Have Mercy on us La Merce!!

There is no doubt about in my mind, the Spanish know how to throw a mean fiesta!  They are organized, they are festive and they are beyond full of energy.  And at times, they can even be dangerous!  But mostly they are happy and festive :)

This weekend was the La Merce festival, the largest festival of the year here in Barcelona.  The opening ceremonies were Thursday night, Friday was a state holiday and the events continue on thru Monday.  According to my trusty Barcelona Yellow website that keeps me up to date on these events, there were actually over 600 events planned over this long weekend with over 2000 artists performing.  So what you will read below is really only a smattering of the things that we had the option of doing this weekend.

So what are we celebrating you ask?  We are celebrating the Patron Saint of Barcelona - the Virgin Mary, also known here as La Merce.  The words "Merce" in Catalan and "Merced" in Spanish mean mercy in English.   Barcelona Yellow states that "According to legend, on the night of 2nd August 1218, the Virgin appeared to the Catalan knight and later Saint Pere Nolasc telling him to form a sacred order of monks in her name, the Order of Merced, dedicated to ransoming ordinary and poor Christians imprisoned by the Saracen pirates during the wars of the crusades, who could not afford their ransoms... Centuries later in 1687 the Virgin of La Mercè is also accredited with banishing a plague of locusts....After the locust plaque disappeared the Council of the City named her patron saint of. she was canonised as a saint in 1868 by the Pope Pius IX."

THURSDAY - OPENING CEREMONY

On Thursday, Josh left work a little early and we all headed down to Placa Jaume for the opening ceremonies.  Here we were met by huge crowds (and I hate crowds) to watch the parade enter into the Placa.  The parade consisted of all of the primary characters we would witness during the next few days - the Gegantes (the giants), the devils, the Eagle, the Dragon and the Lion.  This event also has traditional dances and uses several instruments that are used only for the La Merce Festival so it is a sight to witness. 

Aidan waiting for the parade to start

However, Aidan and Liam being 6 and 3, were bored after about an hour, mainly because we weren't in a great viewing position to watch their entrance into city hall.  But we did get the opportunity to see the giants make their way thru the City Hall!  Click here for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYJ901z6xew

The gegants entering the back of City Hall - they actually had to duck and at one point they had to remove the costume and lay the gegante down to fit him in!

Watching from Daddy's shoulders

At the end as we were walking out of City Hall we hearding a lot of banging - turned out they were doing fireworks above City Hall Plaza which was fantastic to see!  Glad we didn't miss that!

FRIDAY - CASTELLERS, CREPES & THE ICE BAR! 

On Friday our grande plan was to be in Placa Jaume for the 8AM kickoff.  Yes, we were shocked that anything here would start at 8AM given that most places here don't even open til 10.  8AM is VERY early!  And alas, we have become a bit on the Spanish side and couldn't get our butts out of bed early enough on this public holiday and managed to meander down there around noon.

The Placa, like Thursday night, was already packed full of people.  We started off in a really good location for viewing the Castellers but were over a 1/2 hour early for the event so we decided to walk around for a little while. 

The Gegantes are lined up getting ready to head back into City Hall before the start of the Castellers.

Aidan is not super thrilled to be here though in the end he did like the Castellers.

After showing Josh where the oldest stone in Barcelona resides, we attempted to make our way back to our original position, but it wasn't happening.  The crowds were too thick and getting thru with a stroller was near impossible.  So we got as far as we could, however at this point, I looked back and Josh was no longer with us!  Shit!  At least it was an adult I lost and not a kid, right?  So I decided to push thru the crowd in the hopes to make it to the other side of the barriers. 

We got thru the barriers into wide open space that was set for where the event was going to be held.  We tried to walk towards our original destination but were turned around and the ceremony was about to begin!  So as luck would have it we had to push our way thru the front of the crowd, "earning" ourselves front row seats.  This was all well and fine til about a half hour in when Aidan felt the need to pee badly.  For the next half hour we had some excessive whining (I still didn't know where Josh was - but found that he got lost in the pushing thru the crowd part - we did meet up after the castellers). 

Police pushing the crowds back to make room!

Marching band before the Castellers come out!

Some of the characters in the parade...

More characters ...

Aidan's favorite - the Dragon with boobs!

I believe this is a falcon, another symbol of this event.

The King and Queen do a dance before the Castellers begin...

