Introduction & Background

I promised an explanation for my current trip and extended stay in Madrid, Spain.

From 2000 to July 2009 I worked in the software industry, for a fortune 100 - number 36 on Fortune's 2010 list to be exact. Due to the economic downturn, my position was eliminated and I was given the opportunity (retrospectively speaking) to do something different. More importantly, I was given time back to think about something other than job, corporate politics, reorganizations and office noise. Of course, at the time, I did not appreciate this quite the way I do now. Perhaps I could have found another role in the same company - strangely enough, it didn't occur to me to attempt this. After nearly 10 years working across a global company, maintaining a high performance rating (for those that know what it is, even winning a "gold star" from my Corporate Vice President once) getting strong experience and fantastic training, I figured it was time to finally pursue my dream job. So, this has been my perspective over the past year.

I must acknowledge my wonderful life partner's support and constant encouragement along the way - I've had my dream partner for 20 years now and he's in my thoughts in everything I do. I need to also acknowledge my former employer's very generous separation package which has really made the transition easy from a financial perspective.

I will be intentionally vague about "the dream" job since the offer is currently contingent upon a number of processes in play. I'll ask that anyone reading my blog posts privy to the facts, please maintain some confidentiality in your posts for now.... thank you! However, I can say that for this contingent opportunity I must be proficient in at least one language other than English. I studied Spanish originally here in Spain (Plasencia, Cáceres) eventually earning my B.S. in Spanish from Georgetown University and an M.A. in International Affairs from George Mason. I've worked professionally in Spanish in very limited ways. So, I am here in Madrid taking intensive immersion language training at a professional, advanced level. Just being here has reactivated so many of my memories.

My training begins tomorrow at 8am sharp!

I hope this helps explain the reason for my blogging about this. Over the course of the next three weeks I plan on posting about my training, the people I meet, and possible/subsequent realizations. I may get geeky on some of the Spanish language posts. I hope to share with you my love for Spanish, esp. Castilian Spanish, the culture, and the people as I explore out of the way parts of Madrid.