Little Green Aliens

Today I am shattered. My eyes are barely open as I write this and I really really need an early night. But I am so dedicated to the cause of keeping you all informed on the tales and woes of my life that I am still writing this blog for your sakes. Or something to that effect. Who knows what it´s actually going to say!

I spent THREE AND A HALF hours in the foreign office this morning trying to finally get all the paper work and bureaucracy out of the way. Stupid stupid system that they have here. It´s all numbers and tickets and queues and as little contact with real human beings as possible. We were all sitting in this room waiting for our number to pop up on the board so we could go behind the blue screen to the world of freedom beyond. It felt like we were those little green alien toys in Toy Story that long for the claw to come and pick them up and take them to a better place even though they had no idea what lay on the other side. Well, eventually the claw got me and I am now fully registered in the country. Registered as what exactly I do now know. I almost got registered to vote here... I hope I haven´t renounced my British citizenship in the process!

I feel like this week has really just been all about registering. I am registered at the library, this Internet place, the DVD rental place... I have cards and certificates for everything here! But it´s good, it makes me feel like a part of the place.

I spent abit of time last week (in between the office visiting) at the beach in Santander which was lovely. It suddenly turned out to be a really sunny day and it was a really pretty beach. It´s great to have so much time to do with as I please and I know that lots of people think I´m just slacking off this year... you´re probably right. But for me it´s a great opportunity to read books I´ve wanted to for ages, take loads of photos, go for long walks, meet new people, learn new things... I may be teaching two little kids English which could be fun (and for 10 pounds an hour that´s pretty good money!)

Also for me I think this is going to be a good time to leanr something that I have always struggled with. And that´s living in the present. Here in Spain we all know that they live ´mañana´. Nothing is urgent, everything can be done tomorrow. I hate that. The inside me wants to do EVERYTHING. Right now. Sorted. Done. Over with. You simply cannot do that here. You have to live each day as it comes. I once read something that I think is worth sharing.
"God is a big fan of today. That´s why you keep waking up in it. You have made your request known for a hundred different yesterdays, but the sun keeps rising on this thing that is today. Today is the best place to live."
For years I have lived my life either in the past - full of regret, or in the future - full of longing for something else. A very wise friend of mine once reminded me of this ´Kat, don´t spend your life wishing time away, you´ll wake up one day and find your wish has come true.´

If I can come home from Spain having learnt that and only that, I think that my time here will have been worth it. Easier said than done!

I hope everyone is well, and that you didn´t mind my diversion into philosophical thinking! Please do comment on these blogs if you want to!
I miss everyone lots and lots.
Love x