You might be wondering at this point what the Castellers are, right? Well they are human towers. And the Spanish take it very seriously with competitions of this nature. How high can you go?? And literally topping off the tower is always a small child. Now, I've questioned a few things here about kids - they don't wear bike helmets, they ride in the basket of their parents bikes on occassion, the smallest of children are out til the wee hours of the night with their families, they aren't watched as vigilently as we watch our children at home, etc etc. But over time I've put all those feelings aside (my kids still wear bike helmets regardless) because it's obvious how much they love their children and how much children are a part of the Spanish culture here. However, feelings aside, putting a child on a very high tower like this would warrant a call from DSS at home - it's just not safe no matter how you slice it. Though if I must defend the Spanish, they are all about tradition and this is most definitely a tradition here. From what I understand we did miss the competition between the different Casteller groups in the city when it came time for us to leave (you would not believe how hard it was to leave going thru this huge crowd with two kids and a stroller!).

Some of the Castellers making their way to the City Hall - they not only are towers but they move as well and are essentially pushed forward by a group of people to their destination.

Here is a video of one of the Castellers groups making their way across the Placa.  I'm annoyed that the video won't switch to a vertical position so you'll have to watch it sideways - sorry!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJRqQGMSnT8

After departing Placa Jaume we decided to get some crepes at our favorite crepe place - Creps a Barcelona.  And as we entered the restaurant, who should we run into but the Perssons!  Gina, Jorgen and Adam were checking out the festivities as well and so after much discussion we actually ended up at the ... Ice Bar.  Yes, the Ice Bar had nothing to do whatsoever with La Merce.  But only Josh and I had been there and it was a nice stroll to the beach and so off we went!  And it is not unusual here to take your kids to a bar - and no, the kids didn't drink any adult beverages there either in case you were wondering.  But they all did love the ice!!  In the end it was yet another fabulous day, but the best was yet to come!!!

Aidan, an avid fan of the Simpsons, was ecstatic to see this sand sculpture of Homer Simpson at the beach and had to take a picture of it.  He also requested it go on the blog so here it is!

Aidan obsessed with climbing the jungle gym after seeing the Castellers this morning!

Liam at the Ice Bar - the jacket is bigger than he is!!

Adam and Gina with a little Liam poking his head up next to them!

Josh and Aidan at the ice bar checking out the glass made of what else - ice!

Liam reminding me of the Christmas Story movie - thankfully his tongue did not get stuck!

Aidan in front of Sagrada Familia

SATURDAY - CORREFOC (FIRE RUN), FIREWORKS AND PAELLA!!!

This is the event we've been hearing about and waiting for (some more than others I will admit), the Correfoc!!!  You read that correctly, running with fire.  Kind of like putting kids on top of human towers, this is an event that's not for the weak of heart (and there were MANY children in attendence for this event as well).  This is one of the most popular events of the La Merce festival with upwards of 70,000 spectators expected (enough to make my dislike of crowds heart race).  The "run" starts off with the opening of the gates of hell where the devils then run thru.  These devils then spray the crowd with fire.  Yes, again you are reading that correctly, they taunt you and then spray you with these giant sparklers that are on the ends of their pitchforks and coming out of the mouths of dragons and other fire beast type characters (we saw a dinosaur, an iguana, a pig, a horse, etc).  It is said that about 80,000 fireworks are used for this event and I believe them.

Before arriving at the Correfoc I read up on it and saw that it is important to wear clothing that covers you from head to toe - hats, scarves, 100% cotton shirts (synthetics go up in flames faster apparently - yikes!), long pants and full coverage shoes (no flip flops).  When I told this to Josh he laughed at me and attempted to go in shorts and a tee shirt - thankfully I prevailed and he was well protected.  However, that did not stop my semi-psychotic husband from jumping right into the mix once the gates of hell opened and I will say that the most fantastic pictures you will see below, were ones that he took from the center of "hell".  You'll also see some videos below that we took!

Gina, Jorgen and I decided to stay closer to the sidewalk during the "parade" though that didn't stop us from trying to stay out of the devils' reach from their spray of sparks.  Both Gina and I did get hit with some sparks and let's just say, they didn't tickle.  I don't know how those in the brunt of the storm managed... Josh??  At the same time, while freaking out about the fire raining upon us, we also couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all and to know that the only place to experience something of this extreme is here in Barcelona and it is one of the things we love about living here.  This city has character - no doubt about it!!! 

