First day in Spain - pedicure, electronics etc.

04 September 2019

Day 1. Slept just a few hours as my body can't figure out what time it is. I made a quick trip to the grocery store yesterday, so I could have my usual breakfast. I found a cereal I like with some kind of bran flakes and dried fruits and nuts, and there were soymilk, almond milk, and oat milk to choose from.

Dragged myself out to go to my pedicure appointment (silly me, I thought it would be a relaxing way to spend the first day). The whole trip on the metro - about an hour, including transfers and getting on the wrong train - I was feeling extremely nauseated with jet lag. Nausea is one of my least favorite sensations, right up there with stabbing pain.

My mobile phone service from home worked for calls but not for data. Unfortunately, I had only connected with my beautician online, so I had no way to ask for detailed directions and Google maps wasn't working so I was relying on the map in my phone's memory, which didn't have any street names loaded. Apparently the street changes names halfway down so there are two buildings with the same number. The first one I rang the bell at I received a very short "no", so I must not be the first to make that mistake. Finally I found a Spanish girl willing to help and she got me to the right street, so I made it to my appointment only a few minutes late (sorry, Emily!). She did a fantastic job transforming my hooves back into feet and my toes look cute.

After that, my next task was to get a SIM card (that is how you get a phone plan when traveling internationally). Again, using the map from my phone's memory and the battery was quickly dying. The woman at the phone store was very sweet. She also had the most lovely blonde curly bobbed hair which I could not stop admiring. I now have a Spanish mobile phone number including data - yay, online map access!

Next stop: Media Markt to find a plug adapter to charge my computer and my Sonicare toothbrush. Dental care is important, people. Achievement unlocked!

Came home for a rest and crashed out for the rest of the day. I did manage to walk out to find the Lidl market nearby. A whole bag of groceries for 14 Euros, not even possible in the US. It is hard to find things because the shapes and colors of the packaging is often completely different. I never did find tissues, thank goodness I brought some handkerchiefs with me. The air is very dry, around 35% humidity, which makes the heat bearable, but I have already had one major nosebleed so I'm trying to drink as much water as possible.

This section of apartment buildings seems a bit seedy (graffiti and beer bars, no cute wine/tapas/chocolaterias in sight). However, there is this pretty aisle between the buildings which makes up for it. When it's cool in the morning and evening I see people down there.

The colors at dusk were so beautiful. I am often not successful at capturing what I see in a photo, but this time it's spot on.

The wind is picking up so it should cool down tonight.

Safely arrived in Spain

04 September, 2019

One more farewell with "Lunch Bunch", my mother and her friends.

Getting ready to move to Spain was a whirlwind of chaos right up to the airport. Here is just a small part of what my room looked like leading up to departure date.

I did not leave everything behind as orderly as I would have wished, and there is a whole bin of stuff I wanted to bring but had to eliminate due to baggage weight restrictions.  Here is my cat Tiny Tubby supervising the packing process.

The thing I regret the most not getting into the suitcase? My handy dandy massage tool, which consists of two tennis balls tied into an old sock. I have three of these high tech devices at home, yet not one made it into my bag. I'll have to find a tennis court to look for stray balls.

My mother, God bless her, rode with me on the 3 hour bus ride to the Los Angeles International Airport for moral support. Without her I would have had a total anxiety attack, rather than just being stressed. We ended up having to repack my bags in the lobby, which was ok because I had lots of time before check in.

In the international terminal, there was a giant projection screen on two walls. When I walked in, there were old black and white silent films playing there. So fantastic!

Here is a short video showing the films in action:

On the way to the gate, my back was aching after lifting my bags over and over to weigh them as we moved stuff from one bag to the other, so I stopped for a 20 minute back and shoulder chair massage. No photo, but I enjoyed it thoroughly and felt so much better afterward. Then a little yoga time with "legs up the wall" while waiting to board the plane.

 

I upgraded to Premium Economy, and it was worth it after all the stress. It was so much more comfortable than Economy. 

This is how much leg room I had - my legs were extended straight out and I could barely reach the seat in front with my toes. Usually I can't even bend over to pick up my purse off the floor because my head bashes into the seat in front.  I didn't get a picture of it, but there was a retractable leg rest which helped immensely, even though it was too short for my legs, it provided some elevation and combined with a nice recline on the seat, made sleeping so much easier. I got about 5 hours of sleep, which for me on a plane is usually impossible.

No problems on arrival in Spain. Immigration lines were short and those with "nothing to declare" bypassed customs and went straight out the door.

The taxi driver refused to follow the careful directionss of my Airbnb host and dropped me off a block or so away, leaving me completely lost with a huge amount of luggage. Thankfully, my host came to find me when I finally called after wandering around and getting sweaty and frustrated.

My Airbnb is on the 12th floor with a lovely rooftop view typical of this area. There are some parks below and as evening fell the sounds of children playing drifted up.

I sat chatting with my host and watching the sunset from the window, after which I was treated to Spanish lessons by their 7-year-old daughter using her school textbooks.

And then finally to bed. Buenas noches!

Farewell Party

17 August, 2019

I will soon be moving on to my next adventure in Spain. I will be teaching English in Madrid while also enrolled in a Master's program in Bilingual and Multicultural Education at University of Alcala.

Today I was honored to be gifted with a going away party by some of my Santa Barbara friends. I am so blessed to have such an amazing group of supportive and loving women in my life. Not to mention good cooks (best potluck food ever).

We didn't get a photo of the whole group, but I did manage to get a picture with everyone present. 

Thank you all for your support and friendship. I will miss you all.