Allie in the South of Spain

After deciding to reside permanently here in Spain, Jose and I decided to take a leap of faith and purchase our first apartment together. We shopped around for a while and decided on a place that was still under construction but that just recently has been finished! We got a letter in the mail the other day saying that we could begin the mortgage (gaaa!) process with the bank. Since Spain´s economy is pretty terrible, Jose and I (with our two steady incomes) are pretty ideal candidates for a loan so we are not too worried about our financing. We are, however, concerned that this whole process will take a long time (like just about everything here in Spain) and that we will see the new year start without having signed on the dotted line. If this happens we are looking at a HUGE increase in the taxes we will have to pay for our new apartment. Here´s hoping that is a situation we won´t have to face. Now that we know the project is finished, we are just waiting to be able to move into o...

This will be a quick post, I just want to know if this is normal or not. I have had yet ANOTHER dream about losing my teeth. This is the only dream that I remember having repeatedly though it always changes slightly. Each time for whatever reason my teeth begin to fall out, crumble, disintegrate or just plain disappear. It is always very traumatic mostly because I know that people will notice my jacked up teeth (or lack thereof). I read once that this type of dream means that you are beginning another phase in your life. Losing your teeth in your dreams is equated to when you lose your teeth as you grow up and become an adult. I guess at this point I see enough students with gaps and holes in their smiles that maybe my mind is just reacting normally (in fact while supervising recess today I had 2 girls lose baby teeth). I also think I saw that these dreams mean you will come into money soon; one can hope right? In any case, the d...

Sometimes I forget how truly beautiful Sevilla is and how lucky I am to live here. I am reminded whenever I venture into the city center and am not on a mission (like shopping or errands or hurrying to meet someone for tapas). Last weekend Jose and I had  Friday off and had a sort of staycation. We took Cooper and walked first through the Plaza de España. This is my favorite site in all of Sevilla. It was built for the 1928 World's Fair and was recently rennovated. It is a basically a half circle of beautiful buildings that opens out onto a square. Everything is adorned with typical Spanish tiles and the architecture is amazing. The square represents each of the provinces and you can rent boats to row your way around or ride in a horse drawn carriage. It is one of those things that you have to see to understand. Me trying to describe it and this picture do NOT do it justice. Next we walked past the University of Sevilla which is housed in an old tabacco factory. The bui...

Recently some people back home have been asking me about my job here in Spain so I figured I would write a quick blog to describe it. I am currently working at an all-girls, private, Catholic school where I teach Science (in English) and conversation (also in English). I work in the primary school with girls all the way from 1st to 5th grades. You can imagine that every day is interesting and that working with so many different ages in their second language has its challenges. My students call me "Teacher" or Miss (easier for them and not denoting my marital status) Alexandra. They are mostly adorable and all wear uniforms. Of course there is the occasional child that you want to send home and ask never to return but all in all they are pretty sweet. Part of my job involves supervising recess a few times a week. This has been like an sociology/anthropology course since I am able to observe the groups of girls in their natural habitats. As soon as I walk outside I have my 3...

So far, so good. Our little family is adjusting well. Cooper (our puppy) is a sweetheart and spent his first day at home alone while we went to work on Monday. When we got home after 8 hours there was one little accident but nothing worth a submission to dogshaming.com.(If you haven't seen this site check it out. Hilarious). I think he probably spent the day sleeping on the couch (like all dogs given the chance). Though he is a good boy, Cooper has a blanket that came with him from his foster family. He drags it everywhere, chews on it (without destroying it) and often falls asleep with it wedged in his mouth. Weirdo. We are all getting to know each other (and our odd quirks). Though some people have questioned our choice, I truly believe that adopting a dog was a great decision for us. Right now in Spain (and around the world I am sure) there are an over-abundance of animals that need homes. The situation has only been getting worse with the financial crisis...

Since I will be living here in Spain for the foreseeable future, I have decided to make an effort to meet new and like-minded people. In that pursuit I decided to join the American Women's club in Seville. This is a group that hosts different events (like picnics, holiday parties, dinners, book club, children play groups) throughout the year with the only requirement being that you speak (or attempt) English. Most of the members are women like me who have married Spaniards (be they American, British, Australian, Canadian). Some of my co-workers are involved and though I am one of the younger members, I have been enjoying being able to spend time with people who can relate to my situation. Yesterday, Jose, Cooper and I partook in a hike hosted by the club. We drove about an hour and a half to the mountains and met up with about 20 other people to walk through the woods to a city where we stopped for a beer (of course) and then made the return trip and had...

For a while now I have been wanting to get a dog here in Spain. Jose was not convinced. I have always had a dog and thought that since we were finally settled it would be a good addition to our family. Spain is such an outdoor culture that you can bring dogs with you to a lot more places than in the U.S. I was always jealous of seeing people out and about with their furry friends. A ton of neighbors have dogs. I would comment on them as they passed by. Again, Jose was not convinced. I promised to take responsibility of the dog, walking it, feeding it, cleaning up after it. Jose was not convinced. His family had a dog once but their experience was not a good one. I didn't blame him for his reluctance but I kept championing my cause. This was the result: Meet Cooper (Fito). He is a rescue dog who had been living with a foster mother until yesterday. He is 6 months old (found in the street as a little puppy) and is absolutedly adorable. The process to find him and fina...