The sun is bright this morning. It shines through the window and reflects off of every surface in my room. I can see fallen hairs starting to collect on my laminate room floor and  I make a mental note to sweep.

I look out the window, squinting at the white light. In the apartment directly across from me, a shirtless man peaks out from behind a cracked window to smoke a cigarette.

Further down on the right, a silver-haired woman in a floral nightgown leans on the rail of her balcony to watch people walking below.

I would love to get to know my neighbors, but I don't think that's very common in big cities - no matter whether it's here in Spain or anywhere in the world. Even though you live in such a close proximity compared to a suburb, it's just a different lifestyle.

My apartment here is small, but it is comfortable. I live with a girl from Ohio and another from Northern Ireland. We are all English teachers... the profession of choice for many foreigners in Spain.

There is no heat or air conditioning in the building. We have a washer (for clothes. Dishwasher? That's crazy talk.) and a clothesline strung outside the window. The kitchen is the equivalent size to a hallway, but it works. There is no proper oven, but we are lucky to have a small toaster oven.

The shower has no tub or door, so our bathroom floor is always covered with wet towels to soak up the overflow. That, however, does not bother me because we do have warm water: a luxury I missed during my year in Ecuador. We also have wifi in the apartment and a television (two other amenities that were not possible in Ecuador). The television has a very limited selection of Spanish channels, but it can be a good distraction.



My room is small and plain, but it's enough. I love reading blogs about home decor DIY and I even have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to it, but I don't see any long-term housing in my near future.

Right now, my decor is based off of convenience and functionality. I'm just happy that I am living as a local in foreign city. I could be living out of backpack in a stuffy hostel and spending my days on walking tours and instagramming famous attractions. But I've realized that I really don't like traveling. This is something that confuses my friends and family. I don't like traveling and visiting unfamiliar places, I like living in them.