Adjustments

We’ve been living in San Sebastian for a year and a half now, which led us to consider what kind of adjustments we’ve made since arriving. Frankly, there really aren’t as many as you might think and most are obvious and easily managed. Here are the few that we still have trouble with or are surprised by despite being here so long:

Not having a clothes dryer. While we have a dishwasher, I would trade it in a NY minute for a dryer. Here in our humid, damp, wet climate it takes nearly 24 hours for clothes to dry inside. And we just don’t get many opportunities to put our clothes outside to dry even in the summer. One benefit: our workout clothes will last longer.

Supermarkets, and many other stores, are closed on Sundays. We are used to being able to go to Trader Joe’s (oh, how we miss TJ’s) or other markets any time, but here nearly all the major supermarkets are closed on Sundays. This means planning ahead for dinner on Sunday night. And neither the gym nor the yoga studio have Sunday classes. Sundays are quiet here.

Siesta hours. Most smaller stores close between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. We can’t tell you how many times we want to pick something up and realize that we are out of luck and need to return later. Our school schedule causes this conflict more than anything because we finish at 1 p.m. When we are done with school this Spring, we won’t face this issue as much.

The modest cost of healthcare. Recently we’ve been taking care of our general health needs. We went back to the dentist, where the cleaning and check-up is completely covered by our insurance. I need two cavities filled, which is partially covered, and will cost about $100 for both. We also went and got our eyes checked, which only cost about $32 each. Glasses were more comparable to US prices, but still somewhat cheaper. And Jeff went to the podiatrist where his nearly hour-long examination cost about $60 and custom orthotics less than $200. While we are not part of Spain’s socialized medicine system, we reap the benefits of costs being low.

Spicy and international food. The Spaniards are not fans of hot and spicy food. You’d think it would go with bullfighting, but nope. Sometimes a menu will identify something as spicy, but we are always disappointed – it never goes beyond a 3 on our heat scale (1-10). One time at a Japanese restaurant Jeff was having sushi and they asked if he wanted it spicy, and when he said “yes,” they brought him soy sauce only, but no wasabi. Sadly, the international or ethnic food options here leave a lot to be desired. So, we get our spicy and international food fix when we travel to big cities.

Stoplight location. For some unknown reason, stoplights are placed on the near side of the intersection as opposed to the far side. This impacts us as pedestrians because it is difficult, if not near impossible, to see when the light changes from red to green.

My name. I spent most of my life correcting the pronunciation of my name. Here I am far more willing to be Shauna because Shana is pronounced that way in Spanish and the Spaniards have trouble with Shana. I’ve mellowed with age. 

As you can see, the adjustment to life here as not been overly difficult. 

Hasta luego,

Shana & Jeff