I feel that we have the perfect dog, really! She is amazingly adaptable to any circumstance we throw at her.
reyes and her bone
Reyes walked into our lives on Jan. 6th, 2007, in Córdoba, Spain. We have no idea what her life was like before because we found her alone in a downtown park. The common consenses is that she was a hunting dog owned by gypsies (at least that was what some waiter told us at one of our favorite cordobes tavernas). She didn’t have a microchip, but she did have some parasital friends. She jumped into our car like a pro and drank a bunch of water before we headed back to Cádiz. The first vet we took her to gave her a clean bill of health, except for a scratch on her eye. We microchipped her there an then and de-parasited her. We got her the appropriate collar and she became the talk of our little beach town. Through having her we were able to get three galgos out of some pretty dire circumstances. She loved running on the beach and rolling in the grass.
lounge dog
Then we moved to another province where both of us would be working. She had a little trouble adjusting to the new life (ie. ate a doorframe) but working with a muzzle, rescue remedy and lots of training she pulled herself together and learned to relax when alone in the new house. There we found a nice vet who spayed her and helped us through a pretty horrible discovery that she had leishmania. We all suffered through her twice daily injections, pills hidden in cheese (Juanito specially bought brie because she liked it best), flaky skin, creams, ect. It was so scary to think she might leave us forever (that was the first suuggestion of the vet). But she showed him and no one was more surprised when two rounds of treatment went by and we received the tests back which said she was clean! We have since taken her off treatment and regularily test her blood to make sure leishmania levels don’t rise again. She returned to running her heart out on the beach. This same vet, during her last visit, mentioned that her skull had been fractured at one point. Its true the top of her head was never exactly smooth. Also its likely that she has chewed something strong (like the chain that was imprisoning her) because her teeth had to be fixed too!
There was also the time that she escaped form our hotel room in Madrid and spent the evening in reception, giving us a major heart attack when we saw her behind the desk. She has always been a people person and prefers meeting new people to dogs any day.
Earlier this year we moved from southern Spain to Stockholm, Sweden. We bought our poor sun loving hound a jacket online and she happily hoped into the car for a weeklo!
She really amazes me because she is unfazed by riding the bus, the elevator or the metro train here in this big city! The same girl who prefered to use the stairs rather than the elevator when she first entered our hotel in Granada. (she has since become a pro at that too, thanks to one of our apartments, always rushing to be the first to enter)
We have no idea of how old she is, and it saddens me a bit seeing her go grey. She is an extremely effective silent communicator. I could go on and on about her! We love her so much and couldn’t imagine our lives without her! She amazes us daily.
paw
¡Olé mi Reyes!
Well its never fun when your significant other is sick; worse when they are suffering through the viral torture of chicken pox. It makes you stop and wonder how diseases were designed. Who sat down and said, “hmm, I think I’ll make it so that tiny blisters filled with a concoction of pus and virus, which itch to hell all (and I mean ALL) over the host’s body.” Luckily most people only get it once in their lives, thus I’ve also learned it is also cruel punishment (like they need another annoyance in their lives) to ask an adult sufferer of the disease “didn’t you have it as a kid?” Juan is doing better though, thankfully.
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I have meaning to write for a while and say that I think one of the reasons we enjoy our new life Stockholm so much is because of the people that we have met here. Very few we ‘knew’ before but all we hope to continue to consider friends for life. We have some great neighbors (Swedish and International, ok mostly International) that have made us feel very welcome in the little corner of our island. Just after a month after arriving we attended a wedding for some friends that I mostly kept in contact with on-line and never knew personally before coming to Sweden. Juan is lucky to work with a fun bunch of people who have we have shared some unforgettable nights with. This week I am excited to reconnect with a girl I went to high school with in Ottawa who just moved here. There have been others too that have gone considerably out of their way to help us adapt to life in this foreign country. Even strangers in the street are friendly and I expect that to become even more evident as the sun starts shining stronger.
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When you move to a new country its easy to think that you won’t have a problem finding work, especially when you come from a great job. Then reality sets in and you realize you were crazy to think that as you don’t speak the local language, plus you know you aren’t going to be there for long. Things we looking hopeless for a while, but I am happy to say that I have found a job! I will be working with a tourism company here in Stockholm for the summer. I am excited about it and think it’s an ideal work situation for me for now.
