3rd to 10th of September, 2017.
To have a dream with someone that we like is amazing! Waking up with that feeling of ‘how wonderful was to be in his / her presence’. But when this person is someone who you know that the probabilities of you actually meet him are tinier than a bacteria, this dream become even more fantastic. This night I dreamed with Dave Grohl. Probably because before going to sleep I was watching the first episode of the series Sonic Highways, that Foo Fighters recorded and filmed in 2014 to celebrate their 20 years anniversary. Ah, Dave! If my dream had been less real, if I had had any idea that it was a dream, I would have grabbed you in my arms and kissed you.
However this chapter is not to talk about my dreams. I owe you my first impressions about my new family and what have been happened since my arrival.
At the first day the girls show me the house. Martina is talking because Helena is too shy for now. After my shower, I eat a salad with white cheese and a tofu hamburger that Queralt prepared for me.
We talk a little bit, play a little bit and it is the first time I saw Helena doing gymnastic. She is amazing! I do not know if is just because I never was in a presence of a such small child who does that but I think she is a natural!
The first week is completely different because the school has not started yet so the girls are going just to ballet (Martina) and gymnastic (Helena).
I am already waking up in the morning to check what they have for breakfast, and making lunch one day for me and Martina and another for me and Helena.
We cook together and make some funny videos. We also go for some walks that make me know the mountains and the natural park around us.
The place is beautiful! We have amazing views, including The Montserrat Mountain. The house is huge and brand new. There is a a big trampoline, a pool, two doll’s houses and a lot of outside space. Fricky, the cat, is a dog in disguise. I have no doubts. It even bite sometimes. Helena and Martina were the poor victims. I speak in English with the girls all the time and also with Pep. However, me and Queralt have a kind of deal that we make turns between English and Spanish and Catalan.
At the first weekend we go to Peniscola: a medieval city about two hours driving from here. In the beginning, the plans were make camping, what makes me very excited. However, for some reason, they decide to rent an apartment near to the beach.
But before the weekend, at Friday night, we eat out at a Mediterranean restaurant. There are a lots of friends and their children, what makes me a bit uncomfortable. Also there is this eighteen years old girl, who will start in University at the end of the year, who also like travels and have been studying English for the last two years. Her name is Andrea and she is nice. Also, for me is pretty clear that Martina wants to show me how she likes Andrea, probably because she has long hair, dresses “like a girl”, wear make up and jewels and has this sensitive and kind way to speak and act.
Unfortunately, Martina by herself do not realize how much she looks like more with me than with Andrea. Of course I will not be the one to tell her. Even that she wants to use make up, to make braids in her hair, do waxing, she naturally has this strong way of being, like a Tom boy.
The way to Peniscola is calm but the arrival is quite problematic: they get lost a lot of times and we do not know exactly where to get the keys. All of this because thanks to GPS people do not program their travels anymore, do not check the places, the short cuts or possible obstacles, they think that everything will be OK with the GPS. And it is funny when I hear the GPS woman instructing us to turn where there is no way to turn or saying “You arrive in your destination” when you are in the middle of nowhere.
After a few hours of delay, we get in the apartment that it is nice and actually kind of fancy. The next challenge is about to convince the girls, Martina and Nadia, that they will sleep in the sofa bed. You had to see them putting their stuff in one of the two big bedrooms and saying “we will sleep in here”. Kids…
By the way, the couple who came with us are Montsé and Robin with their daughter, Nadia, this very nice girl. Montsé is a English teacher in Sant Vicenç and Robin is helping Martina with her piano classes this year. He is from Cuba!
Talking quickly about the weekend: most of us do not go to the beach because it is extremely windy; Martina and Nadia enjoy the swimming pool of the Hotel a little bit; the city inside the castle is very nice, all the houses and shops in white outside so the colourful details and the ocean get highlighted; during the first night, we have a disappointment (me mainly) because we go to see what supposed to be a simple run with small bulls but at the end it was about tide a poor grow up bull, put some fire in his horns, and then release him in his fury, running away after, like a bunch of cowards that they are. I am not looking but also do not want to leave and make them believe that they have to leave too. But appears they are not happy as well so we go to buy some ice cream before go back home; the other night we watch what for me it was the best part of the weekend: fireworks! Really nice fireworks!
On Monday morning, the plan is going to the famous San Jose Caves, with a boat ride, supposedly very nice and beautiful. I am excited because I like caves and what they represent. Of course my last experience it was twelve years ago with the geography teacher J.P. and the whole high school group. It was a magical moment for me, so difficult to keep up now.
Well, first we have to pay 10€, then we could not take pictures; and then the guy from the boat is a rude jerk, who should be digging underground coal mines and not working with people, who makes me get very upset and not be able to enjoy the ride anymore. But also, the hole place does not look very nice anymore. I explain: there are artificial lights everywhere, and a concrete trail. Also a lot of dumb warns like “Look the dinosaur paw” or “Look the devil’s face”, and they put a red light near to a regular rock. What I want to say is that, the world is changing in some very bad ways, and the capitalism make some nice natural places become an amusement park.
That last day, after we leave the caves and go back to the apartment, it is the only day that I really felt like going to the water. I did not mention but the sea over here it is really gorgeous and turquoise. Just the sand is not that clean and write.
The other week I just drop the kids at school one time I guess. The thing is that Queralt gets sick so she decides to stay at home for two days so she could drop them off. And the other day I guess is Pep.
So my duties are basically prepare the dinner. Which is not a problem because I like to cook. The problem is, most of the times, I have to decide what to cook. I have to figure out what they might like or not, what the kids might eat or not, using what we have on the fridge or sometimes ask to Queralt to bring something. But you all know how I am with making choices… Would be much easier if they just give me a menu list for the week.
It is quite nice here. I like that I can be alone most of the day. I write, I read, I do jigsaw puzzles. Sometimes I go for a walk (when is not sunny) but I know that I should do more exercises. I might learn how to dance some songs. However, sometime I just do not want to do anything. Oh! And I have been watching some movies as well.
The girls are nice, creative and smart. But sometimes I feel so old near them because I do not remember how is it to be 11 and 9 years old. I also do not get how they fight so much in a minute and in another they are doing something together. Or why they want so much to do everything by themselves. Or they simply cannot hear us. Or why they always think they are right about some fact and we are wrong. Perhaps, for some of those reasons is that I do not want to have children.
Queralt and Pep are very nice people as well and they always try to make me feel comfortable and fit in. Everything is so different, far away from Ireland, that just make me think how crazy is to be a human being.
10 Years Around the World 