Tag Archives: relocation

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”

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”

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)”

Thursdays at the Market: Getting to Know Valencia, One Stall at a Time

It’s one thing to live in a city, but it’s another to have your habits in that city. One of the ways we’ve started to feel at home in Valencia has nothing to do with paperwork, language classes, or learning how to buzz delivery people into the building. It’s this: we go to the marketContinue reading “Thursdays at the Market: Getting to Know Valencia, One Stall at a Time”

In This House, We Respect the Rice: A Love Letter to Valencia’s Favorite Grain

If there’s one food that feels truly of Valencia – grown here, cooked here, and argued about here – it’s rice. Not just any rice. Paella. Or arroz al horno. Or arroz a banda. Or arroz negro. Or … well, you get the idea. Rice in Valencia isn’t a side dish. It’s a whole wayContinue reading “In This House, We Respect the Rice: A Love Letter to Valencia’s Favorite Grain”

Tapas, Tacos, and Toothpicks: Our First Food Finds in Valencia

When you move to a new city, your first impressions often come on a plate. It’s still early days, but we’ve already begun building a shortlist of favorite restaurants here in Valencia. And like any good list, it starts with the local hero. In this case, it’s paella. We’re in the land of paella. ValenciaContinue reading “Tapas, Tacos, and Toothpicks: Our First Food Finds in Valencia”

Early Days in Valencia: Finding Our Way

We’ve arrived. Not just physically, although yes, we did literally arrive in Valencia with all the requisite suitcases, boxes, and a surprisingly non-judgmental cat. We’ve also arrived mentally and emotionally. Having visited Valencia before, we had pretty high hopes that we’d feel comfortable here. And I’m happy to report  we were right. It’s like slippingContinue reading “Early Days in Valencia: Finding Our Way”