Renting a car in Prague

SETTING: Prague, Czech Republic
(We wish this wasn't a true story.)

SCENE 1
Telephone conversation between Ann and Dvorak Car Rental.

Ann speaking slowly and very clearly: Hello. My name is Ann Brownell. I reserved a 7-person van. I am calling to find out when we can come and pick it up.
Mr. Dvorak: We no have van.
Ann: I reserved a van and I have my confirmation number.
Mr. Dvorak: We no have van.

Ann holds the phone to the side and whispers to Matthew.
Ann: Matthew, hand me the paper with our travel information.
Matthew: Where is it?
Ann: In my backpack!
Matthew: Where?
Ann: Right THERE under the table.
Matthew: No. I mean which pocket?
Ann: In the pocket where I keep all the papers.

Mr. Dvorak: We no have van.
Ann: One moment. I have my confirmation number.

Matthew finds the paper and hands it to Ann.

Ann: Our confirmation number is C like communist or Czech, M like Marx, 2 4 7 , S like spy, N like nuclear er uh nice, 4 4 9 1 5, and Z like xenophobic, no that's an x, um, Zachariah or Ezekiel.
Mr. Dvorak: We no have van.
Ann: But I reserved a van with your company on the internet, the computer, and I received a confirmation which means that my reservation was accepted and it is good.
Mr. Dvorak: We no have van.
Ann: YOU HAVE NO VAN!?
Mr. Dvorak: Jes.
Ann: What? YES, you DO have a van or NO, you DO NOT have a van?
Mr. Dvorak: We no have van.
Ann: I don't understand. We made reservations and we have a confirmation and you are telling me that you do not have a van.
Mr. Dvorak: Jes. We no have van.
Ann: What am I supposed to do? We need a van. We have four kids. We need a van.
Mr. Dvorak: I don't know.
Ann: We need a van. We had reservations. Can I speak to a manager?
Mr. Dvorak: I am manager.

SCENE 2
24 hours later at the hostel.

Ann: Hey kids! It is too bad that it rained yesterday. It looks beautiful today. What would you like to do today?
Elena: How about if we sit in here (the hostel room), play games, and then go out for pizza.
Maria: I don't want to go out. Let's just stay here. We can bring pizza back here.
Ann: We are on vacation in Prague. We can sit inside and play games at home - not here!
Yana: Well, how about if we do some things here, then go to the castle for a couple hours and then go out to eat.
Bronson: YEAH! Let's go out to eat.
Matthew: We have to find a car today because tomorrow we go to Romana's.
Ann: Okay, kids. Mommy and Daddy will call around and then go get a car. You guys can stay here (you cannot go out of the room) and when we get back, we'll all go to the castle.
Kids: Okay.

With the help of the owners of the hostel (who do not speak English), Matthew called several car rental places in Prague. There are no vans available. Ann and Matthew have decided to look at the car rentals at the airport and either squish into a 5 person car or rent two cars. Matthew calls Mr. Dvorak to see if they can loan us two cars in exchange for our van reservation.

Matthew: Hello. We talked with you yesterday about our reserva ...
Mr. Dvorak: Jes. We have van.
Matthew: Excuse me? What did you say?
Mr. Dvorak: We have van.
Matthew: You did not have a van yesterday. You NOW have a van?
Mr. Dvorak: Jes. We have van.
Matthew: Okay. We will come to pick up the van.
Mr. Dvorak: Jes.

Ann and Matthew tell the kids that Yana is in charge and they have to stay IN the room until we get back. They take a tram and bus to the airport - 30 minutes away.

SCENE 3
Less than an hour later at Dvorak Car Rental place at the airport.

Matthew: Hello. We are here to pick up a van.
Mr. Dvorak: Jes. One moment.

Several minutes later.

Mr. Dvorak: Credit card?

Matthew hands him a credit card and waits another several minutes.

Mr. Dvorak: Your card work first. Now no work.
Matthew: Why did you run the card twice?
Mr. Dvorak: First for car and insurance (shows Matthew slip for 20,000 korunas). Then deposit (shows Matthew another slip for 50,000 korunas).

(That translates to $500 for the car, $500 for the insurance, and $2500 for a deposit. We have a limit of $3000 on that credit card. That is why it did not work.)

Matthew: The insurance costs as much as the car?!
Mr. Dvorak: Jes.
Ann to Matthew: We don't have a choice. We don't have our car insurance anymore.
Ann to Mr. Dvorak: When I made the reservation, it said that we do not have to pay a deposit if we buy insurance.
Mr. Dvorak: Jes, everyone pay deposit.
Ann to Matthew: Just use the other credit card.

