Office

After two solid days of work I can finally proclaim the office finished (or at least finished minus hanging the curtains and buying an extension cord).  It feels so good to walk into this room and know that it will be possible to be productive again.  I have missed having a work space (other than the end of the dining room table).   Now to attack the expense report!

Loving all those cubbies!  I am an organization fanatic!  Besides, next to impossible to find file cabinets here, so made do with cubbies and boxes!  The desktop computer came with us from the states - after several trips to the shop (wrong power supply for use here) it is great to have it up and running!

The yellow chair quickly folds out into a single bed.
Making room for friends and teams!

Aroma

So, I am a doer!  Anybody who knows me knows that.  Always a to do list, always trying to accomplish something, always needing to see progress.   This is a great trait when you are in a job that requires constant production.  It isn't such a great trait when you enter a season of life that has little to do with WHAT you can visibly accomplish.

And that is the description of this season of language learning and job transition.  There are of course tasks that can be written down and checked off.  Even at times, in a short span of time.  But the majority of this season is about slow progress and unseen accomplishments.

Yesterday, when reading the Bible I came across this verse :

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life."  (2 Cor 2:15-16)

A refreshing reminder to this "doer."  God is using this season, whether I can see it or not - the question is am I allowing him to use it as a fragrant aroma or a stinky mess.

Laughter

One of the hardest losses when learning a new language is laughter.  In the beginning, my vocabulary was so limited that I couldn't understand enough of a story or a joke to know whether it was funny or not.  Solution, if everyone around you is laughing, then laugh.

Then, as my vocabulary grew, I could follow the conversation, but had to work so hard at translating, by the time I realized it was funny, everyone else was finished laughing and I got some odd looks when I would then laugh.  Of course, the solution was still - laugh when everyone else laughed and pray that it was appropriate to laugh.

Then last night I laughed - at the right time and because I knew it was funny.  Somewhere in the middle of the laughter I realized, "hey, I'm laughing at a funny story that I understand what it is about."  We were at a birthday celebration and another guest was telling a story of when their pool had a leak and they stopped the leak with cinnamon chewing gum.  The story was hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Later, I realized how much you miss laughing when learning a new language. Laughter is good for the soul, the heart, the mind, and the body.  It is good for my mood and is so encouraging in language learning.  The whole evening seemed to much more fun after starting the evening with true laughter. 

I can't wait for the next "true laughter" moment!

Cars and Bikes

Never bored at the Hunter house!

The temperatures are cooling down and I am once again focusing on losing a little more weight (personal shout out - have lost nearly 20 pounds since arriving in Spain and would like to lose 20 more :) ), so invited Alex to go for a bike ride last night.  Scott is still nursing a hurt back, so he stayed home.  Needless to say, I grew tired way before Alex, so I returned home and he went to do one more time around the block.

Just as I got home my cell phone rang (we require Alex to always wear a helmet and always have his cell phone with him) and I jokingly said "please don't be Alex and he be hurt."  Needless to say it was him and the first words out of his mouth were "I was hit by a car."  My heart stopped beating and I had enough sense to say "are you hurt?"  He assured me he wasn't and told me where he was.

Side note, our car is in the shop - every time you unlock the car the trunk door opens - so we were without a car.  I got back on my bike and Scott started walking.

Sure enough, overall he was ok.  Lots of scrapes and bruises and is sore today, but nothing serious.  However, when we began to converse with the driver of the car, he wanted us to take full responsibility for the accident and pay for the damage to his car (the passenger side window broke when Alex's shoulder hit it and there is a scrape from the bike).  Alex's version of the story at best made the accident the driver's fault, and at worse they both shared fault.  Due to our limited Spanish we called our teammate who joined us at the site.

After more discussion, the driver decided to call the police (this is not required in Spain unless both parties do not agree to the circumstances in an accident).  The police came and after another 30+ minutes of standing on the corner (did I happen to mention I was still in bike clothes - not the clothes I wear with friends and definitely not in public?), the police explained what would happen next:

• we were required to take Alex to the Health Center (aka emergency room in a small town) to be checked
• after the doctor saw him we would need to bring the papers to the police station
• the police would then process the report to the judge (who also does detective work, not just ruling) and the driver's insurance company
• together the judge and insurance company would decide fault and who needed to pay for what

We are so grateful to God that Alex was not seriously hurt - he was coming down a pretty steep hill and could have been seriously injured.  We are grateful for teammates who dropped everything and helped with translation and driving until nearly 11:00.  And we were grateful that Telepizza was still open, because when it was all over we were all starving - dinner hour had been missed.

One Room at a Time - The Kitchen

Scott, Alex, and some friends did a great job of getting things into the house, now I am trying to put my personal touch on the rooms, find permanent homes for "junk," and get the house cleaned after being gone for so long.

First room I attacked, of course, was the kitchen.  I declare the kitchen finished!  Well, except for that fact that the new refrigerator and dishwasher don't arrive until Saturday.  But at least I feel like I know where everything is and that it is MY kitchen.  Sweet treasures to a woman's heart.  :)

A rare treat in a Spanish kitchen, space to have a table and eat.  My favorite place for my morning quiet time as well!  Now, to figure out how to put curtains on those windows - cause when the sun is shining, it is really, really hot! 

