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Last night was the beginning of life getting back to NORMAL!
It felt glorious, refreshing, freeing . . . and strange.
Spain’s Phases
Spain is currently divided into zones, representing gradual phases of the country’s deconfinement plan.
Our little town moved to phase 1 two weeks ago. This allowed us to drive with more than one person in the car within our zone (with masks on). Bars and restaurants could open their outdoor terraces with 30% seating capacity. (That’s when our family got to enjoy our wedding anniversary celebration with our boys at the tapas bar!)
In Phase 1, non-essential stores are also given permission to reopen. Boy, were we glad to see our big “Asia Store” down the street open last week! We were able to buy lots of little things that we needed for our move this week.
In all of these situations, major security measures are taken, and masks are required in public spaces.
On the other hand, the zone just five minutes away from us still remained in Phase Zero. This means they were still in lockdown—other than hospitals, doctors, grocery stores, and outdoor physical activity for 30 minutes a day.
Drastic Changes
However, things changed drastically yesterday! That zone, just next to us, where our new rental house is and where all of our friends live, finally transitioned to Phase 1. Yeah!!!!!
That meant, if we could sneak over the zone border without being stopped by the police, then we could go to see our friends!
And, that’s exactly what we did!
We currently have two homes in two different zones. (More on that soon!) It’s complicated, but allowing us some extra freedom in both zones.
Last night, we snuck over the zone border to go to our new rental house to talk to the painters. Thankfully, there were no police controls at the border. Once we were at our new house, we were free to drive and circulate as a family in the car (with masks on) within that zone.
We were free to go to our friend’s house and SEE THEM PHYSICALLY!
We had been connecting with them weekly through a screen, and the kids got to see each other everyday through online school. However, it’s just not the same.
Excitement in the Air!
Excitement was in the air all day as we counted down the hours and got ourselves ready to leave.
We were finally going to interact with human beings outside of our family! It had been over three months since we had seen our friends!
We could feel the anticipation building as we drove the 10 minutes from our new house to their house.
They greeted us with a big “hello” and welcome at the door . . . and HUGS!!!
It felt refreshing and strange, at the same time.
SURREAL is the word I would use.
We hadn’t been hugged and touched by anyone outside of our family in months. We laughed and joked, saying that we almost didn’t know how to interact socially anymore. It had been so long. It felt weird and foreign to have contact with people in the flesh . . . not through a screen.
Strange, weird, foreign, surreal.
But, so wonderful!
Like ‘Old Times’
We hung out in the kitchen, engrossed in deep conversation, preparing dinner, having a drink. My dear friend, who knows me so well, had a HUGE surprise waiting for me—an ice cold can of Dr. Pepper that she found in the small, “international” section of a local grocery store! What a treat!
Our kids played together, laughing and “hanging out.” At first, it felt awkward for them too. The guys grilled outside, chatting, and catching up on the gaps in each other’s lives from the past months of silence and distance.
It felt like “old times.”
It had been raining most of the afternoon, but the weather cleared up just before we arrived. Pierre, our youngest son, got to take a much-anticipated swim in the pool just before we all gathered on the back patio for a delicious BBQ dinner.
Just being together, talking, enjoying each other’s company was such a change for all of us. It felt so good. We didn’t want it to end.
After dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for dessert, while the kids went outside on a walk and played soccer in the streets.
The time flew by . . . 9 p.m., 10 p.m, 11 p.m. We didn’t want the evening to end.
After chocolate cake and Oreo cookie ice cream, we decided it was finally time to end the evening. It was a school night after all, and the kids had an early morning.
We reluctantly said goodbye to each other at the door, all filled up with love and joy to carry with us into the new week. On the drive home, it felt like my heart was going to burst with happiness!
A Weekly Date
This morning, I sent them a text . . .
“Thanks again for last night! I left sooooo filled up! I don’t think I realized how much I missed and needed being with people I love. Same for the kids . . . we have all been so isolated. Can we do this weekly in the coming months? We can swap houses since we will be in the same zone.” 🙂
So, that’s our plan!
We need each other during this time. Although deconfinement is gradually giving us more freedom, the months ahead still risk being long and hard. Having a fun weekly gathering on the calendar will give us all something to look forward to.
When we see each other next time, it will still be refreshing and freeing. But, it won’t feel strange, weird, and foreign.
It will feel just . . . PERFECT!
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
Is your life starting to get back to normal in your part of the world? What does your “deconfinement” process look like?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
