Weddings, road trips, and summertime and thoughts about home | My Relocation Diaries

Hey, what's up everyone? Welcome to my Relocation Diaries, my almost weekly update about my life in Barcelona, where I moved to earlier this year at the beginning of the year. And today I just want to share with you an update about life here as we have already entered the summer. And just to talk about what it's like being away from home, creating a new home seven months in. So first of all, thank you so much for all of you who have been commenting and sharing your thoughts and feelings about this podcast. Last week I shared an episode with my niece. If you haven't listened to it or watched it, it's a lot of fun. We talked about our relationship, the long distance relationship that we had to get used to, and about how it has impacted our lives. So it's on the podcast. You can also find it on my YouTube channel. And we received a lot of very sweet, heartwarming comments. So I just want to say thank you so much. And yeah, so we are. I'm recording this in the middle of July and my daughters have been out of school for more than two weeks. We had summer camp but it wasn't so successful and I was really, really waiting for it because it was supposed to be, I mean it was by the beach and I actually rented a car for the summer so I could drive them every day back and forth. And the location is beautiful. But the summer camp wasn't what I had expected what they had expected. So they were a little bored there. That was disappointing. But it was only for two weeks and then my sister was here which was fun. And then we kind of like navigated summer camp and home and now they don't have school. They wake up every day at like 11am but they also go to sleep late. And don't call social services please on me. And my sister in law and her kids are coming here tonight, so that's going to be super excited. My daughters are psyched, they miss them so much. So this is why we didn't make plans, like we didn't register them to another summer camp. So we're like managing life here, you know, trying to juggle between work and being with them and hosting families. So it's been a lot, very stressful, especially trying to work while the girls are at home at the same time. I'm really happy that they're at home and I love the fact that I don't have to wake up at 6:30 and start preparing food and wake them up and rush them. And if you've listened to my episodes in the past you know that I don't love getting them ready to school. And our mornings have always been a little stressful, so I'm so grateful that we don't have that anymore. But at the same time, they do wake up at some point, and I have to make sure that they're engaged in some way and not just by screens, you know what I mean? So it's been hard to juggle, especially since we have this really big project at work. We're working on launching our own app that will host all of our courses, and we've made incredible changes to our beyond membership. So we changed the content strategy and we changed the platform. The platform is amazing, but there was a lot of work that we had to put into and a lot of thought that we had to put into, which created, you know, like, this intense feeling and experience on a lot of stress, because, again, like, I was trying to juggle that with a lot of other things, but now we're at the end of it. Everything is coming together. So I'm very happy. Our students are super happy, and I feel like it was worthwhile because there is nothing worse than putting a lot of effort and time and energy into planning and launching something. And then the results are not great and people are unhappy or it's not received well. And it's the ups and downs of having a business like it is what it is. Not everything that you're going to put out there is going to be well accepted or loved. But we love our beyond students so much, and we wanted to make sure that the changes we're making are not going to impact their experience negatively. We just wanted to enhance it. And really, like, I think we've made some incredible changes. So I'm happy with how it was received. I'm happy that students are engaging in the app and the new platform. So I feel like I can breathe again. And that is where I'm at today. Also, there was one week where I did not publish an episode, and that is because I drove to. I didn't drive. I took a bus and a train to La Alberca, which is all the way on the other side of Spain, the west of Spain, close to Portugal, near Salamanca, for those of you who might know the region. And I went to one of the coaches who teach inside of the company, Kayla. She is incredible. She's been working with us for a few years. Our students love her and she got married and to Fernando, and they had the most remarkable wedding in this beautiful place. And it was the first Spanish wedding that I went to. And the first Catholic wedding that I went to. So the actual ceremony was in a church in a secluded village up on a mountain in the middle of. To me, nowhere, because we had to drive for an entire hour to get there. It was magical. I felt like I'm in this fairy tale, really. And everyone was so beautiful and well dressed. Like the dress code was fancy and. And Kayla was just gorgeous and Fernando is gorgeous. And like, I. I enjoyed it so much. And then we had the reception also in this beautiful spa hotel that I was also staying in. And it was very nice because I'm used to ceremonies where you come in at like 7 or 6. There's the ceremony, maybe a small reception before the ceremony, then dinner, then dancing, and that's it. It's done by 11pm or 12am and here, let me tell you, let me tell you. The ceremony started at 5, 5:30, I think that was in the church. And then we had to drive back for almost an hour to the reception at the hotel. Then for two hours or an hour and a half, I don't know. It was just like cocktails and incredible food in this beautiful place. Then we went to dinner and that was like three hours of four courses. People are, every now and then are jumping up and greeting the bride and groom. Viva la novio. Viva la novia. And I really enjoyed it so much. And only at like midnight or I think it was already 1am that's when they moved us to the dance hall and we literally danced until 5am or 4am I was so tired the next day and I had to travel back to Barcelona. But it was so nice. I really enjoyed experiencing a different type of wedding, different than what I was used to. And everyone was so loving and supporting. And she's an American and he is Spanish. So also seeing the two cultures interact, it was my favorite kind of event. So that is why I didn't record a podcast. I hope you can forgive me. And I'm sharing this with you because it's such a great and fun part of the relocation experience, because I was able to do that and I was able to just drive there. I mean, not drive, take the bus and the train. So. Yeah, and I know I talked about it before, but still the concept of commuting throughout Europe without having to get on a plane or even getting on a plane, but it's a lot less complicated because you just get on a plane. It's like getting on a bus. You get off and then you just leave. No passport control, no nothing. So that makes commuting so much lighter and easier and achievable. So to me, that is like a big shift that I need to, to make in, in how I think about travel. And also I'm planning my