Standing in the doorway - you can't see that there is still a good deal of cabinets behind me - perfect place for the computer while I am in the kitchen - chatting with friends on skype, listening to music, or watching TV.

The empty spot is for the dishwasher, and yes, that is my washing machine in the kitchen as well.  The door you see leads to the dining room.  Loving the ample counter space and cabinets - another rare treat in a Spanish kitchen.  

I cannot wait to host my first cooking class - question is, will it be with children or ladies.  Of course, first I must finish Spanish lessons before I can start teaching English.

To Do List, Update

1. Go to bank to change address - well, the lesson I learned today is that you don't just change addresses - you have to get a new bank account number because we are now in a different province - so this makes our third bank account number (non-resident, in Alcala, and now in Illescas) with the same bank.  But my part of the address change is finished, Scott goes back on Monday to finish his part (yep, I can't change the address on his part and he can't put his name on the new account without my being there) - 
2. Go to car shop - I think the guy at the car shop understands what is wrong - charades worked better than my Spanish, but I successfully made an appointment for Tuesday morning - of course, when I got home Scott asked if I had questioned if this was a warranty repair, and of course - I hadn't even thought of a warranty.  Thankfully he agreed to take the car in to the shop on Tuesday - he gets to ask!
3. Refrigerator shop - SUCCESS!  I found one and it is coming on Saturday (even successfully changed the delivery date of the dishwasher so they both come at the same time).  

In addition, I almost finished organizing my kitchen, took siesta, fixed lunch, went to the post office, bought groceries, and am now watching TV.  All in all, a really good day!

Cansado (Tired)

I keep saying one day I will learn, but probably not - American to do lists do not work so well in Spain.  Today I even declared I was working American Style - a long list of things to accomplish in one day - no mind for siesta or other schedules - I was going to plough through, no matter what!

To accomplish today:

1. Make hotel reservations in Illescas for the team 
2. Take Scott to get steroid shot - finally - but boy you won't believe what it took to mark this one off 
1. Back up to yesterday - doctor prescribed 6 steroid shots
2. Last night stopped at pharmacist and bought steroid medication
3. This morning dropped Scott off at Public Health Center to get shot administered - was told because we have private insurance he needed to go a private clinic
4. Scott walked to private clinic - closed for the month of August
5. Called clinic where medicine was prescribed and told he could come there (15 minute drive) but would need to go to pharmacy and purchase syringes
6. Drove to pharmacy from last night, but was closed for siesta - sign indicated which pharmacy stayed open
7. Drove to indicated pharmacy, which was also closed for siesta
8. Drove to town where clinic was and went to an open pharmacy, who was sold out of syringes
9. Drove to other pharmacy that was told would be open - closed
10. Drove to one more pharmacy that was also closed
11. Gave up and started shopping for refrigerator/dishwasher (see below) and waited until after siesta
12. Went to pharmacy that was now open and purchased syringes
13. Went to clinic where medicine was originally prescribed, paid 10 Euros, and was given injection - using a syringe they provided - Only 5 more shots to go
3. Get Alex a haircut   
4. Make lunch 
5. Update mileage book - we have to write down every kilometer we drive - I have notes in all sorts of places from our 3 week journey - one day I will learn to do better - about half way updated
6. Purchase dishwasher and refrigerator - are you ready to follow this line of shopping?

1. Tell GPS to take me to Eroski (kind of like super wal-mart)
2. Arrive at destination to find a different store, and not one that sells appliances
3. Use phone to go to the Eroski website and search for nearest store - it gives me the same address where I am presently located and finally see the abandoned building where the store used to be
4. Use map app on phone to search for closest Eroski and it sends me 6 kilometers away to another town (which takes 20 minutes to drive because we literally hit every traffic light possible) - get within eye sight of the store and the road is closed
5. Navigate around the detour and reach store, to realize this is not a "super" Eroski, but just a grocery store - didn't even know they had different kinds
6. Navigate back to original town and stop at an "electrodomestico" store (sells appliances and other household electric appliances)
7. Find the perfect dishwasher, but not refrigerator.  Spend 30 minutes writing up the purchase because a high priority in Spain is conversation (had a great time getting to know the salesman and even invited him to English camp - love this part of the Spanish culture!)
8. Left this store and went to another "super" store that was on the way home - Carrefour - uh oh, discovered that they too have stores that are not "super" - they sent us back to another store, which by the way was next door to the appliance store we just left
9. Shopped for a refrigerator and determined that I needed to come back home and re-measure my space before buying (thought I had the exact measurements in my phone, but apparently not - only the measurements of a refrigerator I had seen before we left for vacation)
10. On way out of store saw a little table and chairs we wanted for our front "yard" (no grass, just concrete)
11. Got to check out with table and 2 chairs and saw that one of the chairs was scratched so had to go back and get another chair
12. Got to car with table and chairs and saw that 3 of the legs of the chairs were missing their rubber ends - had to go back in the store and get them
13. Drove home with pictures of the two refrigerators I liked and found out the prices are different on line (more expensive) and not all the same model numbers are the same
14. Oh well - back to the store on Thursday - when Scott needs a 2nd shot :)

So tomorrow, I only have 2 things on my to do list -

1. Go to bank to change address (this SHOULD be easy)
2. Go to car shop - ready to laugh?  Every time we unlock the doors on our car the hatch to the trunk pops open - who knows why?  Now whether they can fix it tomorrow or not is another question - but a lot easier to stop by and ask than call them.  I still hate the phone when I have to talk in Spanish!