The start of the Correfoc - the Gates of Hell which will open and let the devils thru!

Working our way towards where we want to stand we come upon some of the "devils" getting their gear ready...

Thankfull we've got the Bombers ready to go in case of an emergency - we shall stand relatively close to them!

Gina and Jorgen having a pre-Correfoc drink to get ready!

Let the craziness begin!!

Of the 6 videos we took, 3 are worth posting...

1.  The Gates of Hell opening up and the devils start to come thru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18WLG6FBVPY&feature=channel

2.  The Devils showering everyone with fire!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lCpPXHR1NQ&feature=channel

3.  Josh jumps into the mix!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTjxDVGP8Bk&feature=channel


We didn't make it to the finale where it is said that the devils are sent back to hell.  After a good hour plus of watching the devils run down the street, we'd had enough.  Instead, we went drinking...oh and to the actual fireworks show at the beach!  Let's not forget, there were still more fireworks to be seen!! 

We arrived at the beach just in time for the start of the fireworks.  But after having been in the thick of our own firey display moments before, we headed right for a bar on the beach to watch them.  We were rather surprised to see that most of the beach restaurants/bars were relatively empty while the fireworks were going on so we managed to secure a great table/couch with a fabulous view of the fireworks.  And our timing was great because the moment they ended, the restaurants all started filling up with people just going for their dinner at 10:30. 

Fireworks in Villa Olimpica

Having a drinkie (or two) before dinner!

But our night was not yet over, at 11 we were expected at La Fonda for paella with more friends.  In the end, we were at a table of 12 and may not be welcome back after the food throwing that was going on (Gina, Josh???).  We laughed a lot and had an absolutely fabulous time.  2 AM came mighty quick and we were the last ones in the restaurant (they couldn't have hated us that much).  I believe most of the gang went on to yet another club / bar but it was time for Josh and I to make our way home, those kids wake up mighty early still! 

This weekend was definitely full of fantastic events and of traditions that we know we can't see living anywhere else.  It really made us thankful for this opportunity to live here and enjoy these experiences! 

Julie

"Slug"ging Along...

In recent weeks we have been experiencing a strange phenomenon in our back patio.  Slugs.  Lots of them.  I'd say at least a hundred a night when they are there.  They are only there at night and by morning they are gone.  And while you would think a slug would be a slow mover, apparently they are not since as recently as last night we had a few that made it thru the open slider door (screens are not common in Barcelona since we "supposedly" don't have mosquitos to worry about) and about halfway across our living room floor before we noticed them!  This was the night after one had managed to climb up to the door handle and when I went to close the door at night accidentally had it in my hand - you may have heard the scream back there in the States!

It appears they show up more often after it rains - similar to the earthworms we get at home in the driveway and streets after a good rainstorm.  The only difference here is that we don't know where they come from! 

We know the earthworms are aptly named because they come from the earth.  The grass and soil absorb so much water in a decent rain storm that they are forced to come up for air above the surface.  But here in Barcelona, in our apartment in particular, we have no grass.  We have some fake turf that we put on top of some wooden planks but not that these slugs are bright by any means but I'm going to guess they know the difference between turf and actual grass and soil.

So we have a few questions about these slugs:

Where are they coming from?  According to the website I just checked out - it appears that most slugs are your garden variety.  I don't have a garden, I don't have grass, so I'm not sure why they are attracted to our patio.  The 2 likely places they are coming from is our drain and from under the wooden planks we put down over the rocks so the kids would have more play area (you cannot pay me to look under there - perhaps we will send Josh out later!).  Apparently they thrive in high moisture.  I find that very interesting that they would even be here in Barcelona - we get maybe 40-60 days of rain per year and the air is more dry than humid - so how did they end up here? 

Where do they go when they aren't infesting our patio?  Are they coming from the drain that is in the middle of our patio and being forced up when it rains not unlike the earthworm from his home?  They are noctural (fun fact for you Aidan) and come out to feed at night.  But they go to their "home" to sleep all that food off when they aren't here I guess.

