LAST QUARTER OF 2009
Trip Start
Dec 10, 2008
1
25
Trip End
Ongoing
Benissa, Valencia, Spain
Thursday, December 24, 2009
For the purpose of informing other immigrants: We didn't realise, (until we've been able to look back), how difficult it was for the children starting in January. We didn't have a choice because that's when we first arrived here, but as logical as that is for us, January is in fact half way through the Spanish school year and I remember there being a difficulty, if not an impossibility receiving their text books; they were never really "inducted" as such, and Trent told me recently, he didn't even know when it was time to have his morning tea! Now that we've seen how the year actually starts, the system of receiving books, notices, agendas, parents information evenings etc, it has all fallen into place for them (and for us), and they're all very happy and settled.
Funny, we now remember reading traveller forums before we got to Spain, saying that many schools don't accept pupils half way through the year, which seemed such an odd thing to us at the time - we now understand.
September was only half days, as it was still too hot to be there after 1.00pm, so that gave us many days to enjoy the surrouding beaches, and amenities. We managed to get to one of these popular destination spots, twice, - the algar waterfalls. Just inland from Altea (about 20-30 mins drive), you follow the very well sign-posted directions, and with plenty of parking available, you soon find yourself at the bottom of a waterfall - literally. And, the water is COLD!! There is no other way to say that. In fact, I would dare to say the only time you would want to visit would be peak summer time. At any rate, it was fantastic, with pools of crystal clear water, rocks to climb over, (or cling to as in my case), and a short walk up the wooden stairs took us to a clearing at the top of the waterfall, where you could jump from the 'diving board' into the lake below. Even our Brad managed to do it. With places to picnic, gorgeous scenery, and the roar of the fall, it was a place, that we all enjoyed, and certainly a place to reflect/re-energise.
Of course, amongst all the fun, it's also a time to catch up on the 'to do' list. And one of those was our garden shed. Firstly, we needed a place to store some bit and pieces ie: Christmas decorations, old company files (that will probably never need), luggage etc. Let alone, garden stuff! Gary & I started to assemble the kit-set shed, but we weren't very successful, due to the uneven foundation.... (you needed to be there). So with a builder friend to help (thank you John!), we got the concrete slab done, and up she went. We've also been busy just re-doing gardens etc - typical kiwi stuff.
October was a lovely month for us. Tara & Harrison both celebrated their birthdays and Inga, a friend of ours from Germany (she was our aupair in NZ), came to stay with us for a few days, and of course we just had to take her out to restuarants, cafes,etc. What was really nice, is, one of the evenings we'd been out to the restaurant, and we came home to do the birthday cakes for Tara & Harrison (yes one each), as Inga had some gifts for them ... we got Mum on skype in NZ and we all sang Happy Birthday together. Don't you just love technology! Of course, nothing really goes that simple in the Foreman household, because right on cue, just before we were about to start, Harrison went to shut the window and put his arm through it at the same time. Unbelievable. Anyway the song went ahead with some blood, cuts and bandages.
The other thing October brought to town, was the Oktoberfest. Yes, even in Spain! It was absolutely fantastic. Gary went a few times (surprise), and we certainly popped along as a family on one or two occassions. The music ranged from typical German ompapah (sorry don't know to spell that) band, to music from the 70's to now, and the everything sing-a-long in between. The food was plentiful, the drinks great price, and the crowds so well behaved. Gary & I noticed how family orientated even the beerfest was .. ie: outside the tent there was a merry-go-round, and childrens rides etc. Security were obvious by their absence! For all New Zealanders, can you imagine holding a beerfest in your local town with 750 odd people, with cheap alcohol, no security, and open all hours??? The mind boggles. However, there is another chapter to this story ........
Because, we'd had such a great family time down there on the Sunday, we decided to get a few families together, and meet the following Sunday, in celebration of Harrison's birthday. I didn't read the notices properly. It was 'bikers day'. Think Harleys in abundance!! Got down there early, and the road was blocked off, with motorcylces of all shapes and sizes saturating every 'nook and cranny' ie: footpath, curb, parking space, grass verge etc. Quick text out to everybody, "change of plans, party at our place". We knew we wouldn't get a seat. But the impromptu parties are always the best, and not only did we have friends for the birthday lunch, many stayed for dinner as well!
Don't you just love these summer months?
Alas autumn beckoned, although we have been pleasantly surprised at how mild, in fact hot, the weather has been through November, December.
We survived November admist dust sheets everywhere, builders, electricians etc. We were offered (and readily accepted), the additional 3 bdrm place directly upstairs from us, which involved putting in an internal staircase with supporting wall and the obvious jobs that go with all that. Of course there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and we held onto that 'vision' as we literally lived in a building site. It was our most unsociable month of the entire year. However, it was worth the wait. The kids now all have a room each, (peace at last), and we also have a spare room. We LOVE THE SPACE!! Of course we had to make another trip to Ikea to fill it.
December was business as usual, and Carolin (also originally our aupair), came and joined our family again, which has been awesome. The kids had missed her - she was originally with us for 18 months - and so they were excited ... and for us, of course, it's wonderful having another adult in the house to 'share the load'. In fact poor Carolin, came just as we needed to shift all the bedrooms around, plaster, paint etc - so she was very busy for the first week or two!
The last half of December the weather cooled considerably, in fact we had an almighty storm that took two large trees and a big chunck of our section onto the road below. Chaos in every department. The water was horrendous. Because of the 110km + winds, the rain was being driven in through windows, down the chimney/fireplace etc. Thankfully, we got off quite lightly in the department, but it was incredible to experience. Sunny Spain huh?
Of course as we near Christmas the children have finished up their first term, with some mixed results on the report cards. High school is treating Tara very well, and she's passed all her subjects, Harrison needs to concentrate less on the hair and more on the books, Trent's improving but still takes a visit to dreamland every now and then, but thankfully he's so much happier and more settled with some new friends. Greta's teacher said that she works hard, but needs to become more involved and to talk more (obviously doesn't take after her mother), and Brad continually talks some sort of jibberish - a mix of English, Spanish and his own language.
In between all of this,
* Gary's had a trip to England and did some fantastic Christmas shopping
* (He also managed to crash the car a couple of weeks back)
* Trent & Harrison have joined the Denia rugby club and are having a fantastic time! They've played some out of town games & tournaments and really enjoying this kiwi sport in Spain
* the kids have performed in a Christmas production
* we've had our annual Christmas party
* and we've booked Mum and Dad's trip & cruise for next year ......
Yep 'next year' is just around the corner. We've been here exactly a year now, and in some ways it's been a bit of a whirlwind, but in other ways we feel very settled. So much has happened since our last Christmas.
Can't wait to see what this next year brings!
