Reality check

Mamá y sus hijos

Daily life
Lest anyone think by my accounts that all is fun and games over here, I thought I'd make a more raw account of the day to day challenges we face, trying to keep our small family happy. Thankfully the tears and trantrums have subsided when it is time to go to school each day (even on Monday which is typically the hardest day of the week) but that is not always the case after school. Each boy has a list of things they need to work on after school (homework, reading, piano, math facts, etc...) and 4 days a week Clark goes to either deportes (a sports class) up at the school or a fencing class at the local sports center and Colin to futbol practice twice a week (games are on the weekend although we have yet to participate, still not "certified"). As you can imagine, this isn't always what they'd like to do after a full day of sitting in a classroom not understanding a thing. And I must admit that I am not always cheerful and supportive at the end of the day. It can be emotionally exhausting to keep the boys motivated and happy. Thank goodness my husband is both low-maintenance and extremely helpful in keeping the home fires burning (literally and figuratively as he keeps a fire burning in the fireplace in the kitchen that heats our house and the food cooking on the stovetop).  

Alhambra tiles

I am hoping that the boys are learning some good values and coping skills via this experience such as patience, what it feels like to be an outsider/foreigner (empathy), how to get by when times are tough, survival in general and they are certainly not in harms way. It’s been tough on them though and I truly hope they appreciate this experience some day, even if its not for 10 – 20 years. And the parental guilt hopes that I am not doing anything damaging to their young psyches at this delicate age.

Sometimes things are pretty challenging and I get a bit lonely and depressed and wonder if we can last here until next summer and sometimes I am ready to stay here permanently, there is so much excitement, newness and "life" abounding. Oh, the ups and downs!! This is a wonderful practice for me in patience and "being present" which I am supplementing with my weekly yoga and Tai chi classes. (I've even found a group of women who are going to start weekly meditation classes).

Colin as a ghoul (boys helped
out in the "Mansion Encantada"
at the recent school party

Friends/Amigos/Bullying
Clark has been having trouble with a boy at school who is picking on him most likely because he is new, foreign and doesn't understand the language. Tough times for sure but we are working with the teachers to try and find a solution. Clark has been lucky that his best buddy speaks 4 languages (!) which is both very impressive and helpful when it comes to translation. He has already had several sleepovers at this friends house as well as had him over to our house overnight, even mid-week.

Colin has finally started to have some play dates over outside of school and even though they can't communicate fully there is the international language of video games (ie: Wii) so that helps get them started. He has yet to be invited to anyone else's home from school but I'm sure that will come and he has a birthday party invitation for this weekend (he seems to be strangely attracted to twins, just like in Seattle, as two of his best buddies are fraternal twins).

As for myself, it is slow going making good friends and although I have met many wonderful people, they all have very busy lives and their own social networks so I have barely been out without my family in tow so will have to start organizing some social gatherings to help get me out and about (I just discovered baños árabe - think Olympus day spa Seattlites -near our home so hope to make an expedition there shortly). For those of you who know me well, I am very social so miss my girlfriends terribly (if you are reading this, send me an email telling me about your happenings as you already know what I am up to!). Nat has found a few mountain bike buddies and also enjoys the company of our upstairs neighbor Olafur.



"Bloody finger" cookies made by a fellow
mom, Nat and the 6th grade students



Food
Food for the kids has been a bit of a challenge as meals here are not like at home. For starters, breakfast is small and right before school, lunch is at 2pm and dinner not until 9 or 10. And to top it off, the food here is different, particulaly from a kids perspective. Although you can certainly find American cuisine like hamburgers, pizza and nachos, they really aren't like what we eat at home. Hamburguesas are often pork, the pizza has weird, globby cheese on top and the nachos have articifical toppings. And although I am not very picky, some things are downright strange like the "tostada" the boys ordered in a small village one day which was some sort of French toast with a face on it - an oily chorizo for the nose and peppercorns for the eyes. So we are eating lots of pasta (with red sauce or pesto), potatoes and sausages, cereal, hot chocolate and a new favorite: nutella. And of course, plenty of pork. Oink, oink.