Needless to say I am tired, but I am learning a lot about patience, laughing along the way, and enjoying the process as much as the accomplishment!

Back in Spain

My body has returned to Spain, my head and heart are somewhere between Spain and North Carolina.  Jet lag is still winning and my sleep pattern and hunger pattern matches neither country.  My clothes are in piles (as well as lots of other things from the suitcases).  In fact, yesterday I finally had to unpack the suitcase so I could repack it for a trip today.

We leave today for a 2+ week trip.  We will be at the SEND Spain Annual Conference for 5 days then we will be serving as the cooks for a youth leadership camp (yep, in tents) for another week, and finally we will spend two days pretending vacation is reality.  Finally we will return to our new house and get serious about making it feel like home.

I continue to process lots of emotions and thoughts from my trip back to the states.  Pray with me through this journey.  I'll share of the journey later, but for today, I'll wipe the tears away again, take a deep breath, and move forward.

Home

We have been back in North Carolina for almost a week.  It's been an interesting transition back - some things feel very familiar, and yet others feel foreign.  Our bodies are not sure what time it is nor what meal we are supposed to be eating.  But even more than that, our minds and hearts aren't always sure how to answer some questions.

The most common question is "how does it feel to be home?"  Home?  Is North Carolina home?  Is Spain home?  Did we leave home or did we return home?  

The answer to all of those questions change by the hour.  When we left Spain I lived in Alcala de Henares and I would call it home.  But at times, I'd also be heard saying "in July I am taking Hannah home."  When I return to Spain my house will be in Illescas.  But will it already be home?

So for those of you who will still ask "how does it feel to be home? and I look at you with glazed over eyes and the deer in the headlight look - know that it isn't a lack of understanding the question, but instead, I really have no idea how to answer.

Changes Ahead

When we arrived in the fall of 2011 we heard of the economic crisis.  People all around talked of it, but in our "bubble" we didn't see a lot of it.  Tonight, however, as we took a final walk through the Plaza Mayor of Alcala (Hannah returns to the states tomorrow for college and we move to Illescas in a week) we saw first hand the results of the crisis.  Store after store had been boarded up and closed.  Even Burger King was closed!

Last week the government announced an increase in IVA (sales tax).  For many products it will now be 21%.  The country is in a financial crisis and needs to somehow generate extra income, and yet at the same time as a result of the crisis the citizens do not have the money to pay the extra tax.  The days ahead are going to be interesting.

Here is a glimpse at sales tax in Spain...

• Theater tickets, circus, bullfights, museums, attraction parks, etc... increased from 8% to 21% sales tax
• Health and Dental services... increased from 10% to 21%
• Hair Dresser or Manicurist... increased from 8% to 21%
• Clothes, footwear, tobacco, alcohol drinks... increased from 18% to 21%
• Flowers, bulbs, seeds.... increased from 10% to 21%
• Communications, real estate, and funeral fees... increased from 18% to 21%
• First Time Home Buyer Tax (previously if you were a first time home buyer you received a lower tax rate as an incentive to buy) - from 4% to 21%

All the new changes go into effect September 1.  The Spaniards around us are feeling this crunch (as well as us) and there is concern for what the days ahead hold - both for them individually and as a country.  Pray for the coming days!  The belief is that things will get much worse before they get better.  For many that is hard to imagine.

Keys and All!

It's official - we have a place to live in Illescas!  We have keys and a contract and the official paperwork saying we truly live in Illescas (although we don't actually reside there yet!).  We knew as soon as we walked in the front door we knew we were home - now we are excited to make it our own.

I head to the states on Monday (the 16th) with Hannah and while we are gone Scott and Alex will move us.  Should I be worried?  Scott is perfectly capable of handling the move, but will I ever find anything?  And oh, by the way, we leave four days later for 2+ weeks.

Here's a sneak peak at our new house...

Kitchen - you can't see it, but there is also a
bay window area perfect for a kitchen table!

View of the back deck - big enough for a grill and table!

Living Room

Master Bedroom - Look at the closet space!

1/2 Way There

Half way to a new home.... our area coordinator signed his part of the paperwork today and on Monday we go to sign ours.  Looks like we are about to move!

Could it be?

We think we have found it!  Our Area Director goes today to sign the paperwork - we hope - and then on Monday we sign and get keys.  Keep Praying!  Watch back next week for details and the celebration party!

Our New Home in Illescas, We Hope

Back to the Drawing Board

The good news - we didn't have to wait until next week to hear about the house we were trying to rent.

The bad news - the property owner decided he didn't want to rent (yes, it was listed for rent, we didn't just randomly pick this house).

So Friday, I return to Illescas for the next chapter of the story.

IHH - #6 - Not a Done Deal

Just an update - we began negotiations this week with the land lord of our first choice home, however, there are a couple "big" things in the contract that he presented that we cannot accept, so we are in waiting mode.  We won't know anything until sometime next week.  So we wait and rest in the fact that we know God has the perfect place planned for us.

