Tancat per Agost
The end of August is bittersweet—school starts tomorrow for the kids, and the office building in which Alec and I will work opens. So it feels like the end of summer, even though the weather is still hot, and the sun sets late, making it difficult to go to bed early.
On the one hand, it has been fabulous to have an entire month of relatively unstructured family time—we have moved at our own pace, enjoying lazy mornings at home in our pajamas, and spending a lot of time wandering the city. We have recharged our batteries. On the other hand, at this point I think we could all benefit from some structure and routine. And let’s face it—there’s a limit to how much time four people can spend in their own little bubble, even when they love each other a lot. I think we are all craving contact with other people. It was obvious today at the kids’ school orientation for new families—we eagerly scattered and scoped out potential new friends.
One thing I will not miss is the whole “tancat per agost” business. This means “closed for August” in Catalan, and the streets are full of stores posting versions of the sign in the photo below. And even if a business is not open, it’s clear that not much gets done. For example, when Alec put down the deposit on our car, he asked when it would be ready and was told two weeks. So on Friday, when it had been two weeks, he called and asked when he could pick up the car. The answer? In two weeks. When he told the person on the line that it had already been two weeks since he had been told two weeks (are you with me?), he said: “Impossible—no one would have told you that. Nothing happens in August.”
This week our neighborhood began to transform, waking slowly from its August slumber. Every day when I go out, it seems that another business has opened, although a significant chunk of them take “August” seriously, opening only on the first of September, even though that seems sort of random since the first is a Wednesday. Still, it’s starting to seem more lively around here. We can now walk to a small grocer for fresh bread, staples and fruit, a pharmacy, and a salon for dogs!
At the orientation this morning I plunked down 20 euros for something called “the Barcelona Notebook.” The PTA ladies swore that it’s an invaluable resource for moving to Barcelona—it’s got listings and recommendations for everything from tapas bars to nail salons to doctor’s offices to fabric shops. I skimmed it hungrily on the way home, searching for places to buy Asian cooking supplies and kids’ shoes. After lunch and haircuts for Alec and the kids, C.C. and I took off to find a used English language bookstore we had found in the “notebook” and came home with a sack of books. It’s unclear when our boxes will arrive and, even though the iPad has come in super handy, the kids are antsy for some real books.
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Green Cards! and new video feature...
We are all official! We got our NIE numbers, which required us all to get fingerprinted (see C.C. getting printed in the photo of the day, below). The NIE is basically a green card, so I feel like a real—legal—immigrant. This means we can get health insurance, use the city biking system, and lots of other things. It turns out everyone seems to ask for your NIE number, like when you join the aquarium or get a bank account. So we are making progress.
At Borg and Olga’s the other day, C.C. discovered the “video” button on her camera, and amused herself for a very long time making videos of her dinosaurs; it's become a daily activity. She even figured out that she should put the camera on top of a still object so that her hands would be free to work the dinosaurs. She asked if we could attach her favorite so that you all could see it. You Tube here we come!
At Borg and Olga’s the other day, C.C. discovered the “video” button on her camera, and amused herself for a very long time making videos of her dinosaurs; it's become a daily activity. She even figured out that she should put the camera on top of a still object so that her hands would be free to work the dinosaurs. She asked if we could attach her favorite so that you all could see it. You Tube here we come!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Just another Sunday in Barcelona...
Okay, it is 10:40 and the kids are finally asleep and the kitchen is finally cleaned post-dinner. I am officially tired of C.C. telling us what a lousy place Barcelona is, tired of Milo flopping around for an hour each night in bed, gouging me with his sharp little knees and elbows, and really sick of listening to Pete Seeger at bedtime!
Phew. Just needed to get that off my chest. The thing is, by the time the house is quiet and clean, I still need some time to unwind and relax before I go to bed myself. Which means I’ve been getting to bed very late. And come this week, all of that’s got to change—for all of us. This morning I actually slept until nearly 10:30—it’s been years since I slept that late, and it was kind of disorienting.
We had a pretty relaxed day—took the kids to the pool, I took a class at the gym (and understood almost all of it), then made a major push organizing the apartment. You know how it is when you first move in someplace—you unpack and you just need to put everything someplace. Well, today we made some progress in putting things in the right places, and throwing out boxes and stuff left from the previous tenants. It’s looking pretty good now.
We also did some major skyping—first a call with Blanca and Lois (Blanca is in Ocean Grove for the weekend). Although we kept losing the connection, it was good to see them—Blanca’s eyes welled up with tears as she talked to the kids. Then C.C. had a skype date with her friend Maddie, who is in her class back at PS 10. C.C. was literally beaming. We will make more dates, as she is clearly missing her friends. She’s never really talked on the phone before so it was fun to see her laughing and chatting. We closed the door of the living room so that she could have some privacy, but I snuck a peak every now and then. And then Leslie skyped us, and we had a good long chat.
At dinner, C.C. wanted to make a list of all of the things there are in New York that we can’t get here. The milk is different, she says—it’s better in New York. And even though Alec has made several batches of beans, the kids maintain that they don’t hold a candle to Blanca’s. A few days ago Blanca explained to him exactly how she does it (he had neglected to put in the onions) so he made a batch yesterday. “Daddy,” Milo said at dinner, “these beans are your worst ones yet.” We all agreed actually. Alec is not about to give up.
Tomorrow we are up and out early to try once again to get NIE numbers for C.C., Milo and me.
Phew. Just needed to get that off my chest. The thing is, by the time the house is quiet and clean, I still need some time to unwind and relax before I go to bed myself. Which means I’ve been getting to bed very late. And come this week, all of that’s got to change—for all of us. This morning I actually slept until nearly 10:30—it’s been years since I slept that late, and it was kind of disorienting.
We had a pretty relaxed day—took the kids to the pool, I took a class at the gym (and understood almost all of it), then made a major push organizing the apartment. You know how it is when you first move in someplace—you unpack and you just need to put everything someplace. Well, today we made some progress in putting things in the right places, and throwing out boxes and stuff left from the previous tenants. It’s looking pretty good now.
We also did some major skyping—first a call with Blanca and Lois (Blanca is in Ocean Grove for the weekend). Although we kept losing the connection, it was good to see them—Blanca’s eyes welled up with tears as she talked to the kids. Then C.C. had a skype date with her friend Maddie, who is in her class back at PS 10. C.C. was literally beaming. We will make more dates, as she is clearly missing her friends. She’s never really talked on the phone before so it was fun to see her laughing and chatting. We closed the door of the living room so that she could have some privacy, but I snuck a peak every now and then. And then Leslie skyped us, and we had a good long chat.
At dinner, C.C. wanted to make a list of all of the things there are in New York that we can’t get here. The milk is different, she says—it’s better in New York. And even though Alec has made several batches of beans, the kids maintain that they don’t hold a candle to Blanca’s. A few days ago Blanca explained to him exactly how she does it (he had neglected to put in the onions) so he made a batch yesterday. “Daddy,” Milo said at dinner, “these beans are your worst ones yet.” We all agreed actually. Alec is not about to give up.
Tomorrow we are up and out early to try once again to get NIE numbers for C.C., Milo and me.
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