Clark and Nat prep fresh pasta at home

Travel
One of the perks of living here, is of course, being able to travel to exotic locations that are so far away from the Pacific Northwest. And as our budget for living expenses is currently a bit less than at home, we are using the extra funds to do my favorite thing: travel. We've just made plans to visit Nat's old buddy (and high school friend) Alison who lives in Firenze, Italia with her husband and two boys. Their family is one of our early insprirations for making this adventure happen as they moved to Italy (from Seattle) some 6 or 7 years ago and after years of listening to the excuses why we couldn't do such a thing (not enough $$, don't speak the language, don't know anyone there, what would our friends think....) I finally got over myself and made it happen.

(NOTE TO READER: whatever your dream, you can make it happen too. I am lucky to have very inspirational friends who have done amazing things from starting their own businesses, to moving across the country, to building their dream home, to running for office to name just a few. No excuses. Start with affirmations or meditation, write it down, just take one small step in the right direction and see what happens. You might just be surprised (see my first blog post).  

Morocco
We're also planning to head to Morocco with our Icelandic neighbors during our 2 week winter break, back in time for the Jan 6th arrival of the Three Kings, apparently a very big deal over here. The current thinking is meeting up with a guide in Tangier and travelling across country to Marrakesh where we will fly back to Spain. If nothing else, this will certainly be a wonderful adventure in the middle of our current adventure.

cumpleaños de Colin
As Colin's 9th birthday is Saturday, we have planned a small party including a "scavenger hunt" in our neighborhood, the Albayzin, and I plan to pair the spanish speaking kids with those in other languages. Then afterwards, we will have whatever families can make it over for American style pulled-pork sandwiches and fruit crisp with ice cream, a few of Colin's favorites. Stay tuned...

The Alpujarras

Shepherds and their flocks still wander the area



Local hike in Capileira

The Alpujarras are an amazing mountain range in the Sierra Nevadas just a couple of hours from our home in Granada. We had heard about them before we arrived and finally got the chance to check them out on another extended weekend (Spanish holiday on Tuesday). Our landlords very nicely left us some recommendations of places to check out so with list in hand, we started driving to the northeast. (Check out the book "Driving Over Lemons" by Chris Stewart for some interesting local background on the area).

Our room at Alqueria Morayma

First stop was just outside of Cadiar at a lovely rural hotel called Alqueria Morayma, owned by some of our neighbors in the Albayzin and fellow parents at our school that we haven't yet met. It was a beautiful country inn with all the charm you could imagine including a lovely pool (closed for the season, although a mouse had had a nice final last swim), restaurant, walking trails and plenty of outdoor seating. We relaxed in our charming room with ceiling built of granite blocks and photographs from the 50's of folks enjoying the Sierras. We drove to the local town of Cadiar before dinner to buy the boys a snack (remember, dinner isn't until 9 or 10) and found the local pizza joint with teenagers hanging out front and discovered that just the week before they had replaced all the water with wine in all of the local fountains as part of an annual fiesta. Darn, one week late.

 

Nat among the barrels at Barranco Oscuro



Vinter corking bottles

 The next day we set out in search of Barranco Oscuro, a local winery that our landlords told us produced some of the best wines in Spain. Having no idea where to go, we got a simple hand-drawn map from someone at the hotel with a few clear turns drawn on the back of a receipt. Unfortunately they had us going derecho (right) instead of izquierda (left) but somehow we still managed to find this very remote location after a few wrong turns down empty rural roads. Once there, we still weren't sure we were in the right place as nobody was about, save for 3 lone perros (dogs). But we wandered around a bit more and came upon a man working in one of the buildings and after a bit of chatting (all in Spanish mind you), he directed us to an older gentleman working hard to replace wine caps with corks. This turned out to be the vintner himself, Manuel Valenzuela, who had us wait about 10 minutes while he finished his task and then proceeded to give us an hour of his time explaining the process of wine production, gave us a tour of the facility and then poured us tastings of many of his vintages (again, all in Spanish). We did a lot of head nodding and certainly didn't understand everything he said but with our familiarity with the wine production process it truly helped the context and we now understood that his wine was totally organic (no sulfites) and was very deliciouso! We left with a kiss on both cheeks and a few bottles to enjoy later, the cava which we watched get its label and then asked Manuel to sign. A very special morning indeed.



