A Whirlwind Start

May 11, 2023 - Barcelona, Spain | Writing as calabasa roasts in the oven

And we are underway! I arrived to Spain a week ago. Everything is as I prayed for or better! My friends, Elena + Ali, greeted me warmly and prepared what I believe to be the quintessential 'Welcome Back to Spain', post-transatlantic flight snack: pan con tomate, jamon iberico, y mandarina (so juicy and sweet!). I already posted some photos on Instagram from the Saturday we spent together in Girona(caracoles, sunshine, silkier-than-I-knew-was-possible gelato, landscapes ft. in Game of Thrones, paprika fuet, etc.).

Ali (plaid shirt), Elena (blonde), and me last weekend in Girona (May 2023).

So, let's skip past the first weekend in Spain over to what has taken place this week: an ardent search for West Indian peppers and the humbling process of growing up (again).

Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Peppers. This is what I search for every morning before logging on to work around 3pm. I visited the Mercadona, but no dice. I rode the metro about 30 minutes into the city to check out a British expat market called, A Taste of Home--still nothing (although if you ever find yourself in need of marmite and Southeast Asian spices, 10/10 recommend--excellent variety). Yesterday, I popped over to Las Ramblas (to be honest, my least favorite corner of the city) to peruse the Mercat de la Boqueria. My eyes feasted on beautifully arranged produce; the fresh zumos called to me (today's juice of choice: mango + coconut); the baklava delighted me (you know I had to sample a square!); the open-air fish market woke me up; but, the spice vendors delivered no peppers to end this quest! According to each of the auntie-like spice vendors, one cannot purchase a Scotch Bonnet that is fresca; only the dried ones are available.

Feast your eyes on the produce at Mercat de Boqueria.. Shed a tear for the poor, dried Scotchies (May 2023).

Expat Jamaicans have been substituting habanero for Scotch Bonnet all over the world for a while now…but sometimes, when a girl is far from home and family, she just wants the pepper with the sweet, sneaky heat! There's a well-rated (and perhaps the only) West Indian restaurant that is open for dinner, Eat Caribbean, in Ciutat Vella (a neighborhood near the marina and the iconic Barceloneta)--I think it's time to pay them a visit and see what wisdom they might have to offer. More to come as things develop…

Spanish Immersion. This has been the week's other priority. It's like I'm growing up all over again. Elena and Ali are teaching me how to navigate the city, how to be safe from the infamous pickpockets, how to complete basic errands like mailing postcards (yes, the first batch has already gone out!), and the social cues + cultural norms I need to know (i.e., avoiding the kinds of faux pas that leave one feeling like an awkward pre-teen again). I reached out to a local language school to recover some of the Spanish that has become rusty; I'm chatting up everyone from kindly taxi drivers to local bakers + vendors to black girls in cafés with super cute hairstyles (btw, I'm looking for a braider/stylist…let me know if you know of someone in Barcelona); and, I'm walking as many places as my two feet will take me.

Each day, I re-learn a basic fact of daily life. For example: Morning (and greeting someone with buenos días) can extend past 12pm, afternoon extends until the late hours of 7 or 8pm, and then night/evening doesn't really set in until the sun goes down around 10pm. Learning new ways to live and organize the world around me breathes new life into my body. There's still so much to adapt and grow into…but I am excited for all of it--even the challenging parts.

Elena + Ali have been exquisite guides to the city. And to think: almost 7 years ago Elena and I met in little Charleston, SC. I was a baby-faced, bubbly 20 year-old; she was the more worldly and travelled, Spanish graduate student attending an international program at the local medical university. On a whim, we, along with two other girlfriends (hi, Gosia and Anna!), booked a girls' weekend in Miami.

(Below) Just arrived to Miami, FL, and calling Ali to meet up. (Feb. 2016)

In hindsight, we all barely knew each other…but sometimes those whirlwind friendships and spontaneous trips gift us with the best life has to offer. Our all-girls weekend quickly changed to a 4 girls + 1 guy weekend when an acquaintance of Elena's (Enter: Ali) just so happened to be in Miami as well--having travelled all the way from the UAE!

From here, the rest is history--Ali + Elena are married and have built a cozy and beautiful life together here in Barcelona. After visiting them for 5 days in September 2022, I am here again, staying at their flat, because they convinced me to choose Spain over the other countries on my digital nomad wish list! Whirlwind friendships, love, weekend trips, international relocations…that’s how we live, and I can't say that I mind it.

Let me know what you're curious about in Spain or want to hear about specifically! I'll focus the blog entries on your interests. <3 xo, Nikki