scout's bestie and his family have been in spain for well over a
month now,
and i have been thoroughly enjoying reading the blog that his mother,
has been posting to. she announced to us at her last book club dinner that she had started
writing a blog to document her family's one year adventure in spain. she actually started
before she left so she could document all they had to do on the 'front end'. she asked us
ladies to give our "honest critique" of her writing as she may consider using it to write a
book about their experience there. we were all happy to.
oh how i loved her idea. a blog would offer SO much more than Facebook or any Instagram
posts she could share. writing would give all of us us ladies a true idea of what her days are like,
and what her thoughts are on life there. any woman who uproots a family of 5 {it was ALL my friend's idea}, to live abroad in a country where she doesn't really speak the language, excites me
and makes me want to peek into her mind a bit more. what she did takes lots of planning, patience, courage, a true love of other people and cultures, a bit of faith and the understanding that travel is ONE of the few things in life we can buy that makes our lives richer.
and i have been thoroughly enjoying reading the blog that his mother,
has been posting to. she announced to us at her last book club dinner that she had started
writing a blog to document her family's one year adventure in spain. she actually started
before she left so she could document all they had to do on the 'front end'. she asked us
ladies to give our "honest critique" of her writing as she may consider using it to write a
book about their experience there. we were all happy to.
oh how i loved her idea. a blog would offer SO much more than Facebook or any Instagram
posts she could share. writing would give all of us us ladies a true idea of what her days are like,
and what her thoughts are on life there. any woman who uproots a family of 5 {it was ALL my friend's idea}, to live abroad in a country where she doesn't really speak the language, excites me
and makes me want to peek into her mind a bit more. what she did takes lots of planning, patience, courage, a true love of other people and cultures, a bit of faith and the understanding that travel is ONE of the few things in life we can buy that makes our lives richer.
i am learning so much by following her blog....from the day to day things in her life like where
they shop for food. I've learned there are separate shops for meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit and bread. there is a megastore, similar to Costco. tourists use it, but most locals avoid it.
similar to the US, shopping in these stores is a bit frowned upon as it hurts the local economy - mom and pop shops and the local farmers and their families. she hasn't been able to avoid it altogether but for the most part, she is trying to live as the locals do and watching her from afar is truly enriching and beautiful.
they shop for food. I've learned there are separate shops for meat, cheese, vegetables and fruit and bread. there is a megastore, similar to Costco. tourists use it, but most locals avoid it.
similar to the US, shopping in these stores is a bit frowned upon as it hurts the local economy - mom and pop shops and the local farmers and their families. she hasn't been able to avoid it altogether but for the most part, she is trying to live as the locals do and watching her from afar is truly enriching and beautiful.
i'm also learning how this mother of 3 is navigating her way around the city on trains and buses, about la festa major de gracias, which lasts for a week and goes until 4am every night
{not fun if you live right in the middle of it}, how to cut through all the red tape foreigners experience in order to opena bank account, get an apartment, and even buy a used car.
she explained it all in great detail in her posts. whew!
I was also reminded about the ever important 'siesta'. this is a huge part of spanish
culture and it's still going strong. businesses close for several hours every afternoon
{usually from 2-5/6pm}, and reopen around 6pm until about 8pm. this means dinner is
eaten late for all. children are often found in the squares playing soccer until 11pm.
{not fun if you live right in the middle of it}, how to cut through all the red tape foreigners experience in order to opena bank account, get an apartment, and even buy a used car.
she explained it all in great detail in her posts. whew!
I was also reminded about the ever important 'siesta'. this is a huge part of spanish
culture and it's still going strong. businesses close for several hours every afternoon
{usually from 2-5/6pm}, and reopen around 6pm until about 8pm. this means dinner is
eaten late for all. children are often found in the squares playing soccer until 11pm.
life is different in spain and I'm enjoying hearing about all of it!
i am so tempted to share the link to her blog, but I need to get
permission before i do.
in the meantime, i will share this adorable photo of her crew, whom she lovingly calls
'The Adventurers'. she doesn't use their proper names in her blog. instead, she has
given them all nicknames and refers to them as:
left to right: Little Angel, The Scientist, Senor Aventura, Force of Nature, Soccer Dude
in the meantime, i will share this adorable photo of her crew, whom she lovingly calls
'The Adventurers'. she doesn't use their proper names in her blog. instead, she has
given them all nicknames and refers to them as:
left to right: Little Angel, The Scientist, Senor Aventura, Force of Nature, Soccer Dude