Outside the ham tour



Pigs curing in salt

The next stop was Trevelez, the highest pueblo (in altitude) in Spain, where we had an amazing lunch at the local restaurant Piedra Ventana, followed by a tour of the local ham company, very famous in these parts. Again, the tour was completely in Spanish but with a lot of pointing, gesticulating and nodding, we understood quite a bit (although I don't think the boys were too impressed).

Our room in Catifalarga

The view from our room in Capileira

Our home for the next night was in another rural hotel, Catifalarga in the hilltop town of Capileira, a most beautiful tourist village. In the morning we took an amazing kid-friendly hike just up the valley from our hotel in Capileira and after a delicious pizza lunch at a unique piano bar in the nearby village of Mecina, we walked from the small village of Ferreirola to another pueblo called Fondales. It was about a 30 minute hike among olive trees, natural streams and interesting rocks. Both were gorgeous and very unique to the area. All in all, a very romantic getaway, even with kids in tow. (Thank the lord for audiobooks and ipods).

A house in need of renovation in Ferreirola

Searching for gelato in the tiny village of Fondales

Fire, sports and video clips

Fire

Kids fan the bonfire in the garden

We recently had 2 fires. One in our fireplace to heat up the house (it's starting to get cold here at night and this is our main source of heat) and another outside in the garden to burn down the stalks and stems from the previous harvest. Soon we will plant something new.

Cub Scouts

Big boulders that Opa would love

Nat recently helped put together this silly video clip for the Cub scout pack back home. CLICK HERE to see what the boys have been up to in Granada.

Los Cahorros

One of 5 suspension bridges

Boys scale the edge

We took a wonderful hike a a place very nearby Granada called Los Cahorros and it was a perfect walk for two energetic little boys as it included hanging suspension bridges, rock climbing, animal skeletons and fording rivers (if one so desired). We took a circular route that was about 8 kilometers and ended up passing by goats, chickens and horses on the return. A perfect Fall outing and especially pleasant to be enjoying such sunny weather in late October.

Tai-chi and yoga
I am trying to put myself out there in my Spanish learning so have signed up for a class at the local community center that is around the corner from us. Classes are quite affordable and there is a variety of activities including yoga, flamenco, painting, drawing, etc... By the time I learned about it many of the classes were already full and as Tai-chi was what was left and I figured I could follow along even though my Spanish is poor, I signed up. I am also taking yoga at a local studio . Although I know the moves from 10 years of practice, I am struggling with the humility of not knowing what to do next so watch the other students for clues.

Learning Spanish
Here is a cute game that someone taught the boys. Colin is holding up his fingers which are labeled with Q - U - E - S - O while saying "Que es eso? Eso es queso!" (Translation: What is this? This is cheese!)

Mountain biking

A remote, tiny church still in use

At an ancient monestary

Beautiful views

I joined a few menfolk for an amazing 3 hour mountain biking tour that we can do right from the house. Nat calls it "old man mountain biking" which I have to agree with as it wasn't too technical (a few wet stream crossings in the beginning as well as a few uphills that are very tricky) but for the most part the path is wide and the climbing and downhills manageable. My newly tuned bike's chain broke right before we started but Nat and Lassi (Icelandic neighbor) were right there with the tools and know-how to fix it and thankfully it held. The route is a figure eight through spectacular scenery in the surrounding hills and includes incredible views, a stop at the ruins on an ancient monestary and a very remote tiny church that is still used on occasion. The best part, of course, was the celebratory drinks and tapas after the ride at our favorite hangout, Bar Kiki. We hope to bring our favorite waiter along next time.

