Why I made the Video that Wasn't for Everyone

Hello and welcome back to my Life in Spain. Thank you for being here, and if you're new, welcome aboard. You can always go back through past issues to catch up on life here in Spain.

This week I want to talk about my latest video, and I'll say up front that it was a different kind of video for me. More reflective than usual, and I want to share where it came from.

Behind the video: "What Is the Point?"

​

The idea started with something small. I was watching someone play a video game, and at some point the goal quietly shifted from playing the game to just finishing it. Skipping the side quests, routing around the cutscenes, optimizing for the ending. And it hit me that I had been doing the same thing with my life here.

I think a lot of us fall into this, and not only with a move abroad. A vacation, a semester studying overseas, a new city, anything that feels temporary. There's this urge to make the most of it, to squeeze every drop out of the experience. The strange part is that chasing it that hard can quietly take the joy out of the very thing you were trying to enjoy. You stop experiencing the moment and start experience-maxing it, treating the process like a checklist to complete.

Moving to Spain was supposed to be about depth. But somewhere along the way I caught myself manufacturing that depth, chasing the "right" places to visit and the "authentic" spots, almost like I was collecting proof that the move was worth it.

One of my goals now is to be more intentional. Not to get the most out of life here, but to actually let myself live it. To do the things that genuinely make me happy, that feel aligned with my values, that leave me at peace, instead of trying to meet some expectation of what life abroad is supposed to look like. Because in the end we decide what we get out of something. Whether a moment mattered is up to us.

To be honest, this one was more introspective than my usual videos, and it didn't land for everyone. That's okay. It wasn't really meant to. But if you watched it, sat with it, and let it sit with you for a minute, thank you. That genuinely means a lot.

Summer arrives in Málaga

Summer has settled in here. The weather has shifted, and it now sits consistently in the mid-20s Celsius, a little warmer some days, with blue skies and sunshine that show up like clockwork. The trees and flowers are in bloom everywhere you look, and the whole city feels like it has woken up.

People are out and about, locals and visitors alike, and there always seems to be something going on. Málaga just celebrated Corpus Christi, and between that and the steady run of festivals and music events lately, Málaga feels genuinely alive.

All of it has pulled me outside. I've been hiking more and heading to nearby towns for their festivals. A few weeks back I was in Fuengirola for a festival of the countries, which was a lot of fun.

It has me thinking. I'm in Europe, and part of me wants to use that to see other places. But it's also a good reminder of how much there is right here in Andalusia, the region I actually live in. I don't want to look past all of that while chasing somewhere else.

Where the channel is headed

Instead of a history piece this week, I want to be honest about something happening behind the scenes.

A little while ago, a company reached out to sponsor a video. I'll admit I was excited at first. But the more I talked with them, the more the doubt crept in. The video they wanted was essentially built around their product, and that just didn't sit right with me. It didn't feel authentic.

That turned out to be a useful reminder. This channel is where I get to make the videos I actually want to make, and tell stories from my own perspective, my experiences, and the places I travel. I could chase a quick sponsorship, or the flashy video that racks up views. But those aren't the videos that feel like me, and I don't think they're what you come here for either.

What it really did was get me clear on where I want to go next. Some of it you've already seen, like the reflection in this most recent video. The rest is about getting back to my roots, the off the beaten path corners of Spain that don't usually make the highlight reels. These probably won't be my biggest videos by views or clicks. But they're the ones I have the most fun making, and that feels like reason enough to follow them.

More to come. Stay tuned.

Sabor de España

This week's Sabor de España is proper Spanish food, except it isn't the Spanish you're thinking of. It was Mexican.

Good Mexican food is something I've been craving ever since I moved here, and it's not always easy to find. So when it came recommended, not just by someone who had eaten there but by someone from Mexico who said it was actually good, I had to go. I went recently with a few friends, and the enchiladas did not disappoint. I even ordered dessert, which I forgot to grab a photo of, but it turned out just as good. I'd go back in a heartbeat. It felt like a genuinely authentic Mexican experience right here in Spain.

Before you go

This week I'll leave you with the same question I left in the video: where in your life are you working so hard to make something count that you've stopped actually being in it? I would love to hear your answer. Just hit reply, or email me at hello@evanthewayfarer.com.

One more thing. I'm going to start writing these a little more often, even in the weeks when I don't have a video to publish, just to keep in touch and let you follow along with the journey. And when a new video does go up, I'll always email you so you never miss the latest one.

Thanks for reading. I'll see you in the next newsletter.