Six months have now gone by, unbelievable! So where are we now?
Well I have to admit that it hasn’t been the easiest six months and many times I would wake in the morning and wonder if we had done the right thing. The continual battle with paperwork, adjusting to leaving everyone behind and wondering how I fitted into this new and strange life often left me feeling confused and unsure. The confidence that I had felt prior to moving here had evaporated shortly after the struggle to continue working while getting legalised began!
Gradually things have come together. We now have our residencia, we have our house and we are just waiting for our new Spanish plates to arrive. There are still hurdles to jump as we get the final bits and pieces together but I feel we have come a long way.
My lack of confidence with speaking the language has faded as I find more and more people are beginning to understand my attempts at speaking their language and likewise their attempts to either speak my language or to find another way of saying something so that I understand them has been the boost that I needed.
My real turning point has been watching the UK news which served one morning to be the jolt that I needed. With all the struggles I had forgotten my reasons for wanting to live on this beautiful island and I once again looked at where I was with fresh eyes.
Ok so the dream had given me a bit of a reality check. After all I was not on holiday I was living here with all the bills, problems and annoyances that you get wherever you live. But the news items reminded me once again of all the good things that I love about Spain and I turned the corner.
Sure I miss my family and friends and my grandchildren are growing up without me being close by. But they are little people with their own lives to live and their own dreams to come true and they will do that without me being around. Perhaps by knowing their grandmother has succeeded in her dream will encourage them to make their dreams come true.
After five weeks in our house it is slowly becoming a home. I always say that a house does not become a home until you have memories in it. Slowly those memories are happening. Sure the memories of our old house can never be recreated as we have got older and our lives and situations are different but new memories will create their own home.
Already two friends have visited and two others have been to stay for a few days. Bookings have been made for August by another and her child and we have got the house repaired and how we like it and the garden has started to bloom with the new flowers we have bought.
My next challenge, and one that is putting down roots, is the opening of our home and hearts to a little rescue dog. A dog ‘sin hogar’ without a home. What his background is no one knows but for a youngster of about 18 months we can offer the stability, love and training that will hopefully make his life happy. It will also give me the much needed exercise that I need.
So here after six months we have turned the corner and moved on and we live in a beautiful country with friendly people and on the whole good weather.
Life is interesting, different but good.
Living In Mallorca 