Laura

France | Malaga, Spain | October 2016

This French girl left home about 4 years ago because she was unhappy with her studies at university and needed a change - a different environment, a different perspective. She took the leap of faith and moved to Australia, without knowing any English. During her first 3 months, she worked on 3 different farms doing odd jobs from weeding, feeding animals, to gardening. Some families were better than others but because of immersing herself into this lifestyle and country, she was able to learn English. She continued living in Australia for another 3 years (I guess 3 is her lucky number?). This was where she found her calling, I guess you could say, in hospitality and tourism. She worked in different restaurants and loved the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle, and the opportunity to meet people from all around the world. Then during February 2016, after struggling to apply for work Visa, she left and backpacked through Asia for 5 months. Through this experience, she knew living in France was not for her and she loved the international lifestyle.

I met her in Malaga, Spain. She was also a volunteer at the same hostel as me and we lived together. My first impression of her was "wow this French girl speaks English really well!" Something I could not say for many other French people I've met. Although we are pretty different in many ways, we got along so well. She was my closest friend in Spain! We hung out everyday going shopping, cooking dinner together, going to language exchanges, wandering around the city, and talking about life. She has defined my 6 weeks in Spain and made them extremely memorable. I don't think my time would have been the same without her. I know we'll run into each other again in the future, when her Spanish will be amazing! I'm going to miss her wavy short hair, her genuine personality, and easy going demeanor. 

Come visit California! You are welcome anytime <3