Month: November 2016

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So What’s Going On Behind the Scenes

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans…

Two unexpected offers for my housesitting services came up while I was in Bulgaria.

The second was from my parents. It’s still not officially official, but there is a strong chance that I will be heading to Quebec at some point in March for six to eight weeks.

This brings me to the first offer, which would justify that very early return to North America.

This offer came from lovely blog readers who live full-time in Mexico and want to get away for five months during the 2017 summer. So they asked me to come watch their place (and possibly a dog). This was obviously not something I could pass up! I am expected around May 15th in Chelem… a suburb of Mérida. Yes, the very city that I planned to move to!!!

It’s rare that the universe so glaringly tells me what my next move should be…

So come April, my intention is to present myself to the Mexican consulate in Calgary to request my residente temporal visa. If I am successful, I will go to Haven and pack up much more definitely. I do not know yet if I’m moving anything to Mexico and, if so, whether I’m taking a truck and trailer or flying in with what I can get on a plane. I don’t want to get into that discussion yet, please. And, no, I cannot make my request from the consulate in Montreal. 🙁 I hadn’t planned to move to Mexico this soon and I would have liked more time to get myself sorted, but capere occasionem!

I mean, it seems nonsensical to me to not at least make the attempt to get the residente temporal visa so that when November comes, I can just stay in Mérida. Worst case, I’ll have the summer to find winter accommodation and then have to go to Belize for a bit to reset my clock and get a fresh 180-day period. Either way, I’ll know if being in Mérida year-round is a good plan. I could finish the summer and decide that I’d rather go to a mountain community with less extreme weather. Who knows. But this opportunity is one I know I cannot pass up.

After just a few short months of travel, I am even more convinced that Mexico is the country for me and I can’t wait to get home. 🙂

Now, I’d better get to work making an April appointment at the consulate!

 

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Winds of Prairie Proportions

I cannot believe the winds I’m getting here in Almería! Of course, I’m right on the water, but it’s easy to forget that some days. It’s hard to sleep on windy nights since things rattle in the back garden and it’s quite noisy. Because of that, I was awake around five this morning. I went to use the bathroom and went back to bed, making sure that the bedroom door was firmly latched.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up about four hours later and the cat was curled up with me! My Tabitha knew how to open that style of door so I’m not surprised this cat does as well. I let her sleep with me every few nights and I think she’s decided that that’s not enough for her! I’m really in love with her, so I don’t mind. She’s so incredibly sweet and well behaved.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve only got three weeks left here! I really thought I’d get more exploring done, but the Spanish schedule and mine are really not compatible for that, never mind my incessant workload.

For example, I was able to quit at three today. Anywhere else that I’ve ever been, I would have taken off for downtown to do a little shopping and exploring before having dinner,. Here? Nothing’s open at that hour until around six and, of course, you can’t get a meal until at least eight or nine. I like ambling through cities, as you all know, but this part of Spain is basically dead in the afternoon. There’s just no ambiance and it’s not appealing. Of course, I could do siesta and go out about now, nine, to get some of the night life, but then you can’t see anything because the sun has long set. I need to be in town between about 10AM and 2PM to make a trip worthwhile and that’s just not compatible with my work schedule at present. I’m not unhappy being “home” since I have so much work to do and plenty around here to keep me busy, but I do hope I get to see a weeeeee bit more of Spain before I leave!

One thing that has astounded me since I got to Spain is how much bigger the country feels than I expected it to. I think a part of that has to do with how costly it is to get around Spain when compared to traveling around the Balkan countries. Like in Canada, it’s cheaper to go to another country than to travel within Spain! I’ve seen sits in the northwest part of the country that would be interesting, but which would cost me almost as much to get to as to fly back to Canada — insane!

Last night, I went to to La Mayor for a tapa and beer as a late supper and was rewarded with a particularly generous portion since I got a whole sausage and extra fries! I was stunned! I was there for quite a while, enjoying the luxury of being able to read the local paper, something I really missed in the Balkans. I read a couple of particularly interesting articles, including an opinion piece on Catalonian independence.

In other news, it looks like my England sit for the start of January is a go! I will be flying from somewhere to Manchester around the 6th of 7th and from there going to the vicinity of the town of Hebden Bridge, in West Yorkshire, to meet my host on the 8th and start on the 9th for a month. That area is the setting of a UK show I like (Happy Valley), so it’s somewhat familiar to me. I’m not looking forward to a cold damp month, but as I’ve said before, England is the next logical step for me and this area is particularly appealing to me. My host is going to sign me up for Spanish conversation lessons once a week while I’m there! Only £5 (about 8CAD) each, so that gives me something to look forward to. That and another cat!

So I’m now trying to fill the gap between December 18th and about January 5th. I’ve applied for another sit down the coast from here from December 22nd to January 2nd. If that works out, then I can go to Málaga for a day or two before I start. I’d also like to go to Madrid for at least a couple of days and so if that sit’s a go, I could take a bus to Madrid and then fly from there to Manchester. Time will tell!

