“Is a groveling email offering to pay damages enough?” I asked Rich the morning after the party. “Or do you think this requires www.FakeMyDeath.com?” “Let’s see how they respond to the email,” he said soothingly. “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think.” It all started innocently enough when an American friend here in Seville remarked that in a moment of insanity he’d promised his young boys he’d make a life-sized bull’s head that they could paint. “How do I even start?” he wailed. “You’re in luck,” I told him. “There’s a local artist who makes papier-mâché bull’s heads; I’m sure he’ll sell one unpainted. And I’ve got crafts supplies you can use.” Two weeks later my friend threw a big party, and before heading to the drinks table, I handed over a box of paints and brushes to a group of ten kids, aged maybe six to twelve, who disappeared into a room with a life-size papier-mâché bull’s head and no adult supervision. It wasn’t until late in the evening, around the time one of the guests was demonstrating how to remove the cork from a bottle of champagne with a sword, that I began to wonder uneasily just what the kids might be getting up to. “I’m sure they’re fine,” I told myself, applauding as the cork shot across the room. It wasn't until I woke up late the next morning that I began to focus properly, and with hideous clarity, on the amount of damage kids with paint brushes could inflict on walls, floors, furniture, lampshades … and did I remember that one of the guests had a white dog? With some trepidation I emailed the hosts and received back blithe assurances that no damage at all had occurred, and everyone was delighted with the painting project. Whew! “I guess we don’t have to move to another city and assume new identities,” I told Rich. Eventually those friends left Seville, and the bull’s head was passed along to another family, then another. A week ago, to my astonishment and delight, those currently housing the beast announced they were handing it over to me. As we (and by "we," of course, I mean Rich) carried the bull’s head home through the densely packed streets around the cathedral, locals and visitors poured out of cafés to capture the one-man parade with their iPhones. ![]() People often ask me why I enjoy living abroad, and for a start I cite the many zany moments like this one that pop up unexpectedly, keeping expat life so vivid. Yes, living in a foreign place can be challenging at times, but it’s also tremendously exciting, with astonishing surprises seemingly around every corner. You certainly don’t find yourself stuck in a rut, operating on automatic pilot, wondering when your zing faded to monotony. In the past, nearly all my American friends and relatives used to think I was bonkers to live abroad. Not anymore. Nowadays half the people I know, and quite a few I don’t, are flooding my email inbox with requests for advice about resettling overseas — preferably somewhere with congenial company, good weather, and affordable wine. And fewer rampaging wildfires, mass shootings, and terrifying headlines. I can’t respond to each email in as much detail as I’d like, so as my regular readers know, I recently put together Enjoy Moving Abroad, a Three-Book Set of Insider Tips for Living Well Overseas. It includes updated and expanded editions of two previously published guides, 101 Ways to Enjoy Living Abroad: Essential Tips for Easing the Transition to Expat Life and my bestselling Pack Light, plus How to Meet People on the Road: A Guide to Forming Friendships in Foreign Lands, published here for the first time. These days the vast majority of my books are bought in Kindle format, but with the holidays approaching, I thought a paperback would be nice for those who prefer giving “real” books. And while normally I market my books exclusively on Amazon, if you're in Seville, you'll soon have the opportunity to buy this book at an actual, brick-and-mortar shop: Isla de Papel (Puerto del Osario, 14). This cozy bookstore is owned by my publisher friends Heidi and Enrique, who installed one of the amazing new print-on-demand machines — basically a giant copier that can print, collate, cover, and bind a book in just seven minutes. I emailed Enrique pdf files of the cover and text, and on Friday he did a successful test run, producing a single book. In the next week or so, he'll run off a small batch and then keep printing more copies whenever they are needed. How cool is that? We live in an age of technological marvels that often outstrip the science fiction I read as a kid. When I’m in my home state of California, the atmosphere is a dizzying mix of thrilling futuristic visionaries and a dystopian landscape where whole towns can disappear overnight. I love my state and my country and spend time there regularly, but it’s always comforting to return to Seville, an ancient city that survived the Visigoths, the Moors, the Inquisition, and Franco’s dictatorship — to name but a few. Its past is a constant reminder that dark times don’t last forever and every generation somehow finds the strength and ingenuity to deal with the future. In the meantime, Sevillanos have much to teach us about living in the present. Whatever else is happening, they never forget to enjoy family, friends, cold beer, hot tapas, and a one-man bull’s head parade. I can think of few better reasons for moving abroad that the lessons it teaches us about coping with uncertainty and embracing life’s small, quirky pleasures whenever they come our way. Book Details Enjoy Moving Abroad is now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback. The Kindle price will go up in a few weeks, but right now I have it priced as low as Amazon allows: 99 cents to purchase, free for those enrolled in Kindle Unlimited. If you have a chance to order it from Amazon and leave a review I would be very grateful. The more reviews I get the higher the book is ranked, making it more visible to those seeking this kind of information. Unfortunately Amazon is now quite strict about insisting you order the book from them if you want to post a review.
