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๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ด-๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ โžก๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ปโ  โ  Within the span of a few months, my boyfriend and I went from FaceTime dates and occasional trips together to 24/7 bonding time. ๐˜˜๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏโ€ฆโ  โ  ๐—” ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ณ ๐˜€๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฝ:โ  Octavio and I met in Santiago, Chile. Heโ€™s from Venezuela. Iโ€™m from NY. Shortly after we started dating, he was transferred for work to Panama. Then, to Liechtenstein. Then Madrid. During that time, I moved home from Chile to NY to get started on visa paperwork. Finally, in mid-January, I was able to join him in Spain. Less than two months later, they announced the Coronavirus quarantine.โ  โ  ๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜„๐—ฒโ€™๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ:โ  โ  ๐Ÿ“๐—ง๐—ผ-๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜. When the quarantine first started, we sat down and wrote a list of things weโ€™d like to do and accomplish together over the next few weeks. The list contains everything from recipes we want to try and games we want to play, to home improvement tasks and relationship-building activities.โ  โ  ๐Ÿ™Œ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ. After so much time spent apart, on different continents, weโ€™re both very used to having ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ and value our ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ. So, even though itโ€™s tricky, being stuck in our tiny apartment, weโ€™re trying to give each other space when possible. How? Things like working and taking meetings from different rooms, and doing individual workouts on our own schedules.โ  โ  ๐Ÿง˜๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ. I wouldnโ€™t say that Octavio and I are naturally patient people ๐Ÿ˜ฌ, but this lockdown has definitely been great practice. This is a scary time, full of uncertainty and one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Weโ€™ve been trying to support each other during both the high and the low moments, and be understanding of each otherโ€™s feelings.โ  โ  For more of my lockdown story and more tips for getting through lockdown with a partner, check out my recent interview with @nakedmadrid! ๐Ÿ’ป
โญ๏ธQuarantine Day 12. Who would have thought that just 12 days spent at home in isolation would be so trying. These past two weeks have been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. So far I lived through two very distinct "phases" of my home quarantine: 1๏ธโƒฃ QUARANTINE HONEYMOON PHASE. Last week I was on a high. I was ready to rock my quarantine. ๐Ÿ‘Š I told myself: ๐˜ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜บ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜บ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜บ, ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ. I wrote a blog post with 100+ ways to keep yourself entertained and sane during these complicated times. I crushed my to-do list, signed up for an online class offered by Yale and even launched my new business. 2๏ธโƒฃ QUARANTINE CRISIS PHASE. Then the reality of the situation started to settle in. They extended the quarantine here in Spain 15 more days. The police started a checkpoint right outside of my apartment. I had to wait in a long ass line down the street and around the corner outside of the grocery store and I still have no idea when all of this will end. . This week I started on a low. This week the walls of my tiny apartment seem to be closing in and all I want to do is go for a walk outside. This week I have anxiety lodged in my throat and Iโ€™ve been finding it hard to muster the energy and motivation to focus on anything. This week, the ๐’๐’‚๐’”๐’• thing I want to do is "๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ฒ๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ." This week, I just want to wallow. Maybe next week will be better. Maybe next week will bring a whole new set of challenges. ๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜บ? The point of this post? ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐. In fact, you canโ€™t control your feelings, so try not to judge them. Sure, we can do our best to stay positive and keep ourselves motivated, but sometimes we just need to give in and let ourselves feel. . While everyoneโ€™s blowing up social media with content about how to "make the most of this quarantine" and spend your "extra time at home productively" (๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฉ, ๐˜ ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ, ๐˜โ€™๐˜ฎ ๐˜จ๐˜ถ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ต๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ), try to keep your own feelings in perspective. Thereโ€™s nothing wrong with how you feel. . All we can do is take this day by day. โค๏ธ
๐Ÿ’กWAYS TO SURVIVE CORONA QUARANTINE ๐Ÿฆ ๐Ÿ˜ท . Instead of simply defaulting to Netflixโ€” ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜บ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ตโ€” I'm trying to use this extra time at home wisely. There are so many things I've been wanting to do, but been putting off, and many others that haven't gotten the full attention they deserve. So, instead of sitting in front of your ๐Ÿ“บ for the next 15 days, why not join me and: . ๐Ÿ“– READ. I'm finally getting through the 3 books that I "haven't had time" to read yet. . ๐Ÿ‘ฅ CONNECT. My boyfriend and I have been using the extra time together to have deeper conversations and learn about each other. . ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ EXERCISE. A major goal of mine during all this is to continue working up a sweat and staying in shape from the comfort of my home- Youtube is full of videos for all levels, interests and workout styles [sharing some of my favs in my #instastory today!] . ๐Ÿง  LEARN. I just signed up for an online class, and I've also been watching free webinars and reading articles about blogging, coaching and entreprenurship! . ๐Ÿ›  MAKE HOME IMPROVEMENTS. We're finally moving forward with some little tasks around our new apartment that we've been putting off for months ๐Ÿ˜ฌ . ๐Ÿฅฃ COOK. Since we can't eat out, we've been trying to get creative with our quarantine meals and try some new recipes. Gluten-free banana bread is on the docket for tonight! ๐Ÿ˜‹ . ๐Ÿท DRINK WINE. Oh yeah, there's also been wine. Lots and lots of wine ๐Ÿ™ƒ How are you entertaining yourself during your corona quarantine?