IHH - Once More - #5

Hopefully, this may be my last report of house hunting - we do believe we may have made a decision (how is that for decision?).  We will now work through logistics and see where it all ends.  Thank goodness our supervisor will handle that part - cause of course it is all in Spanish!

We returned for trip #5 today - I think my car can drive itself to Illescas!  We took our new teammate with us, which always adds to the excitement (and Spanish is his first language so that helps too!)

#1 - If we had liked this one, things would have been a bit complicated due to the way it is listed and what our immobiliaria can ethically do in this situation and etc (more than my spanish brain can understand!)  It was in a great location and had a really long, narrow patio.  Something really interesting, is that it also had kind of a cellar - a small door in the floor of the garage led to a storage area under the house.  First time we have seen that here.  It was cute, but didn't quite meet our needs.

#2 - Had a really big patio area in the front and to the side, but in the back it was tiny.  It was fence so we could have used the front for bar-b-q if we had wanted, but my American filter struggled with that.  There were bars over the door in the living room that led to the back patio, again - probably not a bad thing for Spain, but for this NC gal, I just struggled.  Add to it that the house had definitely been occupied previously by a smoker and we decided it wasn't for us.

#3 - We visited the outside of #1 from IHH#4 (the owner wasn't available to allow us back inside).  Our teammate liked the area as well as the outside.  We learned it is about 700 meters from the school where we would try to enroll Alex (that is a whole different post - you are not guaranteed a place in your neighborhood school) and about 1 km from the large city park.  This continues to be our favorite.

#4 - This was another new chalet that had not been occupied before.  They were beautiful with both an attic and a garage (basement) that would be put to great use.  However, they were directly across from the train track and we had to stop talking to wait on a train to pass.  And at the end, we learned they were not just for rent, they were rent with the option to buy.  We do not want to buy a house here (you think the housing market is difficult in the states - you ought to see it here!).

Now we pray and think and allow our supervisor to work through logistics.  Hopefully in the next couple of days the post will read "New House Rented!"

IHH - 104

Yep, last night was one more round of International House Hunting (without a translator and our immobiliaria only speaks Spanish), but at least at the end of the evening we felt like we had hope.  We met with our immobiliaria (the one from IHH - 103).  She had three potential homes lined up for us to see.

#1 - Less than 5 years old and has never been lived in - new appliances (yes, it has an oven), lots of space, and a garage that will work for great hospitality opportunities!  It is a little further away from the center of town than we imagined, but it is doable.

#2 - Right smack in the middle of town, on a corner, with a secondary school in the front and the grocery store on the side.  It had a great patio (really big, great bar-b-q's could happen there), a common natural area, however, the inside wasn't quite what we were looking for.

#3 - Never made it inside, because across the street is a chalet (townhouse) where someone has sprayed on the garage door "tus perros nos molestan" (your dogs bother us), and running in the tiny front yard, barking loudly, are 3 large dogs.

We then drove around to see a couple other potential areas and headed home to think.

Tomorrow we go back to potentially see two more and revisit #1 from our fourth trip.  If these two new ones do not "knock our socks off" we will choose #1.  Keep praying!  It would be nice to be finished with this step of the process.  Pictures will follow if we say "yes."

IHH - 103

Never a dull moment when it comes to house hunting in Spain!
(Click on the links f you missed Part 1 or Part 2)

Grateful that on day 3 of this journey a friend and her daughter accompanied me (with the promise of finding the chocolateria), we met our first appointment (slightly late) and quickly jumped into her car.  She knew we had worked the previous night with a different immobilaria so she began asking about what we had already seen and liked or disliked.  She then drove us to one property that she thought matched our needs, but that the listing was shared by other companies.  Sure enough, we had seen that one the night before.

(side note - yes, when you list your house with an immobiliaria you can list it with as many companies as you want - remember, no MLS system - very different than the states)

Since we had told her we only wanted to see things in the north she had nothing else lined up to show us.  She drove us around the central and south and explained a few things to us...

.... the majority of the properties in the north are owned outright, so the financial crisis is not creating a need for many of these to become available for rent -

....  what we find in the north for rent will probably be much more expensive and smaller

....  if we live in the north we will be in a "driving" community - meaning, we would no longer be able to just walk to the market or the park, but if we live in the south - it is a walking community (much closer to what we presently live in)

Now the question became, what next?  As we discussed schools and Alex and timing and more she realized that what was driving us was the school registration timeline (Alex really needs to be registered in school before July 2) and she felt instead of looking for more houses we should solve the school situation first

So, she offers to go with us to Toledo (Toe-Lay-Dough, not pronounced like the Toe-Lee-Dough in Ohio), where the main education office for this province is located and see what we can find out (it was about a 30 minute drive each way).  Off we go and we find out that Alex really has little chance of getting into the north school, because as of right now there was only one opening, but more than 10 in the south.

Now what?  Back to Illescas and the agent takes us to the school in the south, helps us get in to see the school and tells us more about the community where the school is located.

