We've been in Spain two weeks tomorrow. While we still feel very unaccustomed to life here, we are getting more settled. Duane has been going to work and is meeting new people. Daily he goes out to lunch with a group. He also frequently skypes in the evening with people from the US with whom he is still working.

Our current concern is school for the boys. The whole idea of getting them enrolled in school is a bit daunting as the system is completely different. We've already registered them at the Dept of Ed (or equivalent) but were told to return to that office two weeks after school starts, presumably to receive the name of the school to which they've been assigned. That didn't sound very good to us, so this Wednesday we're going to visit schools directly to ask if they have space. Apparently this is another way to find a school for them.

Our hope is to find openings at a school that teaches at least one subject in Castillian Spanish. Most schools here are solely in Catalan, the language of Catalonia, an area in Spain of which Barcelona is the capitol. While this is what we're hoping for, it is unlikely given the late date. We tried contacting schools months ago from the US, but had no luck getting responses. We hope showing up in person will get better results.

Either way, once school starts, so will a routine.

We've had a few days of running all over Barcelona to get government paperwork completed. Finally today we have accomplished what is required, at least for now.

We also obtained public library cards.

One interesting event we attended was people, called castellers, making human towers. It was pretty neat to see little kids climbing so high. They'd climb right up the backs of the people on the lower levels, all the way to the top, six levels high. We didn't have a camera with us at the time, so to see a picture of what this looks like, check out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell

We have told the kids that to be city slickers one must walk a lot. The past couple of days we have put them to the test and they are doing extraordinarily well.

Charles is excited that all this walking will give him a strong body. After a summer of developing soccer skills, he highly values speed and desires to be an even faster runner.

When Daniel gets tired we simply spur him on with a math problem. His mind gets going so fast he forgets about the walking. I wonder where this trait came from....

The other night we walked home to save a few dollars on the subway fare. It was about 10pm (Mom and Dad, don't worry, it was safe.) and we had been out all day. That is to say, we were exhausted. Daniel kept asking, "How many miles left?" Since miles aren't used in Spain, this led to a discussion on the conversion between miles and kilometers. Daniel was told there are approximately one and a half kilometers per mile. With amazing speed, he would say things like, "Well, that means 1/6 of a mile is a quarter of a kilometer." and "3/4 of a kilometer is half a mile." After a few moments (he was tired after all) Duane would say, "Yes, Daniel, that's correct." Nearing home, Daniel declared, "Math is my favorite topic to talk about."

Today we visited the beach. A couple days ago when the plane was landing there were breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea. It made us all want to hit the beach. The airport cab driver suggested we try one in a town called Sitges, about 30 minutes west of Barcelona. The trip gave us an opportunity to experience public transportation. In the cities in which we've lived, Barcelona takes the cake for having the most confusing public transport system.

Though the day was overcast and cool, the kids had a blast at the beach.

On our way back to the train station it started pouring rain. We finally arrived home cold, wet, hungry and tired.

It's been an exciting couple of days! Sunday we met the family who will rent our house in the US. What wonderful people! We feel great leaving our house in their hands. We are amazed the situation turned out so well. Alessandro and Duane will even get to see each other in San Diego in November at a conference they will both be attending.

The trip to Barcelona went perfectly. We were exhausted last night but are now unpacked and feeling better. Today is getting off to a slow start, though, as jet lag kept us asleep until noon!

Daniel is enjoying his birthday. He awoke to streamers, balloons and presents.

We're off to explore and discover....

It's time for another, new adventure in the Nykamp family.

The kids are most excited about the plane trip (two aisles and individual video screens!). Duane and I are hopeful even more exciting things await us than travel day. :)

Daniel is also eager for his birthday to arrive. Our first full day in Barcelona, Daniel will turn six. Party supplies are packed. I considered packing a cake mix, but decided finding a cake in a new place sounds like a task we are ready to take on!

As to be expected, the kids are concerned about language learning and making friends. We are too. Another concern is finding a good school for Charles and Daniel.

Last night some good friends came over for dinner. They made a bull pinata for the kids. What fun! Thanks Fred, Susan, Julia and Luke!

Dear family and friends, we will miss all of you and look forward to seeing you again! Let's keep in touch.