I had a different post planned for today, but with everything going on, it seemed a bit silly. [Full disclosure, it was about shopping ๐Ÿ˜ฌ] . As much as Iโ€™m trying my best to go on with โ€œbusinessโ€ and โ€œlifeโ€ as usual, and not join the mass coronavirus hysteria, I canโ€™t help but admit that Iโ€™ve got coronavirus on the mind. ๐˜ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ช๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต, ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ ๐˜ ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต? Here in Spain things are starting to get more intense, with schools closing and many workplaces enforcing work-from-home quarantines. And forget about buying toilet paper or hand sanitizer ๐Ÿ™ˆ๐Ÿ˜ฌ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ . Still, I think itโ€™s important that we all try to keep things in perspective, and keep a sense of humor during this stressful situation. So, Iโ€™m posting this silly photo of me clowning around on a mountain in Israel [ โžก ]. . How are you dealing with the current state of the ๐ŸŒ and what are things like in your city? โฌ‡๏ธโฌ‡๏ธ
It's been almost 2 months since I packed my bags and hopped on a plane to follow this guy half-way across the globe. ๐Ÿ˜ฑWhen Octavio was offered a landing position in MADRID, I could hardly believe it. It was one of those "pinch-me-is-this-really-happening?!" moments. ๐Ÿ˜ฆ โ โ € โ โ € It seemed absolutely perfect- my favorite person would be living in my favorite place. My next steps were defined. What more did I need to know? โ โ € โ โ € But well, when I actually mapped it all out on paper, the plan wasn't all that easy. How was ๐‘ฐ going to live and work [๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ] in Europe?? โ โ € โ โ € It took some planning, making some big changes and a lot of creativity. But I really wanted this, and so I found a way to make it happen. Want to know more? I'm spilling how it all worked out in my Instagram story today. So, check it out ๐Ÿ˜œโ โ € โ โ € ๐™ˆ๐™ค๐™ง๐™–๐™ก ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฎ: if it feels right, don't fight it, but do fight ๐’‡๐’๐’“ it. Follow that feeling and do whatever you have to do to make whatever it is happen. It might take some creativity, some patience, and making some big changes. It might be scary, and not always be easy. But one thing I can tell you from experience, is that when you follow that "pinch-me-is-this-happening" feeling, it ๐™ฌ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ก be worth it. โค
You may or may not have noticed, but I FINALLY changed my profile photo. ๐Ÿ‘Š๐ŸผIt's been a long time coming, considering the photo I had was from 5 years ago, and I was told ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ข ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ it no longer even looked like me ๐Ÿ˜‚Oopsie ... ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ โ € โ โ € I'm not sure why I put it off for so long, and it may seem kind of silly, but I started off my Instagram with that photo, and it felt like such a big part of my "Lauren on Location" identity and brand. But as I'm in the process of some rebranding and setting some big changes into play, I guess I'll see this small task of changing my photo as step number one. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ Exciting news and announcements to come soon, but for today, I'm taking it "poco a poco." โ ๐Ÿ˜˜ โ โ € Tell me- whatโ€™s something (big or small) that you accomplished recently and made you feel good?! โฌ‡๏ธโฌ‡๏ธ
When life hands you the cutest mini pineapples ๐Ÿโ  โ  In Tel Aviv, my friend Sasza and I took an Israeli street food cooking class with @jons_cooking_class ! It started in the Carmel Market (1st photo), to buy all the fresh produce and ingredients, and then ended with an enormous feast. ๐Ÿคค(โžกscroll through to have a look for yourself) โ  โ  Food tours and cooking classes are something I always try to fit into my travels, because, wellโ€” they make my tummy happy! ๐Ÿ˜œThatโ€” AND, it's a great way to get an inside look at the real culture of the place you're visiting. โ  โ  What activities do you always try to fit in while traveling? Tell me below โฌ‡โฌ‡โ  โ  .โ  โ  .โ  ๐Ÿ“ท: @shotswithsasz ๐Ÿ“: Tel Aviv, Israel
๐‘บ๐’‚๐’ƒ๐’‚๐’ƒ๐’‚ โœŒ๐Ÿผ . In Israel, "Sababa" is not just a word, but a way of life. It can pretty much mean ANYTHING, from "good" to "cool" to "no worries." If you're having a convo with an Israeli, try throwing in the word "sababa." It's sure to get a laugh and keep the conversation going. ๐Ÿ˜œ . Finally catching up on some Israel content and will be posting some photos and blog posts over the next few weeks! If you're considering going on @birthrightisrael, don't hesitate. It's truly a gift and an experience you'll never forget โค
Grey skies in Madrid โ˜ . Last week a few of you said you weren't fans of the edited sky- so here ya go! This is what the sky has ๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’๐’๐’š looked like in Madrid for the past few weeks. No sun in sight - just depressingly dull and grey. . . I know, I know. I sound whiny ๐Ÿ˜œโ€” but the weather seriously affects my mood and motivation. ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€ Not to mention my apartment is an icebox ๐ŸฅถDoes this weather-despression happen to anyone else?? . . ๐Ÿ“ @hotelriuplazaespana ๐Ÿ“ท @theculturalstreets