By now, we have had to cancel our 2nd and 3rd appointment, are exhausted, and as we finish the time with this agent we have decided we really need to look in the south and central parts of Illescas.  We set an appointment for Thursday to look some more, drop her off, and head out for the "important" parts of the day - lunch (chocolate and churros got totally missed today) and shopping!

We ate lunch at a restaurant we had visited before and it was all homemade- including the chocolate mouse!  I think I may have found my favorite dessert in town.

When I called Scott to give him the overview of the day he asks "so, how many chalets did you look at today?"  My answer, "none."  It was a productive day, but not so productive in the way we expected.

Day #4 on Thursday.  

IHH - 102

Day 2 of International House Hunting (IHH) was Monday.
(If you missed part 1 you can read it here.

The day began with more emails being sent and finally hearing responses from a few of the immobiliarias (remember, real estate agents).  When they respond via e-mail, it isn't so bad - I have time to think of my response and use the help of a translator (if needed).  Thank goodness, I had a team meeting all morning, so when they responded via calls, either a teammate or her daughter helped (I still hate to talk in Spanish on the phone!).

The majority of the people who called only had properties in the south and we were only looking in the north.  Since we already had to return to Illescas Monday evening, I was trying to make additional appointments for the same trip (if you read yesterday, you'll remember that Illescas is about an hour from our home).  One agent called and had a property that was available on the north, but she wasn't available to show it until Tuesday morning.  (Thankfully a dear friend, and teammate, volunteered to go back with me on Tuesday).

Monday night we headed to Illescas for two appointments.  Oh, the fun you can have looking at chalets in a foreign country!

A fun review of 5 chalets....

#1 - Positive - had a lot of character, semi-furnished, several terraces, and friendly landlords.  Interesting - there was an area inside, yes, I said inside, that was filled with mulch.  Negative - when you look out the front door you face an industrial looking building - which we learn houses two clubs (in Spain, that usually refers to prostitute area) and several topless bars.  Nope - that one is off the list.

#2 - Positive - it had the biggest kitchen that I have seen in Spain, even having room for an industrial size refrigerator!  Interesting - the kitchen was red and the living room was purple - and yes, you could see both rooms at one time!  Negative - the owner of the property intended to turn one corner of the basement/garage into a storage room where he would store all of his furniture and etc behind a locked door while he moved out of the country.  Uh, who knows what would be behind that door?  Nope - one more down.

#3 - Positive - it had a beautiful view over an open field and was below our housing budget.  Interesting - it had a single car garage that had no access to the interior of the house and the only "green" area was in the front yard.  Negative - there were only windows on the front side of the chalet.  Remember, we don't have air condition so the cross breezes are essential to cooling the house on a 100+ degree day.  Nope to #3.

#4 - (changed to our 2nd appointment - who somehow missed the fact that we only wanted to see things in the north and scheduled all our appointments for the south, but maybe we should look there anyhow) - Positive - it was really big and the basement had lots of potential (and was in our housing budget)!  Interesting - hmm, the clothes line was out the kitchen window and was at a lower level than the window - not sure I could imagine myself hanging down the window.  Negative - there was no oven in the kitchen, which is not all that unusual (many rental properties come with no furnishings in the kitchen - appliances/cabinets), however, this one didn't even have the area or wiring to add an oven.  Uh, nope to that one too!

#5 - Across the street and down a little ways is finally a little hope - Positive - it is big, has lots of potential for future activities, is in our budget, and the basement is finished into two large rooms - plus, there is a separate single car garage!  Interesting - the dining room had this huge, and I mean huge, black chandelier with crystals and all (most rental properties have no light fixtures).  Negative - it is in the south and on Monday we are still thinking we want to be in the north.

The 2nd immobiliaria then told us they had one more property in the south we could see, but it didn't have any lights and it was already nearing sunset so would be difficult to see anything, and one in the north that was a lot older.  So, since I was already coming back for IHH 103 on Tuesday, I added them to the schedule.

International House Hunting 101

Just about the time I think I am beginning to understand the culture and ways are done in our new homeland, I realize I really have no clue!  This week, as we began our search for a new home, I entered the "no clue" zone again.  So, I thought I would bring ya'll along.  Perhaps between all of you and me (and some great teammates and immobilarias), we might successfully find us a new home!

A little background information - we are moving to a town that is about an hour away from our present home.  We are moving from what is referred to as a city (approx 200,000 people) to a pueblo (approx 22,000 people).  We are presently living in the Madrid province and moving to the Toledo province (we presently live north of Madrid and are heading to the south of Madrid).  We presently live in an apartment and we are looking for a chalet (translated to town home).

Real Estate companies are called Immobilarias.  There is no such thing as the MLS in Spain.  Some houses (both for sale and rent) are listed with only one immobilaria, while others are listed with several.  Sometimes things are listed by owner as well, or perhaps only by owner.  Many of the immobilarias list their properties online at real estate search sites, but they don't give addresses of the properties.  Some immobilarias respond to your request for more information almost immediately, while others never respond. 

And of course - there is the whole language thing - they all speak Spanish.

Do you have a feel for the task ahead?