Juan and I used to play a little game every morning. Juan would hide my alarm clock (old cellphone) and I would have to find it to be able to turn it off or press snooze. Just to give you an idea of how annoying this could get in the morning sometimes he would hide it in a purse, or in the wooden closet underneath a pile of clothes.
Remember I said ‘used to’, well that’s because now this is not possible. Things got a little too creative last night when Juanito decided to hide the alarm clock cell phone on a ledge high above our bed. Turns out that the ledge really isn’t a ledge and that it is an insulation wall or something, thus hollow. I think you get the picture.
Juan immediately starts laughing – probably thinking of what the hell I will do when I can’t find the alarm. In the end he told me (I knew his giggling could only mean bad).
The game I am stuck playing right now is when will the battery die on my poor, lost cellphone. RIP
If you ever told me that my southern Spanish mother-in-law would be the first to visit us in our northern European country (during winter) I would have thought you were crazy. But it is true, my friends. She arrives today!
I am excited to see what she thinks about our life in Sweden and what her conception about countries that have a real winters are. She is going to have to take off her shoes when she enters our house. By the end of her stay, maybe even her socks will come off too! My in-laws and the majority of our Spanish friends have this idea that it’s REALLY cold here. Yes, if you go outside in your underwear you’d be really cold. In our apartment though it’s not cold at all (and we can’t control the heat as it is done communally). In Spain I am a ‘friolera’ (ie. always cold) and right now I am sitting writing in a tank-top (sweating a bit, but don’t tell anyone). I couldn’t do that in the majority of our houses in Spain.
Our house is comfortable for us. We have everything that we need for two people and a dog. Plus it is decorated beautifully. It might be a bit awkward with three adults in the house though, considering the ‘forward’ design. (ie. if anyone has to take a shower the rest of should leave and walk the dog, haha) It will be interesting.
Some things we have planned for the visit:
On Friday morning I will take her to visit Skansen which is an outdoor museum. I think it will be like Upper Canada Village for those of you that know it. Old buildings from across Sweden have been brought here to give people an idea of how traditional Swedish life was. They also have a zoo! Some Spaniards from Juan’s work went and they were disappointed because the bears were hibernating. Hopefully we will see an elk, or something.
On Saturday we will be going on a three hour brunch cruise! Fuencisla wanted to eat traditional Swedish food and Juan loves buffet, so this is how we will spend our Saturday – eating and cruising through Stockholm’s islands. Yum!
So, that’s it! Until she arrives I will be busy cleaning 
Juan originally complained after arriving in Sweden that he thought that it would be much more of an advanced country. He said that he hasn’t really been shocked at all like he thought he would. After talking about it a bit more there are some things that have impressed us, compared to our former lives in Spain and Canada.
Canada: Juan’s Landed Immigrant Status, 9 months wait, +1,500$ CAD *
Spain: Lindsay’s Residence Permit, 6 months wait, 6.50€
Sweden: Lindsay’s Residence Permit + Tax number, 1 week, 0€
Ding, Ding, Ding – we have a winner, folks! Not only did we receive both of our tax numbers (which you need for EVERYTHING in this country) within one week of applying, my permission to stay for 5 years (I think), as well as a card for non EU accompanying their EU partners, BUT this week in the mail I got a letter scheduling me an appointment for a pap exam! I think it was the only letter I got from the government which actually said the word welcome as in Välkommen till gyneologisk cellprovtagning! (oh yes, there is an exclamation point) Other than the date I had no idea what the rest said (one page double sided), because it’s in Swedish.
There was only one thing to do. Sheepishly I pulled out my letter for the Swedish girls in my Spanish class. Great way to make friends! I could be wrong about this Gynekologisk business, right? Nope, and well, now I get to try out some Swedish stirrups. Welcome to efficient Sweden, where cervical cancer is a priority. Impressive.
* If I here anyone saying how easy it is to apply to live in Canada ever again… ARGH!
