“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” –Mary Oliver

There is a story in everything: from the tiniest blade of grass to the depths of the deepest seas, from histories of great nations to the history of the person beside you on the train, countless tales spin just waiting to be told. Tales of the Curious is my effort to discover the stories that mean the most to me and to share them with you. You might be able to expect tales of the miraculous and the mundane, the simple and the profound. You can definitely expect the tales of a curious college student, sojourning through Spain and Europe on a five month adventure abroad. Join me in my travels, and thanks for being here!

Rebecca in a Nutshell:

Born and raised in the Horse Capital of the World (No not Kentucky–Ocala, FL), I am currently a second year English major at the University of Florida. With a focus in Advanced Writing and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language, my ultimate goal is to join the Peace Corps as an educator and advocate of women’s political and social equality. For the next five months (January -May 2016) I will be studying Spanish at the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija in the heart of Madrid. My focus this semester is to improve my Spanish skills to such a degree that I am conversational in a business environment and can listen to Suavamente without feeling totally lost.

Aside from academics, I am an avid reader and a history geek, a swimmer and a runner, an amateur foodie and a professional napper. I’m insatiably curious and if I’m not listening to someone’s stories I’m asking them countless questions or laughing way too loudly. I am so looking forward to growing this semester not just in the Spanish language but in my personal understanding of the globalized and interconnected world we live in. Cheers and happy reading!

(All photographs are original unless otherwise stated)