Summer's End

 Probably most of you know that Spain's experiencing a severe resurgence of COVID-19.  A little over two weeks ago the city decided to close the pool because of the rise of cases in a nearby town.  During that last week of the pool we found out that there were two positive cases in town.  I won't bore you with all the ins and outs, but the bottom line is that my sister-in-law has come up positive.  Emily usually spends weekend mornings with her tita while I'm cleaning at the bar.  Even though Emily hasn't had direct contact with her tita since August 9th, she has to get tested tomorrow.  She has shown no symptoms, but of course we all know that doesn't mean anything.  My mother-in-law is in the same boat as Emily: to be tested tomorrow.  I think we should know test results by the end of the week.  I do wish they could be faster!

Also in line with the latest COVID news is that I was called to substitue teach at the academy because there was a student who was positive.  Even though all the rest of her group and the teacher were negative, they are required by protocol to be isolated for two weeks.  So they were down a teacher.  This week will be week two.  It's been nice to be doing something (ie. working a bit) and it's about 10,000 times easier than my work in Granada.  I plan to have a more serious talk with my boss this week to find out just what I can expect in September so I can begin to look for work elsewhere if need be.

Earning a little extra money in these two weeks is nice because with the virus flare-up, the government continues to cut hours and enforce restrictions on bars.  We now must be closed at 1:00am and no drinks served passed 12:30.  For my American audience this may seem perfectly normal...but if you know anything about Spanish culture (especially in the hot Andalusian summers) you know that no one goes out before about 9:30-10:00pm and that's for dinner...  With closing time at 1:00, that only gives about 2 hours of conceiveable good business.  Needless to say, things are a lot slower this weekend than in the past few weeks.

September is nearly upon us. School is (theorhetically) around the corner.  I am nervous to see what the next few weeks hold for us.

So much...so little time

Well, I was just recapping where you all left me a little over a month ago: finishing school and first playdate since the beginning of March.  One and a half months later the whole panorama has changed. 

June 29 Angelines and I made the decision to leave Granada and stay full-time in La Roda.  There are a lot of nuances to the decision which I won't go into on this public forum, but suffice it to say there were many factors and it was not a decision made lightly.  At times, I am suddenly overwhelmed by this new reality and flooded with doubt as to whether or not we have chosen wisely.  Ultimately, however, the best decision is always the one you make...so here goes: jumping into small-town life all over again with both feet!

I am most concerned about school for Emily.  This year, by Spanish law she'll head into first grade, and I think the drastic contrast from self-directed, Montessori learning, to text books and homework will be rough at first.  I am confident that children adapt much more easily than we do, and I think that come October I'll be able to say that it's been tougher on me than on my daughter. (fingers crossed). 

Knowing that she's at a school where she is respected as a human being and allowed to follow her inner guide just as she is at home is something we will all miss; but when it comes down to it, a happy, supportive, loving home is worth 100 times any school.  There will be an adjustment period, I'm sure, but I am also confident that we'll come through this stronger as a family.

Emily was initially sad when we told her we were leaving Granada.  She immediately said she didn't want to leave her great teachers, but since breaking the news, she really hasn't said much else.  I am sure it is simmering and sinking in.  I know it will come up when we least expect it, but so far so good.  She is even happily telling people around town that she's going to be here this year and that she'll have a new school. The other day she asked what the classrooms in her new school were like, if the teacher would explain the rules to her and if her teacher would speak Spanish or English.  So she is processing, but for now there doesn't seem to be too much fear or resistance...only time will tell.

As for me, I am also processing still.  These past two years have been a struggle, but also incredibly rewarding.  It is a beautiful thing to work in an environment steeped in mutual respect, in which the children are really encouraged to be themselves and follow their interests.  It is humbling to see the ways in which they grow, blosom and flourish given the right conditions.  I will certatinly miss that.

I don't know what I'll do in the Fall.  I am planning to go back to private English classes from home (or perhaps via Zoom)as a last resort.  I have made contact with my ex-boss from the English academy in a town nearby, and she seems to be hopeful that business will pick up enough to need to hire someone in September.  I was very happy working with/for her and would gladly go back even if my heart is with Montessori.

