Sant Joan

This post is waaayyyy overdue.  Like over a month.  I've been really slacking with my writing lately and I'm not sure what's up with that.  But I need to get back on track.

Anyways, there isn't a ton to say about Sant Joan.  It's a holiday here where we celebrate the summer solstice.  There are festivities all around the city but the largest are held down by the water.  However, it's my understanding (never having been to them) that it gets a bit out of control between bonfires, drinking and well, you get the picture - those two just don't mix well.  So I'm not bringing the kids down there to add to that.

All around the city for the 2 weeks or so leading up to Sant Joan, little kiosks pop up selling fireworks of all types - firecrackers, roman candles, sparklers and so much more.  It is legal here for your average joe to purchase fireworks, unlike in much of the US.  And as a matter of fact, I often here firecrackers during fiestas or just when Barça is playing a match.  Because it's allowed, it's not abused and I suspect for that reason, there aren't many incidents involved with them - however, that's just a guess.

Josh was away in the US during Sant Joan and I promised the kids we would do something, even if it meant just walking around Gracia to see other people lighting off their fireworks.  Many streets take this time to do little barbecues - lining up tables along their streets, bringing out a grill and then doing fireworks with the kids.  It's nice to see different parts of the neighborhood come together to celebrate.

The unfortunate part of Sant Joan for us is that Aidan had been sick off and on for the few days leading up til the big day.  And so he wasn't really feeling up to celebrating or walking around.  Finally when his fever hit 104F, I made the decision to take him over to the ER to get checked out with my friends Eddy and Ricardo coming over to watch Liam.

However, while waiting for my friends to come over, I took the boys for a quick jaunt around the block with some sparklers because when in Rome.... (or in this case Barcelona).   I can picture my mom shaking her head and cringing at this one.  They both loved the sparklers and I have since hidden the rest of them for future use.  Til next year on this one...

Liam thought the sparklers were the best thing since sliced bread...

Aidan wasn't feeling so great but he still had fun using them...

Did you know sparklers also make great light sabers??

Besos,
Julie

Third Time is the Charm - Michelle is Back to Visit!

This is the "year of the visitors" for us and I, for one, couldn't be happier.  First Josh's parents, then Caryn and Urs and now Michelle has been here (and we still have more visitors to come!).  With this being her third visit, it feels more like she's coming home rather than coming to visit.

While we were always busy with things to do, the pressure was off since she's been here before.  That doesn't mean we didn't have adventures though and it doesn't mean that we didn't keep busy.  And the little over a week that she was here absolutely flew by.

I love that when you are with close friends how easy things are.  There is no pressure.  You pick up where you left off and where you left off could have been weeks, months or years ago, but it doesn't matter.  And while talking on the phone is great, there is nothing like seeing each other face to face and spending quality time.

And of course, when Michelle is here, we always have some kind of adventure.  The cool thing, for me at least, is that as the years have gone by, I'm less fearful of what those adventures might be - I'm ready to face them head on.  I remember her first visit 3 years ago.  We had never rented a car here (we'd lived here 6 months) and I just had no idea how to do it.  Seriously.  Did not know how to rent a car.  I know, I'm an idiot.  It's not that complicated.  But having her here pushed me to go outside my comfort zone and not only did we rent a car, but we drove to France, something that has now become old hat.

So while our adventures didn't include any fear inducing car rentals ;) we still had a great time!  Our first few days were totally low key and mellow with Michelle recuperating from a whirlwind trip to Rome and Munich before coming to Barcelona.  And on my end, I was semi stuck around home because of a leaking hot water heater (which eventually became more of a river of water instead of a little leak).  But once fixed, we hit the ground running.

Speaking of hitting the ground running, one of the things we did that I really loved was work out together.  It was a challenge getting her set up with a membership for just a week but we did it - and now at least I know how to do it when my mom comes this fall.  She got to meet a bunch (though not all) of my friends at the gym and it was fun having someone to compete with - motivating in fact.

