It’s the little things that can get you sometimes, right? Life as an expat is full of those little things…from banks to beds!
EXPAT DAY #34
First, to wrap up the bank account saga, I’d like to announce that after three trips to the bank, we have succeeded! The most curious thing about this experience is that we finally opened an account WITHOUT giving the bank any money. That means, of course, that at our initial bank balance was zero. However, because we were convinced by the person assisting us that we needed to buy a renter’s insurance policy, the first annual premium was automatically deducted from our account within minutes. This meant we were overdrawn on our first day of having a Spanish bank account. Kind of upsetting, but we were told not to worry; it won’t matter for a few days and there won’t be any fees. Crazy, right?
SPEAKING SPANISH
Did I mention there are two languages spoken in Valencia? Spanish (Castilian) of course, and Valencian which is a dialect of Catalan which is spoken in the autonomous community of Catalan, including Barcelona. (Valencia is in the autonomous community of Valencia.) All that to say that the word “plaza” in Spanish is “plaça” in Valencian. Likewise, street is “calle” (Castilian) or “carrer” (Valencian) – just a little confusing at times!
We’ve been working at improving our Spanish but hadn’t quite processed the need to learn Valencian as well. The local government makes sure it emphasizes the use of Valencian. For example, all signs and announcements are in Valencian, with Spanish translations underneath in smaller type. New street signs have the Valencian name for street (carrer), but older street signs (with the Spanish names) are only replaced when necessary. So, it’s common to see streets and squares referred to with their Castilian name, their Valencian name, or both. A bit of a challenge at times, but we’re getting the hang of it.
BEDS ARE COMPLICATED
We’re in the process of furnishing and setting up our new apartment. Our address is: Plaza Músico López-Chávarri, 5, piso 3, puerta 6, Valencia, 46003. That’s a lot to remember and spit out when someone asks about our address.
The priorities for getting our new place set up are: 1) setting up a place for Ed to work and 2) having a place to sleep. I’m working on the sleeping situation. There is a bed in the apartment, so you’d think this would be easy – buy bedding, wash it, assemble, lie down. Not so fast. I measured the bed to be sure I knew what size sheets to buy. My little tape measure told me the mattress is 55” x 78” which is not quite a U.S. queen (60×80). OK, maybe we can work with that if Ed remains on his 1/3 of the bed per our long-standing arrangement. Next, my handy-dandy calculator on my phone converted this mattress size to 139 x 198 centimeters. I Googled “bed sizes in Spain” and here’s that I got: “In Spain, standardized lengths are 180, 190 and 200 cm. Standardized widths are 80, 90, 105, 120, 135, 150 or 180 cm.” Seriously? Do we need so many options? As you can see, a width of 139 and length of 198 isn’t an option. UGH! It turns out the mattress is a not-so-comfortable IKEA product which resulted in the purchase of a new mattress – 150 x 200 cm (59 x 78 inches). This better – a more comfortable mattress and 4 more inches. I’ll even split those extra inches evenly with Ed!).
About Us
Welcome to our little corner of the world where we invite you to embark on exciting journeys with us!
We’re Ed and Bonnie, a duo passionate about exploring the world and experiencing its wonders. Our love for travel isn’t just about discovering new places; it’s about sharing those moments with cherished family and friends like you.
Our hope is that you will feel like you’re right there with us, sharing in the excitement and wonder of each destination. Better yet, let’s plan a rendezvous somewhere wonderful! Learn more
