changing tides

I sometimes think that the expat gods relish watching recently arrived foreigners struggle in their newly adopted lands. Think about it....every well-known tale of city slicker couples buying old rundown farmhouses in places like Tuscany, Provence, and even Spain essentially is the same story. There are always the builders who quote prices that inevitably end up mere fractions of the final cost, draining bank accounts and bringing people to the brink of bankruptcy. There are the casts of strange-mannered (but mostly good-hearted) local characters, the bureaucratic hoops to jump through, the difficulties with a new language. Yes, I have come to believe that there is some unwritten test that we all have to pass to remain living in our villages and countrysides; those who fail are sent back to their homeland. During the past couple years, there were many times when Big Jim and I doubted whether we would make the grade. I think the low(est) point was last summer when the job calls were few and far between and my largest client closed shop and left me with a shell of a freelance business. Despondent, we seriously considered an offer from an agent who contacted me about an editorial manager role that would take us far from the village, in every way, to NYC. We tried to convince ourselves and each other that it would be a relatively short-term move, to infuse our bank accounts with much-needed cash, and that we would return to Spain to start afresh in a couple years. But something inside, perhaps the spirit of Maroma, our mighty mountain, begged us not to give up just yet. So I told the headhunter thanks, but no thanks and worked hard to rebuild my business; by the end of the year I had more clients that I could have hired an assistant. Big Jim revamped his CV, and the market improved ever so slightly that in November he started receiving calls for interviews. We again dared to hope. Our good friends J. and M. have had similar problems, and we have gained strength from their resolve to push on here as well. Now Big Jim is back working, loving his new job and its challenges, and J. and M. have had someone make a serious offer on their house back in Holland, something they have needed to happen for two years now and which will allow them to grow their businesses here. So perhaps the tides are changing for all of us. I confess everything happened so quickly and easily with Big Jim's new job that the reality of it all is just hitting me now. His unemployment dominated our lives for so long that we are left with a gaping hole, one that can now be filled with many exciting possibilities for our future. Indeed, it feels as though in return for our determination we finally have received our passing grade from the expat deity. Undoudbtedly there will be further tests of our will, for the tides are always in flux. However, Big Jim and I have emerged from this one a bit scarred but stronger than ever. Of this I am certain. hasta manana, mylifeinspain