Here's another video of the boys testing out a new toy they built (with a little help from Dad):



Tarifa, NIE cards and more!



The white sand beaches of Tarifa (those
hills in the background are Morocco)



Nat shreds Tarifa (kids in foreground)

Surfin' Safari

Just back from our first official overnight road trip and would deem it a big success. First off, note that the location was chosen to appease both my husband and the boys. We went to Tarifa, windsurfing mecca on the southern coast of Spain, just across the straits of Gibralter from Morocco (about a 3 hour drive from Granada). Think white-sand beaches, palm trees, plenty of wind and best of all NO PEOPLE! We were there on the shoulder season so the crowds of summer had already started to disperse.

Digging in the sand

Some neighbors gave us some great recommendations on where to stay so we checked out 2 different locales. One had simple bungalows (think yurt) right near a hip, surfer hangout beach bar and the other was a wonderful beachside hotel with all the amenities.

If you haven't figured it out by now, tapas are a big deal here in Spain. Little plates of starters that often come free when you order a drink. One night at dinner we were served 4 slices of melon with little toothpicks in them along with a few small yellow squares with red sides which I assumed were slices of cheese. Unfortunately they turned out to be pats of butter (with paprika on the sides?) which I found out after stuffing one in my mouth, but thankfully the bread was close at hand.

Now where did I leave the boat keys?

Clark climbs a tree

Lifestyles of the rich and famous
Another friend told us to check out Sotogrande, a swanky golf community, on our drive down and recommended we have lunch at the Puerto (harbor) at the very fancy Ke Cafeteria which was a fascinating place. Apparently these are artificial islands where one can park their boat next to their townhome. We were definitely underdressed.  

The southern tip of Spain in Tarifa.
The Atlantic ocean is on one side
and the Mediterreanean the other

We're legal! (I think)
We got 4 letters via the post last week via certified mail (I had to sign for them), all official looking in Spanish legalese and requesting our presense at the local immigration office in a week's time. Worried that we had done something wrong (we still haven't heard back from the Spanish consulate in San Francisco), I nervously approached some neighbors for help translating and I was assured it was good news -- our temporary residancy has been approved. So off we went to the office, with another new friend along to help us with translation, and after less than a half hour wait, we were out the door with NIE cards (actually, they'll be ready in a month). These are basic ID cards used here but they also prove legal residancy so I am feeling a lot better about our status. Maybe all those hours of tracking down documents, fed ex fees and accumulating paperwork were indeed worth it?

Futbol, flat tires and fencing

View from nearby Sacromonte

Watch your vocabulary
I went to get my haircut and colored last week in a very trendy place called the Underground hair factory recommended by two of my friends. When talking to my new Portuguese hairdresser (very tatooed and nose-ringed I might add), I mentioned that one of the friends who recommended his place was now "peligroso" which I thought meant redhead. But apparently I got it wrong as "pelirroja" is redhead so I had actually described my friend as dangerous. Big difference.

Uncertified player
Now I'm sure folks who come to the US have these same challenges so I don't mean to criticize but we've been having some difficulties getting all our ducks in a row, particularly when it comes to documentation. (As I've mentioned, we're still waiting on our visa's which we applied for in June). Right now, it turns out Colin isn't yet certified to play on the "federated" futbol team we signed up for several weeks ago. Something to do with his residency status. We've turned in another copy of his passport and are hoping to streamline the process but I'm not holding my breathe.