A few minutes later.

Mr. Dvorak: Please sign.
Matthew: What are these for?
Mr. Dvorak: This for car rent. This for insurance. This for deposit.

SCENE 4
In the parking garage.

We had signed the papers and Mr. Dvorak walked us out to the van and handed Matthew the keys. He pointed out an existing ding on the door. We couldn't even see the ding unless we were looking at it from the correct angle. He gave us no instruction at all.

It is the smallest van we have ever seen. It is the size of our Saturn with two pull up seats in the very back.

Ann: Wow. I wasn't expecting the insurance to be that high and we won't have any credit until we return the van.
Matthew: Can you believe that they have that ding included on the condition report? We better not park anywhere near other cars.
Ann: Yeah and we'll have to tell the kids not to lean against the van.
Matthew: Okay. Let's get back!

Matthew turns the ignition. The van jumps forward. Matthew steps on the brake.

Ann: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Matthew: THE BRAKE!! THE BRAKE DOESN'T WORK. WHAT THE *&%# IS GOING ON!!
Ann: THAT IS THE CLUTCH. IT'S MANUAL. MATTHEW! WATCH OUT!

Ann covers her face. The van rolls into the car in front of us. Although the van was rolling slowly, there is a loud crackling CRASH!

Ann (with her hands over her face): I can't believe it. I can't believe this is happening.

Matthew gets out of the van. Mr. Dvorak heard the CRASH and walked back to the van. There is another man who comes over. He and Mr. Dvorak speak briefly in Czech and the other man leaves. Matthew and Mr. Dvorak are looking at the van and the car. The little car is an older model with obvious wear and tear. Matthew says that he can't see any damage on the van or the car. Mr. Dvorak appears to agree though probably didn't understand what Matthew said.

The other man returns with a third man in a uniform. They move the little car away from the wall. The three Czech men are speaking in Czech. Ann is now peeking through her hands. She sees the uniformed man take out a set of keys from his pocket. The keys have a fuzzy type key-chain ... not the type they use for the rentals. The three Czech men are looking at the car.

Matthew: There's no damage. Right? Do you see damage? Nothing. The brakes didn't work. It just rolled. What do you think?

The Czech men are speaking in Czech again.

Mr. Dvorak: You pay him 200 euros?
Matthew: WHAT? 200 EUROS!? THAT IS A PIECE OF JUNK! There's no damage. You're telling me 200 euros for hardly bumping into a piece of junk!? ANN! Take your hands off your face and come out here!
Mr. Dvorak: We call police?
Ann: Well, uh, we did buy insurance.
Matthew: That is a piece of junk!! What is it doing here!? I'm not paying 200 euros for bumping into a PIECE OF JUNK!!
Ann: Matthew, that is not a rental car. That is this man's car. (Ann points to the uniformed man.)
Matthew (pointing to the uniformed man): That is your car?
Mr. Uniform: (Nods)

Matthew (in a calm voice): I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hit your car. You want 200 euros? Can you show me the damage?

Mr. Uniform looks at Matthew. He did not seem to understand what Matthew said. Matthew pulls Ann aside.

Matthew to Ann: I didn't know it was his car. The last thing we need is for the Czech police to get involved. I have 100 euros in my pocket. Should I offer him 100 euros?
Ann: Yeah.
Matthew to Mr. Uniform: I have 100 euros. Is that okay?

The Czech men speak in Czech.

Mr. Uniform nodding: Jes.

SCENE 5
Driving back to the hostel.
Matthew hadn't driven a stick shift for years, he had never seen a van with a stick shift, and he hasn’t even driven a car since leaving the US. Ann didn't bring her backpack with everything in it - including the nice detailed maps that Romana gave us. Ann is using the map provided at Dvorak's car rental.

Matthew: How do we get back to the hostel?
Ann: I don't know. Look for E-v-r-o-p-s-k-a and take it toward the city.
Matthew: What does this sign say?
Ann: I don't know but it didn't start with an E-v-r, did it? Keep going.
Matthew: Is this it?
Ann: I don't know. I don't think that started with an E either.

Several minutes later.

Ann: The E-v-r street was pretty close to the airport. We must have missed it.
Matthew: Weren't you reading the signs?
Ann: I can't read the signs. I didn't see it. Maybe I missed it.

We take an exit. It isn't an exit. It is another highway.

Ann: We have to turn around. We're going the wrong way. Why did you go this way?
Matthew: I thought it was an exit. I was trying to turn around.
Ann: No! It is going somewhere that starts with a V-r.
Matthew: Where can I turn around?
Ann: I don't know.

