Bears in Badalona: Postcards with Tremaine Edmunds | March 25
As told to Gabby Hajduk

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is wrapping up his week in Spain with the Bears. Check out Edmunds' postcard from his final stop, Badalona, and hear about his experience teaching American football.

Hey Bears fans,

I'm checking back in from Badalona on our final day of Mini Monsters clinics in Spain. It's been such an incredible week experiencing a new culture and all of the beautiful cities. Last time I wrote to y'all, I was taking the train from Madrid to Valencia, so we'll start there.

Valencia was definitely more of a beach vibe, which I really enjoyed.

My fiancée joined me there and when we got to the city, they were celebrating a holiday, Las Fallas, so there were fireworks, celebrations, burning of the fires and everything like that. It was a coincidence that our hotel was right beside one of the neighborhoods that was celebrating, so we really just pulled up on it.

My fiancée had been to Spain years ago, specifically Valencia, so when we got there, she was able to reminisce on her time there and really just take that culture back in. Experiencing a city like that together was special – trying new foods, learning the traditions and, as they say here in Spain, enjoying life and taking it one day at a time.

It's been great to share these memories with her because as we all know, time like this is very limited, especially as we get back to football season.

I think our favorite part overall is the food. I don't think I've had one bad meal here and I'm not even exaggerating. Everything tastes so fresh, and you feel great after every meal. I've definitely been trying different Spanish dishes while also having more standard foods like steak or fish. We've been to some great spots and all the food has been fire.

Now we're wrapping up the trip in Badalona. There was some rain the first couple days here, but Tuesday was nice and sunny. I'm excited to explore the city a little bit more before we leave.

I've had the best time helping out with our Mini Monsters clinics, just teaching the sport I love. Seeing the kids come out, dance around, jump around and have fun is something that I appreciate because that's what it's supposed to be. Football is a fun sport, and as a kid, you're at a life stage where there shouldn't be a stress factor. It's the best time in your life because you can be out here with your peers, express your passion and express your personality through sports.

Running around and having fun with the kids here has definitely brought out the kid in me. We all need that sometimes. We all get stressed out, no matter what business we're in, but to be able to bring out your inner child is therapeutic.

Teaching American football in a different country to kids who may or not have played it before has been a learning experience for me as well. Breaking down fundamentals or skills I learned early in life, ones that I don't even think about an a daily basis now, has been eye-opening.

I feel like I'm re-learning the sport that I've been playing my entire life, which is beautiful, because the moment you stop learning is the moment you stop improving. Perfecting your craft is always a constant journey. It's a constant quest to working toward a certain point and once you get there, it's about setting new goals.

Being able to teach kids the small details of the sport is so refreshing.

Overall, I'm just having an amazing time travelling the world, experiencing new cultures and appreciating the fruits of our labor. I say ours because I don't do any of this by myself. That's the reason why I always like to bring family along on these trips, because it feels better to take in the experience with people you love.

I'm grateful for our Bears staff here that has been with me on this trip and in the United Kingdom last year. It's always fun to build new memories with them as well, because we all work hard and sometimes it's OK to take a step back and enjoy this time. Even though it's a work trip, it doesn't feel like work because we're having so much fun.

I'm having fun teaching this sport and seeing parts of the world I don't know if I'll ever have a chance to see again. That's what I appreciate the most.

Thanks for following along on our trip to Spain and I'll see everyone back in Chicago soon!

- Maine