Honeymoon Period
Visiting Barcelona several times, we had suspected what it would be like when we touched down for the last time. A cab ride from the BCN airport “you know, there is going to be one of these where that’s it…we are here”.
’I think I’ll feel it then’, I said; meaning, maybe I will be sad? Maybe I will be overwhelmed. Or maybe any of this would feel real. To be honest in that exact moment, when we had two taxi vans with our eight suitcases and Nora- I was just relieved.
Covid + Vacation = Normal
I suspected there would be a honeymoon period or more of a feeling of vacation and working abroad. After being here several times and working from here for most; it felt more normal to just hit the ground running with the little laptop that was setup for this. I had thought the first 4 weeks or so would feel like any other vacation where I worked from a different location.
The week of transition hotel in Boston felt different. We were so busy sorting our luggage, “borrowing” the fitness room scale and running it up to our room to test the luggage requirement. This felt anxious and more like a small cube we were inhabiting.
At this point- we sold the car. I really felt trapped but knew that we would be through it at the end of the week.
I got sick on the day we were flying; the longest day- checkout was noon, we had to be at logan by 6/flight was 11pm.
I didn’t test positive until days after touchdown- that cab ride we had built up to be manic joy, had turned out more quiet relief and I just want to get better. The vacation feeling I had expected was replaced with, it’s just done.
Making BCN Feel Home
Now that we are through such a difficult time, we are finally able to make our new apartment feel like home. Very serendipitous; we had known friends would happen to be in Barcelona for a surprise 40th. A coincidence we realized almost a year ago but were not allowed to talk about due to it’s surprise nature. Being slightly settled, it was unreal seeing familiar faces at a meetup point here. Equally unreal, after a lunch- them going back to a hotel, Orpha and I pulling out or keys to go back up to the apartment.
Showing them our flat hit in a way that zoom or what’s app videos back home do not translate. It hit me as well, I felt proud about all Orpha and I did to be here, and it felt amazing to just realize it. Anyways, stop talking donal… pics!
PICS