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There’s a Time to Tourist and a Time to Type

I was going to head into Almería today, but found work waiting this morning if I wanted it. I took enough to get me through the weekend. Saturday isn’t great to go exploring here anyway (lots of things are closed or close early, plus the bus schedule is erratic). Might as well keep working on replenishing the coffers! They are back to levels that let me sleep well at night (that was said tongue firmly in cheek!) and now they’re building back up beyond that. My big client is in the process of paying me a non-insignificant retainer to secure a few hours of my time a week for the next couple of months, which feels like a major career milestone, so it’s good to know I have work incoming for a bit!

Late morning, I realised that I was almost out of drinking water (!!!) and relieved that the shop is open till 2:00 on Saturdays. I headed out around noon. The shopkeeper greeted me warmly and told me I looked really nice today, which surprised me since I was in what I felt was lounging clothes (my trousers from Bulgaria with my Tieks and my pink hoodie, but I do have to say I had a really nice head scarf!). Anyway, that was really sweet of her!

I got what I needed at the deli/produce/bakery counter, or so I thought. I realised after getting a few other things that I’d missed something. So I went back and said, “I’m sorry, I forgot bread, please.” I’m still working on the past tense and when I use it, I go home and double check that I was correct, which I was this time. Phew! The bread is a baguette and after handing it to me, the clerk slyly told me that their crème de Brie was on sale (oferta). So I got a tub of that! I love Brie, but not the rind, so finding it in that format was fantastic. By the way, have you ever thought of how amazing milk is in the infinite number of ways it can be transformed into yummy things?

I came in and worked through the afternoon. My jobs were super easy and went fast. I love days like that! The cat spent most of the time snuggled against me, as she does whenever I plop myself down somewhere. I’d been told she was aloof so I’m starting to wonder if she’s the cat I’m actually supposed to be minding! 🙂

I quit around 5:00 and went for a long walk. I’m definitely starting to orientate myself in this maze of a neighbourhood. Then, I came in and had my first beer at home since I got here!

Tomorrow will be a similar day, but I’ll probably go out for a beer if the bar is open. 🙂

So, no, I’m not bummed about not “being able” to go to town today. I’ve been working on a 2016 travel recap that will really show how much fun I’ve had this year, more than I could have dreamt of working a traditional 9 to 5 job with three weeks of vacation, and I’m just happy to be so well situated that I can be productive with work, but also not feel claustrophobic. This sit is everything I hoped it would be!

In other news, it’s looking more and more certain that I’ll be in Yorkshire by about January 7th! I’ll be flying into Manchester. So now, I’m working on how I’ll fill the days between December 17th and my arrival in England. I could easily go to England straight away and get a sit over the holidays, but that’s a last resort option. I’m still hoping another sit nearby opens up…

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A Chess Game

I don’t play chess, but I have some vague notions of how masters play, that they are always several moves ahead in their minds, anticipating a number of scenarios. That’s rather how my life is. I’m always thinking far ahead, planning for what ifs, allowing for contingencies, and always doing my best to have an end game.

There are some bloggers who like to lay out their whole game plan ahead of times, with all its possible twists, for their readers to pick apart and dissect and give advice on. That’s just not me.

So that’s my mindset in answering here a couple of comments I got last night. I’m doing so in a post because I can imagine that other people are thinking things along the same line.

But before I start, let me digress for a moment and comment on an astute observation:

“I wonder if life is easier in Spain in the areas that have more tourists.”

Exactly. One of the reasons that Almería so appealed to me is that it is not on the tourist track and could show me the real Spain. One month here has taught me more about what this country is really like than any number of visits friends and family have made. This is why I want to travel, to see how people live in other places, not to play tourist.

Now, back to the chess game:

“No matter what happens you always have the option to fly back to Canada”

That has never been an option at this time of year! When I left, it was knowing I would be on this side of the pond till the spring and I had a loose plan to get me there, depending on what opportunities presented themselves.

First of all, I don’t have a home to go back to in the winter season. Power’s off completely, there’s no water, I don’t have any windbreaks set up, and I have no internet etc. Moreover, the cost of going back to North America is not cheap and once I get there, travel within the continent is even more expensive. The plan was always to maximise my initial ticket to get to this side of the pond and only return to North America when I absolutely have to.

Which brings me to another comment:

“However, this is not the time to fly back to Canada; it is like trading one cold country for another cold country, i.e., the UK. ”

I was always going to end up in the UK in early 2017. I’ll be a few months earlier than I planned, but it was always going to be my end point. One reason is that it’s the cheapest country to fly back from. A second reason is that it is where there are the most housesitting gigs. But the most important reason is that I can stay six months. This gives me a lot of options I didn’t have in the Balkans and in the Schengen area in that I can bounce around at my leisure and take longer sits if I want to. The climate won’t be great, but spring will come much earlier than it would in most parts of Canada.

