Orientation, part 10

I made it to the opening event of the Newcomers Club, the potluck picnic at Felicia Morera’s house. Felicia was well known in the expat community for her home-based business in Spanish antiques, and also for the classes she gave every year in pysanky, the Ukrainian Easter egg decorating process. She had lived in Spain many years and had a big house out in Las Rozas, a suburb much further west of Madrid than Pozuelo.

Ana had mentioned that all the wives of the Office of Defense Cooperation officers were going together, along with some of the American Embassy wives, so I was feeling left out when I arrived. But before long I saw Karen Irwin, the mother of Lisa’s classmate, and we sat together and chatted.

“We’ve been living here for four months,” she told me, “with just folding chairs and some other temporary stuff the Embassy gives you. But our shipment is supposed to come next week! I can’t wait.” The shipment contained all the household goods they had sent. Her story made me feel happy that we’d rented a furnished house and had been comfortable from the first day.

Thinking again of Eileen, my good role model, I made an offer. “Would you like me to come and help you when it arrives? I could unpack, or if you’d like, I could watch the baby while you unpack.”

“Are you serious?” she asked. “That would be incredible! But I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“No, I’d like to help,” I said, so she agreed to call me when the shipment came.

Meanwhile, at the picnic it was announced that a series of get-acquainted coffee mornings would be held in various neighborhoods around Madrid so that new members could meet people in their area. I took the time and address for a coffee that was to be held in Aravaca the next week.