We've finally begun to settle in our new home here in Cadiz, Spain. After a lengthy delay from the local telecom our internet and phone are up. The previous tenant didn't pay the bill...so they had to make sure we were someone new. Grrr.
We'd hoped our paperwork headache would lessen after acquiring our visas, but that was just the beginning of the fun. Spain loves their paperwork, and we've been giving out photocopies of our passports to everyone and their mother and their mother's dog. We even had to give copies to the plumber!
Paperwork aside, southern Spain is an utterly fantastic place to live. We live in the old section of Cadiz, which has remained relatively the same for the past few centuries. The dearth of historic buildings in the old section (Cadiz Antigua) prevents new construction, so the city has only expanded toward the mainland, leaving the old section's skyline pretty much the same as it was several hundred years ago. The streets are hilariously narrow and entirely one-way, but that doesn't stop people from driving big trucks to make deliveries. Of course "big" is very relative since this is Europe, but traffic clogs while a delivery van makes a 10-point turn are not uncommon.
Our first month has mostly involved getting settled, getting our utilities and rent and other paperwork in order, getting the kids and Carrie in school, and starting our work in the town of Arcos de la Frontera. Arcos is about an hour from Cadiz, but the kids and teachers and work are wonderful. Every morning I find myself filled with excitement about the day's work ahead of me, even when stumbling to life at 6am. I had believed myself incapable on either count! I'll post more about the school in detail later.
Anyway, we love you all, and we've got some pictures up here if you haven't seen them already. We'd love to here from all of you!
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