Culture Shock

Ok, so Wes tells me that I have to be careful to make sure I let y’all know our reality here… not only just the good stuff we try to focus on. Our entire family agrees that we are so blessed by all that the Lord has done, and we do try to focus on positive. But, obviously, reality is that it is sometimes hard here!

So, culture shock hit me within only days of being here. I think I told you about the schedule thing. That hit me pretty quickly. The other thing that has been hard is that we get very little natural light in our apartment. I don’t think I realized how hard that was hitting me until a bunch of things piled up, and I realized that sitting on my bed with the sun streaming in was SO relaxing!! Once I actually realized it, I made a point of opening any windows that we do have, and drawing back curtains, so we could get the most light.

It’s funny. When you’re going through so much transition and change, you just focus on “making it.” I get so focused on getting the things done that HAVE to get done, that I tend to get tunnel vision. I think I can only do it for so long.

We went grocery shopping for the first time with all of the kids on a Saturday. That was not a good idea. It was one of the first times actually driving somewhere (ok, I was riding… Wes was driving… I’m still not brave enough to drive), and I think the driving was as stressful as the shopping!! It just seems like there is no space here… me and my big American mentality. ☺ Everything is on top of each other!.... the streets, the parking, the shopping, the sidewalks, the elevators, the houses, the stores… everything! Lol. I can imagine that those who live in a real mega city would just laugh at me, but this has been culture shock enough for me. I can’t imagine Tokyo or something.

Ok, so imagine driving down streets where you can hardly fit, b/c there are cars parked on either side of the street. People walk out in front of your car without notice; and drivers cross two lanes, cutting you off in a “round-about.” You finally make it to the parking lot of the grocery store, and there are NO parking spots… literally. You finally find a spot, and the cars are parked so close together that you cannot get your kids out of the car. (and I don’t mean that this one spot is tight… every car in the lot is parked like this!) You figure out that one side has a tiny bit more space, so you get everyone out on that one side. Then you have to snake through countless rows of cars, single file, sideways (b/c there’s no space!)… ok, now picture that with 4 kids 6 and under! Lol.

I can laugh now, but it took us about 4 hours to get through shopping that day. I mean, we needed milk and bread and diapers, etc. They weren’t really optional items. Can you just picture us? We have to have 2 carts with all of our kids… and most Spaniards only have 1 or 2 kids, so we are a sight. But, after 4 hours and PAST dinner time… we were not only a SIGHT to see… but you could HEAR us, too. I’m afraid you could hear us all over the store. ☺ Needless to say, the kids were antsy, and Carolina was just crying. I was stressed by all the people and no space, my loud children making a scene, AND not knowing what anything was. I’m sure there are a million of these stories from my colleagues all over the world. This is called CULTURE SHOCK.

I do have to say that I have an amazing husband. Everyday, I’m so thankful for him. He seems to take all of this into stride. He’s in his element, I do believe. If he knew the language, there would be no stopping him! ☺ His adventurous side has totally come to life, and I’m so thankful for it. I think I’d be hiding in my room without him. Well, I think he noticed my wide-eyed, shell-shocked look. ☺ Since it was past dinner time, he decided we would go out to dinner. We have been trying to be so careful with our money, since we really don’t know how much everything is going to cost yet. But, Wes decided this was a necessity. Lol.

Amazingly, we do have a McDonalds here in Caceres! And praise the Lord for fast food! Lol… who ever would have thought I’d be so thankful for something like a hamburger and French fries!? They actually have a play place there, and so the kids got to get some energy out. I think I sat wide-eyed staring at the wall the whole time. Wes would say, “ok, so how are we doing?”… or, “so, what do we need to do to make life more do-able.” It was then and there that I decided that I literally had to sit down and figure out a schedule for our family. I think things had just piled up until they spilled over at the grocery store. I do not function well in chaos, and that’s all we’d had for too long. I mean, my kids were up at 11pm at night and not waking up until 11am… naps were happening at 6pm at night…. it was craziness to me. (Those of you who know me, really understand how crazy life must’ve been if my kids were up at 11pm!) ☺ The funny thing is that I didn’t even realize how stressed I was until I hit that wall, and Wes asked me what needed to happen.

Once we decided on a schedule, things completely changed. Wow. I had no idea I was such a scheduled person. I think I like to have a plan and absolutely nothing was planned… not meals, not bed-times… everything was just happening while we were trying to get the “important” things done. Everyone says you just have to “hold on” and make it through the first week. Well, we did, and I’m thankful it’s over!!! Lol.

Things are truly much better now. It’s amazing what a schedule does for my peace of mind. I know what to expect, and I know what can get done and what needs to get done. Whew! I can handle the closeness of everything and the not knowing the language, as long as I have my schedule. ☺ lol… some of you totally understand, and some of you think I’m a bit over the top. ☺

Laundry was another thing that has been crazy. I think I talked a little bit about that when we first got here. Well, I had figured out a routine, but what I hadn’t figured in was our sheets and towels. I can do one load a day (b/c it takes so long to dry without a dryer) and keep up with our clothes. I forgot to figure in sheets and towels… I needed a couple more days in the week. Lol. ☺ Well, that came to a climax when Jonathan wet his bed AND our bed all in one night!... so then I also had to wash not only two sheet sets extra, but also the mattress pads for both beds. Good grief, how do I do that? Yeah, well, I still haven’t figured it out. ☺

Wes went and bought a dryer today. He came home from picking up some fruit and milk for us, and told me he bought a dryer. Lol… yes, he really did. I was really trying to make due without it. Most Spaniards don’t have a dryer, so I thought we could adapt, too! But, what I have found out since is that most Spanish families with three kids DO have a dryer. My friend here told me “even Spaniards with big families can’t do without a dryer.” So that made me feel better. ☺ Wes felt like laundry was an unnecessary stress that could be easily remedied. I just know we will have a lot of expenses when we are no longer in a furnished apartment… like beds!!!! We have a lot of furniture to buy, but probably after a week of having my new dryer, I’ll agree that I’d rather sleep on a couch and HAVE dryer!!! ☺

I hope I’ve made you laugh some today. Wes and I try to laugh at all this stuff. We call them laughable moments (you’ve probably heard me talk about it before… we seem to have a lot of them in our family.) We either have to laugh or cry. ☺ Wes found a coffee pot and a humidifier while he was buying the dryer, so we are REALLY all set and spoiled now!