Flat tire

These guys saved Nat's bacon (so to speak)

Nat went out on his mountian bike for the third time this week to practice the new route shown to him by Juan last weekend. Unfortunately he didn't have his backpack with him as he had accidentally left it locked in a storage locker at the futbol game the night before and 2/3 of the way through the ride he got his first flat tire. Big problem as his backpack contained all his bike tools, patch kit and extra innertubes. As he was pushing his bike back home, a gang of four Spanish cyclists stopped and actually patched his tire for him! Would that happen at home?

Clark's starts Fencing classes
Would you willingly give your 11 year old son a sword to play with? Thanks to the help of one of our neighbors, Clark is now (semi-happily) taking fencing classes at the local sports center twice a week. Don't try this at home! (particularly with your younger brother).

Albunuelas

Spanish tortilla

We went for a hike from a small village in the nearby Lecrin Valley called Albunuelas (this is actually one of the places I considered living). It is a very small community and we defintitely felt like outsiders as we walked thru the streets trying to find our way and stopped for a drink at the town's only restaurant. We were hoping for a short loop hike but had trouble following the markers, part of which is for the G7 which runs across Spain (as well as some other countries in Europe). Frustrating as we never did find the correct path, but it was wonderful to be out in the countryside on such a lovely afternoon and the views were spectacular.

Monster butterfly likes green

Boys play their own version of chess

Back to the Parque de la Ciencias (science museum) on Sunday as it seems to be a favorite of the boys. This time we visited the butterfly house and the rest of the Escher exhibit. On the way home we happened upon a Medieval Festival where the boys sampled crepes Nat and I tried the suckling pig.

Escher exhibit in Granada




Suckling pig at Medieval fiesta


This weekend? We're heading further south, as far as we can go without crossing in to Africa. We're heading to the land of wind and sun and waves and the real reason I got Nat to sign on for a year abroad....

Aniversarios y cumpleanos (anniversaries and birthdays)

15 happy years!

Nat and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary by going out to lunch at a local restaurant while the boys were at school. (We still haven't quite figured out how to pick them so it wasn't epic but we did get a free dessert). After school we took Colin to get passport photos (3 are needed) and new sports shoes for his futbol team (a different kind than he wears in the U.S.) These simple errands take much longer than at home as we have to figure out where to go, how to communicate with shopkeepers, etc... Then we had pizza and gelato at an outdoor cafe on the edge of Plaza Bib-Rambla which is a beautiful square downtown with the piped-in sounds of screetching birds (random). The kids are having a hard time right now so hard to celebrate in a big way. Perhaps in a few months....

Authentic Valencian Paella cooked by
our neighbor Jose Luis

Chef Jose Luis in his garden

We helped our neighbor José Luis celebrate his birthday this weekend but he did all the work. He cooked 15 of us an amazing, authentic Valencian paella in his beautiful garden (he's from Valencia where paella was born) that was not only unbelievably delicioso but a learning experience as well. Nat went early to be his "un pinche" (soux chef) and learned some new techniques. This was a traditional Valenciano recipe with chicken and rabbit (we didn't tell the kids) and Nat was surprised to learn that he used no onions or saffron in the dish (the onions get too soggy and saffron is nice but unnecessary). Uncle Ted would be so proud!

Nat's new mountain bike buddies:
Juan and Juan dos (2)

On Saturday morning Nat got up early to go mountain biking ride with a couple of local Spaniards (Juan and Juan 2) who showed him how it was done. They rode up the valley below Sacromonte and up in to the hills for some amazing views of the city and surrounding countryside. They only spoke in Spanish and he had a wonderful time seeing through the eyes of a local.

Overlooking the city

I must be starting to look like I know what I'm doing as two people have actually asked ME for directions (one tourist, one local!). Not that I was able to help, mind you.

