New Chapter Unfolding for me in Europe!

Chris is Coming!!

In about a week, my life will change in a very significant way.  Chris will be moving to Europe.  This will be a huge change for the both of us, and we can't wait!!  For Chris, this is a big leap.  He has sold or given away almost everything he owns, other than what he is bringing with him.  He has requested a sabbatical from his job in the U.S. (rather than just quit his job, he has wisely decided to take this option, as he explores and settles into a European lifestyle).  He is leaving family and friends, many of whom he has known most of his life.  I think this move is even more momentous for Chris than it was for me when I moved over a year ago because the idea of moving probably entered his mind just a couple of months before I left for Barcelona.  To be honest, I was shocked and amazed when he began to talk about his desire to move here and then even more shocked and more amazed at his persistence in trying to find a way to do so. And of course I was very happy that he found a way to continue his teaching career in Europe.  This puts us on the same continent and will increase our frequency of seeing each other fourfold.

Chris will be here in Barcelona most of the summer before he starts his teaching job in Kiev in mid-August.  We will have even more opportunities to deepen our relationship and our love, expand our Spanish as Chris will be taking an intensive Spanish course in July and we will introduce more and more Spanish into our conversations, and continue to explore the city and the beaches around Barcelona together.

To say I'm the luckiest man alive is an understatement.  I would not have imagined this possibility a year and a half ago.  But the love of my life will be more physically present in my life in just a few days, and for that I am both humbled and grateful for this incredible new chapter in our lives.

Passed Driver's Test

Yes, I passed! And I passed both the written and driving tests the first time around.  As I talk with more people here, I realize that this is the exception and not the rule.  For many, it takes two, three or more tries before they pass and obtain their driver's license.

What I learned later, however, is that almost all car rental agencies here will not rent cars to drivers who have their license in the first year.  I will need to investigate this further and see if in my case, since I have my U.S. driver's license as well, they will make an exception.  I can't use that license to drive, but I could possibly use it to rent a car but when driving the car, use my Spanish license.

Spanish Class

I have not mentioned much about my latest Spanish class, which started in February and ended with our exams last week.  It was quite a different classroom experience than the class I had last semester, and not for the better.  The teacher was diligent, friendly and dedicated.  But he was neither skillful nor capable of teaching at this level.  He confused more than clarified and did not have a coherent pedagogic structure to present different topics and skills, which left most students lost and frustrated.  At the very least, I have a better appreciation of the excellent teaching skills of my former Spanish teacher last Fall and have a better understanding of what is needed to increase a student's language level.

The exam consisted of five parts.  Speaking was done on a different day and was about an hour in length.  The other four parts, reading comprehension, listening, grammar and writing took place on a different day and was four hours in length.  It was grueling.  I won't know if I passed until June 26, when they release the exam results.

Shambhala Retreat

It may seem odd to most, but two days after Chris arrives, I will be going to France for a week retreat.  It's a program that has not been offered for a number of years and will not be offered again for quite a while.  Chris and I talked about this before I registered and he will be just fine here at our home while I'm gone.  He has been here three times already and knows his way around, has friends here, and will be very busy with his intensive Spanish class, which starts the day I leave.  There are two other non-Spanish friends of mine who will be going to the same language school in July and we will be getting together before I leave, so he'll have even more new friends, besides those that he will meet in his class.

This particular program that I will be taking in France at the Shambhala Retreat center Dechen Choling requires me to do some study and contemplation on the topic of meditation before I arrive.  I have been doing that over the last few months and have found it to be very enriching and is helping me deepen my practice.  I am looking forward to the retreat but will be missing Chris immensely.