Our First Week in Spain
We've been in Spain for almost 6 days now. Unpacking our stuff was easy. We arrived with 3 medium sized luggage and 2 carry on bags. Each one of us had our laptop backpack on us.
I've been pretty impressed at the amount of stuff we didn't bring. We were careful not to exceed the weight limits posted on the airline website. In the end, we probably could have brought a few more items but we didn't want anything else to delay us from our departure.
Life is But a Dream
The last couple of days in Austin were surreal. We didn't have a home or our own transportation. We stayed in hotels and relied on the kindness of Nick's dad and my friend Susan to get us to and from places.
After unpacking all of our items we had some time to get settled in. We went walking around our neighborhood. We found our favorite store, LIDL, and bought a few items. We also found our way around our space. It was nice to take a shower and put away clothes, especially since we wore the same clothes for two days in a row.
The next day was filled with excitement. We were all still tired but it would be a few more days before we'd catch up on some sleep. The time difference has been difficult. Being 7 hours ahead of Austin means that all our friends and coworkers are asleep for most of our day. We can start connecting with people around 2pm our time, provided they are early birds.
Setting up a home is something I am pretty good at, so our space felt like a home in a very short time. I had a client session on Thursday evening, less then one day after our arrival. I had another client session on Saturday evening.
Enjoying the Familiar
It has been very easy for me to do my client sessions remotely. I think I've been practicing for this way of working for quite some time now. Alongside me, Nick got straight to work on Friday. Having weeks of international school at the duplex in Austin, he's done well adjusting to his new space. He even did some homework in the Frankfurt airport.
John went back to work yesterday. Today we are all doing our work in different areas of the apartment. Last night was the first night I watched a little Netflix just to relax.
Challenged by the New
The hardest experiences of the past week have definitely been the time difference and troubleshooting appliances. We had some issues with the fridge getting too cold or too warm and I have yet to master the washer/dryer. We have a funny situation with our hot water heater. If you want hot water in the kitchen, you've got to turn the shower on in the bathroom first.
It was terribly hot the first few nights so by Saturday we were out looking for table and floor fans. Our building gives us access to the outside by way of the balcony and a small window in the bathroom. Overnight the air can become very still with all the doors to the balcony closed and it can be hard to get comfortable.
We paid a lot for the fans we found in a shop three subway stops from our place but after using them a few days, the money spent has been well worth it.
Getting Out in the World
Yesterday we took Nick to the Egyptian museum of Barcelona. He has been studying Egypt in World History so we thought we'd take him to see some of the artifacts from that period. And it gave us a great excuse to get out of the house.
The night before, John and Nick found a street festival so we hung out there for a little while. There were a lot of vendors and amazing beef and chicken kabobs. I also had some sangria to take the edge off of the day's laundering events. I will master the washer and dryer programmes one day!
What else? Oh, we have new phone numbers and a European phone plan. I like that we can get a hold of each other easily. Living in a new place with a 14 year old can be a bit nerve-wracking. I feel better now that Nick has a wallet and a working phone again. The other day John got Nick a 90 day metro card at a really good student rate.
We also set up our GoogleFi phone, not once but twice. That was quite the ordeal. Today I need to work on getting WebinarJam up and running for work. I also have an interview this evening to launch my new radio show and webinar work.
Settling In Feels Good
John is settling into work today. Nick is kicking schoolwork's butt. I am still trying to find a way for Nick to play soccer here, youth soccer hasn't been easy to find here.
In a couple of hours, John will call Nick's school to get that darn Biology lab situation resolved, there's been much dropping of the ball, sigh. We'll probably have a late dinner given our schedules. I think John will attend the Esperanto club meeting tonight. I am hoping Nick will go with him.
There you have it, our first week in Spain. Sounds pretty similar to most lives. It is. We get to do it in Spain, though, surrounded by the signs and sounds of Catalan and Spanish.
