robingraham, Irish expat in Spain

robingraham

Member

Irish expat in Spain

Forum posts

Irish

Lives in Tarifa

Registration: 11 August 2010

About Activity

I鈥檓 a writer and a photographer, as well as a teacher of English. I wasn鈥檛 any of these things till about a year ago when it finally dawned on me that I was, above all else, a malcontent, and that I鈥檇 better do something about it. Dawned on us, I should say. You鈥檒l be hearing a lot about K. Her real name? None of your business. A year on and I no longer classify myself as disillusioned, despite the poverty. So that鈥檚 progress, I suppose. We take our next steps in Spain. A country with which I have a tenuous connection, having been taken there as a child for an extended stay. It was my parents鈥� stab at a new life that didn鈥檛 work out. We left before a year had passed, but good memories stick and I have found myself back there in recent years with K, falling for it again and she with me. Her too, I mean. I mean, she as well fell for it, also. Practicalities. The adventure must unfold within the confines of commutability to Gibraltar. That鈥檚 K鈥檚 fault. So we browse the possibilities; the Esteponas and San Roques, the Sotograndes and La Lineas. We dismiss them out of hand as too 鈥淓nglish鈥�, or 鈥渢ouristy鈥�, or 鈥渄eveloped鈥�. That鈥檚 my fault. Just when we think there isn鈥檛 anywhere that can live up to our expectations, we chance upon a small town tucked away from all of the above, at the furthest tip of Spain. Next stop Africa; it鈥檚 a place renowned for having the highest suicide rate in the country and year round winds so strong, so unrelenting in their incessant cruelty that many, apparently, have been driven quite literally to despair. Tarifa it is then. The wind has made the town a magnet for kite surfers and extreme water sport enthusiasts, so there will be much for me to studiously avoid. This will be our stab. Fingers crossed.