Los ninos with their most relished Wii

After many years of trying to keep home entertainment systems at bay, we have finally broken down and bought a Wii for the boys. One was supposed to be included with the house when we arrived but it was miscommunicated and los ninos have been badgering us for one ever since. And as it was the only thing they were looking forward to about moving to Spain and as their birthdays are both this Fall, we decided to finally acquiesce. Nat had fun buying it in Spanish at the local department store and the shopkeeper even helped him get the best deal. We're really hoping it's worth the 4 years of begging we've put up with. Lord knows the boys don't need anymore screen time. We've given them 2 weeks to keep the menus in English.

Chocolate in flour

Wrap your buddy in TP!

So the "surprise" party for Clark at Parque  Huerta del Carlos turned out well, better than expected actually. Clark was truly surprised (although he knew something was going on) and about one third of his class made an appearance. We played some new games that I learned about through other parents (one involved unrolling toilet paper and another finding the chocolate in a pile of flour without using your hands -- see photos). And we were almost busted by the policia for serving alcohol (they arrived on horseback and gave us a warning). At least I think that's what happened....

Three-legged race

Policia on horseback

Lego Space Needle

Reality is settling in

Tea with Big T (or as I like
to call her "T Grande")

Primer Mes (first month)

Today marks our first month in this country and as to be expected, we are coming down from the high. We had some good friends visit from the U.S. this past week which was both wonderful and difficult. Wonderful to see familiar faces and share the fascinating things that we are learning but difficult to figure out what to do, as we don’t know all that much yet. It was also a rough week for the boys at school so I spent too much time worrying about them when in reality I know they will be just fine in the long run.

Colin & Bill on the Tower
at the Alhambra

Our landlord was also in town briefly to pick up some things he needs both back in Singapore and also for his elder daughter who has relocated to Italy to continue school there so I’m glad Nat got a chance to meet him. Antonio introduced him to the bartender at Bar Kiki, our local tapas place and they really rolled out the red carpet for him (special wines, unique tapas - even shark) as folks were so glad to see him back in town.  

Arial of our house from the Alhambra



The Icelandic family’s elder daughter is sick again which has to be very stressful for them. Their younger daughter, who has been very quiet for the last month, has been spending extra time with us as of late and all of the sudden, English is just flowing out of her and she is working so hard to be understood and share stories. Very inspiring indeed. I expect she will put us all to shame in a few months’ time with her Spanish language skills. Nat and I continue to plod along.

Otoño (Autumn)

The weather just broke here and it is glorious Fall weather now (ie not too hot); beautifully sunny with a bit of cold in the air but much more pleasant for walking around in. The evenings are chilly so a sweater is necessary when going out and yesterday afternoon it rained so the locals moved inside restaurants for their meals while us tourists still enjoyed the outdoor terraces (albeit with a chill). I hope to start yoga in early October with a group of moms from the school and will try and get back to running now that it isn’t so sweltering.

Downtown Granada at sunset

They have started to pull the non-native speakers out for Spanish classes at school so hopefully Clark & Colin will start to feel a bit more comfortable with their language skills. They tease me incessantly about my pronunciation which I expect is valid so we will have to work extra hard to keep up. We've also been to the Parque de la Ciencias again, this time for an Escher exhibit, and had some Spanish neighbors over for Moroccan stew.

Iphones

Pájaro (Birds)

Just when you thought things were going to be easy, they get difficult. It has been challenging to try and figure out how to get our i-phones to work over here but I left the job to my techy husband and after weeks of research, “jailbreaking” our phones and replacing the SIM cards, we finally have success. And a good thing too as I can’t seem to make an online bank transfer without a Spanish mobile number and I need to pay our rent. So different!

¡una fiesta de cumpleaños!

Clark’s 11^th birthday is Monday and the boy who has never wanted a birthday party in his life has asked for a “surprise party” this year. Since he doesn’t really know many people yet and is too shy to ask, we’ve decided to invite his entire class to a local park for the afternoon (ie 6:00pm) and just see who shows up. Apparently this is fairly common and I expect anywhere from 10 – 50 people could come so we’ll have to remain flexible with our food and game plans. I’m thinking popcorn and watermelon as those are his favorites.