“But, if you could find cheap transportation to and lodgings in Mexico for your remaining time”

And here is where we get back to my initial point about not giving my readers all the information. I will just say that Mexico is not an option right now for reasons that will become clear in the next couple of months…

So all that to say, I’m right where I need to be, albeit a few months earlier than planned. But that might end up working well if what I think is going to happen in March does happen. And even more so if what happens in May comes to fruition.

All this boils down to three scenarios for my return to North America. The only one I’m ready to discuss right now is my plan A that I left with last year — at some point in June, I’ll fly back from the UK to Regina with funds I’ve been keeping aside for that and spend the summer at Haven, riding the high of an amazing adventure!

Or maybe not… *evil cackle*

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So This Is What Culture Shock Feels Like

I’ve been in Spain a month now and, as some of you have surmised, adapting to life here has not been as easy as in other countries. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am very happy with my housesitting gig (especially the ball of fur currently curled up against me) and have zero regrets with coming here. I’m getting used to getting up later so that if I want to go out one evening, I’m fine with waiting till 8PM to be able to get food with my beer. I don’t mind the limited hours at the local shop. I’m grateful to be walking distance to a full service grocery store open all day. And, of course, I can communicate with people.

But I cannot get over the very rigid Spanish schedule that controls life here.

I went to La Cañada today to have lunch. Surprise, the restaurant decided to close today! That happened all the time in Mexico, but it wasn’t a huge deal as I’d have access to other options. But here, unless I wanted some variation of tomato toast, I was out of luck for lunch at 1:45 because heaven forbid someone wants a real meal at that time! So that’s three times out of three now that I’ve failed to get lunch at what is supposed to be the time that Spaniards eat their largest meal. I guess people in Almería don’t go out for lunch. I’m just grateful that I have easier access to grocery stores here, so a better variety of food than in Bulgaria, and am able to cook for myself a wide variety of meals.

So that was quite a hike for nothing (the restaurant is fully 4KM away), but I figured I’d make the best of it and pop into the produce store. Oh, great, they decided to close 15 minutes early. Same thing with the dried fruit store and the hardware store. AUGH.

And this was after I twisted my schedule today to make sure I’d be in La Cañada at a time when I could run a few errands…

I cannot live like that. Maybe it would be easier if I didn’t have a large time commitment to get places, but I am really resenting how much I have to live by the clock here. I have a rhythm to my day and I’ve finally found the place where that rhythm just doesn’t fit.

Moreover, Spain is so regimented that you can pretty much only buy things at specialist shops. They are starting to get away from that with the supermarkets and chinos, but they still don’t really have convenience stores, and opening hours are very strictly regulated.

I suppose that if I had to live here long-term, I’d get used to it. In fact, I’m not discounting living here long-term at some point because this would be the easiest place to get permanent residence in an EU country, which would give me freedom to travel all over Europe. But having been here a month, I can say that Spain is by far my least favourite place I’ve lived and has been the biggest adjustment in terms of making concessions my schedule.

But Spaniards, overall, are lovely people, truly. I popped into Mercadona to pick up some coffee and the clerk I’d asked for prunes last time I was there recognised me and told me they had brought some in! Like raisins, prunes are my junk food/major treat, so this almost made up for the restaurant being closed. Almost. 🙂

In unrelated news, it looks like I might have set up a sit in England starting in early January! I think we’re a go, but I’m waiting for the final confirmation to provide details.

Because of the major stuff potentially coming down the pipeline that I’m not ready to talk about yet, I don’t think I’ll be going to Morocco. 🙁 I really wanted to go for a week or two and have been doing extensive research, but accommodation there is surprisingly expensive and I’m looking at higher transportation costs than expected to get there (about 400CAD to get there and then on to my destination in the UK).

I’m still hoping for a last-minute sit to pop up or for my Fairy Godmother to make a some money appear in my Yule stocking, but I’ve had a lot of fun in 2016, probably more than in the last eight years combined, and concede that I really can’t do everything. My savings are pretty much gone and I don’t want to touch my cushion in case what I think may come to pass does come to pass. So, please, no more hint, hints about Morocco unless you want to buy me a plane ticket from Almería to Marrakesh on December 17th! 😉

But also, please do not worry. I’m being a lot more frugal now than I was even a month ago, but that’s not because I’m in any sort of financial distress. Things are just fine at that end and I am making choices rather than being imposed upon. It was always the plan to put the brakes on the expenditures once I got to Western Europe since my money doesn’t go that far here. It just made more sense to spend with abandon and do a lot of tourism in the Balkans and then hunker down for a bit and replenish the coffers. So right now, I’m in work mode, looking for sits to keep expenditures low, and slowly plotting my return to North America as pieces of the possibly big news start to slot into place.

Well, I’d better finish this painful job I’m working on and then head out for a caña. The tapas bar around the corner is such a gift!!!