Alexander Family's Big Adventure: Costa Brava, Spain

Girona

Our household goods move went perfectly. I was able to organize the most important things that I wanted to organize (only the most important, and no more) and at the same time, doing the big shipment this early is helping me get out of the house at last!

We spent Monday and Tuesday getting ready for the movers (more accurately, Friday through Tuesday), and they packed us and moved us on Wednesday and Thursday. Woo hoo! Our loaner furniture came on Thursday afternoon, so we were never without beds. The movers were great this time! Thank God!!

Friday night at 9:07 we hit the road for our 12-hour journey to Spain. That was quite an undertaking! David started us out in the drive, and I wrapped it up. We drove through so many downpours, it was actually quite challenging, but we got there. We arrived at Castell Montgri at about 9:00. They didn't get us into our room until about 2:00 in the afternoon, which is understandable. The plan was to take the kids to the on-park playgrounds and have lunch on site. Unfortunately, two of the three playgrounds were wooden and full of splinters, so we didn't use the playgrounds too much while we were there.

We got into our mobile home and promptly took a nap. We were all so tired! The next day, we took the bus to the beach, and it was nice and sunny and the kids had a great time. Later that afternoon, we took the kids to the pool. That day was all about the kids!

The next day we also took the kids to the pool, but it was a different pool for them to enjoy. Then later we went out and found a nice place to eat dinner. I thought we were going somewhere specific, which turned out to be closed. It was a happy accident, though, because we got to visit castle grounds that were still intact and quite beautiful. We finally went to dinner in a nearby town. I tried the ham. David had steak. His dinner was much better than mine!!

The next day, we went to the Dali museum in Figueres, and then we visited the lovely little city of Girona. It was pretty and enjoyable. We had tapas and then headed over to the cathedral.

The cathedral was impressive, but unfortunately it was closed by the time we got there. You MAY recognize it from the Game of Thrones. Girona appeared many times on that show. But it was interesting because of its architecture and history. As we were heading home, Alex was starting to feel ill. By the time we got home, he was running a fever. I was praying it was not strep.

I had booked a tour to Barcelona for Thursday, so on Wednesday, I decided that instead of filling the day, we should take it easy and let Alex rest. We stayed around the home in the morning. I had thought about a glass bottom boat tour, but the kids were so tired and not very interested. By Wednesday afternoon, I couldn't stand sitting around, so we went to the pool again.

Alex seemed to be all right, but at the same time, he felt warm to me. It was hard to tell if he still had a fever, but he was still complaining, and he doesn't usually fake it.

Thursday morning at 0730, I called the tour company and cancelled our tour. No Barcelona for me, which was the one thing I had my heart set on. I'm disappointed still. Alex seems to be okay, but we drove home on Thursday (it took us 15 hours since the kids were awake all day) because I was still feeling worried about him. Today, Saturday when we were SUPPOSED to get home, I think Alex is fine. I don't know if I made the right decision. There's a SLIGHT chance that Alex exaggerated how he felt because he wanted to go back to where the tablet was working. I'm disappointed by the vacation. No Barcelona! We only went to the beach once after driving 12 hours to get to it! It was a big drive for a little reward. And overall, I'm just ready to go home.

So much has happened in my extended family since we've been away: death, cancer, marriage, babies. I'm ready to see the people I love and be part of their lives again. This week we are shipping our van and moving out of the house and into the lodge. Life will be so easy for a little while after this week, and I am really looking forward to moving out of this house. It is hard to believe that we have less than four weeks to go!

Don't get me wrong, we are so blessed that we have been able to be here, and to see everything we have seen, including our vacation to Spain. I fell in love with some places I never expected to see to begin with. Two years was a great amount of time. I am simply not very good at being in limbo, and we have been in limbo for a very long time!! It's been a wonderful limbo, but limbo nonetheless! My time here has also been adversely affected by all of the sickness. I think we're up to 26 infections of strep. The Army hospital will be my hospital of choice until we leave. I'm hoping we don't need to visit them again. I'm optimistic, even.

I kind of feel like I'm leaving Germany on a bit of a sour note. So much sickness. I'm so tired of this house with no hot water in the kitchen and a fridge that freezes or spoils everything. Our last vacation was disappointing.

I feel guilty for my negativity. I know it won't be my attitude overall about our time here. All I really have to do is think about the Schirn museum or the blue windows in Mainz, and I am grateful. But today, I missed a big event in someone's life, and it will still be a month before I can celebrate with her. That is so hard to take!

Life as an expat? Difficult. But I honestly hope I get the chance to do it again someday. Maybe in Japan or Australia. :-)