And finally what good are slugs?  We know that the earthworms help to cultivate the soil and are good for grass and crops.  Slugs are absolutely no good, destroying crops by eating roots, leaves, stems and fruits - and I should have no problems with my conscience if I get rid of them.  They do not eat bugs or help the environment according to what I have just read.  All I need are some toads, snakes, ducks, chickens and raccoons which some of the most common predators of slugs.  Those should be pretty easy to find here ;)  Until then I guess we'll just have to deal with our little nocturnal guests and keep our doors closed at night!

Just a few fun facts I found out:
*  Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs.   Apophallation allows the slugs to separate themselves by one or both of the slugs chewing off the other's penis. Once its penis has been removed, the slug is still able to mate using only the female parts of its reproductive system.  (Men reading this be thankful we don't do that to you after mating!).
*  They actually have two pairs of antenae on their head - the top is for sensing light and the bottom for sensing smell.

They seem to gravitate to the food and water bowls which now need to be rinsed daily!  Disgusting!!!!

Julie

My Daily Intercambio

An intercambio is essentially an exchange of language - and here there are many groups that do intercambios in various languages; people looking to improve upon the language of their choice.  For me, the obvious intercambio choice would be Spanish.  But I'm not so into the formal intercambios that get together... I like something that's just a bit more organic.  Let me introduce you to Jose. 

So who is Jose you ask?  Jose works in the building next to Aidan & Liam's bus stop.  And every day since Aidan began school last January he comes outside for his break when I am waiting for the school bus.  Our conversations started off slowly - we went from hola and como esta usted?  To talking about the weather, talking about our children (his are my age and he has no grandkids yet), about vacations, the kids' school, my work and Josh's work and really pretty much everything under the sun, poco a poco (little by little) at least. 

This is my daily informal intercambio and Jose is the only one that I do this with on a regular basis.  I'm motivated by these conversations because I don't want to say the same old thing day in and day out so as I walk to the bus stop I try to review in my head those topics that (a) I want to discuss and (b) that I want to discuss and can actually figure out some of the words in Spanish in which to discuss them!  I know that he would never judge me for not knowing the words I want to use, but this is still good motivation - while there is no pressure except that I put on myself, to me it is pressure for me to learn so that Jose will want to continue to talk to me.  And today knowing that I was writing this entry, I was prepared for my best intercambio yet and was so thrilled when we actually had what I could essentially deem a conversation rather than just small talk.

It is people like Jose that encourage me to continue with my studies and who have shown me the patience that I wish more people (including myself) possessed.  After 8 months you would think he would have changed his break time so he wouldn't have to torture himself with my limited Spanish capabilities, but no, every day he is there and every day we talk about something, anything.  And I look forward to these conversations every day.  Jose, thanks for the encouragement -  one of these days I promise we will have a full conversation, pantomime free!

Julie

My New iPhone!!! And Learning to Navigate the Chaos that is Spanish Cell Service.

You are probably looking at the title of this entry and thinking, "has she been functioning without a cell phone for the last 8 1/2 months??".   The answer to that is no, I have a cell phone.  A Blackberry if you must know.  However, my cell phone is a US Blackberry with a Spanish SIM card.  It is a marriage that has not been working and after 8 months of having to shut down my phone several times a week (if not per day) in order to receive messages, a ringer that never seems to ring and an internet connection that won't work because for some reason it sends mixed messages about whether it is a Spanish or US phone, it was time to make the leap.  A leap to a new phone and a new carrier.

Why a new carrier?  Well when we moved here and Josh was getting our apartment ready for the arrival of myself and the kids, he was in charge of getting my cell phone.  Now he did nothing wrong so my change is not because of him - he did exactly what I would have done.  He went to the 3rd party vendor that does EVERYTHING in English.  Yup, I would have done that too.  In addition to them speaking English, the contract was a nice short one, 3 months and then month by month from there.  So it would give us time to determine who we want to be with and to adjust to our new Spanish life without having to deal with a phone.

So now 8 1/2 months into things I've decided I cannot bear this phone any more.  I was going to just suck it up but when Josh pointed out that both Orange and Vodafone (the two primary carriers here) were having deals on the iPhone I decided what the hell, might as well jump on the iPhone bandwagon. 

But who here has ever gone to a cell phone store and enjoyed the transaction that takes place when going thru all the options of plans, data, number of minutes, who can you call (same carrier or does it cost to call a different carrier), when can you call, etc etc etc.  Ok think about how torturous that is for you.  Ok, now do it in Spanish.  Yeah, your getting it.  NOT FUN.

