Even arriving half-Spanish, some things caught us completely off guard.
1. How late children stay up
Playgrounds at ten at night in summer, full of families. We fought it for a month and then joined in.
2. How cold Spanish houses are in winter
Built for heat, not for January. We wore more jumpers indoors here than we ever did in Manchester.
3. How much admin is done in person
Bring the original, a copy, and a book. Then bring one more copy.
4. How welcoming people are to children
Restaurants, shops, buses — children are genuinely welcome everywhere, and it changes how a family lives.
5. How quickly the language arrives, and how slowly
The children were playing in Spanish within weeks. The adults are still working on the phone calls.
6. How much we still miss
Friends, family, a proper curry, and the particular light of a good Manchester summer evening. You can love a new life and still miss the old one.