Before coming to Barcelona, Michelle and I had talked about a get away trip just the two of us for a day or two.  However, I will admit, I'd been in a bit of a funk and wasn't super motivated to organize anything before her visit.  So I felt bad that we were kind of scrambling to find something to do but in the end, it was Josh who came up with the winning idea.  Andorra.

Now Andorra isn't top on my list usually for places to visit.  Unless you are going to be focused on outdoor activities in the mountains, it's not really a place to just go explore.  Not like going to Prague or Granada or San Sebastian for instance.  However, Josh reminded me of the awesome spa he and I had gone to a few years ago for our anniversary.  And we were sold.  Who says that we had to go explore a new city to get away for a few days?  Why not go and spa for 2 days instead?  So I looked up the hotel on booking.com and booked us a room for Friday, just 2 days away.  The next day we booked our spa selection.

After dropping off the kids on Friday morning we headed up to Andorra.  Now the temps have been in the upper 80s here (I know, nothing like home so no, I'm not complaining, just stating a fact) so it was soooo nice to drive just 2 1/2 hours north into the mountains and find temps barely at 70.  It was fresh and clean and so incredibly green this time of year.  Not to mention super cheap compared to the peak season!

Ahhhh spaaaa!!  It doesn't get much better than spa time with your best friend.  Just total relaxation and pampering and lots of catching up.  It felt like a week rather than just 2 days and we were sad to leave on Saturday to head back to the heat of Barcelona.  And while the rain slowed our journey down just a little bit, it was a time that was well worth it.

View from our room - you can't see it but behind the first row of trees there is a small river rushing by.

Another view from our room

Our balcony overlooking the mountain

This is pretty much the town... yup, it's small...

Our hotel, the size is deceiving as the rooms go down in the back along the mountain so only the top floor is visible on this side.

We debated taking Michelle to France for the day on Sunday or perhaps up to Cadaques in Costa Brava, a destination we still have not made it to.  But after almost 3 hours of driving the day before, I really wasn't in the mood to head back in the same direction again for even more car time.  We decided on the beach, or so I thought... Aidan decided that we would not be going to the beach but instead to go zip lining.  And so off we went on another adventure to Jalpi Adventura.

Now, I know this seems wimpy but in a way this was our big adventure.  Neither Michelle nor I are fans of heights.  And I admire her for taking the bull by the horns and climbing right up with Aidan and Josh.  I, initially, opted to "help" Liam out, who for this time didn't need as much of my help as before - apparently all that fine motor skills tutoring is paying off!  So after Liam finished his course, Aidan asked me to do it.  I'll admit, I balked and tried to find an excuse not to do it... but in the end I did.  And I'm glad that I conquered that fear.  I also managed to fall as I finished my last zip to the net, falling off the net with less than a foot to go, yes, barely one foot from the ground.  Pathetic I know :)

This is sooooo not fun....

Monkeys in the trees

He makes this look so easy

I love zip lining!!

Here's Michelle!!

Michelle about to get to the rock wall while Josh just climbed it

Josh doing the course

Conquering the rope wall

What I thought would be the hardest part of the course was actually one of the easier ones...

Videos:

Aidan:  http://youtu.be/3nUxExLufLw

Josh:  http://youtu.be/32Oh8MRjosM

Julie:  http://youtu.be/gQ25XmCJ86U

Liam:  http://youtu.be/ZfjiEn7CRDo

Michelle:  http://youtu.be/gYa5UCmRhj8

At this point almost a week had gone by and Michelle and I had yet to hit a beach.  On Monday we rectified this with a trip to Gavà, a beach town just outside the city that we had actually never been to. And it was a great beach, slightly reminiscent of our beaches at home - not over crowded, little to no amenities and significantly better sand than the Barcelona beaches (though still not as nice as you get further out from the city).  Parking was easy and free and this will definitely be a beach we try again when the kids and I get back from the US.  We capped off the day with a great dinner out with Josh at Boca Grande, a restaurant he had been raving about but I had yet to join him at.

