First Week In Spain

¡Hola Amigos!

Spanish woman walks in front of a old door in the city of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.

The past few weeks have flown by like an Oklahoma tornado. We received our Spanish visas, packed up our house, and moved to Spain. Yes, you read that correctly. After waiting for our visas for 9 months, we finally arrived in Spain. We have been in Spain for 1 week now and are both excited and overwhelmed at the same time. 

We are so grateful for our friends who are allowing us to use their house and car while they are out of the country. This is giving us a little time to breathe so we can find a place to live. For us, there is still a sense of urgency. We must find our own place to live so we can register with the government and get our Spanish IDs. We need to be registered within 30 days of being here, and before the entire country shuts down in August for vacation. Vacation month is great, and a much-needed rest for many people. It makes it difficult, however, to get legal and logistical things done in a timely manner.

“Poco a poco,” is a Spanish phrase that means “little by little.” This is how things get done here. Spanish culture is in no hurry. Well, that is until they get in a car, then it's off to the races. We ate at a fast-food restaurant the other day, and it took them over 20 minutes to prepare our order. This was fast for Spain. Doing things “Poco a poco,” makes me a little anxious as an American. I’m chomping at the bit wanting to get things done, but I am relearning the laid-back nature of the culture.

For now, until we start language school, our goal is to find a place to live so we can get registered, and purchase a Speed The Light car. 

Until our next eNews Update, ‌follow us on our Facebook page @showingtheworld for more up-to-date posts and pictures. 

¡Hasta la proxima vez! Until next time.

Plaza de Cervantes is the main square of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.