Reality

The last few posts have been about the fun and the laughter we have experienced in our new home.  However, the reality of our new home slapped us in the face this week. 

We are so very grateful for technology.  We have repeatedly talked about what it was like for those who have gone before us - getting on a boat and heading across the world knowing that it took months for a letter to reach them and that in all likelihood, they would never return "home."  We are blessed with skype, email, facebook, a Magic Jack, and more.  

Yet, the reality is, there is an ocean between us and family, friends, and the place we called home.

No matter how much technology is available the ocean will never get smaller and life will continue on both sides of the ocean, at times making it feel even wider.  Lives move forward and in different directions.  Relationships change. 

The other reality is that technology does not allow touch.  Zach, our oldest son, called us Thursday evening to let us know he had lost his job.  He was desperately broken on the other side of that piece of technology and there was nothing I could do.  I couldn't reach out and hold him.  I was grateful that I could listen and pray, but more than anything else I wanted to touch him.  And at the same time, as I sat on this side of the ocean broken for my son I wanted to be touched.  Yet there was this incredible ocean between us.

God is faithful to never leave nor forsake and I can proclaim that he provided comfort, encouragement, and even touch in the hours after that call.  Yet the reality is, there will always be an ocean.

Phone Shopping

I know, I am a glutton for punishment!  First car shopping and now we are ready to attack phone shopping.  Unlike in the United States, when you sign your first contract with a phone company you do not qualify for the great free phone deals.  You must buy your first phone outright and then when your contract expires, you can trade up (or down).  You qualify for a discount equivalent to the phone you are trading up.

We bought 20€ prepaid phones when we arrived (without residency you cannot buy any kind of contract phone).  They dial, text, and ring.  Exactly what phones were designed to do, however, living in a foreign country with another language, has caused me to think about additional phone uses and am considering a smart phone.

For example, during the car shopping escapades a dealer responded to an email I had sent by calling my cell phone.  I am pretty sure he said he had the car I was looking for.  However, I had no idea where he was nor the language skills to understand the directions he might give me.  I was already in Madrid and it would have been much easier to go see the car while there.  Unfortunately home is where I went instead.

Of course, like many I thought I needed an iPhone.  That was until I found the price - 500€ (multiply that by 1.3 to see what that is in dollars).  I get a 20€ discount because of my prepared phone and that is still so far over my budget I could only laugh.

We do not have to buy the phone from a company here, we just have to buy an unlocked version that accepts a SIMS card.  I have shopped eBay, amazon, and other places and now feel almost as overwhelmed as car shopping.

So here are my questions for you readers (and I am hoping you might actually answer me - either comment or contact me).....

• If you have a smart phone that you really like, what is it?  What makes it so great?
• If you have a smart phone that you don't like, what is it and why?
• Anybody have a smart phone with a qwerty keyboard that they really like?
• Of course older models of the iPhone are much cheaper.  For those of you who have a an iPhone 3, are you able to still get apps that work and are you content?

Can't wait to read all your help.

Car and Driving

Quick update - the search for a car is over - or at least we think so!  We have begun the paperwork process to finalize the purchase of a car.  When everything is truly finished and we have keys in our hands, I'll post details.  We are truly grateful to all who financially partnered with us before we left for Spain.  It is because of you that we are able to get a car.  Thank you for all the prayers that have helped get us through the past two weeks of car shopping!

I have survived 13 hours of driving school and only have 6 more to go!  I have two wonderful friends who are taking the class with me which is making it bearable, as well as the fact that the class is in English and the instructor has a great sense of humor.  I promise, there will be a post in the coming days about all the interesting driving laws and the things I have been doing wrong.  I have some serious studying to do before I'll be able to pass the exam.

Necessary Characteristics of Life in Spain - Part II

Just to review (in case you forgot or didn't read yesterday) the two essential characteristics of life here in Spain are 1) the ability to laugh at yourself and 2) strong legs.

If the bus story didn't confirm that, then let me tell you about my pig.  Yep - pig - the four legged animal that goes oink. 

NO I do not have a live pig, but I got a good portion of a pig yesterday.  On the menu for lunch today was pulled pork bar-b-q sandwiches.  I have found that most co-workers or friends use tenderloin to make pulled pork (no, bar-b-q is not a food that Spaniards eat).  Being the good southern that I am, I actually preferred to use the Boston Butt - more fat and thus juicier.

So first my lesson in butchering - a Boston Butt does not come from the butt of a pig, it comes from the shoulder.  Now my Spanish lesson - how to say shoulder (hombro - being careful not to say hambre for hunger or hombre for man).  Armed with my butcher and language knowledge I headed to the butcher shop.

Stop - you need a few more details for this make sense - Earlier in the day I had been to Madrid to look at a possible used car (liked the car, but it had been a smoker's car - so it is off the list).  I was running late getting back into town and had to get meat before they closed for siesta.  I decided to park as close to the meat store as possible instead of our apartment.

