Living in Catalunya 4 – what’s it really like? Helen

April 23, 2015April 9, 2015 ~ Kate Wilson ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in Catalunya?

Or just to move abroad?

This is one in a series of interviews with people who came from other countries to live here. I asked them the same questions that people often ask me to see what different stories emerge. You can read them here over the next weeks.

living abroad — just in case you need to head for the hills

Helen’s Story

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’ve been here for 11 years with my partner and children, following my partner’s quest for lifestyle change. Thought I’d integrate once I mastered the language, didn’t realise how big culture is in the way we live and feel. I like the outdoors so love the chance to live outside more, but I hate the hot summers.

Are you working here and if yes, what do you do?

Yes, run a small rural tourism business from our home. Volunteer with Age Concern in Spain (previously professionally employed in the same field). Give shelter to abandoned animals.

Favourite things about living in Catalunya?

Diverse environments and mainly wonderful weather, going skiing in winter, not working 9 to 5, tactile culture and gentler, safer environments in which to bring up teenagers

Three things you don’t like about life here?

Bureaucracy, managing culture differences and feeling like an outsider more often than not, having less real friends less often. The flipside of not working 9 to 5 – longer hours, difficult work/life balance and being less financially secure

What do you miss most about your ‘home’ country?

Retailing- supermarkets with lots of choice and competitive pricing. M&S, TK Max, boot sales and charity shops- but the odd visit deals with that; popping in to see friends and family, familiar landscapes

Three things you have learned about yourself or life since living here?

Life is short so trying new things and getting out of the comfort zone is worth it, maybe. ‘Can do’ attitude definitely required as challenges abound. Real friends and shared cultural references are really important to have from time to time. Recreating or rediscovering your identity takes a time.

What language(s) do you speak in your daily life?

English, Spanish and understand Catalan which is spoken to me a lot. Plus French and German for the business.

Do you plan to return to your native country and in what circumstances would you definitely want to go back?

Not really, but aware that practically, if you have health problems and not enough resources to pay for care, ensure you have a reliable advocate, this is not a good place to be. I guess if I had no family here, I might be persuaded to go back if my immediate family were there.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of moving to this country?

Plan well, and assume you (and any partner) are mortal, so include that in your planning of eventualities. Expect there to be at least as many challenges as opportunities, downs as ups etc.. Give yourself an escape route, in case it doesn’t work out. Learn Catalan

Visit Helen’s web site for more information about the holiday cottages.

This is one in a series of interviews which I will be posting over the next few weeks while I am walking the Camino. When possible I will also send short updates from my phone on how the walk is going.

Sign up on this page to get all these posts delivered straight to your inbox. News from the Camino will also be sent to The Catalan Way Facebook page so click a Like on there to follow my progress.

From the Camino

April 21, 2015 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 5 Comments

Some memories of my day walking from Leon to Villarreal de Mazarife.

This was my first day alone. My sister left yesterday and all the people I have got to know have disappeared into the distance. This was the moment I ha d feared the most but it was ok although a strange feeling of disorientation came over me last night. I went to mass in La Virgin del Camino and then for a tapa and a glass of wine. For the first time on this trip the waiter gave me the wrong change – five less than it should have been – and didn’t apologise when he corrected it after I asked. Somehow this made me feel vulnerable at the same time as
being glad that I was awake enough to spot it.
Met a convention of pilgrims as I left Leon. Also a group of women in flamenco dresses who went off in another direction.
In Oncina de la Valdoncina there was a stand with refreshments for pilgrims. I had a fresh orange juice and some apricots and a banana. You just give a donation. I’ve decided I must start eating better. I still have aches and pains and dry lips and my face looks old and weary. Less sugar and wine and more nuts, fruit and water. It isn’t easy to eat well as a vegetarian on the camino.
Suddenly the city was totally gone and I was high up on a sunny plane. Only one other pilgrim in sight, a young American who is walking in sandals and has done serious hiking in the USA. Later he suggested I walk on the outsides of my feet for a while, to counterbalance the muscle strain in my legs. It worked!
Now I am lying on bed in an empty dormitory in the albergue. I see that the interesting people have gone across the road where you can cook and it’s cheaper. There are others here but they are in private rooms and seemed a bit snooty when I spoke to them. Could be just me!
I want to rest and sleep well and set off early tomorrow. Hoping my leg recovers soon. Small silly problems but they are making each day’s walk harder and although my energy is good, I feel slow.
Today I cried on leaving Leon. My feet were longing to get off the concrete path but when there were patches of grass they were covered in rubbish. I suddenly felt so sad that we humans don’t value our Planet Earth home. We have messed it up so badly and too many people don’t even care. Everywhere you look there are plants and birds and animals and insects trying to survive on the soft green places but too many humans just destroy it.
Be the solution! I decided to promise that every day I will clean up at least a little of the rubbish I find. Every day of my life.
The Camino is all these things and so much more. Love to you all!

