Esperanza

Question: What does the flag in my icon have in common with me?

Answer: OMFG OUR HOME IS CATALONIA!

Ahem. Allow me to explain.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that whenever I go quiet on t'internet front, Something is Happening. This can be either a good or bad thing, such as finding out a family member is terminally ill or emigrating.

Happily, it's the latter in this case.

When my brother Adam decided on his crazy Malaga quest, I trawled t'internet for jobs for him, but also filled some idle applications in for myself, too (my RL friends know that working on the Continent is a huge dream for me). Anyway, I thought nothing of it until I received a call from the UK HR team for an American company based in Barcelona.

There were several interviews over the telephone, and then I had to fly out last Friday for a formal interview with the company. I saw very little of the city that time, but I had quite a good feeling afterwards and I've been on tenterhooks waiting for word from them since.

Anyway, they 'phoned me at lunch today and offered me a position with the company, and it's a very nice one, too. There's an initial £1,000 bonus (I don't know what that's for, but awesome) and they'll put me up in a hotel for a couple of weeks while I get sorted with accommodation and stuff. Being American, they have all kinds of really good benefits such as free language courses, daycare (er, yeah...) and a summer beach party and Christmas ball! (Yeah, the average age there is twenty-seven).

So, my schedule for the next month runs like this:

Fly out to Paris then to Montreal for three weeks in Canada and America at the end of March/beginning of April. Return home, dispense presents and stuff, try and get body clock in order. Fly out to Barca the very next day, and to a new life.

They've just sent me through my contract. I've handed my notice in with the NHS and I have approximately a gazillion things to do before I get to Spain, but dude! I kind of feel like Homer when that company was bending over backwards for his every need. I feel like pinching myself. A well-paid job in Catalonia, one of my favourite places in the world? ARRRGH!

P.S You're all totally invited over anytime! :D