Peaceful beach in Gavà

Tuesday was our last full day and we hit the gym and then we were off to Sitges, one of Michelle's favorite places.  I was only able to stay a few hours since I had to get back to get Liam to an appointment but she spent the whole day and got quite a bit of shopping in too!  We had dinner at Da Greco with some of my friends - I love that she was able to meet more of my friends before she left. And the fact that she remembered Da Greco was impressive too since it had been 2 years since the last time she was here.

Wednesday sadly, I had to say goodbye for now.  The good news is that I'll be home next week and we'll catch up on American soil.  It made the departure a little easier for me knowing that I will see her in the immediate future.  But like everyone who visits, I hope she knows how much it meant to us that she came to see us again and how much I'm looking forward to the next visit :)

Besos,
Julie

PS - we were terrible picture takers this week...

Choices

Every day our lives are filled with choices.  The black shoes or the brown?  Peanut butter or turkey?  The highway or the back roads?  Go to the gym or eat that ice cream?  Down to the simplest things.  And where there is choice there is always a consequence.  Consequences can be both good and bad as a result of the choices we make. 

Josh and I made the choice to move to Barcelona.  We did this for several reasons - a change to the routine in our lives, new experiences and challenges, new job opportunities, and most importantly, for our kids to grow up with a perspective that very few ever get to experience.  And with that there have to be consequences and never are they more obvious than when we are getting ready for a trip back to the US. 

As the kids and I prepare for our annual trip home to Boston, we talk more and more about what we want to do when we are "home, home" and who we want to see.  But I've noticed more of late that this conversation is primarily with Aidan and I, not with Liam.  It's not that Liam isn't trying to participate, it's that he can't.  We made the choice to move to Barcelona when Liam was only 2 1/2  years old - he has lived here more than half of his life, longer than he ever lived in the US.  He has little to no memory of his life before Barcelona. 

We constantly show him pictures.  We talk about family and friends.  There are some he remembers and many that he doesn't.  And it saddens me.  He doesn't remember our house or our neighborhood.  While Bost-y (which is what he's calling it these days as everything must end in an "y/ie") is home to him, Barcelona is actually "home, home".  Consequences to our choices - our child has no memory of what Josh and I would call home.  Do we have regrets?  No, I don't think we have regrets.  It makes me sad that he doesn't have these memories or relationships but instead, he's had the Europe as his playground.  He's made friends from all over the world, many of which he will hopefully have for life.  My hope is that someday when we are settled back in Boston that he will make new, special memories of a place that he knew about but didn't really remember at one point in his life.  

The same choice of us moving to Barcelona 3 1/2 years ago has impacted other relationships as well, both in good and bad ways.  I've seen some friendships just dissipate as time has gone on - out of sight, out of mind.  Some I expected, others I did not and I feel the pain of the loss of those but maybe they weren't meant to be.  Others have become stronger.  Some have stayed the same.  We took a risk when coming here that not all would necessarily stay the same back home and it's true.  Things have changed.  

While I don't regret much, this I do - I know that our choice to move here has meant that the kids are missing out on important time with our family.  They are the only grandchildren and our parents won't be around forever.  Our siblings are missing out on time with their nephews.  I wish that they have more than just a few days per year with their grandparents.  I know this would be similar if we lived in California so it's not just a move to Europe thing, but a distance one - but it's still a choice we made that has changed that bond.  Yes, the kids still get along wonderfully with our families - but there is something about spending time with them that is extra special.  Maybe being away with strengthen that bond because we all have to work harder for it, but the point is, it is time lost that we can never get back.  A choice.

Aidan has grown so much in the last 6 months alone - maybe it's his age or maybe it's his environment, or maybe it's a combination of them both.  This one thing makes this choice to move here worth it. Would he have grown at home?  Of course, but I don't know that he would have made the choices that he's made of late or that he would have been mature enough.  He's been able to spread his wings a little differently here than he would have at home.  He's fast becoming bi-lingual and is confident in his own skin - something I'm incredibly proud of.  

But the choices we've made aren't just related to the kids.  Josh took a chance coming here.  He left the comfort of a position he had held in the home office for years, but it was an opportunity for him to take on new challenges with work, an opportunity that I don't believe he regrets for one moment.  And while there have been several ex-pats that have gone back to the US office, the transition has not been successful for all, something that we knew was a risk before we came here.  But we made a choice that it will be worth it, no matter the outcome.  It's a gamble on our future but Josh has worked hard to get to where he is today, incredibly hard and the hope is that it will be worth that choice we made.  

