I didn’t send an update last week because there wasn’t much news. But two weeks feels like too long to go without an update.

We had a chorus concert on Friday, June 28.

I went to beach when I had some free time…as is becoming my summer custom.

The beach is my happy place!

The big news is that on Monday this week, I went to pick up my residency card. After waiting nearly six weeks, since being able to submit the paperwork, and six months and one day since I arriving in Spain, I went to the police station and was told I needed to go a different police station! I caught a taxi and went there. In the door and out five minutes later, I had my official residency card!

The other big news is that I started my additional hour of Spanish classes with a private tutor this week. I’m really excited about this and I think it will help build my confidence. We talked about the choir and I learned the names of notes and musical terms in Spanish that are NOT translations from English. For example, a “quarter note” is a “negra” in Spanish!

We talked about books I’ve been reading, how I ended up in Spanish and more. More so, listening to her talk slowly and purposefully was really helpful. Of the four dynamics of a language (reading, writing, speaking and listening) hearing and understanding Spanish is the most difficult. It’s so hard for me to understand where a word ends and starts, so it all sounds like gibberish to me. If I can gain confidence in my listening abilities, I will be really encouraged.

Choir has been really frustrating this week. At the last minute, they changed the time (an hour earlier) and location of the rehearsal Monday. I was boarding the bus when I got a call from the bass section leader Fernando. I thought he said he would send me the address of the new location. So I didn’t get on the bus, not knowing where I was going. I waited. And waited. Finally I messaged him. By the time I heard back, they were done. He had sent the address in a confusing message the week before about a possible upcoming change.

So I completely missed that rehearsal.

On Thursday, I went to our usual place and time and found the building locked and dark. I went to the location of their Monday rehearsal and never found anyone. So I just came home and missed both rehearsals this week.

After I cooled off, I sent a long message to Fernando saying that I’m feeling like the choir is keeping me out of the loop and asking, “do they still want me?” He quickly responded saying to relax and that he’d call me this week and explain.

So, I’m less worried than I am frustrated.

This morning as I was cleaning, I had the TV on and I recognized Boise, Idaho! They were doing a program on “Spain around the World” and focusing on the Basque population in Idaho. Idaho had the largest population of Basque people’s outside the Basque region of Northern Spain.

I stopped and watched as they went to Boise, Caldwell, McCall, Sun Valley and other familiar places.

Me friends Ken and Pab will arrive today (Sunday) from Denver, by way of Barcelona. It will be fun to have them here and be tour guide. I’m thrilled that someone is actually taking me up on my offer to come see me!

(Hint! Hint!) 😉