I had done some research prior to going to Vodafone, my new choice of carrier known to have a much better network than my current carrier, Orange.  I knew both were having deals on the iPhone 4 though I have to say the deals were much clearer (or so I think) on the Orange website.  Regardless, I wanted the iPhone 4, 32GB. 

I take my Irish passport, a copy of my NIE information (this is the Spanish equivilant to a social security number), a printout of the iPhone 4 and my banking information and head off to Vodafone which is about 3 blocks from our apartment.  I will say that I practically ran there because it was already after 2 and siesta starts anywhere from 2 - 2:30 for most businesses and on Saturday many do not reopen again til Monday morning. 

Whew!  They were open!  I go in and confidently (ok maybe not super confident but confident enough) and tell them in Spanish that I want a new iPhone.  Does she have the 32GB one?  No she does not, but she has the 16GB.  I ask in Spanish if I can get the 32GB at another location.  She shows me a listed of locations and yet she said ningun (none) have the 32GB one.  Hmmmm...interesting.  Part of me feels like I should go to some of these locations and exhibit some patience about getting my new phone - do some more research.  But no, that means I have to get up the courage to pursue this at each and every store not to mention get myself to each and every store which is just a pain in the ass.  Ok, I'll just take the 16GB, it's still going to be 1000x better than the phone I have now.

She asks me if I am currently a Vodafone customer.  No, I'm not.  My carrier is Orange but my contract is thru Bright.  Bright???  Ah yes, that's in English so I write it out for them and she understands now (apparently my pronounciation of the word in English was not good, maybe I should have put it with a Spanish accent) - they call it Brillante apparently.  Why they would change the company name for themselves when the company is based in Barcelona is beyond me. 

Regardless we go back and forth for a few minutes on if I should transport my number and if I can or cannot do so without a penalty.  I call Josh to confirm my 3 month contract with Bright / Orange because this seems to have caused confusion that there would be a 3 month contract out there.  I really want to transport my number because in the 8 1/2 months that I've lived here I've only known my phone number for weeks.  Yes, it took me 8 months to remember my phone number.  But now that I know it, I'll be damned if I'm switching it!!!  They look up Bright's website to see about the contracts, etc. 

We've looked over my NIE information and my passport (because our NIE is a European one we don't have ID cards with our pictures therefore we need to use our passport in some places such as when getting a contract or going to some of the local stores such as FNAC and Al Campo - why they give the US citizens ones with pictures and yet the European ones don't is again, beyond me).  My NIE caused some confusion because it said that I was from the United States but that my nationality was Irish.  I was holding an Irish passport so I'm not 100% clear on why this was confusing but it was.  I had to explain that I had 2 passports.  Apparently that made things all better and we moved on... to picking a plan!! 

At this point, we have done almost all we can do using my limited Spanish.  It was at the point when I asked about the data plan that we had to move to google translate (I love google translate).  I said datos which means data, but apparently she thought I said tetas (again poor Spanish accent on my behalf).  For those who are not in the know tetas is Spanish for boobs...not breasts, but boobs.  She's pointing at her boobs and we all got a good chuckle out of that one!!! 

After much back and forth regarding the plans, we chose 2.  The first was for voice and this required a lot of my friend google - mainly because 2 of the plans were the same price and yet they offered different things.  One offered 24 hours of calling but only on your network and the other offered 18 and 8 (don't know what that means) on any network but you couldn't use it 24 hours a day.  I don't have that many people to call here (yet) but I do like the ability to call them at any time without having to worry about being nickle and dimed.  Ahhh but this is 1000 minutes.  I have maybe 4 or 5 friends here and I mostly email with them and I have a landline... I don't need 1000 minutes (just for point of reference - we had no landline at home and I lived on my phone, 1000 minutes a months would have been a joke - Josh and I shared a 3000 minute plan).  So we go with the 500 minutes for 59 euros.  But alas, wait... just like in the US there's more.  You mean it's not really 59 euros???  Ah we have to add in the IVA (tax) which they include in the plan (so it's the same every month) so now we jump to just over 70 euros for my 500 minutes.  Seems like a little bit of a rip off for such few minutes (the 1000 minutes was 99 euros just so you know).