We pull off on a road to the side and drive for a while. We take another road back in the general direction of the city. We find an entrance back to the highway and then take the exit back to the original highway.

Several minutes later.

Ann: I still don't see the E-v-r exit. Let's just take the next exist that says Prague.
Matthew: Tell me when.

Ann: Now. Take this exit.
Matthew: Okay. Now where are we?
Ann: I don't know. Just keep going in this direction.

Fifteen minutes later.

Matthew: Where are we?
Ann: I don't know. I can't find any of these streets on the map.
Matthew: Here is a busy street. It should be on the map. What is it?
Ann: I don't know. It starts with a V-s-a ...
Matthew: Where is it?
Ann: I don't know.
Matthew: I'm going to ask this guy in the Budweiser truck.

Matthew pulls up behind the Budweiser truck, asks the delivery guy where we are on the map and then returns.

Matthew: He says that we're not on the map. We have to turn around and drive 5 or so kilometers.

Several minutes later, we see a sign that we think means a hospital. We find the same thing on the map.

Ann: Okay. I think we are on the map.
Matthew: Where are we?
Ann pointing to the map: Around here. Turn right as soon as you can. The hostel is south of here.
Matthew: Is this okay?
Ann: I don't know. Let's try it.

We seem to have entered a very busy area. There are a lot of people walking around.

Matthew: Where are we?
Ann: I don't know. This street starts with a N-a and it is two words.
Matthew points to a round blue sign with a red X: What does that sign say?
Ann: I don't know. Maybe we aren't supposed to drive here. I don't see any other cars.

There are hoards of people walking around. We can hardly move.

Ann: We better get out of here.
Matthew: I can't. There are too many people. Where should we go?
Ann: I don't know. Turn!

Matthew turns. We hear a little bell ring.

Ann: MATTHEW! THAT IS A TRAM! WE ARE ON THE TRAM TRACKS!!
Matthew: I CAN'T GO! THAT IS A ONE WAY! I CAN'T BACK UP!

The little bell rings again.

Ann: DO SOMETHING! THE TRAM IS COMING!

Matthew drives further on the tram tracks and then turns into a little side street.

Matthew: Where are we?
Ann: I don't know.
Matthew: What does the sign say?
Ann: I don't know. It starts with U-l-u-z.
Matthew: Where is that?
Ann: I don't know. I can't find it on the map.
Matthew: Weren't we here before?
Ann: I don't know. I don't know where we are. I don't know what the signs say. I don't know how to get back. Let's just hire a taxi and follow it back to the hostel.

We drive for a few minutes looking for a taxi.

Ann: MATTHEW!! THAT BUS! That is 179! That is the bus we rode on the first day we got here. Follow that bus!

For about 30 minutes, we follow the bus ... stopping behind it at all the stops and praying that we won't be arrested for stalking a bus. Ann sees an overpass.

Ann: Wait! LOOK! TURN! Don't you recognize that?! We passed that the other day. We got off the bus here and crossed the street. There is a tram up there a little ways. Remember?
Matthew: I don't remember.
Ann: TURN!

We turn, drive for a couple of blocks, and see the tram. We stop and find where we are on the map and then navigate the last few kilometers. We arrived back at the hostel 4 hours after we had left.

Ann: KIDS!! WE'RE BACK! We're so sorry.
Elena: Hi!
Maria: Did you get a car?
Yana: Where is the car? Can we see it?
Bronson: Let's go see the car!
Ann: Is everything okay? We've been gone for much longer that we thought ... so sorry. Yana, are you okay?
Yana: Yeah. We're fine. We just played a few games. Where is the car?
Ann: That's it? Weren't you worried? You have no idea what we have been through!
Yana: Gimme the keys, Mom. We're going to see the car.

Prague ... Praha ... Pražská

We spent a few days in Prague, which was not enough time. Romana brought us maps, tourist books, and print-outs. She spent a day with us in Prague and showed us some of the main attractions and a few hidden attractions.

Matthew had "real" Budweiser - the original still made in Czech Republic. I had "real" Czech coffee. My spoon stood straight up (even before I added the sugar).

We saw the Charles Bridge (Karluv most) from above and from below when it was raining.

The Prague Castle Area
When "Prague Castle" is preceded by the article the, it should be followed by area or buildings or some other word so that nobody thinks that it is a single building. Prague Castle is really a whole bunch of buildings. Some of the buildings are modern and don't look anything like the Disney castle that we were expecting. (You know, the great big structure with lots of towers, tall walls, drawbridge, and surrounded by a shark-infested moat.)

