When it Rains, it Pours

This expression was one that Keely and I explained to Charo while living in Sevilla.  We told her that it can be used for either positive or negative situations, but I said that I thought it was generally for more depressing circumstances.  However, I am now using it to describe my fantastic luck!

Yesterday began at 6:45AM, because my morning activity was applying for my Spanish residency card at the police station.  This process deserves its own post, so I will simply say for now that it was one of the most ridiculous experienced I have had in Spain thus far.  Now we’ll fast-forward five hours.

After I returned from the police station, I resumed my piso hunt.  That morning, I received a call from a woman named Estefania.  Because my Spanish phone skills are still lacking, I gathered only a handful of words from our three minute phone conversation.  “Piso,” “tengo un hijo de tres año,” and “quiero Inglés” all led me to believe that my potential living situation was with a mother who wanted her three-year-old son to learn English.  My ideal living situation was to live with another Spanish student close to my school who would speak Spanish with me and not mind if I had friends come to stay from Spain or America.  This did not seem like that kind of situation, but I was pretty desperate so I agreed to meet Estefania at the doorway of El Corte Inglés (think Spanish Macy’s) at 6:30PM.

I stood waiting outside the store for several minutes.  The only other person who appeared to be waiting for someone was a gorgeous young woman who I was sure could not have given birth to a child.  Therefore, when said woman dialed a number on her phone and mine began to ring, I was surprised to say the least.  After our greeting kisses, Estefania asked me if I wanted to go have coffee.  Though I was a bit confused about when I would see the piso, I placidly agreed and followed her to a hip café where she ordered for both of us.

She began to tell me about her family and her idea for her son Marco’s English lessons.  Not speaking any English herself, she wanted her son to be exposed early because she plans on sending him to an English immersion school when he is three-years-old.  I asked how old her Marco was, because I was under the impression that he was already that age.  “Marco tiene un año,” she replied, and went on to tell me that because her son was so young (barely one year old!), she envisioned his English tutoring being simply a listening immersion situation.

As our discussion went on, it became more and more clear to me that I was not being shown a piso, I was being interviewed for a job.  Estefania had seen my posting on a Spanish website called EasyPiso, in which I had identified myself as an American auxiliar in search of housing.  Though I still didn’t have a place to live, I was being offered a second job with steady hours!

Estefania’s husband (an equally gorgeous futbol player) came to join us with Marco in tow.  They explained to me that they were both born and raised in Córdoba and offered to help with my piso hunt if I was feeling lost.  I was overwhelmed by their kindness.  Marco (who is without a doubt the most beautiful baby I have ever seen), looked up at me holding a small stuffed Eeyore and shook his head.  His shyness diminished over the next hour as the four of us chatted and discussed ideas for immersing Marco in the English language.  Estafania and her family live across the street from my school and want me to work for them one hour per day, four days per week, whenever fits best for me around my school schedule.  The job will consist of me speaking English to Marco while we play with his toys or go on walks.  I’m not sure I could have found a more perfect job if I had tried.  The fact that I still lacked a piso faintly weighed on my conscience, but the compassion of these absolute strangers gave me the feeling that I had been desperately searching for in Córdoba: home.

When I left Estefania and her family, I went to meet a new friend from the program named Emily.  She has been wonderfully sweet and agreed to come with me to see my final piso appointment for the day.  We again walked to El Corte Inglés to meet a girl named Auri who I had found on EasyPiso.  Auri’s posting had said she was looking for an English speaker to share her piso (which she affectionately called an attic) because she wanted to be able to practice her language skills.  After identifying Auri, a tall girl with a hip haircut and glasses, Emily and I followed her to her nearby piso.  Though its miniscule size was definitely apparent, the piso was beautiful and cozy.  Auri had pictures of her friends and prints of New York decorating the walls, which she showed me while explaining that she is working towards finding a job in the United States or England.  She is 25-years-old with a degree in bio-chemistry and is currently studying for her English language exams.  The piso is less than a ten minute walk from my school and is directly across the park from Emily’s building.  Perfection!

I told Auri that I wanted to be her new roommate and went out for celebratory tapas with Emily and some other auxiliares.  While at the restaurant, Keely called me to congratulate my success and ask if I would come to Granada to meet her parents.  Denise and Albert came to Spain last week to help Keely with the move-in process, but she was lucky enough to have found a piso during her first day in Almeria.  They were now traveling as a family throughout Andalucía and wanted to meet me, so they generously offered to put me on a train the next afternoon.  This tremendous gift pushed me into absolute elation—it must be true that good things come in threes.

I moved out of the hotel this morning because I can’t move into my piso until Friday.  Emily kindly offered to house my suitcase and backpack in her room while I am gone in Granada, so I moved everything over to her piso and watched some Spanish music videos with her before leaving for the train station.  I can already tell that it’s going to be wonderful to have her as my new neighbor!

Now I am on the train to Granada, getting ready to see one of my closest friends in Spain.  Being away from the network I built in Sevilla has been difficult, and though things are definitely looking up, it will be fantastic to spend a day or two with Keely and her family.

Thank you for your kind thoughts—I know that all of your good energy has been what got me through my rough week.  If anything, this experience has reminded me that even the darkest moments eventually pass.  I am so grateful to have outstanding family and friends at home and in Spain.  I feel your love even when I am far away—I hope you feel mine too!