On the other hand it does feel refreshing to be investing time and energy in our home here and know that we'll actually be able to enjoy it this year.  For the past two years La Roda has just been a place to sleep on weekends.  All the time and energy spent during confinement paiting and fixing things feels like it has a purpose now.  And it feels really good to organize and order things as we slowly reincorporate all of our stuff from La Zubia into our home here.  Many things are being tossed or donated, lightening the load is a big part of all of this--physically and metaphorically speaking.

Last week at the city pool (yes, it is open) on two separate days, a tiny bat landed on my things.  This has never happened before, and I think it quite odd as well because it was around one o'clock the fist day and at about eight pm the second.  The second occasion was admitedly closer to dusk and a more appropriate time for bats to be active, but there was still plenty of light.  Niether animal seemed sick or wounded and both flew away on their own relatively quickly.  I decided to look up the significance of bats and when they appear in dreams at least, this is what I found:

The Bat symbolism, in this case, is almost always putting you on notice of a significant change in your life. Explicitly, you must pay attention to the signs that are surrounding you. In this case, these clues could be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. The Bat meaning signifies the death of some part of you that no longer serves your higher calling.

I am not sure what to make of it still, but there can be no denying that the winds of change are blowing here in Eastern Seville. 

End of Week 12...

I cannot even believe it's been twelve weeks--three months--of this crazy new reality.  Thankfully it's been a few weeks now that things have been lightening up.  Kids were allowed to go out at the beginning of May (for an hour a day and within 1km of home).  This is the third weekend we've had the bar open.  So things are creeping back in the direction of normal, although I am fairly certain nothing will ever be the same again.

School has continued online and that is partially why I have not been blogging--I cannot take any more screen time by the time classes and prep and record keeping are done with for the day.  This weekend, I'm a little ahead of myself with prep (only a little), but I thought I owed you all a little message at least. ;)

Today is a big day because we have a playdate. :)  No social distancing with two five-year-olds.  I'm fine with it, and I guess our friend's parents are also okay because there was no hesitance when we asked if he could come over and bake brownies.  My assistant bakers ditched me completely for the pool, however, and I was on my own in the kitchen Little Ren Hen style.  Emily was happy to just help eat the brownies.

They've been playing with magic sand, legos, musical instruments...  Today is the first day that Emily has asked to have a friend over in all of this time.  I'm very glad that Carlos was able to come over because I guess virtual play on video calls with Ga only gets you so far.  At some point we do need real contact, and not just seeing each other, either.  We're all starting to go a little crazy starved for interaction.  I am happy that Emily asked for this.  I think she needed it more than she even realised. 

Finishing Week Three

Strange things happen when you're actually not allowed to go outside--thank God for Norte--or carry on with life as always.  Priorities shift. 

Our dog is a welcome excuse to get out a little bit twice a day (taking turns, usually; we cannot go out together), but Emily doesn't get that option.  Children are not allowed outside.  Emily cannot walk Norte alone, obviously, so she just cannot go out to the street.  If we didn't have our wonderful patio for her to run and pick flowers and jump on her trampoline, I don't know what we'd do.  I have two students, siblings, who live with their parents in 60 sqM.  They have zero outdoor space.

I am so grateful that we have not sold this big house of ours in La Roda.  I can honestly say, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.  It is not at all the prison that many seem to be finding their appartments to be, but rather a true shelter from the storm.  This is our own little refuge of peace.  That is not to say we are stress-free, by any means.  I am working, albeit with reduced hours, now; and Angelines is playing teacher-mom, but we are so lucky to have space and our own little bit of nature to enjoy.  Even if we were dogless, we'd be fine.  Our quarentine looks more and more like a holiday when compared to the situations of those around us.

There is perspective to be drawn from this craziness.  It is new uncharted territory in work, for example: new, challenges and obstacles arise daily.  But it has been really wonderful to remember how fortunate I am for everything I have, namely the people I love right here with me.  Inevitably, 24/7 contact leads to occasional conflicts, but the balance is always positive.  I am filled with admiration at how well Angelines (who is not known for coping well with unexpected situations) is dealing with all of this.  She is on a whole quite calm and I'd venture to say even enjoying a lot of her time with Emily.  Emily, for her part, is still pretty happy that we're all in this together, joyfully soaking up all of our attention.