There are times when you cannot predict just how significant the consequences will be on any choice you make moving forward.  We are forever changed by our choice to live a life less ordinary but yet we live this life in limbo of our "other" life, not fully belonging to either and not knowing if we ever will again.  

Again, do we have regrets?  Well I think it depends on the day.  As we get closer to our trip back home, I feel lost.  Not sure where many of my relationships stand, hoping that things will be just as they were before we left to take on this new adventure but knowing realistically that much will never truly be the same.

Today though, I will make more choices, just like I do every day.  And while the choices today won't be of any significant consequence like moving to Barcelona was but those choices will still shape who we are and who we are destined to become.  And I, for one, can't wait to see what's next.

Besos,
Julie

Appreciate What You Have

Josh went home a few weeks ago to the US for both work and a few days of vacation, armed with a HUGE list of things to purchase for us (that will fit in just 2 suitcases).  While he was there I was reminded once again about learning to appreciate what we have both here and at home.  It's also taught me that perhaps I have a little too much choice at home.  And not all of it healthy.  But it doesn't mean that I don't miss all that good American food, clothing, toys and more.  Because I do.  But I've had to learn to be patient, flexible and even to be strategic at times.

Today I went to the grocery store, like I do almost every day.  They didn't have steak fries, a recent addition to our store.  However, they did have sour creme, something they almost never have - I usually have to go to a different grocery store if I want sour creme.  It's days like this where I have a moment of let down and disappointment; I really wanted those steak fries followed by a total high with my moment of victory; Yes!  They have sour creme today and I only had to go to one grocery store!  Weeks later with no luck on those steak fries, I finally found them at El Corte Ingles.

Life is different when you live abroad.  Over time, you get used to having to go to a plethora of grocery stores in order to find what precious item you are looking for but it takes time to get things down pat.  Perhaps it's hummus and chips (only at Carrefour and no longer at the one on Las Ramblas, but at the one in the Glories mall), tomato sauce that's savory and not so sweet (at the Italian store on Travessera de Gracia), specialty cheeses, fresh sliced turkey or jamon (certainly not purchased at the grocery store, but instead at the xarcuteria/butcher), fresh baked baguettes at the corner bakery, fruits and vegetables at their own shops and of course, let's not forget, our American goodies at our few shops that sell my precious American crack items.

And know that despite all these stores at my fingertips, they often don't have something I need, that perhaps they did the week before, or it doesn't exist here in Spain.  Like those french fries or creme fraiche.  And what I wouldn't give for more than 5 flavors of yogurt.  Yoplait, I can't imagine the market share you could have here just with your innovative flavors!!  I look thru recipes online and just laugh - where in the world am I going to find buttermilk???  Soft caramels? More than one variety of cake or muffin mix (unless I go to the American store, where I pay about 5 euros for a box of cake mix)?  Crescent rolls (do you know how many recipes call for crescent rolls)?  Yeast specifically for pizza?  The list goes on and on...

However, I will admit, not having quick easy access to many things has prompted me to have to try baking and cooking more often if I want to actually have the things I desire.  I suppose this isn't necessarily a bad thing and it's good to know exactly what is going into the food we are making rather than doing a quick pick up of that item at the grocery store without having any idea what's in it.  So far I've made homemade pizza dough regularly, so much so that I don't need the recipe any more, pretzels like Auntie Annie's in the mall, brownies and more.

When we moved last year to a new apartment, it was imperative that we stay within a certain radius of our old place.  Why?  Because it had taken me the 2 1/2 years we'd been in that apartment to get the hang of the shopping routine.  In the beginning I found I had to go out every day to hit one shop or another.  But over the course of time, I've managed to do most of my "specialty" shopping in just one day, usually Saturday while the kids are at tennis and during the rest of the week, I can go to my regular grocery store for staple items with the occasional trip to the fruit and veggie stand.

