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Friday, January 12th, Badalona, Spain
It is
amazing how dramatically our lives have changed in the
past five days. Last week at this time we were all
on pins and needles in anticipation of the girls
starting local public school. We weren't sure how
any of it was going to work out, from the language
barrier and how the other students would receive the
"foreigners", to commuting on the bus, the two hour
lunch break, and figuring out how Joe and I were going
to spend all of our newly granted free time. Now,
with our first week behind us, we have a whole new
perspective on the next eleven or twelve weeks of our
lives.
I try
not to brag too much about my kids (I'll have to go back
and reread some of my previous entries to make sure that
is true!) but I am so proud of them. They have
adapted to their new reality with an ease that is truly
remarkable. They were exceedingly nervous the
night before their big first day of school but they both
slept peacefully regardless. Joe and I, on the
other hand, spent hours tossing and turning, and when we
did finally fall asleep, our slumber was interrupted by
bizarre dreams. We awoke to an alarm clock for the
first time in a year and a half (7:30am) and got the
kids up for the big day. We took an early bus
(8:25) to make sure we made it in time for the start of
school (9am). We were the first ones there and sat
around waiting for everyone else to arrive.
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The
Director, who I had met when I made the arrangements in
November, wasn't in that morning but Diego, the second
in charge, said we could take care of the paperwork with
her mañana.
He showed Juliana to her classroom first and introduced
us to her teacher, who speaks very little English.
No worries; she greeted us warmly and took Juliana right
inside. No time to think; it's Cassie's turn.
Back outside to the next building over. Cassie's
teacher, Esther, speaks very good English and was
equally friendly to her new charge. She whisked
her away into the classroom and Joe and I were left
standing there staring at each other. As we turned
to walk out of the school yard, we both found ourselves
choking back the tears. It was the last thing I
expected but it hit us like a ton of bricks. How
would the girls handle the next couple of hours on their
own in a new classroom surrounded by new kids who all
speak a different language than they do?
We
went back to school to pick the girls up for lunch at
1pm. They both came tumbling through the door,
overflowing with stories about their new friends and
classrooms. They both "complained" that their
classmates surrounded them throughout recess, bombarding
them with questions. "I had to run away to get a
break from it."
What
about the language issue? "I managed to make
myself understood," Juliana stated matter-of-factly.
After
a few minutes, Joe and I had to split the two of them up
so they both had a chance to talk without interrupting
each other and the adults stood a chance of keeping up
with their excited chatter. Once they finished
their lunch and ran off to play on the climbing tower on
the beach, Joe and I looked at each other in amazement.
I guess we had nothing more to worry about. We had
been bracing ourselves for a tough couple of weeks as
the girls transitioned into the new environment but
instead, only an hour into our two hour lunch break,
both Cassie and Juliana were asking if it was time to go
back to school yet. We couldn't believe it.
Actually, I still can't believe it.
By
Wednesday, the girls were ready to try the school lunch
program. For six Euros a kid, they can stay at
school for the two hour lunch break, playing and eating
with their friends. It is a long day for them,
from 9 in the morning until 5pm, but most of the other
kids stay through lunch so they were eager to try it
too. Fish and potatoes the first day, turkey and
chickpeas the next, and rice and meatballs today.
"It was delicious." The meal is served in three
courses, including a piece of fruit for dessert. I
am sure they are trying more things under the influence
of their friends than they would with us around.
They come home at night eager to tell us the most
exciting stories from their day. They both invited
friends over for a "play date" tomorrow. Hello?
What were we so worried about? They are so
thrilled to have other kids to play with and, as long as
the other kids are interested in making new friends too,
the language barrier is nothing.
As I
walk back through the streets of Badalona after dropping
the girls off at school, I smile at familiar faces.
This is beginning to feel like home. The bus ride
to school is only 7 or 8 minutes, and another three
minute walk up the street. I usually walk all the
way back to the boat since the weather has been so
beautiful. It is a bit chilly in the mornings but
the sun shines brilliantly and I warm up quickly as I
set a brisk pace. I stop for a coffee on the way
home. I always try different streets so I can
learn my way around the city better. Usually I
walk back for part of the way along the waterfront.
In
truth, Badalona is a bit of a dump. It is an
industrial area very close to the center of Barcelona
that is undergoing a major renovation. The train
tracks separate the main part of the city from the
waterfront. There are three or four places to
cross over the tracks. Marina Badalona is one of
the earliest parts of the big renovation project to be
completed. New apartment buildings are going up
around us by the dozens. The metro is adding two
new stops in the heart of the city. There is a ton
of construction going on everywhere. In fact, the
school that the girls are attending is actually located
in temporary classrooms as they wait for their new
school building to be finished (sound familiar, Mayo
families?). So, our setting is far from
picturesque. We make our way around on foot or by
public transportation: bus, metro, tram or train.
When I think back on our life in the States, it seems
amazing to be happy living without all the conveniences
to which we were so accustomed. Without the
deadlines and stresses of work, I suppose it is easy to
adjust to most anything.
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A view of the marina from the overpass across the
railroad tracks. The three smoke stacks are our
main landmark.
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The view the other direction, looking north from the
same overpass.
By
Wednesday, it was clear that the girls were going to be
fine staying in school all day every day. I
immediately found an intensive Spanish language class
and signed up. Starting on Monday morning, I'll be
heading to school myself. For four hours a day,
five days a week, I'll study Spanish with Speakeasy
language school in the center of Barcelona. It's a
thirty minute trip (bus and train) with a short walk at
the end. I'm sure I won't have any trouble
sleeping the night before. Don't get me wrong, I
am very excited about the whole thing. At least
one of us will come away from our winter in Spain having
learned Spanish!
Joe
will have to do the dropping off at school duties in the
mornings from now on. He is thrilled at the
prospect of tackling a long list of boat projects.
Actually, I think I see him salivating. We are
looking forward to meeting up in town from time to time,
after my class gets out at 1pm, and touring around
Barcelona. We finally made it to the Sagrada
Familia temple today. WOW! Oh, and you will
be very happy to know that we have figured out how to
eat in Spain. El menú del dia.
For somewhere between 8 and 10 Euros, you get a first
course, second course, dessert, bread, water and wine.
So what if the first course isn't so good, you have
another one coming. The food is usually pretty
simple but also quite good. It still isn't like
eating out in France, but we are happy.
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There
are a thousand more things to tell you about but I don't
want to ramble so I'll save them for another update.
Have a great weekend everybody. You guys all get a
holiday on Monday, don't you? Enjoy!
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The view looking
northeast from the top of the Sagrada Familia. You
can just see the three smoke stacks in the distant
center.
Next
Entry>>>>>>>>>
Many thanks to our friend Craig Homenko for his assistance in setting up the website.
We also would like
to thank our buddy Scott Brunner who has been kind
enough to host the website on his server.
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