School.
Not so much School Year Abroad (which officially kicks off on Friday evening with the arrival of Griffin (director) and the students (our raison d'etre). Andee and I have been writing syllabi, looking through books, and generally getting ready for the school year. That part has been, so far, pretty doable.
No, we are waiting with baited breath for Ben and Chaia to start school.
Confession time: I have never understood, until now, all of those parents that breathe a sigh of relief when their children begin school in the fall. Not until now, when I find myself in the same position. In Bethel, the start of school has always been an exciting touchstone, but never a relief of any kind. Here, thinking back of the past five weeks, I realize that Andee and I have been "man-on" with our kids without a break. (Yeah, I know, "poor Doug and Andee, stuck with their kids travelling around Spain.").
The fact is, since our arrival on the 23rd of July we haven't had access to a babysitter, and so everywhere we go, they go. And it's not like at home, where we can just "send them outside to play." Outside, here, is a pretty busy neighborhood with cars, shops, restaurants, bars, and the like. If we want the kids to go out, we go with them. If we want to go for a walk, they come along. So all of our outings are of "Ben and Chaia-length", and anywhere we go has to be "Ben and chaia-friendly." This leaves out some pretty cool places, and leaves us anxious for a night out to watch a Real Zaragoza game in a pub (Real Zaragoza is the local pro soccer team, FIRST division, if you are a real fan) or the chance to go for an evening walk (it's still in the upper 80's at 10:30 pm). So it's not so much that we are tied to our apartment or anything, it's just that either our outings are of a semi-short duration, or we have to go out one at a time (or one of us with one, or both, children in tow).
So, parents out there reading, please tell me that I'm not a cruel, heartless father. Tell me that we are normal, loving parents, who just want to love their children from a bit of a distance for a few hours each day, so we can take a long walk, or go to a museum together, or sit in a café trying new tapas, and not have to teach, entertain, explain, mediate, or resolve crises involving stuffed animals.
Anyways, school starts on Tuesday morning. Until then, we'll go for shorter walks broken up by stops for helado (ice cream) and granizados (a kind-of lemon flavored slush puppy, heaven on a hot day).
Limón granizado
Limón granizado