The other challenge is remembering where I've found things.  I found cereal/granola type bars that Aidan really liked.  Couldn't remember for the life of me where I bought them.  Three stores later, I found them again (they were at our old Caprabo but not our new one).  Because often times you won't see them in different store chains.  It's not like going to Hannaford's and Stop n Shop where 99% of the products are the same.  Sure, there are some things you can get at one and not the other, but the good majority you can find at both.  Not the case here.

The point is, appreciate what you have in your American supermarkets - your one stop shops with more variety than I can even imagine.  I certainly do now.  I never thought I would see the day when I am happy or sad based on what is available in my local grocery store, but yes, that day has come (many times in the last 3 1/2 years).  And be thankful they are open pretty much 24/7.  Everything closes here on Sunday.  EVERYTHING.  So if you run out of chicken or really want to make hamburgers on Sunday, you better hope you already have things at home.  Preplanning is a must.

What we do have here that is plentiful is fruits, vegetables, fresh meats and foods that don't have GMO's.  Even the products that are US based but made here in Europe have better, healthier ingredients than those at home.  Coke for instance... yes, it's soda and not anywhere near healthy.  But look at your ingredient panel - I guarantee the one in the US says corn syrup first.  The one here... sugar.  It's more natural than that we get at home, less processing.  Sure there isn't a lot of variety in what we can choose from but you can bet it's healthier than what we have in the US (despite my desire for said goodies).  But it doesn't mean you don't miss things that you've grown up with, superficial as that may be.

And so when we go home or when we have visitors, we are armed with a long list of must haves, needs and would likes.  These are of the food, clothing and trinket variety.  Toys are significantly less expensive at home.  Same for clothes.  There is no GAP here.  I know, I know... there are worse things in life than no GAP.  But when you are used to shopping at certain places and know the quality and fit, you just want what makes you happy.  So when we know someone is coming, we often order goodies for them to bring in their suitcases.  It's like Christmas time :)

Even though Josh just got back from the US, as we get ready for our own trip back in just a few weeks, we still have a long list of goodies, our American crack, that we will pick up.  And I'm already planning for what I can leave behind for our fall visitors to bring with them.  If we can't be home, we will be here with all the comforts of it :)  As my friend Michelle told me a few years ago... it's hard to remember you are in Spain sometimes when you spend a bit of time in our "American" apartment.

Besos,
Julie

Another School Year Comes to an End

Last Friday, another school year came to an end - we now officially have a 1st and 4th grader in our house.  For both kids, I think this was a banner year - but then I feel like I say that every year.  They worked hard and it paid off.  I feel like they are both really coming into their own.  They built relationships; met new kids and said goodbye to friends, both new and old.  They are happy to see that summer is here with long days, no homework (ha, wait til they see the bridge books I bought!) and lots of time to play. And the best part - going home in August to visit our family and friends there.

Waiting for their final bus ride of the school year...

The downside of summer?  It's an exodus of people the moment school ends - the boys will have very few friends around in Barcelona this summer.  And so they are signed up for camp for the month of July.  Hopefully they will make some new friends while there as well.  Liam is doing the same art camp he did last year for all 4 weeks and Aidan will do 3 weeks of art camp but also a week of skateboarding camp which I think is very cool.  

But not only do their friends leave in the summer, but several are also moving as in previous years.  That is the tough part about going to international school - there is a lot of turnover.  The great thing is that we now have friends in different parts of the world with whom we hopefully will visit, starting this year in NYC.  Yes, I know it's not all that far from home, but the kids have never been and they both have friends that live there that they went to BFIS with and are looking forward to seeing this summer.  

Liam and his best bud Logan saying goodbye for the summer - til September!

To celebrate the end of the school year, I offered to take the kids for an ice cream lunch and then to see Monsters University.  We ended up bringing one of Aidan's friends and then meeting up with another of his friends, his mom and brother.  Lunch was at our favorite crepe and ice cream place - Creperie Bretonne in Vila Olimpica.  The kids all played at a playground before the movie and then again after.  Understandably exhausted, the kids were in bed shortly after we arrived back home on Friday night.  But it was a great end to the school year.  I can't wait to see what the next year brings!!