We were standing inside the castle area and looking for the castle. We got blank stares and weird looks when we asked "Where is the castle?" When we tried to buy a ticket to see the castle, we learned that it isn't a the, it is a they ... and the tickets are sold separately.

Is this the castle? Not exactly. Every structure you see in the picture (plus more) is Prague Castle. The Gothic structure behind the kids is St. Vitus Cathedral, which is one of the Prague Castle buildings.

The Park (not labeled on some maps though huge)
Our FAVORITE part of Prague is Kinského Zahrada Park. There is very little mentioned in the tourist books. We found it because we decided to walk from our hostel to the castle area. We didn't want to walk along busy streets. We saw a green blotch on the map and a narrow walkway tunnel that seemed to go in the general direction of the green blotch. *Poof* we found ourselves in an endless oasis ... with well-maintained cobblestone paths, streams, waterfalls, ponds, castle ruins, a cemetary, a cable car, a museum, orchards, and probably lots more that we missed. It took us 3 hours to walk through part of the park.

The next time we go to Prague, we're going to spend a whole day in Kinského Zahrada Park. But, better not go late in the day and bring a good map. We ran into a couple of girls who said they had been walking around for hours and were trying to find their way out.

I was reading Dostoevsky during our trip for a mental boost of the eastern European culture. Stupid idea. I still love his writing (lots of sarcasm and double-meanings). But, it was written 150 years ago and the result was more paranoia than enlightenment. The frequent rain didn't help either. We spent just as much time crouching under the Charles Bridge with some of the unsavory city residents as we spent walking on top of the bridge.

An experience of Yana's helped to beat the funk. On our last day, we were walking in the pouring rain. We were "prepared" for the rain in Ann Brownell style. That means that each of us had a plastic grocery bag to squeeze over our shoulders or wear on our head. Needless to say, we were quite a sorry sight. Yana tried to use her plastic bag in as fashionable a way as she could but, honestly, plastic bags are simply not fashionable. So, Yana started to silently pray a Hail Mary. Before Yana even finished her prayer, a woman walked up to her and handed her an umbrella!

The Checker Republic

After Córdoba, we went to the Czech Republic - or "Checker Republic" as Elena called it.

History and Political Science were not my strong subjects in school. I memorized what I had to and promptly forgot most of it shortly after my exams. When coloring maps, I made sure that two countries that touched each other were different colors. The few mnemonic tricks I used to memorize the names of the countries and their capitals are now moot. The names of many countries, some of the boundaries, and some of the capitals changed since I was in school!

When I traveled to Europe in the 1980s, the Iron Curtain was still up. There was so much to see and learn over on the "good" side that I didn't pay very much attention to the "bad" side. Everything I knew about communist Eastern Europe, I learned from my dear old dad. For those who don't know, my dad was born in 1908 ... and was a man of the times.

The communists controlled our weather. The communists sent spies to the United States dressed as hippies and rock stars and even priests and nuns. The communists infiltrated the churches. Actually, I think my dad considered everyone who did not belong to the Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, or Lion's Club, a communist. The communists propagated the idea that it was okay to wear t-shirts out of the house. (My dad insisted that t-shirts were underwear and not to be worn out of the house.)

Today there are still many people who hold those beliefs (such as my in-laws) and I'm not knowledgeable enough (or brave enough) to support or challenge the various theories.

Romana, our first au pair, lives in Czech Republic. She wasn't a spy or a communist or a member of the Rotary Club. She lived with (and joined) the Engel circus for a year. Romana was always smiling and always washing the floors. She smiled while she washed the floors. We have always wanted to visit Romana in the Czech Republic and to see what she was always smiling about.

We knew we would love the Czech Republic (even though during my map-coloring days it was part of Czechoslovakia and ruled by communists). We spent 3 days in Prague and 5 days in the country.

As we expected, the public transportation system including buses and trams and subway trains were in excellent condition. They had the longest escalators we have ever seen. The 1950s buses looked new. There were many more churches and crosses and statues of saints and martyrs than we had expected (though we didn't look closely to see if they had microchips and mini-cameras implanted in them). Except for the obvious organ grinder street musician with monkey, we didn't notice any spies.

The streets and highways were not made for common people (or foreigners). There were few signs and the signs they did have were written in what appeared to be a secret code (Czech). Have you read Czech lately? There is a severe shortage of vowels and there are hats, flicks, and other thingys (diacritics) above most of the letters. I could stare at a word for 10 seconds and it would not register in my simple mind. Following a map was practically impossible. Material printed in English substituted the phonetic sounds (szh) for the decorated letters (ž). The material printed in Czech often used abbreviations for common combinations (čtvrť).

