Hola amigos!
Wow, another long absence. What is the matter with me?? I just don't have the stick-to-itiveness I once had~
But I am going to try to be extra good this summer, because I have big news (and a big adventure!) to share with you!
For the summer, my family and I have the pleasure and privilege of living in Spain! The entire summer!
It really is thanks to my ever-generous and loving aunt, Tía Chita, that we will have virtually free housing for the entire time in her lovely apartment just outside of Barcelona, in Esplugues de Llobregat. Meanwhile, a fantastic family from Montana is inhabiting our home so that it does not stay empty, and to transition them into a full-time life in Corvallis come September :)
It is also great that we can work from anywhere in the world (literally!) so this is not so much a "vacation" as a "temporary move" I like to think of it as ;) Still sticking to our deadlines and even having the advantage of being "in the future" from our clients so that it's even easier to get our work submitted in time.
So, we arrived last Saturday (exactly one week ago today!!) and life has been grand.
My Spanish is coming back to me day-by-day with every retail interaction, conversation with strangers, and evening catch-up with my tía and prima, Andrea. <3 p="">
My first "big outing" was to purchase the Sunday newspaper because Team Barça had just won the game the night prior, making them "Tricampions", and I have a friend back home who would love to have it. ;)
Every day of the week, there's been something new and exciting to do.
So much walking around to run little errands, exploring the many incredible hidden parks and gardens, dining out, going to the beach, visiting Les Pobles, and today (the highlight of the trip thus far, honestly!) getting a library card from the local library!
My goal for the summer was to live like a true local, and feel that this step is one of the most solidifying yet. The first batch of books we got from the library feature a lot of Naruto (in español y catalá!) and dictionaries from inglés/español and inglés/catalá.
I gotta say, catalá has completely stolen my heart already on this trip.
As a youth, I somewhat loathed the idea that all my years of study and Spanish in the household was almost completely obsolete in the Catalunya region because of how prevalent this local language is. But it is actually so beautiful and really a tribute to the tenacity and pride of the Catalunyan people.
Speaking of languages, the kids have been picking it up too!
They are now fairly good about saying "agua por favor" and "sí, mamà" and other such useful phrases.
The plan for the kids this summer is to put Ella in a day camp and William in a preschool.
It'll be every weekday, 9am-5pm, and Ella's will be completely in español/catalá while William's is more English-oriented as it is an international school.
I think it'll be great for their language learning and making some nice local friends. :)
It starts the last week of June, so we'll see how it goes!
I also gotta say that I think something about the air or something here really agrees with me because my skin is doing a lot better (remember my never-ending struggle with Rosacea?) and I feel like I am firming up all over. ;) Goooo, long walks and a million excuses to get out of the house~!
Sorry for the lack of photos, you'd think I'd be swimming in them, right?
Well, I am not so good at remembering to take photos (too busy living the moment, right??) but I will try to remind Dash to be the photographer and will upload photos here soon.
Well, I just wanted to pop in and get the ball rolling on my summertime blogging.
So until next time (hopefully tomorrow!) take care and ya nos vemos!!