Written with invisible ink (another science project)

I, in the meantime, am struggling to remember why I wanted to go to Granada.  It is hard to be here, seeing children on zoom, preparing online classes with no real contact.  We are working in a vaccume, making everything from scratch... However, it has been immensely gratifying to see how the children have reacted to the little time that we are together online.  They are visibly motivated and excited, not just to see each other but to listen, learn and interact.  Last night a family sent a video they'd put together of the science experiment I sent to do at home--the boy's face was priceless.  And today I got a phone call from a very reserved little girl in class.  She read me a note she'd written for me: Viola: Thank you for teaching us to learn.  I cried.

It is worth it, for moments like these.

All the same, rumor has it school will be out through April and at least half of May...some say early June--daunting to say the least.

There is much speculation online already about life after COVID-19.  I wonder what lasting impact this virus will have on me and my family's situation regardless of whether or not we get sick.

One Week Later...

The week's fruit and veg: disinfected and drying

Here we are one week later, still at home and no end in sight.  Everyone is saying this mandatory quarantine (that's right, no longer voluntary--fines of up to 30,000 euros!) will last through mid-April at the least.  Some are expecting it to be early May before schools open again.  Nothing has been declared officially yet.

The death toll has broken the 1,000 mark.  Hospitals are feeling the strain.  Andalucía is still relatively low on the list of cases, but here in La Roda there are 3 confirmed cases alone.  The first case we knew of was a man whose wife died about a week before the quarentine.  Nearly the whole town was at the funeral hugging, kissing and shaking hands with this guy.  It is very likely that there are going to be many more confirmed cases here in the next few days.  Anyone who was at the funeral must stay home.

We held a virtual birthday party for a co-worker yesterday.

We are fine.  All of us are a bit sick, but I think just colds.  Lots of runny, stuffy noses and sore throats.  So far, not much coughing.  Staying at home itself hasn't been horrible, but balancing work and home has been difficult without any real physical space to separate the two.  Angelines has been acting as teacher every morning from 9-2 and I have locked myself upstairs to work making video calls to children with my co-guide and having virtual meetings with the teaching team.

It's been good to see the children's faces and make contact with my collegues, but thinking this could last through April and into May is daunting to say the least. We are lucky to live in a day and age that we have so many tools available to connect without the barrier of physical space, but getting everything up and running and figuring out how to provide quality education online without any previous infrastructure  in place is a big task.  These are unprecedented times, for sure.

The family's daily schedule...(really Emily's)

Emily seems to be doing pretty well through all of it.  We video called a friend Thursday night--her first contact with friends from school since the shutdown.  On Friday she woke up saying, "Mommy, since there is coronavirus and I can't go to school in Granada, I want to call all my friends to be sure they are okay.  I am worried about them."  She called three different friends yesterday and had a great time giving virtual tours of the house.  I think we underestimate how this situation can effect our children.  Emily has been waking up quite a lot at night wanting me, saying she's scared to be alone, and becoming tearful remembering our dog Bela.  She's happy we're all together, but this new routine will take some getting used to...and there is no getting away from the news of virus spread and rising death toll.

Hope you're all home and safe.  Wash your hands.

A (not so) sh**y excuse to get out of the house!

Quarentine: Day One

Anyone who's been watching the news probably knows by now that Spain has declared a state of emergency.  Schools have been closed in Madrid for over a week.  Here in Andalucía we were told Thursday night that Monday would be the beginning of a two-week minimum shutdown of schools from preschool and daycare through university and tradeschools.  Within 24 hours we were told all public buildings and events were to be cancelled.  Now bars, restaurants, hotels and beaches are closing.  Parks are also closed.  Semana Santa has been suspended nationwide.

Now only supermarkets, pharmacies and hospitals are open.  On Monday the total deaths in Spain were 17.  Today they've reached 197.  Supermarkets are restocking shelves constantly and even so when I went to Mercadona Thursday evening there were entire ailes empty.  Surreal to say the least.

Chalk art in the patio

I drove home Friday after the last day of school, struggling to decide how best to confront school from home... The highway signs along the way all warned: "Coronavirus: Avoid Travel.  Better stay at home".  We are being told to stay at home.

Today was day one of voluntary confinement.  We went out for a lovely bike ride in the afternoon, but other than that we were home all day.  Angelines has also closed the bar indefinitely.  So today we were all home without the presure to do anything more than organize ourselves--unpack from La Zubia--and enjoy each other.  Emily was extatic.  She was so obviously happy to be with us that it made me begin to feel sad for the way our current lifestyle lends itself to living together without BEING together; hearing without listening and looking without seeing.

