A schoolyard with panoramic views of Barcelona
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this 3-part travelogue, I was very lucky to have been able to spend four days with friends in Barcelona before heading to Madrid for a week of meetings at my company’s headquarters. I stayed in my friend Wyatt’s ex-wife’s apartment in the Barri Gotic area, an interesting and eclectic part of town, though quite touristy. Wyatt’s ex works in film production and was on location in Galicia, so I had the place to myself – an incredible treat. I did a terrible job of adjusting to the time change, as I stayed up until 3 am every night and slept until 11 am every morning. Granted, it was only four days, but what a great way to hit the refresh button.
Wyatt’s daughter, Lola, is 4 years old (turning 5 in November). He and his ex-wife share custody of her 50/50, so she has her own room at both apartments. When she was a baby, they were fortunate to get a spot in the public daycare system. Like other European countries who also have public daycare options, Spain’s public option employs the highest qualified teachers (much better than private daycares and preschools, strangely enough), and it is VERY cheap. For 300 Euros per month, your child has full-time care, plus meals. The unfortunate part is that everyone pays taxes that support these programs, but there are not enough spots for all children. Sound familiar? It might, if you also just went through the application process for a public preK spot.
Lola is now in the public school system. Children start school at age 3 in Spain, so she just finished her first year. Wyatt tells me that her school is “fine for now”, as there is a lot of diversity in the classroom in the early years, though apparently the diversity at her particular school wanes as the kids get older and parents look for more academically rigorous options for their kids.
My friend Diana and I taking in a little sun
I spent a day with Wyatt and Lola at their beach house on the Costa Brava. It was a pretty amazing little sliver of paradise. The Costa Brava is made up of hundreds of little coves or bays called calas. Some are sandy beaches, some are rocky. Theirs is rocky and has about 10 tiny houses that share walls on either side with both neighboring houses. Each tiny house had a whole gaggle of friends and family hanging out, eating, drinking, swimming, and playing, and everyone seemed to know one another. Wyatt said he’s been renting this house for five years, and he and Lola try to drive up every chance they get – even in the colder months – so I guess it’s no surprise that there’s a strong sense of community there. Lola was 100% entertained with all the other kids who were there.
The water off the Costa Brava is COLD, so I spent most of the time seated in the shade, sipping wine and eating the delicious lunch that Wyatt made. We had fried, salted artichokes to start (very typical in Catalonia), followed by a green salad and grilled chicken and veggies. One observation I made (as I sat watching all of the other households having their lunch) was that Wyatt was the only man doing any work. At all the other tables, the women and girls were scrambling to get food and drinks on the table, wash dishes, make coffee, etc. It reminded me of a time many years ago, when a Spanish friend of mine visited my family and me in the U.S. She couldn’t believe that my brother was the first to get up from the table to clear the dishes and clean up. This same friend now has twin boys who are one year old. I wonder if she’ll raise them to share in the domestic responsibilities?
Part three of this travelogue to follow in a few days. Please feel free to share your memories of Barcelona and the Costa Brava with us – or any observations you’ve had related to child rearing in other countries. -Kim