Kellie and Brit arrive in Spain.

The fourth of July in Spain is not quite the same experience as it is the US….however because there were several American students, our Spanish school decided that we should try to have a regular 4^th of July Barbeque.  An apartment complex with a swimming pool and an outdoor grill was secured and then they asked if we Americans would do the cooking.  Of course, we will!

After being told that the Spanish staff would probably not eat much in the way of hamburgers it was decided to include some chicken skewers, marinated the way they would like them.  We kept things very basic, cheese burgers, hot dogs, chips and the regular array of condiments including fresh lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, mustard and ketchup.  As a nod to healthy lifestyle choices we added a big bowl of fresh cut fruit.  We tried for homemade lemonade but as nobody really wanted to bother making it, soda and beer, lots of beer were substituted with no complaints.

The day was hot and sunny, all you could ask for on the 4^th of July.  We had asked the staff to purchase 4 kilos of ground beef.  In Spain they use a combination of ground pork and beef (called “carne”) for most things including their version of hamburgers but we were insistent on 100% beef.   The staff decided that since not everyone would eat burgers, and beef is expensive they would just get 3 kilos.   We scrambled after classes were over for the day to get everything prepped and fired up the grill, which is of course not anything at all like a grill back in the states, more like an unused fireplace, but worked well enough with plenty of time and care.

We ended up with about 35 folks to feed over the course of the evening and everyone, Spanish folks included, did eat burgers in fact, some more than one as soon as they found out how truly great all beef American style burgers are!  It was loads of fun with American music playing and everyone enjoying the beautiful evening, we ran out of food, which is always a great outcome.

The following weekend was our most anticipated weekend of the summer.  Kellie, our youngest daughter and her best friend of many years Brittani were coming to Granada to take the TEFL course, and, if they could find jobs, to stay and teach for a year.  I went to the bus station in the hopes of catching them as they arrived in Granada from Madrid.  They had spent a week in London seeing the sights, then flew on to Madrid and then taken the bus to Granada.  Of course, I missed them at the station, still not sure how, but definitely missed them.

They found their way to the residencia while I walked back up the hill and met Mike at Puerta de las Pesas.  We had a drink and chatted with Fernando and Jose for a bit but I was so anxious to see the kids and worried that they had missed the bus, etc., etc., etc. (Mommy worries, but in my defense I knew they did not have cell phones that would work in Spain) that I just could not wait.  Mike and I walked over to the residencia and I was delighted and relieved to find them there. 

  Another one of those learning moments when you realize that your youngest child, traveling in a foreign country for the first time, where she doesn’t speak a word of the language, gets along just fine without her mother. 

The girls looked great and had wonderful stories to tell about the sights of London.  We took them back up to the restaurant to meet the family there and had a lovely evening catching up and talking about the TEFL course that was to begin for them the next day.  The girls headed in early so they could be ready in the morning and we spent the rest of the evening reminiscing about the other life we had lived in the states with both our girls close to home and seeing them all the time.  

Interestingly enough we found ourselves not missing the states and the time we had there but rather wishing that all of our friends and family could share this new life we are living now.   We knew that being able to share at least a portion of it with Kellie and Brit was going to be a fabulous and probably unique opportunity.  We were beginning to love Spain and had made some wonderful friends but we also know that Spain is not the only stop on this journey we have chosen.