Aidan and his best friend,  Max, as they walk to the metro for our ice cream lunch

Liam after his ice cream lunch - somehow Aidan ended up with a salad (I don't think he's really my kid).  All smiles!!!

Beyond our trip home to the US in August and camp, we will have Michelle visiting this summer as well as my college friend, Lori.  And the final week of August, we'll be heading as a family to explore Croatia - a trip we are really excited about!!  Before we know it, a new school year will be upon us - time flies when you are having fun!

Besos,
Julie

Feliz Cumpleaños a Mí!!

I was really lucky to have my birthday during the time that my two best friends were here - it was their last night here and it seemed like a great opportunity to celebrate my day as well as the end to a fantastic, fun filled week.  We had been going non stop all week long and there was no rest for the weary because we were about to do it up Barcelona style (meaning no one was going to bed before midnight by any stretch).

It's was like having a whole birthday week with them here - the timing was just perfect.  When Josh asked what I wanted for my birthday, my answer was "an American style bbq with my friends".  And other than having to do the shopping myself (since he was out of town til that afternoon), that's what I got (oh and a new mini ipad!).

Caryn, Urs and I hit Sagrada Familia in the morning and then headed over to our new favorite Argentinian butcher shop for some steaks and botifarra (like a sausage).  Then we spent the rest of the morning picking up necessities for our barbeque.

Josh was in his element manning the grill.  Chicken, pork and steaks along with veggies, salad, desserts.  The table was an endless feast!  And in the end, a birthday cake (yet again with my age on it, when will everyone learn that I don't want my age on the cake??) that Chris brought with her (thank you!) from a fantastic bakery near her.  Yum!!

It was a perfect end to a perfect week.  I couldn't have asked for more!  Thanks to all who came by to celebrate!  I have very few pics - only the ones Frank took on Josh's phone when I blew out my candles (if anyone has pics, please feel free to send!).

Ummm, what's this???

Stop putting numbers on my cakes!

Besos,
Julie

Managing the Unexpected

Anyone who has ever lived abroad will agree that there is always something challenging, some times on a daily basis.  It's not to say that things at home aren't challenging too, just differently so.   The unexpected can come in all different forms - medical emergencies, stolen wallets, towed cars... and car accidents.  Take my car accident in France 2 weeks ago.  It wasn't just the accident that had me freaked, it was that here I am in France, I don't speak French and I have no idea what the process is for European insurance.  

So how do you handle unexpected moments like this?  Well, you cross your fingers and hope for the best.  And what's the worst that's going to happen?  Ok, I can think of plenty.  Though I have to say, I'm glad that this happened with my friends and not with Josh and the kids.  Something about having the kids there would have stressed me out even more than the situation itself.  But with technology today, I'm sure we could have figured something out via google translate.  

However, thankfully Ursula speaks French and was able to communicate with the bus driver, some passengers on the bus and a police officer that randomly was walking by (he also said that unless there was an injury, they don't get involved unless in the US.).  And insurance is done slightly differently than at home.  Aside from the police not getting involved, it turns out that in my insurance package was a form for accidents (my new question is, will they send me a new one now that I've used that one??).  The driver very kind (and yes, it was his fault but he was still very nice) and explained to us how to fill out the form.  It wasn't very difficult but still took about 45 mins.  And I still wasn't sure what to do after that.  Do I call VW who I lease the car from since insurance is included as a part of my monthly payment?  Or do I call insurance directly?  What if I did the steps out of order?  Would we end up owing a fortune if I did it wrong even though I wasn't at fault????

In the end, I decided to email my contact at VW.  I certainly couldn't call her and explain what happened.  Actually I probably could have to an extent but I couldn't necessarily explain every detail and thanks to my friend google translate, I could explain everything, including the fact that no police were contacted nor was insurance called.  But of course, Maribel still called me the next morning.  Thankfully I could explain well enough what happened and understood that she wanted me to come to the dealership the next morning with the insurance papers and without the car (hmmmm....).  She said we would call insurance together.  I'm sure this is probably not the normal process, but I really appreciated her kindness in helping me out.  