We stayed at a hostel in Prague that was a converted apartment building. It was clean - very clean. We could eat on the floor. There were showers, not baths. You had to hold a button on the showerhead to get the luke warm (not hot) water to flow. I guess sitting in a hot bath or standing under streaming water may have been considered too much of a luxury. And ... the next time we go to Prague, we will bring our own toilet tissue.


Czech money (Czech korunas) is old and has had many years to inflate. One hundred Czech korunas is about 5 US dollars. Pretty soon, they are even going to stop making the 5 koruna coins. It was cool to carry 200, 500, and 1000 koruna bills. It was not cool to pay 50 korunas for one soda.

Gracia ... s

In Córdoba, they often do not pronounce the end of a word, exaggerate the last vowel, and sometimes squish sounds together.

gracias >> graciaah
buenas dias >> bendiaah
adios >> adyooh

We caught on by the end of the week. We had a lot of practice with gracias because Margarita and her family were so very gracious to us.

• Gabriel, Nico, Christina, and Alejandro often joined us on our educational expeditions as well as our extracurricular excursions. They posed for scads of photos - some of which were in places and poses that would certainly have generated jeers from their friends.

• Margarita gave us a personal tour of Córdoba with audio interaction (in English). She was also keen to supplement the stories with gore and sensation (most of it true) in order to keep the kid's attention. Photo below: Margarita and Matthew at the most popular pub in town (1 euro beers).
  

• Margarita's mom chased snails around her kitchen and then prepared them in a delicious garlic sauce. "Abuela" also made sure all the children were very, very, very well-fed, comfortable, and happy.
  





• Marijose (Chica) and Manolo, Margarita's sister and brother-in-law, hosted us for meals; they took walks with us into the wee hours of the morning (with all the other Córdobans); they brought us to mass inside the Mesquita (church/mosque). Chica gave me her abanico, her hand-held fan; which, in Córdoba, is akin to donating a kidney. Manolo drove us into the mountains to see the Ermitas (monastery), the ruins of Medina Azahara, an enchanted lake in mountains, and views of Córdoba from above.





• Chica and Manolo also brought us to a flamenco show where I fell in love with Fran! That would be Francisco ... a male, flamenco dancer. Fran appears to be a little pudgy and even has a few neck rolls. Based on his dancing, however, I think the pudge is probably solid muscle. His facial expressions are as much a part of his dancing as are his arms, legs, hands, and feet.
  
  Here are some pictures of Fran that are much better than my own and show his personality:
  http://sitemusiquealhambra.free.fr/Interview%20fran%20Espinosa.htm
  

Gracia ... s

Our Visit to Córdoba

The accent mark (flick) above the first 'o' means that you say "COR do ba" and not "cor DO bah" or "cor do BAH" or "COor DOah BAH" (as some US Midwestern folks might try).

In the US, buildings receive landmark status if they are still standing after 50 years. In Córdoba, we looked at, walked by, stepped in, climbed up, wandered through, sat on, drank from, touched and, in one case, almost tipped over hundreds of years of history. It was so cool. Oops. Poor use of words. Córdoba was not cool at all. It was HOT. And, it was awesome - not in the sense of the over-used cliché but in the sense
that we were awed.

One reason we went to Córdoba (in August) was that Margarita, Gabriel, and Nico (my sister-in-law and nephews) were there visiting. Margarita gave us the INSIDE story of Córdoba. Margarita is very knowledgeable about Córdoba (and about Spain and history and the Spanish language, etc.). On the fourth day, we were looking through a book with 200+ photos of Córdoba. For 9 out of 10 of the photos, Bronson said "We were there." or "We saw that." I told Margarita that story. The next day, she tried to cover the remaining sights.




Matthew and I were impressed simply by breathing the ancient air. The kids were not so easily impressed. Once in a while, we had to embellish the historical accounts to keep the kids' attention. Some of the stories were kind of close to the truth. If we mentioned a bloody sword duel between two knights in armor or a beautiful, young girl locked up in a dungeon to pay for the crimes of her father or a traitor dropped into a vat of hot, boiling oil … the kids paid closer attention and were less likely to pine for a swimming pool.

We saw the churches, statues, roman ruins, the Mesquita (mosque/church), 1000 year old streets and houses and flower gardens and fountains and castles. Then, we would go to Chica and Manolo's (Margarita's sister and brother-in-law) house and they treated us like kings and queens. We (myself included) ate snails, muscles, shark … and lived to tell about it!