Ok, well let's just go with that... that includes my data right?  Um, not that does not include data.  What???  Are you freaking kidding me??  Right now we pay around 70 euros for my blackberry and it includes data (I have no idea how much) and voice (no idea how many of those either).  So she offers me for another 25 euros a 250MB data plan.  I spend a lot of time working on my blackberry - I was without my data plan when I went home to the States this summer and I had no idea how much work I actually accomplish on this thing until I didn't have it.  So I need a good data plan.  For another 49 euros I can get my 1GB of data - whew!!!  So my new plan is going to cost me a bit more than my old plan but here's the bonus.  For my 18 month contract I'll be getting my new iPhone for just 29 euros!!  Beat that AT & T!!! 

But alas, here I sit with no phone.  Why you ask??  Because apparently it takes 10 days to transfer my phone number.  And even if they didn't transfer my number it still takes 10 days.  And no, they don't let you take the phone with you until that time.  I asked her how I will know when to get my phone.  She said she will call me.  But riddle me this... if my cell phone is no longer going to be thru Orange in 10 days, then how is she going to call me?  Will the SIM suddenly become a Vodafone chip?  Apparently not - apparently she will receive a Vodafone chip with my number on it in 7 to 10 days.  I'm still confused on how she's going to call me if they are transferring my number.  I'm not sure if I need to call and cancel my contract with Orange / Bright either (I'm thinking I don't since I saw her put an x on the box for Orange but who knows).  But my hope is that within 7-10 days I will be the proud owner of a new iPhone!!  Whew!!!

I have to say that when all is said and done, these girls at Vodafone are my heros.  They made me laugh, they had tons of patience and my hope is that at the end of the day (or 10) I will have a new phone.  Once again, a lesson learned here - if this were the States I can guarantee you that if someone went into Sprint or Verizon or AT &T speaking Spanish and looking for help buying a cell phone, they would not be as patient as these women were with me.  I could be wrong, but I still think the culture and people here are much more tolerant of differences than we are back home in the States.  And I, for one, am thankful for that patience!!

Julie

10/1/2010 - Post update.  I went in today to see if my phone was ready since it had been more like 12 days since I ordered the phone.  She recognized me right away and became apologetic.  Apparently the bank info (there are no checks here - everything is done via transfer or your credit card) I gave her was not enough.  She needed my actual bank book (yes they still use them here) with the balance in order to move forward.  If I could have asked I would have said, "why didn't you call me for this info within the last 12 days and what if I had never come in would it still be sitting out there in la la land?" - but no, I can't ask her that because my Spanish sucks like that.  So I asked her to write down what I needed and headed off to my local bank branch 2 blocks away, waited in line for 15 mins to find out that I don't have a bank book on my account (I didn't think so but then when we set up the account we had so much info that I was on overload so who knows) but he printed out a bank balance that he said should suffice. Off I go back to Vodafone, fingers crossed.  In and out in 30 seconds.  Yes this is enough info and in another 7 days I should have my phone.  Oy vey!!!

10/7/2010 - Another update.  I rec'd a text today saying that the number could not be transferred due to an invalid NIE (social security) number.  I took the kids and went back to the store AGAIN.  Realized on my way that the reason it was invalid was because the original phone with that number is actually in Josh's name and NIE number even though it is my phone.  Had to ask what the process would be to get the phone number in my name.  Josh had to go in after work and sign some papers.  Supposedly it will be yet another 7 days to get my phone.  Fingers crossed!

10/13/2010 It’s like the neverending story.  I went in again this afternoon to see if the phone was ready and was thrilled when I saw her pull out an actual iphone!!  Whew!  But my relief was short lived – apparently they can no longer transfer my number because they cannot prove that Josh or I owned it (odd because we pay the bill!) and so now it will be another 5 days for them to get me a new number.  Ugh!

10/20/2010 Finally I received my phone!!  But not without the warning that it would not be activiated until the following day. Try as I might, I could not get off of the emergency screen.  I went to the States the following day and was actively trying to get this thing to work.  Ugh!

10/24/2010 I went to the Apple Store on Boylston Street and lo and behold, they activated my phone!!  yes!!!  After all of that, I finally could use the phone...but wait, I'm in the States so no, I can't use it without costing me an arm and a leg.  But I downloaded a few apps to play with on the phone so it was something...

