Holy cow indeed, we are coming to the end of our very
porky Spanish leg after five wonderful weeks here in Sagunto. It's flown, of course,
and has been all kinds of wonderful. C is the happiest I've ever seen her.
At first I was worried that she
would be bored here without parks and cafes to walk to. Instead, we’ve swapped
those conveniences for pinecones, feral kittens, grapes from the vine, and affectionate
locals. When we wash at night she’s grubbier than usual with little black
soles, but happy, really happy to have mum and dad close and a new place to
explore.
Of course the
pictures I post on Facebook are the edited highlights. What you don’t see are
our mosquito-bitten bodies, the swarms of ants in the dishwasher, and me
basically crying in the library on day 5 of trying to get a f**king internet
connection. Never knew not being able to work would be so utterly frustrating.
And having family here for basically the whole time has put a fair bit of
pressure on me and Prev but hey, Paradise would be boring...
That said, I’ve
been mostly feeling calm and like there’s space in my brain. My memory has
improved – I no longer need to write every little appointment and task down,
maybe because there are fewer things on the list. Such a luxury to have the
whole day to work on one project. And my evenings work-free to do things like blog and watch forrin news channels. Or drink G&Ts under the stars.
Feeling very
much at home now. Driving on empty roads is a pleasure; piecing together
fragments of Spanish is a pleasure. Going for a pre-bedtime walk with C is
a joy. People here are SO affectionate with kids. It’s quite overwhelming at
times but also a great way of getting over the language barrier and connecting
with people – sharing food (lollipops, yogurts) and games. The main difference
is the lack of inhibition which women – and most notably men - show when fussing
over C with their que guapas and gleeful tickles. It’s extremely refreshing,
and goes hand in hand with the almost complete integration of children into Spanish
life.
So, next week
we move on to Cambridge. It’s gonna be freezing...
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