Most nights while in Córdoba, we did as the locals did … we walked (and walked and walked). They are smart; they don't walk around in the heat of the day. They wait until after 11 pm when the temperatures drop below 30 degrees Celsius (about 92 Fahrenheit). One night near the end of a long walk, Bronson asked, "When are we going to a pub?" He's already starting to think as a Spaniard.

Bus Trip to Córdoba

Everyone in Europe travels in August. Everyone! We didn't reserve space on the train in time, so we had to take a bus from Valencia to Córdoba. We told the kids that it would be an adventure. It was.

We left at 10 in the morning and arrived at 8 pm. We traveled up, down, around, and over the roller-coaster hills of Spain. Often, for as far as you could see, were olive trees.


We stopped at exotic places along the way. We HAD to stop along the way since there was no toilet on the bus. Most of the (exotic) bus stations had toilet paper. At first, we didn't think the bus was air conditioned; we were sweltering. Then we made one of our exotic stops. When we stepped off the bus, it felt like we stepped into an oven. Whoosh.

Our bus was filled with grandparents. Our lack of Spanish didn't inhibit conversation at all. For the first hour, the grandmother sitting across from us told us her life story. We didn't even understand her name. She didn't mind and kept talking a mile a minute. She simply enjoyed telling us her story and, by the end, treated us as her own. When Bronson got sick, she summoned bags, napkins, a lemon (to neutralize), a knife (to cut the lemon), medicine, a motion sickness bracelet, a yogurt drink and lots and lots of advice (in Spanish).

If someone had passed us a cutting board to cut the lemon, I would have strongly suspected that Dena Engel or Geneva Fox were somewhere on the bus. They are both ever-ready mothers who pack everything you didn't imagine you would need. On the other hand, I usually forgot to pack diapers.

Forgive us Father, for we have sinned. We're going to H*LL.

We're going to Córdoba, Spain ... where it is as HOT as H*LL in August. When I tell people that we are going to Córdoba, they wonder what sin we committed. The Spanish people make the hand gesture of disbelief, shaking one of their hands like people do in public restrooms when there's no paper toweling or when the "no touch" hand dryer requires that they keep their hands within a milimeter of the sensor.


Córdoba. Margarita, Gabriel, and Nico (my sister-in-law and nephews) will be there and we decided "h*ll or high-water," we're going to see them. So, I guess it is h*ll. Margarita told me that while they were waiting for a bus the other day, she saw a temperature reading on a bank marquee of 50 degrees Celsius (that's about 122 degrees Fahrenheit). Oooh.

"It has been a month, why haven't you written?"

A few people have asked, "It has been a month, why haven't you written for a while?"

Those who know me well, know that I'm most creative and productive at night ... in the middle of the night. (Sometimes I do need a boost with Red Bull and/or Michael Jackson.) But, in Spain, late night is considered "afternoon" and is when many events begin. (In Spanish, the word for afternoon, tarde, is the same word for late, tarde ... so, basically afternoon means late.) So, if I manage to stay awake late, we're usually going somewhere.

Also, I have found a little bit of time to write though I haven't published what I wrote. I didn't want to hog the whole blog to myself. I wanted to share the joy with my family.

I was hoping ... no, I was fantasizing that I would spend quality time with my children and husband and together we would document our thoughts, feelings, and experiences - our impressions (and depressions) - our many, many meaningful perspectives of a myriad of mundane topics.

I considered "strongly encouraging" the kids to write something (or ... be grounded for a week). But the result would be something like ... "Spain is fun. School is fun. I'm having fun." I thought maybe one or more of them would feel inspired to write on their own.

Nope. They would rather jumprope, play cards or ... pierce themselves in the eyeball with a fork.

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!

Hasta la Vista

We left the US embraced by friends and family.
We had a couple of mini-family reunions in Wisconsin to celebrate my mom's move back to our hometown (Neenah) and my nephew's wedding. Also, Maria, Elena, and Bronson each had special time to spend with their classmates and Matthew and I had time to spend with friends at Pope John's $pirit Fundraiser. (Yana and Matthew are staying for Yana's graduation so they have a little more time.)


On Friday before we left, we had an Hasta la Vista party at our house … a whole day to spend time with and say good-bye to everyone. We sent emails and handed out "Everyone is welcome" flyers hoping the message would find its way to everyone who wanted to come. Elena and her friend, Ruby helped boost the number of guests by calling everyone in 3rd grade at Pope John XXIII and telling them "we're having a party and we need people."