11/11/2010 Just when I thought all had gone well somthing had to happen right?  I've barely had the phone for 3 weeks and only been using it for 2.  And on the metro today it was stolen.  Yes folks, you read that right.  I waited a month plus for this phone and it was stolen right out of my pocket.  In the pickpockets defense, I made it easy for him because I had it in my pocket, exactly where it should not have been.  After trying several different Vodafone stores to try to get them to shut off my phone and replace it, we finally had to call in a friend to call them to shut it off.  And in the end, Vodafone would not replace it and so I had to do it out of my own pocket - I won't tell you how much but let's just say, it wasn't cheaper than a bread box... now, if only I could get service on this one (it's now 11/12 and I'm still waiting for the SIM card to activate 24 hrs later).  Let's hope this is the end of the phone saga!

Everything I Needed To Know, I Learned From My Children...

As I'm reading thru some of my more recent posts I've realized that I've become a bit sidetracked.  I've been so busy talking about our adventures that I feel like I've forgotten to post the things that count - about our adjustments to being here in Barcelona.  About how we feel after more than 8 months (wow that went by quickly).  What are we (ok what am I) still ambivilent about?  What have we embraced?  Do the things that seemed so strange before still seem strange or are they normal now (though there is nothing normal about seeing people in MC Hammer pants all the time)?  How are the kids doing?

Let's start with the kids.  They amaze me.  Every day.  One of the hardest things for ME to adjust to was that my ability to entertain the boys is limited here - or more limited than it was at home.  There are things for them to do and I have had to think outside the box more as well as put forth more effort for things that would normally come so easily - riding bikes, rollerblading, playground - things that were in our backyard (or front yard) are no longer as accessible.  I can't make dinner while they play on the swingset here.  But one of the things the boys have taught me about adjustment is that while you can miss the things you no longer have, they are not the end all, be all of your life.  They are just things.  I've come to the realization that I miss these things FOR the boys, that they are things I WANT them to have - grass to play on, a swingset, to be able to run outside and immediately find friends to play with.  What I've realized is that while there are moments when they miss these things, they do not define them.  They are ok without them and have, wait for it... adjusted.  And adjusted beautifully.

I was concerned about how Aidan especially would do when we returned to Barcelona after 2 weeks back home in August.  Would he be upset about missing his friends?  Would he miss having grass to play on?  Sure, he misses his friends but knowing school was just around the corner he was more excited about getting to see his Barcelona friends.  He, at age 6, has managed to balance both worlds nicely.  He still continues with his relationships at home and yet is able to pursue new ones here.  I struggle with this more than he does and while things have improved on that end for me, I should take a lesson from him. 

Not only have we all adjusted (Josh and Liam the most well adjusted of the group) but we've come to really like it here.  I most definitely can't see myself living here forever - I miss home, my friends and family, my house, etc etc - you've heard it all before.  But we like it... and I've learned that there is nothing wrong with liking it here.  There should be no guilt about those left behind.  No one has made me feel guilty about leaving home and liking my life here except for me.  And it's got to stop.  I've got this new found "freedom" with the kids in school now and I can't spend that time wholed up in our apartment.  There are days things are still a struggle.  The language is still hard for me but gets better every day.  I can communicate my most basic needs verbally and for those that I can't I've become quite the pantomimer (try to pantomime ear infection and let me know how you do!). 

So now that I've got time on my own I want to refocus some of this blog (there are still lots of adventures to be had) to my observations again - seeing the city thru the eyes of an adult, not those of a parent looking to entertain her children.  I'm up for the challenge :)

Julie

Freedom, Sweet Freedom...

Freedom... it sounds terrible to think that time away from my kids is what I consider to be freedom.  Don't get me wrong, I love to be with my boys.  Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face (though I will admit, they also put a frown on my face regularly too!) than spending time with my little guys.  But given that in all this time I have not stopped working, it's been a major challenge getting my work accomplished while having at least one if not two (during the summer) kids home with me full time. 

So when September 1 rolled around, I was certainly sad to see Aidan & Liam heading off to school full time, but I was also excited about the opportunity that it presents to me.  For the first time in over 6 years my life does not revolve completely around my children.  I've let myself get lost in their lives and their needs which is not a bad thing, but I look forward to having time where I get to focus on myself and my needs.  One of those needs being work!!  Yes, I said it...work! 