trip for the summer. So we're going to go to Portugal and I wanted to turn it into a road trip. So now I'm also planning our trip there because I rented a car for the summer, I might as well use it to drive. So I'm going to drive all the way to Portugal and I already have certain places where I'm going to stop. And on the way back, we're going to go back through north of Spain. But I have to tell you, like, planning this has been, again, super stressful. It's not like I'm lacking things to plan or project, projects to manage. Right? And I just added that to my plate and that was a little, a little ambitious. But I'm almost done with it and I'm happy that I did it because I think it's going to be great. Wish us luck on the road with the girls. It's going to be the first because usually when we travel, we go and we stay somewhere for two weeks, for a month, and then we come back and now it's like moving from place to place every two days. So I'm also really looking forward to it. And probably during the summer or when we're traveling, I won't be posting updates as much, maybe only on my Instagram account, but maybe I won't be sharing an episode every single week. So I hope you understand that I'll still share my educational content because we have prepared for it, but maybe not the Relocation Diaries. So anyway, that is my life update. And before we wrap up, because it's going to probably be a shorter episode today, I thought about what I could share with you today and what we can talk about. And I noticed something that came up recently, several times, and I wanted to talk about that. And that is the concept of feeling at home. Because when my sister was here, she asked me, so do you feel like home already? And on the same token, she asked, do you miss home? Israel back home? And it's silly because that's the first question I need to be dealing with probably every single day. But I had to stop and to think about it. And she wasn't the only one asking me that. Within a month, within the time frame of a month. So I got this question from two other people and I didn't know what to say because I really don't know. It feels like I'm floating in space because this feels super comfortable. This Barcelona where I live, my home feels like home. My apartment, my bed, my couch. I don't spend time here thinking, oh, it doesn't feel like what I know from back home where I'm from, right? But at the same time, it does. I don't feel super rooted and I don't miss home as much. I don't think about it a lot. I think I'm also repressing it because I think that if I were to think about it a lot, it would be hard for me to manage everything that comes up because it feels like I shut down my ongoing memories from my city, Tel Aviv. I love Tel Aviv so much. Like, when I think about walking in the streets of Tel Aviv, maybe not in August, but when I think about it, I'm like, I love it. I used to love it so much, but I don't think about it regularly. And this is why I don't feel like I'm homesick. I do miss my family terribly and my friends. So to me, that is home. That is what I miss. I miss the relationships. I miss having them around. I miss having them accessible to me, being accessible to them, of course, that is what I miss. But the concept of my home back in Tel Aviv or the streets of Tel Aviv versus the streets of Barcelona and my home in Barcelona, it feels like I'm in this in between space where I'm equally connected to each of them, but I'm very present. Like, this is my here and now. I'm also so, so busy. Like, I feel life here is a lot for me with work and with everything that is happening and with all the people who are coming here. And I'm so grateful for everything, but it is a lot. So I feel I don't have time to just sit down and think about how I feel. I just like, go with the flow. And I always feel like I'm a little bit behind. And every now and then when I walk and I have a minute or two, I'm like, I need to do this more. I need to enjoy the city more. Especially now in the summer when my routine has completely changed because I don't have my morning walks anymore. But I should go back to it. I should. And I remember after I left New York, when I was 24 or 25 and I left New York, I kind of had to leave New York because my visa was expiring and I couldn't find another way to stay there. And I had to leave. So I made the decision to leave and I moved back to Israel. And I remember missing New York so much. I used to have dreams about the city. I used to have recurring dreams that I'm surprisingly visiting the city and I didn't have time to let my friends know. And I'm there for a few hours and I can't get a hold of them, and I'm trying to find them, and I'm like, I only have a few hours in the city and then I feel like it's gone. And then I wake up. And that was like a recurring dream. And I remember going through life and, like, doing certain things. And then I would have, like, these pictures in my brain of places in the city out of nowhere. Like, I really felt like New York was. Like I was in a relationship with New York and now we've broken up. I miss it so much. Like, I felt it in my body back then. I kind of felt homesick because New York was my home and I don't feel it now. I don't feel it probably also because I'm older and I have a lot of other things in my life and other things that matter, like my core family, which is home to me, and my extended family and my friends and who are home to me. So all of a sudden, the physical space, the city, the streets, it's a temporary home and I'm enjoying it, but I'm not super, super connected to it. Not like I was or like, not like I used to when I was a lot younger. And I'm waiting to see how it's going to turn out. Like, I'm waiting to see if I will start feeling homesick when I settle in more. And I hope that's going to happen. Or when I go back to my routine. Maybe that's a better way to say it. Sometime in November. And maybe I will develop a stronger relationship with this city. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm in love with Barcelona. I'm so grateful that we're here. The summer here is just remarkable. People are amazing. Everyone seems happy and chill and relaxed and interested in life and culture and food and it's. I love it here. And I wonder if I will feel so super connected. Maybe if I speak the language, or when I speak the language, maybe when I have friends here, but I'm curious to know when that is going to happen. Or maybe I'm always going to stay in that floating space of the in between, where I'm neither here nor there, but I still feel like I'm always home because I have my family around me and I love doing what I do and I can still do it wherever I'm at. So it doesn't feel like I needed to change my life or change who I am because of this move. So questions to be asked and I think that's it for today. Things to think about. I'm curious to know, for those of you who immigrated or relocated to a new place, how does it feel for you? Like, do you feel like you're at home now? How do you feel about your home that you left? If you're watching this on YouTube, let me know in the comments. And if you're listening to this on the podcast, you can send me a message on Instagram Hadar Accentsway. I'm really curious to know. All right, my loves, thank you so much for listening to today's episode and I'll see you next time. I'll talk to you next time. Bye.