it's a good life

i have so much to say about our life right now, but i can't ever find the words to put it all down! it's been such a great experience being in madrid, but it's also been an emotional & a little rough too. i don't think i expected it to be hard which sort of makes it that much harder for me & it's also a little comical i didn't think it would be hard...but despite any bad days i have or how difficult it can be, i am really loving it & am happy that we are here.

austin officially started school on monday & has been having orientation allllllll week long & he loves it. he always comes home so excited about what they've been doing, what he's learned about his program & saying that he's made new friends for us to hangout with. he's a funny one & a cute one. i love how excited he gets about school & telling me about everything. with it being his first week, it was also my first week of being on my own + cedar, obviously, but basically on my own. so i like to think it's been a big week for all of us!

i really tried to keep cedar & i occupied but it's sort of hard when a// you aren't sure where anything is b// you don't know anyone to waste your time with c// you have zero obligations or things to do. buuut i like to think i did a good job! can't be too hard on myself, right?! we ran a couple errands throughout the week that truly had no need for even happening besides giving me something to do, we went to an expat playgroup on wednesday & the i.e. partners playgroup on friday, frequented the nearby park & went for a lot of walks, hung out at home on tuesday waiting for the internet guy to show up (i was unbelievably excited for this), & made dinner 4/5 nights which is a big deal for me!

the days here have been both good & hard. i've had a few hiccups (like when the guy at the little market below us waved me out of the store & wouldn't let me buy my groceries, so i left having no idea why it happened, to later find out that i didn't meet the price minimum to use my credit card...) making me feel completely isolated & a little bit numb to everything around me. i've felt like i would never understand the language & never be able to figure it out, i've felt like giving up & like not doing a single thing. but then there are the days that are perfect & i can't believe that i'm actually here. i'm living abroad, i'm living in europe, i'm living my real life dream. & that's pretty amazing. i have everything to be grateful for right now. & despite the rough days i wouldn't change my circumstance for anything.

the other night we were on a walk talking about life & our conversations tend to end on the same subject: how unreal it is that we're in madrid. given the option again of moving to madrid & knowing everything i know from being here (for almost a month!), i would definitely choose to come here again. it feels right, it's foreign but it's comfortable, & it's starting to feel like home. it's a big city with a slow paced lifestyle & if you know me, then you know that's right up my alley. i like the leisurely walks that i take everyday to get anywhere we need to go. i like that when we're up & outside by 11 a.m. on a saturday that the shops aren't open, the streets are nearly empty but the cafes are full for a saturday morning breakfast & the parks are full of families (grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins.. the whole family) watching the kids run around & play while the adults sit around with their bread, cheeses, meat & drinks talking. despite my off days, it's a really good life here in madrid.

4 comments

  1. you're on a huge adventure...even though the days may sometimes be hard or lonely...enjoy every second! you're living the dream! ut, i do miss you!

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    1. thanks mom! we miss you too, can't wait for you to visit!

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  2. i dont know you, I just came accross your blog through instagram, and of course had to check it out because I am so jealous you are living in europe! I just wanted to comment on this post, I had a similar experience as you. I moved to England with a 2 year old and a newborn while my husband got his MBA. And i know what you mean by being by yourself, husband always gone (hope yours isnt in school as much as mine was :), being home with kids, and in a foreign country! Its definitely is so hard, and if you say its hard to your friends they don't understand. They just think "what is so hard, your are living a dream! dont complain" :) I just wish I could have my experience all over again. everyday i wish that. because i didn't take full advantage of being there living the dream in europe. So my advice to you, is try to get out everyday even if just for 15 min. soak it all up. take pictures of the tiny little details that dont seem important. because you get home and pictures are all you have, and its hard to leave because it becomes home.
    sorry for the loooong comment! just felt like I should comment.

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    1. thank you so much for your comment, it means so much to me! you completely get what i'm going through & i can totally tell. i know this is going to be a time in my life i will forever look back on & miss, sometimes its hard to remember that it's going to go by so fast but i know it's going to! i'm trying to take it one day at a time & live it up, i already feel like it's going too fast!

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