Phil Gold

Another Bureaucratic Update: The Waiting Worked!

For those of you who’ve been following along, lighting candles, sacrificing toner cartridges, or simply shaking your heads knowingly, I’m happy to report a small but meaningful victory in our ongoing Social Security saga. Kristie’s account is now showing as ACTIVE. No fanfare or trumpet blast, just a quiet status change on a website. Which,Continue reading “Another Bureaucratic Update: The Waiting Worked!”

Bureaucratic Update: We Have (Partial) Lift-off

For those of you who have been following along (and possibly lighting candles for us), a quick update on our Social Security Suspension Saga. After a full 90 minutes of redialing, followed by five minutes of actual ringing (during which I refused to hang up on principle), I finally reached a human being at theContinue reading “Bureaucratic Update: We Have (Partial) Lift-off”

Suspended in Bureaucracy: Our Social Security Saga from Abroad

When you move abroad, you expect some red tape. Visas, taxes, and bank accounts are the standard dragon quests of expat life. But once you’re settled in, you’d think the basics would stay … well, basic. Kristie and I made that exact assumption when we moved, confident that our previous experience had prepared us. AfterContinue reading “Suspended in Bureaucracy: Our Social Security Saga from Abroad”

Curtains Up: Discovering Valencia’s Live Performance Scene

…or, Why We’re Still Constantly Surprised by This City One of the things we’ve loved most about living in Valencia is how much of life happens outside the apartment. There are things constantly occurring in plazas, parks, markets, and, excitingly, on stage. We knew there’d be paella. We knew there’d be beaches. But we didn’tContinue reading “Curtains Up: Discovering Valencia’s Live Performance Scene”

Healthcare Update: Good News, Bad Scheduling, and a €553 Meniscus

Time for an update on the ongoing saga of The Knee. When I wrote the last post, I was somewhere between hopeful, frustrated, and heavily medicated. We had just entered what I assumed would be the next phase of the adventure: lining up with the Spanish national healthcare system to start getting answers. Well. ThingsContinue reading “Healthcare Update: Good News, Bad Scheduling, and a €553 Meniscus”

A Crash Course in Spanish Healthcare (Literally)

It’s been a while since my last update, and that’s not because I’ve run out of things to say. Quite the opposite. It’s just been… a lot. Some of it has been joyful. The arrival of our new cat Rea was wonderful, and we travelled to the US for some family time at Thanksgiving. SomeContinue reading “A Crash Course in Spanish Healthcare (Literally)”

Getting Around Valencia: How Do We Get Where We’re Going?

In Lisbon, we had three modes of transportation. We used the metro a lot; we had monthly passes, and got our money’s worth out of them. We combined that with walking. Our general rule of thumb was if the total journey was less than 15 minutes by foot, or if the destination was within 10Continue reading “Getting Around Valencia: How Do We Get Where We’re Going?”

A New Sister for Lexie: Welcoming Rea

This post is only peripherally about Valencia, or Spain, or being an expatriate. It’s mostly about the #1 subject on the internet – cats! Even before we left Portugal, we’d talked about the idea of getting Lexie a companion. She’s a sweet, quiet cat who gets a little bored at times when the humans aren’tContinue reading “A New Sister for Lexie: Welcoming Rea”

“What Time Do We Eat?” Adjusting to Spain’s Meal Schedule (Sort Of)

One of the trickier things about moving to Spain hasn’t been the language, the bureaucracy, or even the humidity. It’s been the clock. Or more specifically: the meal clock. “What time do we eat?” is a surprisingly complicated question here. In theory, the Spanish answer is beautifully structured with a schedule built over generations toContinue reading ““What Time Do We Eat?” Adjusting to Spain’s Meal Schedule (Sort Of)”

Life, Interrupted (and Restarted)

It’s been a minute since the last update as life caught up with us for a bit. A combination of dental surgery, major festivals, and a lovely family visit meant things were less about writing and more about just living. Let’s catch up. First up: I had dental surgery. Nothing glamorous, just the removal ofContinue reading “Life, Interrupted (and Restarted)”