My friend, Eddy, came with me to dealership.   My contact called the insurance company (I believe), asking me a few questions along the way.  The paperwork was pretty illegible as it was a carbon and the back side was also used for writing up my version of the report.  But that's the way the papers are made and so that's what I had to work with.

She then asked me about setting up an appointment for repair and did I have a specific place I wanted it repaired?  Um... like where?  And I lease the car from them so why wouldn't I just do it thru VW and make sure it's done right?  So she set up the appointment for the next morning for me.  

Now because I went to the dealership in the center of the city, I had to go to their dealership/repair shop on the outskirts for my repairs.  And by outskirts I mean, practically on the runway of the airport.  I walked into the repair area and approached the front desk.  She asked for my license plate number (I have no clue) and so thankfully it was on the accident report.  She asked for my name.  And nope, no appointment.  Ahhhh Spain.... of course there was no appointment - I was only there when Maribel made the call to make the appointment!

However, I mentioned Maribel's name and that she made the appointment for me and they took me anyways.  They had me drive into the repair shop and park the car inside so that the appropriate person could look at it.  She told me to have a seat and wait.  I wasn't sure what I was waiting for and fear set in that perhaps they were going to do the repairs right then and there.  Or maybe they were waiting to give me an estimate of how much I was going to be out of pocket???  This wouldn't have been an issue had Caryn and Urs not been waiting at home for me so we could do more touristy stuff.  But I was slightly panicked.

Finally someone called my name and the man explained to me (again, I think) that he was there to look over what the problems were with the car and then insurance would be contacted and they may want to look at it before repairs are started.  Again, I can't be 100% sure on this.  I do want to make a side note here as on his binder pad of paper, the top sheet which was my information had the words SIN CITA (without appointment) in HUGE letters.  Seriously???  People, I had an appointment!!!

I showed him where the damage was and how it was caused.  Never once did he ask for the accident report.  He just wrote everything up and sent me on my way with his business card.  Josh had suggested to me that I see if I could arrange a temp car but to be honest, my brain was fried from just getting thru the process of dropping off the car and giving them all the information regarding the accident, etc.  There was no way I was going to be able to ask for a rental car too!  I just didn't have the mental capacity at that moment.  It wasn't that it was so difficult, just mentally overwhelming.

Fast forward 4 days and I finally emailed him to find out when I might expect some news on when the car would be repaired?  I never got an estimate so my hope was that it was costing me nothing (which is as it should be, but again, who knows - different country, different insurance policies).  He emailed me back and said that the car would be ready Friday, just over a week from when I dropped it off.  Not too bad as I was thinking I may never see the car again with my luck.

I went in this past Friday to pick up the car and it was waiting for me in the entrance to the repair area.  At first glance it looked great, and maybe even clean??  Nope, upon closer look it wasn't any cleaner than I left it.  That was slightly disappointing as any car I've ever brought to a dealership for repairs always would get cleaned before I picked it up.  I also noticed later on that there were still some scratches near the undercarriage.  Apparently they only fixed what was absolutely necessary to get it back on the road rather than fix every single little scratch.  Also a difference from the US?  Or could it have been an oversight???  Not sure.

But regardless, I got my little car back.  I had to wait about 30 minutes for the papers to release her and my heart was in my throat wondering if they were going to charge me or not.  But they didn't.... whew!!!

However, never one to miss out on an adventure... I had the car less than 3 minutes when I took a wrong turn thanks to my GPS and ended up in the guarded port area.  I spoke to the guard and asked if I could turn around.  He told me to pull forward and do a U-turn.  As I was mid U-turn a police car happened by and stopped me.  Since I was spitting distance from the guard, I was able to point him out and tell the police officer that that guy told me to do the U-turn.  Not good enough.  They turned their car to stop traffic and made me do it the correct way.  Slightly mortified, I was just glad they didn't give me a ticket.  And along my merry way I went... once again managing the unexpected but at least I had my car back!!

Besos,
Julie