While in some ways work has been a challenge to do from abroad, in other ways it's been great.  I get a 6 hr jump start on my clients before they get in to the office.  On the flip side, many a time has my phone rung at midnight my time (6PM EST).  But because I have that "extra" 6 hours I don't feel so guilty if I want to go out and go for a walk, run, shop or have lunch with a friend.  So I've got a few goals now that I'm on my own:

1.  Socialize more... have lunch with someone at least once a week.  Today is Wed and I'm on my third lunch this week with a friend so far so good on this one...
2.  Go for long walks, runs or bike rides at least once a week ... perhaps join the gym (only thing stopping me right now is the language barrier to get myself a membership and I need to get over that).
3.  Grow my business!  For over 6 years I've worked around the kids and this has been a challenge - but now I can focus!
4.  Make travel plans for us as a family more than 2-3 weeks in advance (oh and actually do some research on where it is that we are going!).
5.  Learn Spanish!
6.  Have better quality time with the kids.  Because I'll really only see them for 3 hours a day I'm hoping that I'll appreciate the time more. 
7.  Observe more - take it all in... there is so much to see and do here and I feel like I've just touched upon some of it because the kids have short attention spans and have no interested in taking long leisurely walks.

So I think this is a good start to how I'm going to use my new found "freedom".  I'm looking forward to doing some updates on the things that I've started doing on my own!

Julie

First Day of School!! (Aidan starts 1st grade and Liam starts nursery school)

Today is the day that I've been awaiting with both anxiety, excitement and a ambivilence.  It's the day the kids go back to school - and for Liam, starts school.  I think I always get this way after a long summer with both kids.  But as much as they make me crazy, I love having them home with me.  As I write this, I'm excited about the new opportunities having an "empty nest" provides for me from a work and social standpoint, but it's also very quiet and lonely right now.  There is supposed to be someone here needing something at this very moment and can't possibly wait for it...but no, no one needs anything.  And it's a strange feeling not being needed at the moment. 

But it's an exciting feeling too!  I'm so excited for both Aidan and Liam.  Aidan has officially become a 1st grader now and is so proud of himself.  He finished his "homework" for the summer last night at bedtime - nothing like coming down to the wire right?  I think after a summer with very few social opportunities he was thrilled to be going back to some structure and to his friends here in Barcelona.  As a matter of fact he was so excited that when I was taking a shower this morning, he woke up and came into the bathroom to brush his teeth.  I suggested to him that he bring his clothes downstairs to change into when he was ready and his response "but I'm already dressed Mom".  What???  Who is this kid?  I guess he really was excited!  I've never had a morning where we don't argue over him not wanting to get dressed.  Ok then... on to your brother...

Liam ready to go with his backpack on - getting a little support from his big brother today!

And same thing - so excited!  After 8 months home with me, I think he's ready.  More ready than I was to let go.  He's my baby and I wasn't planning on him going to school full time til he was in kindergarten.  I know many of my friends have had kids in daycare full time and it's not a big deal to transition to regular school for them, but I've been really lucky to have Liam home with me part time since day one and full time since we have been here in Barcelona.  So to go from all to nothing in a day is a bit of a shock to me.  He walked around the apartment this morning with his backpack on - just so incredibly excited for his new journey!  The only issues we had were related to the bus (I could tell he was starting to get carsick - hmmm that could be a problem) and when we got to the school and there were families crowded everywhere for the first day.  I think the crowds freaked him a bit (and me too!).  But once he was in his class and found a few trucks to play with, I knew all was good in the world and it was ok to let him go. 

Outside our building - getting ready for the 4 block walk to the bus stop (without the stroller!)

Here comes the school bus (and no it's not a big yellow bus - they do things differently here)

Aidan's classroom - happy kid ready to be back to school!

Liam a little ambivilent yet had no problems waving goodbye to me as I left him for his first day of nursery school!

As I write this, it is almost noontime and the school nurse has just called - Liam has already injured himself.  It's a shocker, I know.  Apparently he fell and bit his tongue which of course, was bleeding (as tongues usually do).  They wanted to know if I'd like to come and get him... um, no.  It's not like he broke his arm - he bit his tongue.  Really they wanted me to come and get him for that???  So much for a simple, easy first day of school!

Here's hoping this energy remains thru the school year (at the very least, thru the week!) and that the 2010-2011 school year will be a little less bumpy than last year though we obviously won't be injury free at this rate!  Good luck today boys!

Julie