Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Giving thanks


Puerta Alcala

When some delightful new Spanish friends (A&A) asked me recently (after reading my blog) whether or not I liked Spain, I realized that my love for Madrid and my appreciation of all things Spanish weren't exactly translating in the blogosphere. Sometimes my dry sense of humor is, cough, too dry; Sometimes, it's just not funny. So, here it is straight-up:

Even with the electrical issues, the phone working intermittently, not being able to use the iron and the oven at the same time and with the cable working when the moon is in the 7th house and Jupiter aligns with Mars;  even though I've been stuck in the elevator several times and lost my son for half a night in a soccer scrum and can't remember how to work the TV, I couldn't be happier to be here in Madrid.

Despite having eaten a couple of mouthfuls of god knows what, and maybe having eaten spiced bunny, and definitely having eaten rooster, I've enjoyed some of the most delicious food in Spain that can be found on the planet.  And tomorrow is another day when I will possibly try another of the tastiest treats I'll ever eat.

In spite of the fact that I have no ear for language whatsoever and have to repeat where I'm going to every cab driver; even though I look like Rainman watching people's lips forming their words so that I can approximate Spanish pronunciation, I know that someday soon, I'll utter a passable Spanish sentence.

Even though my children sometimes love us for introducing them to this new home and often hate us for pulling them away from their friends; and even with the longing for our dearly-loved friends and family back home, I cherish every day here with my babies, and am thankful to my language-impaired husband who's allowing us to live this dream, in this gorgeous country, with my new and fascinating "speed-friended" friends.

Regardless of the fact that I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going and how to get there, I have the biggest thrill every time I walk out the door and see the plazas and the fountains, the new and the different...

Thanks for listening; thanks for reading (and for, um, commenting...) I hope you have many things to be thankful for this week!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for a terrific blog!

Mental P Mama said...

{{{{{Miss Hower}}}}} Love to you all. I parked behind Chip's office yesterday when I did the Turkey Trot. Miss you tons. xoxo, Miss Ives

jayne s said...

D - I, also, am thankful for your humorous and very skillfully written blog, as it provides us with an opportunity to keep pace with all of your audacious anecdotes. And it is quite evident that you are thorougly smitten with your newly adopted hometown. After holiday travels, I was happy to return home tonight to peek in on your latest posting, because we're missing you and the family - especially during this Thanksgiving holiday.
Love to all!
-j

Perkins Fan said...

Hello Delora and all of your babies! We love reading your posts, and can tell you are appreciating this incredible opportunity. Thank you for sharing it with us - vicarious living is one way to travel. Happy Thanksgiving!

Unknown said...

Delora: Thank you for being the final push behind this decision of ours. We as a family will always cherish our time together here in Spain. We love our new friends and are enjoying our new urban life style in our new favorite city.

Anonymous said...

So glad you are having the best time!! I love reading about your adventures- We miss you back in CT!

Unknown said...

hola! This is a delinquent blogger here, speed reading to catch up on your adventures. I am thankful for living vicariously through you, even if its in fast-forward (I've just ready the entire blog since Oct).

Keep up all the chaos and adventures--otherwise it would be too boring to bother. I mean, why go all the way there if you don't get to be the victim of international living. Who knows, maybe in the next 50 years the cultural nuances that make each country unique will be gone, and we'll all speak mandarin and only buy from two companies that own Earth.

Vive la Vida!

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