So, let's rewind to last Friday - International House Hunting (IHH) Day 1.  Hannah and I met our new teammate and toured the school on the side of the town where we "thought" we wanted to live.  Afterwards, we headed to our first immobilaria (of course, there was a stop for 2nd breakfast in there).  We explained to the worker at the immobilaria what we were looking for, the area we wanted to live in (the north), and that both families desired to find a chalet.  She shared a little information and then told us that she could not show any properties that afternoon (so we made an appointment for Monday - watch for IHH 102).  We then visited 2 more immobilarias who each told us they had no properties to match our needs.

Hannah and I then spent the next hour and half driving up and down streets writing down phone numbers and addresses of potential rental properties.  Friday was followed by a weekend of Internet searching, emailing, and praying for direction. 

End of Day 1 - no new home.

Illescas - In Pictures



The original Puerta (Gate) to Illescas - still standing



Calle Real - Connected the two gates of Illescas -
the road from Madrid and the road to Toledo (the original capital of Spain)



One of the two major Catholic Churches in Illescas

The 2nd Catholic Church

All good towns have a bull ring - Illescas, an older town,
has one of the more modern ones with a retractable roof

And of course, every town has a Plaza Mayor

The Youth Center - Located on the side of town we are hoping to live -
they offer free and low cost activities for youth and families -
 great relationship opportunities

Community Pool

One of 2 Community Sport Areas -
 of course they have soccer fields at both

Illescas has several parks - one is on the north side -
the area where we are looking to live

One park has walking/bike paths that lead around the side of town

A taste of "old town"

Illescas has a larger industrial area - much is related to carbon fibers -
the area of textiles that Scott worked with - another "door" for relationships

Airbus has a factory where they make the horizontal tail pieces - again, related to
carbon fiber technology

The Perfect Trio

What better combination of food can there be than banana, chocolate, and peanut butter.  To me any recipe that combines those three flavors gets a thumbs up.  In fact, I like that combination enough to part with my "beloved JIF Peanut Butter."  We can get some Spanish varieties of peanut butter, but nothing like JIF.

Tonight, in need of using some very ripe bananas and in need of a brunch food for a guest coming tomorrow, I googled those three ingredients and came across a muffin recipe.  I heated up my kitchen (yes, it was 80+ degrees and we don't have air condition but I turned on the oven anyhow - thank goodness for the kitchen door that blocks all the heat in the kitchen!) and tried out the recipe.  They were fabulous!  They are definitely a make again recipe!

(taken from www.noblepig.com)

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins


2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed, golden brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 large, ripe bananas, mashed-enough for 1-1/4 cups banana
1 cup milk
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3 Tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, sift together (make sure to sift), flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and the cinnamon; combine.

In another mixing vessel combine mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, egg, oil, and vanilla; mix well.  Add this to the dry mixture previously prepared; mix just enough to combine.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray, if you are using liners, spray those too, and fill tins 3/4 full.  This will make 18 nicely sized muffins.  You can double the recipe if you need more.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Different, yet Alike

As I walk this crazy life I am now living there are days where I think I must be the only crazy person here.  I want "my readers" (those few of you crazy enough to keep coming back here) to experience life here, yet it isn't so easy to find a way for that to happen.  How do you explain the crazy experiences in such a way that someone not here understands?  How do you explain with laughter and acceptance the way things are done here?  How do you celebrate the small accomplishments and yet understand how monumental they are? 

Yet, every now and then you come across a like soul, someone walking just a few steps ahead of you that helps you realize, oh wait - I am not the only one walking these exact same steps.  Maybe we are taking a little different path, but you are reminded that you are a lot more alike than diffent.

Shar Carlson is a middle school English teacher at Hannah's school.  She celebrated her one year of life in Spain anniversary this week. She wrote a blog post that had me rolling in laughter and a few tears rolling down my cheeks.  She lives in a neighboring small town, is single, and is here for a two year term, yet in the midst of those differences there were so many similarities I had to share it with you.  It is a little long, so pull up a comfy chair, get a cup of coffee (or iced team for me), and enjoy the laughter as you read her account of her first year in Spain.

Won't Find Me In Any Book

Yesterday I had a break from ordinary life and got to spend a couple hours sitting on a park bench chatting and sharing a chocolate Neapolitan (ahh - one of my favorite things in Spain) with a co-worker and friend.  We were sharing the triumphs and the heartaches of our lives during the past couple of weeks.   We were mourning the loss of a common friend and discussing the possibilities of our futures.

Somewhere the conversation turned to some heartaches we had both seen on the mission field and the question arose as to where many get their "picture" of mission work.  Many have a glorified vision of the field, while others see it as an escape from the problems in their homeland, and others believe God must be more present to those serving in foreign fields, and most (including me) have some warped picture.  But where did these ideas come from?  In the end, we decided books.

I love to read the stories of the spiritual warriors that have come and gone before me.  I love to read how men and women gave up everything and moved to the ends of the earth and saw great movements for Christ.  I marvel at the courage of those who boarded a boat, forsaking all that was being left behind, and moved to a forgotten place in the world, knowing their lives would be lost at that moment.  I find encouragement in reading the stories of those who, through serving in the jungle without running water or indoor bathrooms or being imprisoned, grew so close to God that the giving of their lives was a gain.