We'll probably all get cabin fever at some point, especially with the expected rains this coming week; but it was beautiful to have this imposed relaxation today.  As Miriam commented via WhatsApp: "enforced peace".  Monday I'll begin working from home: catching up with materials and record keeping and doing everything that I have barely had time to do for a very long time.  Balancing will be difficult and finding time won't be easy.  It never is.  But today was a little slice of perspective for which I am very grateful.

Stay home, stay healthy.

A little art therapy this morning

Sibling love

Coming to an End

Dare I make a New Year's Resolution to blog more??  I promised a post before year's end, and here I am four days into 2020...  Happy New Year, all!

We rang in the New Year, as always, at my sister-in-law's house with plenty of cheese, jamón, shrimp wine...and 12 grapes at midnight.  Emily almost made it this year.  She was so excited to eat her grapes (it was the first thing she asked about when she woke up on the 31st), but then she passed out in her cousin's bed at 11:45pm.  We played a youtube video of the bells the next day for her to eat her grapes.  She was perfectly happy to do it late.  In fact, it was actually better because she was nearly choking (as we all do!) trying to eat them with the bells, and with the video we could pause and wait for her to chew. ;)

King's Day is fast approaching and things are gearing up here.  Today the Royal Emissaries made an appearance in town to ask for the keys to La Roda in preparation for Their Majesties' arrival tomorrow evening in the big parade.  Emily's King's Day gift is late arriving from Amazon, and although the King's always drop by Tita's house, we decided she should have a present here when she wakes up, too.  Today I made a last-minute trip into Antequera to get something to give her. 

I am not a fan of consumerism at the holidays or any time.  Giving to give is the most pointless thing ever, in my mind.  As I was walking though the toy aisles in the shopping center, I heard a mad comment: "Except for what we need, we've bought everything else!"  That sums up the holidays for so many people.  So you can imagine, I was not really very happy to be on this mission with nothing in mind to buy, limited time, and only a few shops to choose from.  I saw loads of baby dolls, and even some Frozen leggos, which I'm sure Emily would have liked for a day or two; but I don't want to encourage her princess obsession and she rarely plays with the dolls she has!  I was beginning to become exasperated by all the pink packaging that abounded, when I stumbled upon a National Geographic Solar Telescope!  Jackpot!  Emily loves Space.  This year`s birthday party was space themed (I should put up some pictures!) and she has a really wonderful book on space from Ga that we've been reading lately.  Just yesterday, in fact, she lamented not having a telescope.  Now aspirations to become an astronaut are definitely something I'm willing to encourage. ;)  So I spent more than I'd originally set out to, but I am pleased with our purchase: educational, useful, interesting and durable.

With King's Day comes the end of our holiday season here in España and the end of my break from school.  This year's vacation has been much needed, for sure.  The way the holidays fell--Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve on Tuesdays--has meant that Angelines has been working nearly non-stop through these two weeks, and consequently, so has the cleaning crew (ie. me).  Still, doing work that is not school work is another kind of break, so I'm not really complaining.  However, in preparation for this Tuesday, I am up late doing some preparation and getting caught up on things I should have done before the holidays.

For Emily, this break from school has meant a lot of baking and cooking with me, lots of time with her tita and abuelita, and plenty of time to practice riding her bike.  She has come with me nearly every day (and sometimes twice) to ride her bike as we walk Norte.  For a while now, she's been wobbling about without training wheels, but until just recently she was still quite unsure of herself on the bike.  Now she breaks and turns confidently and most exciting, for her at least, she can ride through the bumpy country roads!  Thursday she had me walking all over the olive groves after her.  We were exploring!  We took a picnic and Norte and headed out into the great unknown.  About 6km and two hours later, we came home again.  What a trooper--she surprised me with how far she rode and zero complaining...except when I insisted it was time to head home because the sun was setting on us!  She finally is using her brakes confidently, the only thing left to master is getting started herself.  Once she's got that down, I can ride my bike with her and that will be a lot more fun for me!  She walked me to death Thursday.

I hope your holidays have been as merry and adventure-filled as ours, ;)  Here's to a new year and a new decade filled with excitement, discovery, love and fun!