Happy Horses in Montseny

April 16, 2015March 26, 2015 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 1 Comment

Girls and horses

Many girls enjoy reading novels about horses. I was no different. I remember stories about gymkhanas and trekking and the incredible bond between a human and a horse. Every week I went for riding lessons at the local stables.

Unfortunately it wasn’t a very good school and they never picked up that I was actually terrified of horses. I was happy walking slowly around the fields, being led on a white rein, but trotting edged me close to panic and I never got as far as a canter, let alone a gallop or a jump. I was regularly sent into the stables to muck out and although I loved the earthy peaty smells and the sounds from the stalls, I was very frightened when I had to go into a small space with an actual horse.

Sometimes I was very scared

One of my jobs was to put on a tail bandage – I never knew the purpose of this but I did know it meant I had to ignore my mother’s advice never to stand behind a horse. I would rush through it without enjoying the feeling of closeness or feeling any pride in my work.

They never taught me how to be with a horse and I don’t suppose they ever helped the horses know how to be with a frightened child either.

To show us we were safe, they lined us up with arms linked and raced a large horse towards us. This was meant to prove that horses will never, or rarely, run through a group of humans.

There is another way

Imagine how wonderful it was to discover a place here in Catalunya, near the mountains of Montseny, where people and horses learn to respect each other and to work together with love. That was what I always wanted but never found.

Creating rapport with a horse

Happy Horse is run by Una McLister, a Scottish woman who grew up in New Zealand and has lived in Catalunya for 18 years.

She uses only techniques which involve love and respect and body language rather than the far too common ones of force, fear, punishment and domination.

We went to watch her working with this beautiful tall black proud stallion.

I don’t want to say he was being trained as it didn’t seem like that. He was being horse-whispered so that he could listen and respond, relax and enjoy, give and receive.

Stallions are often kept away from other horses as they may be ‘difficult’. This difficulty comes from the fact that they are not allowed a normal life, often being kept in confined spaces and only allowed out to mate. They are used for breeding and the more ‘difficult’ they become, the less love and human contact they receive. In the wrong hands a stallion can be a dangerously powerful and frustrated animal.

This graceful intelligent horse had been through this kind of experience and was depressed when he arrived at Happy Horse. Watching Una and her students work with him was deeply moving and unforgettable. He now allows his ears to be stroked – he’s not comfortable but he can cope it. In the past his ears were hurt and so they are highly sensitive and it takes great trust for him to let another human touch him in this vulnerable place. You see in the picture above that his ears are back and he is not totally relaxed – but what a change from when he first arrived and he couldn’t tolerate touch at all.

As I watched the humans and the horses move around the ring together, sometimes using the motion of a coiled rope to indicate direction and speed, I could see the highly attuned sensitivity of both horse and person.

It was like watching a tango.

Tiny movements communicate clear messages. Just the thought of a change of direction ripples through the air and the other responds to it. It is unbearably sad that so many horses are man-handled around the world without any care for their finely tuned antennae.

Happy Horse runs courses both for interested individuals and for those seeking a professional training. I will go there to heal my own past difficulties with horses. I want to learn how to build rapport, to get close to a horse, to communicate and to share a safe space together. Perhaps I will learn to ride too but this is not my main goal. I want to discover how to be present and to open my heart to a horse.

natural horse training — this is Pujol – learning the ways of love

I want to learn how to dance tango with a horse. As in tango, you need to open your heart.

Please help spread the word about this wonderful horse heaven. You can do this by:-

Sharing this post with your friends and especially those who love horses

Visit and like the Happy Horse Facebook page. There are more photos there and updates about how it is going with Cariñoso and Pujol and many more.

