This means “Hi, how are you” in Mallorquin. Not only do I now have to learn Spanish – and German – but I also feel compelled to learn some of the traditional language spoken here in Mallorca! Why German, you ask. Because there are practically as many Germans on the island as Spanish! Not to mention the obvious, but I am also married to a German.
We are over a month into our new adventure and I am muy relajado! See what I did there? I am going to learn by doing! G and I are both very relaxed, in fact. It’s hard not to be, when you live on an island in the Mediterranean! Luckily we both grew up as expats in Saudi Arabia and South Africa, because otherwise our heads would have exploded by now. Nothing happens quickly around here.
First of all, our well water is not fit to drink. We have the option of city water, but that isn’t much better. We were supposed to get a filtration system put in weeks ago, but due to a supply issue it was postponed. The guys finally came last week and said it would be finished the next day by noon….but the next day they were here until 5:00 trying to resolve an issue with the filter. “We will come back tomorrow,” the boss said. “What time?” G asked. The boss was wishy washy. G told me later he wouldn’t be here. He was right. It was Friday afternoon before it was finally finished, which was a relief because we had friends coming for the weekend!
We also have a defective washing machine. It is brand new, mind you, but upon first use, the water backed up. When we drained it, we found a pile of rocks in it. Don’t ask me how they got there – the machine is brand new! “Maybe a disgruntled worker put them in,” G hypothesized. It will remain an unsolved mystery. A technician from Miele came last week to take a look and said the drum was defective. He said he would recommend the company replace it, but as it is past the warranty (although new, it was put in the house in 2018/2019), there was no guarantee. We have continued to use the machine, but we can hear the rocks banging around under the drum. Luckily, we found out yesterday that the company is going to send us a new one. Hallelujah!
The last major headache – if we were prone to headaches – is that there was a punch list of items that needed to be fixed within a month of our signing the contract for the house….which was well over a month ago!Warped doors, peeling paint, the iron gate that almost sliced G’s foot off when he tried to open it and it fell off its rusted hinge, just to name a few of the issues. The contractor’s guys showed up for a couple of days two weeks ago (after G’s prodding) and seemed to work diligently before they disappeared again. G contacted the contractor again last week to remind him that the month had come and gone. He showed up with his guys and they got a few more things done. But now the warped door is gone – of course to the room our friends wanted to stay in – and we have no idea when it will be back.
You have to be a “squeaky wheel” to get attention around here. And it helps to know some Spanish. Like Quizá, quizás (maybe) and Mañana (tomorrow).
Luckily we have a beautiful spot to enjoy while we wait…..
What the Focus 