Remarkable likeness to Kevin Costner
Today is the anniversary of one of the biggest – if not the biggest – decisions I ever made in my life.
Twenty-two years ago, I married a Spaniard in a simple ceremony at the Registry Office in Glasgow. And I had not the slightest idea of what was in store for me.
Perhaps if I had, I´d have turned tail and run away into the Scottish cold!
Looking back, what strikes me as very strange is that I thought I did know!
I´d already spent time in Zaragoza and was well-versed in Spanish customs. I spoke the language reasonably well (to be going on with). We´d even lived together in Oviedo for two years.
Though it had been a bumpy journey to that wedding day – insecure teaching jobs, the loss of my mother, opposition from my future husband´s family, studies to finish, not to mention the normal teething problems in any relationship – it seemed the worst was over.
How wrong can you be?
Illness, unemployment and a move to Spain that has turned out to be permanent were to follow. It didn´t take me long to realise that, in fact, I knew nothing at all about Spain. Though I´d spent time here as a student, now I had to integrate.
I resisted. I hadn´t come to Spain to spend the rest of my life. I didn´t want to be a permanent expat. I wanted a decent job. I wanted public libraries. I wanted customer services.
The result was friction because of my one, simple oversight.
On the day I married my Spaniard, I failed to see I was wedding myself to Spain too. And twenty-two years later here I am. Here we are, all three of us.
Because it had to be him.
Ramón, it had to be you.
About Mo
This brought tears to my eyes! What a sweet post… I’m beginning to think I may have married Spain as well… or maybe Ale unknowingly married the US? We’ll have to wait and see but I hope that 22 years from now I can say the same!
Yes, but I hope your road´s smoother than ours! I think your husband´s married the US too … and I hope he likes it, which I´m sure he will. I wish you both a lovely, happy marriage (and your dress was just out of this world!) Mo x
Just curious : In a parrallel universe, how would your husband have coped if he were the one to have relocated to the Costa del Ayrshire, and you were the one with the Expat spouse ?
Hi Mr. Grumpy. I´ve had to rescue you from the spam folder again. You must have one of those faces! I´m glad you asked that question since he fared well in our wee bit hill and glen. We lived in Glasgow for 8 years and he´s still a Scotland fan and would move back there. I liked having a Spanish husband, it was quite romantic, especially since he managed not to behave in a clichéd way. Back in Spain, he shakes his shoulders about indiscriminately, which I find surprising and unnerving and is a worse driver than on the highland passing places, where he let the sheep go first. It´s only since we came to Spain that I saw the awful truth …. ¡mi marido es español!
Oh Mo. This is such a lovely post and I feel honoured to call the two of you friends. Happy anniversary xx
Katherine, you´re just too sweet! Just wait till you´re an old married lady like me! As I´m sure you know well, when it just has to be him, you´d crawl over burning coals for him. Thanks bonita!