But you know what, I think those people are the exception.  There isn't much about our life that I would say was glamorous.  There isn't much that I would even say was earth shattering.  Even less, I can't say that I am one of those with the courage to forsake it all (yeah, I moved to Spain and sold all my worldly goods - but I have Internet and re-bought a lot of material things once arriving here).  My life is ordinary.

I don't live in a country without running water or indoor bathrooms (although we don't have air condition and summer is fast approaching).  I don't have to walk miles to the nearest market and I don't fear death for carrying a Bible.  I doubt anyone is ever gonna write a book about my life as a missionary.

But this is reality - there are thousands and thousands who have accepted the privilege of serving Christ in a foreign field.  For most their stories will never be written.  Only a small percentage will face death as a result.  But for the majority of us - reality is still hard at times.

The reality is that this life is tremendously lonely - we left our friends and family and skype just isn't the same.  We have teammates, but our job is not to spend time with our teammates, it is to get to know the nationals.  The nationals all speak a different language.  Last Saturday as I stood at a field day event I was reminded that it is possible to be in a crowd of a couple hundred and feel completely and utterly alone.  Life is hard - even with modern day conveniences.  The processes for everything is different and there are so many unwritten rules to how to do things that we may never figure it all out.  Church, a place where I always found hope, refreshment, and fellowship, is now a place of work - work to just understand what is being said and why something is being done the way it is.

We live in a country where "progress" is slow.  Following Christ comes with a cost and that cost is calculated and considered for long periods before someone is ready to pay the price.

My life isn't glamorous and I am pretty sure it isn't novel worthy, but it is reality.  And most days, I am thankful for the privilege of this reality, but then there are others where I yearn for what has been written in the books I love to read, and if I can't have that - then I just yearn for simple and familiar.

A Lo Pobre

I just love when I am reading about Spain and it all of a sudden comes to life!

I am reading the book Driving Over Lemons, by Chris Stewart, a book that tells the story of a British couple who move to Andalucia, the southern portion of Spain, in the post-war period of history.  The area they have moved is dreadfully poor and a very common dish is Potatoes "A Lo Pobre."  The author describes it as a pan of potatoes, garlic, oil, and a few veggies, with an occasional side of meat - if the budget allows.

And, knowing my love for cooking, I am following a blog entitled My Kitchen in Spain, written by Janet Mendel.  So far it has been fun to read, but I had not found any recipes I wanted to try - until this week.  Guess what her recipe is!  Yep, Potatoes "A Lo Pobre."  I fixed them and they were fabulous - both yesterday and today as left overs.  We will definitely be cooking these again.

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick 

1/3 cup olive oil    
2 teaspoons salt1 onion, sliced1 green pepper, cut in strips1 large tomato, quartered and sliced3 tablespoons chopped parsley3 cloves garlic, chopped¼ teaspoon crumbled dry thyme (optional)1 teaspoon pimentón (paprika)1/3 cup white wine1/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place half the oil in a 3-quart cazuela or other heat-proof casserole. 


Arrange half the sliced potatoes in the casserole and sprinkle with half the salt. Top with half the sliced onion, green pepper, tomato, parsley and garlic. 

Add remaining potatoes, sprinkle with salt and remaining onion, pepper, tomato, parsley and garlic. Sprinkle with thyme and pimentón. Pour over remaining oil, wine and 1/3 cup water. 

If using a heat-proof casserole, place on a medium heat on top of the stove until the liquid begins to simmer. Then cover the casserole with a lid or foil and bake until potatoes are fork tender, about 60 minutes.

Let rest 10 minutes before serving.


(copied from http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/potatoes-lo-pobre-are-classic.html)

Economy

Ask anyone in my family and they will tell you that I have no idea what is happening in the government or economy here or in the US.  I know the big things - Spain has an economic crisis, US is preparing for the election of a new president, NC just voted to amend the constitution,... You know, the big things.  Scot tries to talk to me about some of these issues, but I get that glazed look in my eyes and he usually just gives up.

But, in several recent conversations with friends/family from the states I have been asked how the economic crisis is going to affect us and our assignment.  The glazed look just doesn't go over too well, so decided to do a little research.  Before I know how it is going to affect us, I guess I should understand exactly what the crisis is.  I did a lot of reading this evening and came across this list of "22 Signs That The Collapsing Spanish Economy Is Heading Into A Great Depression." ( I even understood most of them) 

What does this mean for us?  We are waiting to see.  We are being wise with our money - both what we keep in our Spanish account and our American account.  We are being wise with our spending as there is no predictability as to what will happen with the exchange rate.  But more than that, we are praying that this crisis may open doors for relationships and conversations that would have never occurred before.

I figure I cannot be the only one out there who gets the "glazed look" so I thought I would share the list with you.

#1 The unemployment rate in Spain has reached 24.4 percent - a new all-time record high. Back in April 2007, the unemployment rate in Spain was only 7.9 percent.

#2 The unemployment rate in Spain is now higher than the U.S. unemployment rate was during any point during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

#3 According to CNBC, some analysts are projecting that the unemployment rate in Spain is going to go above 30 percent.

#4 The unemployment rate for those under the age of 25 in Spain is now a whopping 52 percent.

#5 There are more than 47 million people living in Spain today. Only about 17 million of them have jobs.

