The second Spainiversary

Wake me up when September ends (didn't happen)

(I got myself an underwater box for my phone, very excited with possibilities)

Hola, my lovely reader,

I don’t know about you, but my September turned to be a month of major shift. Heat finally left for good, and I couldn’t be happier. It is actually curious, it seems that I adjusted to the local seasons and I feel current weather as autumn not as some “endless summer”. I can recognize subtle details in how nature behaves and I see it. It actually feels like I am not mentally blind anymore. And not so lost.

This autumn marks 2 anniversaries for me - 3 years of living abroad and 2 years of living in Catalonia, Spain. It still amazes me how it all turned out. How it was not planned and absolutely rushed. How choices were made and how these choices led to beautiful unfurling of events. I hope that one day I will be able to tell the story without fear for authorities. For now I can only give away pieces in the most authentic way that is possible.

At our Spainiversary day we ate pizza from Spar, the same that we bought on the first day that we arrived here. When you loose all the traditions of your country and society that was yours for all your life, it is so helpful to create your own rituals. There is no such thing as easy immigration. I salute to everyone who has been through it.

I still have a photo from Turunc as my wallpaper on my phone btw. I spread the love for this place among my friends, and they bring it forward. And then I receive photos from those people. Of cats, places and promenade with a mountain line that I will recognise among so many.

But time goes on and this new place we live in is not so new anymore. It grows on me. I know more people, I can express myself a little bit.

My son started to learn Catalan in school this year. They have an amazing system to adapt children who did not speak Spanish or/and Catalan before enrolling into the educational system. He learnt Spanish for the first 2 years, now Catalan added up. It still is very challenging for him, but at least it is not harsh. I decided to join him and in October my Catalan courses started, so he will feel better and see my struggle and journey. I am doing the courses provided by the government which are almost free (75 euros per year). It is very interesting and educative. I think that I will definitely dedicate at least one dispatch here on the topic of everything Catalan.

Not much time for new videos unfortunately. I filmed an October vlog, so god help me to edit it. But I am proud to state that the Northern trilogy is done. Here is the third piece about our stay in Khibiny mountains. The thought that I keep thinking is that I cannot believe this trip was actually a year ago. It was summer 2024. I am starting to think that human being maybe doesn’t really need that much of traveling and “hunt for new”. I still digest that travel that we did quite some time ago and I don’t feel left out or something. Maybe it is that I live in a place where most people dream of coming for vacation (ie seaside), it kinda changed. I am not sure.

Actually I realized that I don’t really want to travel much. It was my top-3 dream and purpose in life for many years. But now I just want to keep calm and slow. I am not sure what exactly caused it. It is small town life? Is it living by the sea? Is it immigration? Is is me aging? Maybe all of it? I would gladly hear your take on that. How do you feel about your life and traveling at the moment?

In September I had a really lovely reconnection with my class mate whom I didn’t see for 20 years and who lives in Bavaria, Germany now. We talked so much about saying goodbye to a big city and moving to a small one. This small town life is one of the biggest discoveries for me over the last 3 years.

But life in a small town is far from small. You will read this rather short dispatch right before October ends. And be ready to get another one for October. Because life was so intense lately that I wrote this one a month ago and then life was pumping like crazy and I just had to adjust. And I never sent this one.

But… I didn’t want to unite September and October in one.

Soooo see you so very soon,

yours Vera