After graduating college, I took a solo three-week trip to Spain before starting work. Days after landing in Madrid, despite speaking no Spanish and being miles outside my comfort zone, I had what I’d describe as a “struck by lightning” moment where I was hit with the knowing that I’m going to live here someday.

I returned to the U.S. to start my first job with that knowing embedded in my soul. Eight months later, I took the first step in making it a reality when I quit my job to move to South America and learn Spanish.

That was the start of a journey of discovery, adventure, and the slow, painful process of growing up. It has taken me from police stations in Cuba to hospitals in Colombia, to soccer stadiums, and farms, and bus rides both good and bad– but more than anything, this journey has taken me back again and again to writing. And that’s why I’m here.

In 2022 I started to write again for the first time in years, slowly shaking off a writer’s block I’ve felt imprisoned by since returning home from South America in 2016, and in September, I moved to Madrid, fulfilling the knowing I’ve carried for years and ready for a new beginning.

These are my stories.

For more photos check out my instagram @luseesworld