We arrived in Valencia welcomed with open arms. Pablo met us at the airport with his car and 4 "large" taxis (a wee bit bigger than our Saturn) to carry 9 of us and our 34 suitcases and backpacks (Yana and Matthew are coming in a couple of weeks). Elvira and Juan were at our new home (their old home) to greet us with bread, milk and chocolate.

We're going to have a super duper fast internet connection which we'll use for our phones and computers. That was/is scheduled the Tuesday we arrive (no conduit) ... Wednesday (still no conduit) ... Friday (after the electrician) ... Saturday (Really? They come on sabado? No.) ... uh, tomorrow (Monday). Until then, we are "borrowing" a neighbor's unprotected wireless network.

More pictures ... http://www.flickr.com/photos/abrownell/

FAQ: What the *beep* are you doing?

A:     We are moving to Spain.

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Q:    Why?

A:    There are a lot of reasons why.  If you ask the kids, they might say ... 

Yana:  Because. (In other words, "dumb question.")

Maria:  To swim with the dolphins.  (She says that is what I told her.)

Elena:  Well, it all started in 1998 ...  (Elena loves to tell a story.)

Bronson:  Chicken Butt  (That is his answer to everything these days.)

In college, I studied in London for a semester and traveled before, after, and in-between.  It was the greatest experience of my life.  I thought everyone should have the opportunity to study abroad.  Matthew agreed.

Then I started getting sentimental (or selfish - depending on your perspective).  I didn't want to send the kids away; I wanted all of us to go together ... as a FAMILY.  I shared my thoughts with Matthew. He said, "No."

Matthew is a much more reasonable person than I am.  When I say "No," it is "No - end of subject" unless you want a fight.  When Matthew says "No" (or "Yes"), it means "Maybe." I knew I could work on him, so I just started talking about it like it was a reality. It wasn't quite as easy as I thought; it took two years to convince him.  

We realized that we knew A LOT of people who had moved to another country -- our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues, MY MOM (with 4 kids and 1 on the way). It isn't impossible.  

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Q:     When?

A:      We knew that "Spain" would never happen unless we put it on the calendar.  In 2002, we decided to go in 2007. At the time, it was the distant future.

While our life creeped along, 2007 creeped closer.  We continued to talk about Spain, but it still seemed a lifetime away.  Suddenly, it was 2 years away.  Now, a few weeks.  Aaaaaagh.

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Q:     Why Spain? 

A:   In my college travels, Spain was my favorite.  Matthew and I thought Spanish would be a good language and culture for the children to learn.  Also my sister-in-law, Margarita, is from Spain. Back in 2002, she and John considered going with us.  They have two sons and wanted them to know Spain first-hand.

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Q:     How much will it cost?

A:     Lots.  When we put Spain on the calendar, the only thing we were certain of was that we would need money ... lots of money.  We applied for non-lucrative residence visas. We had to prove to the Spanish Consulate that we could live in Spain without earning money in Spain.

We started saving money aggressively.  We didn't go out to eat. We didn't go to the movies or museums or events. We didn't travel.  We didn't go shopping -- which meant hand-me-downs, rummage sales, and thrift stores.   Yana will tell you that I had NEVER bought her a NEW pair of pants in her entire life.  That's an exaggeration, though not by much.

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Q:     With whom?

A:      As mentioned, we originally planned to move with Margarita, John, Gabriel, and Nico.  But, Margarita and John had since separated and Margarita had signed a 5-year teaching contract. But our wheels were already turning.  Spain was written in stone ... as in, my stubborn stone head. We were moving. 

On the other side of the US, Eugene and Amy were also planning to live abroad. At first, they were going to move to Germany. They had friends in Germany and Eugene speaks German fluently. But, Amy speaks Spanish fluently and Eugene was nearly fluent in Spanish as well. Also, they had adopted children from Haiti with beautiful, deep, dark, rich brown skin ... and learned that there are more trans-racial families in Spain than in Germany. It would be a little easier to blend in Spain than in Germany. Plus - a BIG plus - we were moving to Spain.  Done.  They decided to come with us.   

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Q:      Why Valencia?

A:      Originally, we were going to move to Córdoba, Margarita's hometown. But, we're flexible; we'll be happy anywhere. Amy and Eugene want a larger city and they want to be by the sea.  In 2005, Amy and Eugene traveled to the three largest cities in Spain to do some "hands-on research."  They spent time in Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid; they liked Valencia the best. Based on their stories and videos, we liked it too.

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Q:       How did the kids react to the news that the family was moving to Spain?

A:       For the kids, it isn't "news."  We have talked about it for so many years (a loooooong time in their young life), that it isn't a surprise to them ... it is just a part of life as they have always known it (or remember it).