#6 Retail sales in Spain have declined for 21 months in a row.

#7 The Bank of Spain has officially confirmed that Spain has already entered another recession.

#8 Last week, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services slashed Spain's credit rating from A to BBB+.

#9 The yield on 10-year Spanish bonds is up around 6 percent again. That is considered to be very dangerous territory.

#10 Two of Spain's biggest banks have announced that they are going to stop increasing their holdings of Spanish government debt.

#11 Of all the loans held by Spanish banks, 8.15 percent are considered to be "bad loans".

#12 The total value of all bad loans in Spain is equivalent to approximately 13 percent of Spanish GDP.

#13 Of all real estate assets held by Spanish banks, more than 50 percent of them are considered to be "troubled" by the Spanish government.

#14 That total amount of money loaned out by Spanish banks is equivalent to approximately 170 percent of Spanish GDP.

#15 Home prices in Spain fell by 11.2 percent last year, and the number of property repossessions in Spain rose by a staggering 32 percent during 2011.

#16 Spanish housing prices are now down 25 percent from the peak of the housing market and Citibank's Willem Buiter expects the eventual decline to be somewhere around 60 percent.

#17 It is being projected the the economy of Spain will shrink by 1.7 percent this year, although there are some analysts that feel that projection is way too optimistic.

#18 The Spanish government has announced a ban on all cash transactions larger than 2,500 euros.

#19 One key Spanish stock index has already fallen by more than 19 percent so far this year.

#20 The Spanish government recently admitted that its 2011 budget deficit was much larger than originally projected and that it probably will not meet its budget targets for 2012 either.

#21 Spain's debt to GDP ratio is projected to rise by more than 11 percent during 2012.

#22 Worldwide exposure to Spanish debt is estimated to be well over a trillion euros.

(source:  http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2012/04/30/22-signs-collapsing-spanish-economy-heading-great-depression-127491/)

Only in Spain

I know you must think I have fallen off the edge of the earth since I have been so slack about writing lately, but I promise I am still alive and well, just incredibly busy.  And at times life seems so ordinary that I figure you might not be interested in reading.  But today, well I was reminded I don't live in NC anymore.

I have a break between my grammar and conversation class that lasts for about 30 minutes (well, on paper it lasts for that long - but we never get out of grammar right on time and the teacher doesn't usually come to conversation right on time - she has to have coffee in a local "bar" between classes too - so that 30 minutes is pretty fluid).  I usually use that break to do an errand, grab 2nd breakfast, do my grammar homework, catch up on facebook, ...  Today I decided to grab 2nd breakfast "to go" and bring it back to the classroom to do my homework.  (I always was the studious one :) )

A specialty here is a bowl with french fries on the bottom, then a meat (chorizo, ham, or bacon), and then topped with a fried egg.   It is one of my favorite dishes.  So I ordered that to go (the lady at the restaurant knows me by now cause I usually go in once or twice a week and get a sandwich mixto (a grilled ham and cheese).  A little while later out comes my food and I glance in the bag to be sure I have a fork and there isn't one.  I ask for one and she says "we don't have forks to go, only ones for in the restaurant."  My brain starts swirling - how am I going to eat this in the classroom without a fork?  But then she says "but you can have one of these forks (holding up a real one) and just bring it back to me tomorrow."  Ha!  I am definitely not in NC anymore.

And yes, it tasted delicious!  And since I have to take the fork back tomorrow, perhaps I will need to have a 2nd one - but this time I will have a fork in my bag.

Two Successes and a Failure

So I guess you call the day a success if you have more successes than failures.

So first the successes...

1)  My regular fruit and fish store has closed (product of the economic crisis) so I have had to go to a new one lately.  A couple months ago I had bought cucumbers from this place that were the best we had so far, so I returned to them.  It's a little further away, but can be on the way home from school if I want.  Today I stopped for a long list (hint to self - next time list is this long go home and get rolling cart first - it is a long way to walk with lots of stuff).  About a month ago I bought Pink Lady Apples there but they have not had them since.  The kids keep trying other types, but so far nothing they really like as much.  Every time I go in I ask for Pink Ladies and he tells me no, they have such and such type.  Today, I asked again and he says "tomorrow, for you, because you keep coming back and are such a good woman I will have them, for sure!"  I keep going back because they are patient with teaching me language, reinforce me when I say things right, and speak slowly enough I can understand them.  Now I will keep going back because he is getting the kids the apples they want.  Success #1.

2)  After the fruit store I headed to m my favorite meat store.  I have used the same one since arriving and you have probably read many of the funny stories of my buying meat from them.  Today I used the right vocabulary for everything - even the pork chops that he didn't have and the new type of beans I was buying.  The butcher made me day when after each item I ordered he responds with "perfecto."  At the end (cause he says perfecto not because my words are right but because he is giving me what I want) he says "tu espanol es muy bien - very good."  Ahh - progress!

And then there was the failure....

Last night I put black beans in to soak for lunch today.  This morning I put them in the crock pot to cook while in class.  Unfortunately, I forgot a very important part of cooking in a crock pot - plugging it up.  So the beans are soaked - really well, but not cooked.  Thank goodness for a pressure cooker!