I went into the meat store and attempted to ask for the hombro de cerdo (the shoulder of a pig).  The meat guys are fabulous - they have a ton of patience and laugh with me.  We acted it out, we repeated it and finally he appeared to understand.  He headed into the cooler with his big knife, came back out with the big knife, propped the cooler opened, disappeared for a minute, and then my mouth fell open - he was carrying the entire leg (including skin and hoof) of a pig!  I mean the entire leg!  Had I just committed to buying more than I wanted?  Picture that conversation - me trying to tell Scott why I bought an entire leg of a pick?!

I sighed a huge sigh of relief when he pulled out his knife and pointed to the shoulder and asked how much.  I was cooking for a friend, so I asked for 3 or 4 kilos - between 6 and 9 pounds.  Then he asked if I wanted the skin or not - that was an easy question - NO!  He cut out the entire shoulder and weighed it - 3.75 kilos so I took it - the whole thing!  He was a little overwhelmed that I really wanted the whole thing.

He cut it apart, I ordered chicken for another meal, and headed out the door with the entire shoulder of a pig.  I went across the street for onions, tomatoes, and avocados.  Still needed to go to the bread store, but decided I'd rather carry it all instead of trying to move the car and find a new parking place.  Walked the 5 minutes to the bread store, ordered my bread, walked another 5 minutes to our apartment, set down my bags to get my keys out and realized my keys were in my coat pocket.  And guess where my coat was?

Yep, in the car.... a 5 - 7 minute walk back - and oh yeah, did you remember I was carrying the entire shoulder of a pig around this whole time?

Again, two necessary characteristics - sense of humor at oneself and strong feet (and strong arm and backs if you intend to carry around a pig's shoulder).  By the way, the bar-b-q today was fabulous!

Necessary Characteristics of Life in Spain - Part 1

If you are considering moving to Spain (or any other foreign country) I have decided there are at least two required characteristics..... 1) the ability to laugh at yourself and 2) strong legs.   If in doubt, read on - if the next two stories don't convince you of that.... then you might need to laugh a little more.

Monday I needed to go to Madrid and it was also my language tutor day.  My tutor lives between me and Madrid so I offered to go to her house instead of her come to mine (allowed me to get to Madrid quicker).  She called and gave me bus directions and I felt prepared.  I was slightly worried about getting off the bus at the right stop, but had practiced the language needed to ask the driver to help me and had even looked at google map street view for the bus stop location so that I would know exactly where I was going.... however the problem wasn't on the end of getting off the bus - it was at the beginning - getting on the bus.

It should take about 40 minutes to get to her house, so I left at about 9:15 (needed to be there at 10:30).  All along, I thought if I get to her town early, I'll just stop for coffee first.  Uh, should maybe have thought about lunch instead. 

Apparently (uh, duh!) you should read all 3 numerals on the bus numbers at a bus stop.  I needed bus 223 - but went to our common bus stop where I knew for sure there was a green bus (green buses cross communities, red buses stay in your town - this will be important again in a minute).  I knew it started with 22, so of course it would be 223 - uh no - after standing there for about 5 mintues I decided to read the sign just to double check - it was a bus stop for 227 - uh oh!  But where was the 223 bus stop?

So, I walked back to the apartment and grabbed the bus map.  I found bus 223's route and looked for the closest bus stop - or so I thought.  I grabbed another local bus and took it to where I expected to catch bus 227 now - however, those bus colors were now important.  On the bus map there are dots where all the bus stops are.  I found a dot (but was red, and remember I need a green bus) along the 223 route and walked to it (about a 5 minute walk), and although I am a slow learner I do learn, so I immediately read the sign and there were no green #s - relooked at map to double check and found that the stop only had red dots - apparently if you want a green bus you need a green dot on the map.

So, searching the map for the nearest green dot along 223's route, I discover it is about a 15 minute walk back the other direction.... ugh!  Off I go and pray all along the way I don't see a 223 bus pass me -

Well, God answered that prayer, but I didn't pray quite specific enough because as I turned the corner to the bus station (where all buses that are going to Madrid originate) I see the #s 223 on the back of a bus and I begin to sigh in relief, until I realize that bus is moving..... out of the station and on the way to Madrid, without me.

It is now 10:30 - yes, an hour and fifteen minutes later and I am still in my town, so I call my tutor, tell her I'll be a little late (this bus only runs every 30 minutes... so maybe a little more late than a "little"), go into a coffee shop and grab a cup of coffee and a chocolate neopolitan (because chocolate always makes laughing a little easier) and stand firmly at the bus stop pole with my eyes glued in the direction the bus will be coming.

Finally the bus comes, I get on, find the right stop and arrive at tutoring - unfortunately it was now 11:30 - it only took 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to her house.... at least she had hot tea to warm me up (did I forget to mention it was about 35 degrees and raining this whole time?) and we had a great language lesson.

What did I tell you - you definitely need to be able to laugh at yourself and have strong legs - the day would have been a total waste without those two characteristics.....

Wait until tomorrow's post - you'll get to laugh about an entire pig's shoulder and me.