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Q:      What about Oma (my mom)?

A:       Oma was our biggest worry. She has lived with us or next to us since 1998 and she did not want to move.  

To make a short story shorter ... less than a month ago, Mom decided to move to Neenah, Wisconsin ... Margaret talked her neighbor into selling his house ... we found a lawyer and made an offer ... we packed up Mom's house ... the closing date is next week ... and Mom is moving next weekend. Everything happened so fast, it's a blurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

We're happy that Oma will be near family.

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Q:      What about Buddy (our dog)?

A:      We began planning on the assumption that Buddy would come with us.  We did all the research on the requirements for bringing a 40lb dog to Spain. We had him chipped and got all the required tests and vaccines and documents. We knew there was a possibility that we would live in a small apartment and that maybe he wouldn't be happy.

We have now chosen our home in Valencia and the landlords do not want dogs. I don't blame them. They are quite brave just to have eleven people living in their home.

So, Buddy will go with Oma. My sisters and Matthew's parents will help Oma with Buddy.  Oma will spoil him and he might be 100lbs when we get back ... but he will have been loved and cared for.  

[I'm reading this 2 years later - crying. Buddy died in November 2007; Oma died in December 2007.]

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Q:       It seems like it would be impossible to just pick up and go!  

           How are you going to do it?

A:       Whaaaaaaa!   I don't know.  

Okay. Compose myself.  We aren't going to "just pick up and go."  There have been many years of planning and preparation:  7 years of prayers; 5 years of saving money; 2 years of researching, collecting information, preparing documentation; almost a year of wrapping up and packing up and picking up ... and going.  Numerous people - family, friends, and strangers - have offered their advice, their support, and their help. Some people offered admonition.  

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Q:        What about your jobs?

A:        I was working with some of the most creative, intelligent, and productive people. Those who weren't THE most creative and intelligent - were a lot of fun to be around.  When the time came to leave, a few other members of our team were also leaving and the end of our "dream team" was inevitable.  As much as I loved working, work was one of the problems I had to address.  When my four-year-old knew my office telephone number better than our home telephone number - I knew I was working too much.  

Matthew also loves his job. He has spent ten years building customer relationships that he cherishes. He enjoys working for and with the people at North American Paper.  Leaving will not be easy. 

But, this is how we are looking at it.  Everyone experiences changes throughout their lives ... especially mid-life. Most of the changes are not planned. Some are a complete surprise. Others are reactions to circumstances.  So, we decided that this would be one of those changes and rather than just let it happen to us, we would make it happen.   It sounds great - doesn't it?   I love Norman Vincent Peale (the author of Power of Positive Thinking). 

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Q:       What about the kids' schools?

A:       We chose 2007 because it was a good time for all the kids. Yana will graduate 8th grade at Pope John XXIII (PJ23) and would be making a transition to high-school anyway.  Maria would come back from Spain and have 2 more solid years at PJ23.  Elena and Bronson both would have a chance to get to know PJ23 and develop friendships that will be important in their transition back home.

Some felllow PJ23 parents might *think* that we planned it this way to get out of as many science projects as possible - required of students 3rd through 6th grade.  Hee hee.  No, really, we didn't plan it that way.  It was just coincidental. Really. 

We don't know what to expect with regard to schools in Valencia. Certainly, the kids will go to a Spanish speaking school. We are not sure if they will go to Catholic schools or not. We'll have to see what is available when we get there.  

In the short term, we know their English language skills will suffer the most. Yana will probably have to take extra English classes when she returns.  In the long term, however, learning another language often strengthens one's native language skills.

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Q:        Why 2 years?

A:         Time goes by soooo fast; one year just isn't enough. We figured we would have one year to learn the language and culture and one year to live the language and culture.  [Matthew and I are slow learners ... we could use 10 years to learn.] 

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Q:        What will you do with your house?

A:         We are trying to rent it out ... furnished.  Cross your fingers.  Matthew wanted to sell it. No way - I love our house too much. 

[2 years later ...  In hindsight, we left an inflated market and we are returning to a deflated market. We would have made A LOT of money selling our house and buying a different one when we return.  But we didn't know that at the time and I would have felt like I was selling my soul. Our house is a wonderful house and an important part of our lives in the United States. It isn't perfect and neither are we so, it fits us perfectly. We love our house, our yard, our neighbors, and our neighborhood. We are really looking forward to returning home sweet home.]

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Any other questions?

Engel Kids Yana ... Maria ... Elena ... Bronson

Engel Kids

Yana ... Maria ... Elena ... Bronson