Come over and do a course in Catalunya with Una. Her web site is in Spanish but she’s an English speaker so don’t hesitate to ring or email her with your questions.

And don’t forget to sign up below to receive my weekly posts!

Have you ever had riding lessons? Do you feel confident standing behind a horse? Have you ever had a dream about a wild horse? Let us know in the comments section

Till next time, happy Spring

Living in Catalunya – what is it like? Tiffany – 3

April 9, 2015March 26, 2015 ~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in Catalunya?

Tiffany’s Story

Please tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a stay at home mother of two, a baby and a teenager. I’m Australian, 43 years old and at a relatively low point in my life. 😀 I’m concerned about health issues.

How long have you lived here?

Too bloody long – 5 years

Are you working here and if yes, what do you do?

I work as a yoga therapist, and English conversation teacher/speaker and healer.

Three favourite things about living in Catalunya?

Shops are very close by. Granollers is close to the mountains, the sea, and Barcelona.

Three things you don’t like about life here?

Granollers is not ‘anything’ in itself. It’s not the sea, or the mountains, or a great city. It’s just a point in between the good stuff. People are not friendly or diverse. Not a lot of green spaces.

What do you miss most about your ‘home’ country?

Friendly people. The great outdoors. Support of my family.

Three things you have learned about yourself or life since living here?

That working and earning money was more essential to my self esteem than I expected. You can make a home for yourself by controlling the environment you have around you as much as you can – and its ok. You have got to be kind to strangers. You don’t know their story. Never feel too full up of your own life to let someone else in.

What language(s) do you speak in your daily life here?

99% English 1% Catalan

Do you plan to return to your native country and in what circumstances would you definitely want to go back?

One day, I would like to go back to live. And I would definitely go back if my entire close family died.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of moving to this country?

Learn Spanish, get involved with the society. The hurts you feel are not personal, they are cultural. Keep a happy journal of all the things you love about living here

This is one of a series of interviews which I will be posting over the next few weeks while I am walking the Camino. When possible I will send short updates from my phone on how the walk is going.

Sign up in one of the subscription boxes on this page to get these posts delivered straight to your inbox. More news from the Camino will be sent to The Catalan Way Facebook page so click a Like on there and you can follow my progress.

Are there any questions you would ask someone about what their life is like after moving to an new country? Let us know in the comments and we will try to get some answers and do an update later in the year.

Live from Camino

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015 ~ Kate Wilson ~ Leave a comment

Hello friends – I hope this shows up correctly. Not so easy doing it on the phone.

We arrived early at our albergue so for the first time I have time to write a little here about the journey so far.

I have been walking for 11 days and had one day off to rest my legs and feet and to explore Burgos. I am not sure how far I have come but it is over 200 km. We set off from Pamplona today have reached Rabé de las Calzadas, the last village before entering the mystical (or tedious depending on how you see it) Meseta.

I am looking forward to it. Flat plains mean huge skies. ‘Like a bowl’

They forecast rain tomorrow which means I can dig out the rain cape Tiffany lent me from it’s home at the very bottom of my bag.

What has it been like so far?

Like nothing else I have ever done. It is very satisfying to walk in one direction, especially when that direction is west. The yellow signs are sometimes arrows and sometimes scallop shells and they are always there, leading you in the right direction. I imagine the people who created them like angels or guides who know the way and want to share this with us. In what other part of life do we receive this much help?

Along the way there are cafés and hostels, again as if by magic they provide us with food and a home for the night. All I need to do is walk. I can amuse myself as I wish, chatting or meditating, munching snacks, singing, listening to music, staring blankly at the path, or letting thoughts float through me.

I haven’t experienced a miracle, nor had great insights into my life but I feel lighter and happier here, just eating sleeping and walking and carrying my own things. Life is simpler and while it is not easy walking every day, it is much easier than life off the camino.

Here I know what my task is.

Someone said to me that when we prepare to walk the Camino we also pack our fears.

What fears did I pack?

I brought my Kindle to avoid times alone at night feeling awkward or lonely. It has never been used. I brought 3 inhalers and have hardly used one. But apart from that, the fears I felt before setting off have melted away with each step.