As of late I have been acquiring some odd sleeping patterns. It is 8.48 in the am and while I have gotten in bed with my husband I haven’t slept a wink. Lying there, I thought I’d better take advantage of the situation. When would I be awake at dawn on stora essinger with enough time to enjoy its’ light again? So here I share it with you:
island houses
the water
fence
bridge
blue hue water
We had a wonderful weekend. Well, Juan got sick, but that didn’t damper our moods. He also got a parking ticket … hmm. Still though, it was fun.
gamla stan
On Friday the people from Juan’s work decided to go out for a Thai buffet lunch and I tagged along. I am not usually a fan of buffet style dining, but I got over my issues and ate two plate-fulls. Peanut sauce, coconut rice, oyster sauce veggies – things I haven’t eaten in so long! I am so happy to be living in a multicultural country again. Afterwards we went to a coffeehouse in Gamla Stan (the old city) and stayed all afternoon! We made plans for the year (go skiing, IKEA, nordic spa treatments) and talked about lots of other stuff.
Then we decided we really couldn’t stay any longer and we headed back to the ‘ICEX apartment building’ (almost all of Juan’s colleagues live there) for some wine. The embassy makes a shipment twice a year in which staffers can benefit from the tax free status (perfume, cigarettes, spirits – but I just care about it for the WINE). I think the next shipment is closer to the summer. After cracking a lovely rioja we made plans for a wine tasting night at ours! I can’t wait.
Saturday was our first wedding in Sweden! We were invited to a Spanish bar, Olé Olé, to celebrate the nuptials of Spike and his beautiful bride Sonia. Sonia made Reyes’ first collar back when we found her without one. She was living in Barcelona at the time – so it was nice to get to know her in person upon arrival in Stockholm! It was great to be there with them and their other international friends. There was a short and sweet ceremony with a funny lady judge, live music, delicious cake and a toast. Juan went home early because he wasn’t feeling hot and subsequently got a parking ticket at our supermarket while picking up an ample supply of juice, fruit and yogurt. We met a lot of really nice people. I even danced a round of Sevillanas…
On Sunday we had a bit of a relaxing day. I cooked a chicken, made soup and stock. We watched stuff on tv. Typical lazy day 
Last week the dog and I went out for a run and I brought my camera. Here’s our island: Stora Essinger in Stockholm. We later went out the other way down the coast this weekend and found nicer sights (photographs to come). It was snow/raining, so you might see that in the pics.
A long time ago, on a trip to IKEA with my parents, I discovered something Swedish in the restaurant that I immediately liked. Tucked in between the Pepsi and 7-Up taps was a non-carbonated berry juice – lingonberry. In fact this delightful little berry also popped up in more areas of the Ikea menu – as a sauce for the ever-popular meatballs!
Here is Sweden they love their lingonberry and so do I. Lingonberry not only refreshes my thirst and tops my buttered toast, but now repairs my damaged hair, in the form of shampoo. Stay tuned for more uses of this diverse berry!
One of the benefits of being unemployed is that I have a bit of time on my hands to delve into things that I wouldn’t normally have time for while working.
I have always thought that I could perhaps paint. My dads side of the family paints beautiful pictures. I have seen my father’s canvasses come alive. Visiting Europe’s finest museums has been inspiring, but I was always apprehensive.
You see, I went to a private school growing up where ‘art’ was coloring in the lines, decorating bulletin boards and the once yearly Christmas craft. Since then during my education has included two art courses, one in middle school and one in high school. Although slightly scared of Mme. Verana, I very much enjoyed her grade 8 art class. We made wire sculptures, learned about depth and perspective, but we didn’t learn to paint. In high school I think my art teacher was Mrs. Roberge. There was also a nutty substitute / student teacher who had the misfortune of teaching our class. I really liked the art history units, carving tiles to make stamps and other stuff we did. But still, no instruction on how to hold a paint brush, mix colors or the difference between acrylic and oil.
This summer some friends left Spain and left us some of their belongings. Included were these:
paint
brushes
palette
Full of desire to one day learn how to paint, we packed these up with the rest of our belongings we thought were necessary in Sweden.This week I saw cosmic forces come together with everything I needed to take my first stroke across a blank sheet. Here is my first painting:
my 1st painting
The paints say water color, but I have never seen a water color painting so dark. I have a lot to learn, but I really enjoyed it! It’s going to be fun to teach myself.
What I’m up to:
