast your minds back to almost a year ago, I was living and working in Córdoba. An idyllic city that managed to steal my heart from the very moment I stepped foot on it´s narrow, little streets and, if I´m honest, still hasn´t given it back to me!

Well, brace yourselves. I know this will be hard to believe, considering how much I raved about Córdoba, but I no longer live in the dreamy city I grew to call my home. I made a tough decision in May of last year. After a rather gruelling period of weighing the pros and the cons of living in Córdoba. I did it, I made the decision. I decided to move nearer to my family in the Valencian region. After a difficult year I decided that being near my loved ones would be the best move for me, even if it meant leaving a part of me behind.

So I did it; packed up my things, handed in my notice and started applying for jobs. Such a daunting experience. I had become so comfortable in my surroundings, both in work and my social life, that the sheer thought of change terrified me. However, I stayed strong, did what had to be done and, guess what, I´m still here to tell the tale!

Some very wise people, who these people are I will never know, have said that a change is as good as a holiday. And, while it hasn´t all been a bed of roses, I´m inclined to agree with them. Change brings up so many experiences and emotions that you never knew you could have, and they´re not always positive.

Having made a huge move before, when I left my beautiful home country to come to Spain, I thought that I had it down. I naively thought that all it involved was moving my mass of possessions from one part of the country to the other. Oh, how foolish of me.

Instead of being filled with hope and anticipation, like I had experienced in my last move, I was filled with a mixture of fear, uncertainty and apprehension. I was leaving behind a life that I absolutely loved and diving into the unknown without the ability to swim-terrifying. However, this time I knew that, unlike the last time, I had my loved ones around me to mop up the puddles of tears and kick my ass into gear when it needed to be.

That said, I´ve finally started to raise my head above the water again. After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a mere three months, I´m settled. The puddles of tears have dissipated, the fear has subsided, the uncertainty – gone. In its place, thank god, lies a new love, going by the name of Murcia, and a new found hope and happiness. At last, I´ve come out the other side and, you know what, it might even be better than the life I have left behind.

So, that´s it. That´s all I have to offer you as an introduction to what comes next.

You may be wondering, what exactly have I achieved since my last post, apart from bettering the economy with the amount of tissues I needed to mop up the tears. Well, that´s easy: happiness, peace and hope.

I left behind a city I loved, friends who supported me through the toughest time in my life, a job I loved and security but I´ve gained so much since. I´ve gained a new found love for yoga, a passion for photography that I always knew was there but never gave myself the time to pursue, a wonderful new job and a bunch of great colleagues to go along with it, love and support from my family, some new friends, new activities and adventures and lots of visits and Skype chats with my friends.

Córdoba will always have a strong hold on my heart. The beauty of the city, the amazing adventures I had and the fantastic friends I made and miss terribly. However, now I´m ready to let go of my feelings for it ever so slightly to make room for the new adventures I´m about to embark on.

Where does that leave my blog? Well, I´m excited to be back writing again. It´s amazing how much you miss writing when you have to take a break from it. I´m filled with a new found enthusiasm for my blog again. I also have a lot of exciting adventures coming up which I can´t wait to share with you all. So, for now, to give myself a chance to get back into the swing of things, learn how to write again and all that jazz, I will only be posting once a week.

I want to thank you for your continued support and understanding during my absence. I look forward to sharing my journey with you and to reading about yours.

Thank you for reading and I will talk to you in my next post.

Giana xoxo