Our Valencia Home

This isn't just luck … it is providence.

Our two families moved to Valencia - the Portland Brownells and Evanston Engels. We have 11 people - 4 adults and 7 children. We thought we might find two 3-bedroom apartments close to each other - maybe even in the same building. We prayed that we would find one 5+ bedroom apartment to share so we could share expenses. Amy found a 6 bedroom furnished home. It isn't just a home; it is perfect.

Juan, our host father, almost fell out of his chair when we explained our circumstances ... but he and Elvira, our host mother, agreed to let all 11 of us live in the home where they brought up their children, Juan and Belen. They also left us furniture and just about everything else that we might need (towels, sheets, dishes, toys, books, movies, etc). When we arrived in Valencia, Elvira greeted us with bread, milk, and chocolate. The other day, she surprised us with horchata and fartons (a sweet treat in Valencia). They have been so good to us that we have nicknamed them our "host family."

Our Valencia home is really two apartments connected by a spiral staircase … 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, homework room (previously a formal dining room), balcony, and terrace. Another sign that this is providence is that the dining room table seats 11+ comfortably!! (Our table at home would not work as well.)

There is a gated courtyard where the children can play and a "rambla" (pedestrian walkway) right outside the gate. The first level of our complex has a bread store, coffee shop, fruit store, butcher, hair salon (I won't need that), video store, gift shop, bar, restaurant, electronics store, and more. Across the rambla is a bank, pharmacy, and grocery store. There is also a sport court complex with soccer (futbol), basketball, padel (small tennis court), and ping pong. A block away, there is a community pool and more soccer and padel courts.


The metro (city train) is at the edge of our complex. The beach (Mediterranean is a 10 minute ride on the metro (2 miles east).

Providence. More pictures under
2007-06 Valencia Home at:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/yammbe/albums/

Aah! This is the Life!

I was sitting reading a book in the shade.

The kids were playing on a "spider web" - a large play structure with a series of ropes webbed on one or more poles. The first time they played on one of these, I feared for their lives. But I got over it. There's always sand below to break their fall.

I was sitting on a bench under a tree. Delicate yellow flowers gently fell from the tree. There was a gentle breeze blowing my hair. My hair tickled my neck and shoulders. I pictured myself - sunny day, kids playing, shady tree, hair flowing in the breeze, yellow flowers falling on me and all around me. I thought, "This is the life!"

I had a white shirt on. I noticed a little black spot moving on my shirt. It was a tiny bug. I let it crawl onto my finger and looked at it closely. I was careful not to squish it. Teeny tiny bug. Little legs crawling.

Then I noticed another little bug just like it on my pants and another on my shirt. I focused my eyes. There were bugs on my legs, my feet, my toes, my book, my arms, my shoulders. My hair wasn't flowing in the wind and tickling my neck - there were bugs on my neck and in my hair. Suddenly everything tickled. Little legs crawling.

The delicate yellow flowers ... each one was covered with these bugs. I walked away from the bench and the tree and into the sun. I tried to brush off my clothes and shake my hair. I squished more bugs than I brushed away.

Aah! This is the Life!