Homecoming, Friends and Muscles

We were warmly welcomed back into our previous life, starting with a sweet surprise at the airport. First, Yaara greeted us at the customs exit, followed by her daughter a few meters away, then her son, and then Liad with her children. A corridor of beloved friends accompanied us all the way home. At home, a table awaited us, filled with pastries, flowers, and treats from the legendary Berkeley group—a particularly close circle of friends, through thick and thin. They even left us with a stocked fridge. Dan, our sweet and multilingual friend, made sure to remind us of where we came from (groceries from the Spanish store in Berkeley) and where we were returning to (licorice candy for the kids). When we finally got home, Yaara and Liad suggested leaving us in peace for a bit, saying "you must be exhausted". I promised them that what we needed most was not peace and quiet, but friends. And so they stayed. When they eventually left, they took one of our kids with them for a few days, like a family would.

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Then came challenges in the form of school assignments—different from the school we left. The system seemed impenetrable. It was frustrating and stressful. But even then, warm-hearted friends appeared, helping in every possible way until that problem was also solved.

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One of the elusive moments, in terms of my ability to describe how I felt, was a Saturday in January this year when Monica joined me at the hospital to check on my leg, which had suddenly become so painful that it was completely non-functional. It was troubling and frightening, and she immediately offered to come with me. After an X-ray and a “wait for the results,” we left the hospital, with Monica supporting me on the way to the car. We were almost alone on the street on an early Saturday morning in a sleepy suburb of Madrid, and it felt very warm. I could see both of us from above—this warm human scene, this intimacy between two women, friends, walking together like that.

When I say the description is elusive, it’s because, despite the pain, fear, and worry, I loved that moment, and strangely, I even missed it a little while it was happening.

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The most important and joyful discovery for me in the past year was that it’s possible to make good and close friends now, just like then, despite our age/stage/language barrier. Us, not just the kids. The desire for close connections and our social needs found an outlet at some point. Initially thanks to other good friends (because that’s how friends are, they’re a rolling gift) who introduced us to wonderful people like Silvia and Pere, and then I found my own place with Mounya and Florencia. And family friends, entire families who took us in as a family, and helped us in so many ways. Our dear friends, Nieves and Antonio, Marian and Gerardo, Carola and Diego. It felt good to know that this social muscle is still in shape. My wish is to keep it that way