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Friendliness and Personal Space
Something I’ve noticed this week is how much more comfortable people are with public displays of affection. At the beach, couples are holding each other in the water and lying on each other’s chests on a towel. But it’s not just at the beach. All of Will’s soccer coaches are very touchy- messing up a kid’s hair when they say hello, placing hands on shoulders to cheer them up after a mistake, lots of high fives and…
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More Soup, Smaller Suits
In no particular order, here are some things I like: Walking everywhere Yesterday, I walked 8 miles. This included a morning school drop-off, a walk to the library to study with my neighbor (and get a library card!), a walk home from school after pick-up, and a walk to and from the back-to-school night meeting. My feet haven’t quite adjusted. They’re tired! I look around and see Spanish women walking around in little sandals with absolutely no…
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I honestly have no idea what I am doing with my life right now.
WHAT HAVE I DONE?! I don’t know if I will stay longer than one year. There is so much paperwork, stress, constant language barriers and feeling like an idiot for not being able to communicate, confusion, and a general feeling of being untethered. There are looming problems: Chris won’t be able to drive beyond 6 months without a new driver’s license… he has to take a driving exam in Spanish, and pass a driving test with an…
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Rabies Was Not on My Radar
This week, I have been ruminating a lot about worst-case scenarios. Chris and I took a short drive one day to go on a hike, and the thought popped into my head: What if we get in a car accident and die while the boys are at school, and they are orphaned? How soon can my parents get here? Do they have their numbers at the school? Should I add international people to the emergency contact list?…
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A Whirlwind
We are not even a week into being back, and I believe we have solved no less than 100 various problems already. I need to wake up thinking, “What solutions will we find today?!” instead of “What disappointments lie ahead of me today?”. I can’t change circumstances, I can’t change Spanish bureaucracy, but I can change my attitude. Without going into too much detail, we thought Will’s spot on a top soccer team was a sure thing,…
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We are officially and legally here!
This summer has been anything but easy for us, but a huge sense of relief rushed over me once we got through customs! Yes there is still more paperwork to deal with to be residents (something called a TIE which gives you local residence and you can get things like bus passes and library cards), but it’s all going to be manageable. Chris woke up earlier than me and he got a rental car and groceries. The…
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Visas approved!
Today, we officially picked up our passports with the visas that will allow us to live in Spain for one year! To say this process has been confusing and anxiety inducing would be an understatement. BUT… we are officially allowed to embark on this adventure. I can’t wait to continue on this journey after enduring quite the side quest of a summer.
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An Unfortunate Turn of Events
We knew there was a small possibility this could happen. We even joked that this whole move could end up being a very expensive 90-day vacation with no home to return to. We told ourselves that if it happened, we’d figure it out. Unfortunately, it happened. Chris’s business plan—the pathway to our visa—was not approved. We trusted our lawyers, who were very confident it would be approved. We knew we were taking a bit of a gamble…
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My (almost) Win of the Week
A few days ago, I wanted to make appointments with a pediatrician for each of the boys—just an initial visit to bring their vaccine records and get to know one doctor before we have a real medical issue. To apply for Chris’s visa, we had to purchase private health insurance for our whole family. In the U.S., I know how to compare policies, understand the difference between HMOs and PPOs, and find good pediatricians. Here? I had…
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Meeting the Neighbors
I am absolutely convinced that we could not have landed in a better community. We have met the most welcoming group of people. On night ONE of arriving here, we were invited to a potluck the following week for a local holiday. Starting on day two, the boys were being invited to play with the other kids. Now that we have been here almost a week, we have watched Spain play a World Cup match in someone’s…
formerly in the city, in the suburbs, by the lake, and by the mountains
