“Poco a Poco”
“Poco a poco.”
Little by little.
It is one of the phrases I hear constantly here in Valencia. I worry about my daughter adjusting to school and learning Spanish. “Poco a poco”. I worry about finding the right apartment. “Poco a poco”. I worry about project delays back home. “Poco a poco”.
The message is always the same: one step at a time. It will come together. “Tranquila. No te preocupes.”
An old stone arch leading to a narrow street in Valencia
It has now officially been over a month since we arrived, and I think I am finally beginning to understand what everyone means. We are starting to find our rhythm.
The kids are enjoying school. We’re beginning to recognize the local shopkeepers and neighbors. We know our bike routes around town. Streets that felt completely unfamiliar a few weeks ago are starting to feel like ours.
One of my favorite things about Valencia is how many little pockets of interest are hidden throughout the city. I love looking down a narrow alley or side street and discovering a café, playground, architectural detail or shop I never would have noticed from the main road.
Sometimes it is an arched window or the remnants of an old church. Other times, it is a person. Last week I met a man who collects antique tiles from abandoned buildings around Valencia and also creates custom tiles that he ships worldwide. He is incredibly talented, and it was such a wonderful connection to make, all because I happened to walk past his shop.
Antique tiles from Valencia
My biggest shock recently was that apparently indoor bats are a thing here! No one mentioned those in expat forums. I was getting ready for bed one night - everyone else was asleep - when I walked into the hall and saw this little black thing hobbling along the floor. I was like, is that a bat? Because it sure looks like a bat! Sure enough, it was a bat! Apparently they are very common in Valencia, and they fly in at night through open windows or terraces looking for insects. I of course immediately woke my husband and said, babe, I think there is a bat in the hallway! The bat was actually super calm the entire time - he never tried to fly or anything, just sort of ambled along - and he was actually rather cute. We finally got him into a paper bag and released him outside.
Our surprise visitor
A Few Other Observations
The light switches outside the room are still challenging. I find myself walking into rooms and instinctively reaching for the light switch, only to have to exit the room to find it.
Gas stoves dont automatically ignite - you have to light them every time!!! I was flabbergasted. They sell special matches in supermarkets just for this purpose.
Our temporary apartment has been next to a Fallas organization, essentially a neighborhood social and cultural group. They are very active and so far we have witnessed a Fallas burning (for the 6 month anniversary of Fallas), a “fireworks” celebration - which means an insane show and fire crackers that sound like bombs, and a parade with musicians and traditional Valenciano dress. We love being a part of the community and having the chance to experience these special occasions in Valencia, and we hope our new neighborhood has some of the same opportunities
The bike lanes are like highways here. Ride at your own risk.
They take rain extremely seriously here. After a major flood with lots of loss and damage a couple of years ago, Valencia has implemented a citywide alert system, and does not hesitate to shut things down when severe weather is expected. Last week heavy rain was expected overnight, and by 2pm that day the city was virtually shut down. School was also cancelled for the next day. I have heard of snow days, but had never heard of a rain day before! The kids loved it.
Skirts are majorly in in Spain. Like, everyone is wearing one. Contrast that to the US, where hardly anyone wears skirts anymore.
The Fallas before
The Fallas burning
Language Glitches
Read the bottle of cleaner - it said stain remover. I thought great! Used it for my white shirts and it worked well. Used it on my daughter’s dress, only to discover that it was actually bleach! She now owns a tie-dyed navy blue and off white dress ;)
I may have brought a little too much American anxiety and perfectionism with me, and I am beginning to realize that life here simply does not operate at that pace.
I am trying to embrace the idea of poco a poco in every part of life. It is not always easy, but there is something incredibly comforting about remembering that I do not need to have everything figured out right now.
One step at a time. Have a little faith. Let things unfold.
The people of Valencia keep telling me it will all work out.
I’m starting to believe them.