We didn't have a
leaving party when we moved to Mallorca. We didn't want to make a fuss. After all, what if
it didn't work out?
Instead, we just packed up our things and left quietly,
promising to stay in touch, wondering to ourselves how long before we saw our friends and family...
It turns out when
you move to a place like Mallorca, people come to visit you!
In four month,
we've had 16 visitors. Unlike in pricey old London, we've been able to offer
them the spare bedroom, as oppose to the sofa in the living room. The
extra space has meant each visit has gone very smoothly, because everyone has had privacy. My advice on the
visitor front is, only say YES if:
1. YOU LIKE THEM
When moving to a beautiful island, people will inevitably want to take advantage and
stay with you to avoid hotel costs. Be
firm. Or if not firm, inventive with your excuses. Only say yes to people you
genuinely like, otherwise you'll feel resentful.
2. THEY ARE NOT FUSSY EATERS
You don't want to be traipsing around restaurants for hours because your
guest only eats food cooked in avocado oil. If they are going to spend more time
picking tomatoes out of their salad than talking to you, think twice about
inviting them. The ideal visitor thinks everything is DELICIOSO, like my
mother-in-law. Ten points to her.
3. THEY'LL CHIP IN
Your home isn't a hotel, even though you jokingly call it one. You must pluck
up the courage to tell your guest if they take the proverbial wee wee.
I'm not writing
from experience, it just seems like common sense. All our visitors have been much-loved, easy-going and generous.
There have been so many highlights. Having my
brother over for 9 whole days was amazing. Getting to know my husband's
childhood friend from Colombia via Australia was also special.
Only yesterday my
mother and father -in-law left after a month's stay in which we popped over to
the mainland. In Jerez we breathed in air sweetened with sherry, in Seville we caught
a rare glimpse of spontaneous street Flamenco. My own lovely parents, auntie and
uncle, and incredibly, my 92 year old Gramma, also came over for a week on the island to
coincide with my in-laws visit.
To be honest, I find
myself quite bewildered to be suddenly sitting alone in such a quiet flat, which is probably why
I'm scribbling this down.
Surely I must
be relieved to have some alone time?
Certainly for my writing's sake, I do need to
close the hotel for a couple of months. It has been tricky trying to squeeze in
a thousand words here and there and it's quite likely I take on the Nanowrimo
challenge in November (50,000 words in one month) to make up for it.
It's also been
wonderful to have so many visitors, and it makes us feel like we haven't left
everyone far behind. In fact, every time I go to the airport to pick someone up
or drop them off, and not be leaving myself, it makes Mallorca feel a little
bit more like home.