12 Comments
Lois Boubong
11/20/2018 06:19:56 pm
Thanks for another fun to read article! I'm among the many wannabe expats and gave just ordered your book. Can't wait to read it. Congrats!
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Karen McCann
11/20/2018 06:32:22 pm
Delighted that you enjoyed the article, Lois, and to hear that you may be joining the ranks of the expats. It's been a wonderful choice for us, and if you do decide to move abroad, I hope you'll find the book helpful!
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Phyllis Thomas
11/20/2018 07:03:52 pm
Karen, I've been wondering if your home is in the way of the big California wildfires. Our grandsons are in CA and report smoke and ash, but are still safe. We pray for all those so severely affected.
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Karen McCann
11/21/2018 07:23:21 am
Thanks for your kind concern, Phyllis, Rich and I are safe in Spain, and our cottage is 100 miles south of the fire, so it's safe from the worst dangers. Our neighbors write to tell us that the air is so thick with smoke they can't open windows or go outside without a mask. The scale of this fire and the tragedy it has caused is hard to comprehend.
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Nancy Solak
11/21/2018 02:39:16 am
I think you found the perfect place for Mini! Where's the photo of the room the kids painted in the day after?
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Karen McCann
11/21/2018 07:31:40 am
On the day after, Nancy, I didn't have the nerve to inspect the room, much less photograph it, but I've been back to the house many times since and failed to detect any stray blobs of paint. These kids were obviously much better behaved than I was at their age!
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Great article, Karen. We are proud to have played our bit part in the bull head's eventual journey to Calle Deán López Cepero. I find inspiration in your observation that "...dark times don’t last forever and every generation somehow finds the strength and ingenuity to deal with the future."
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Karen McCann
11/21/2018 07:42:21 am
Randy, I should have known that even across thousands of miles you'd be able to tell that beverage wasn't coffee. Yes, it's tea with cream — well, to be scrupulously honest, almond milk. I happened to be drinking some at the time and thought the shot needed a touch of color. You are still constantly referenced around here as our resident coffee expert; we're always trying new places and saying, "Not bad brew, but hardly up to Randy's standards!"
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C Saunders
11/21/2018 02:51:28 pm
You are right about your adopted home - family and friends seem to come first on the Iberian peninsula. Food and drink are considered a pleasure not a chore.
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Karen McCann
11/21/2018 04:08:44 pm
I'm chuckling over the image of a black and white cow on roller skates. I'm sure Mini would love to meet such a dashing bovine. Yes, you're so right about food and drink being viewed here as a pleasure not a chore, a science experiment, or a guilt-inducing sin. I think we could all learn something from that attitude!
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Faye
11/26/2018 05:06:34 pm
Love this story and the bull head. So colorful and I know gave the children such joy and happiness to paint. Reminds me of the painted cows in the Zurich train station (and everywhere else in Zurich) I encountered many years ago. The psyche has a way of presenting us with images (of all living things) that are of benefit to us and also makes us happy....so many things to be grateful for! Thanks, Karen!
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Karen McCann
11/26/2018 07:32:12 pm
Delighted to hear the story struck a cord with you, Faye! I've seen photos of the Zurich cows and they are a total hoot. As for the kids, I agree, they will no doubt have long and happy memories of the painting project. And they did beautiful work; I certainly get a kick out of that bull's head every time I see it!
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As my regular readers know, I never get free or discounted goods or services for mentioning anything on this blog (or anywhere else). I only write about things I find interesting and/or useful. I'm an American travel writer living in Seville, Spain and my home state of California. I travel the world seeking eccentric people, quirky places, and wacky food so I can have the fun of writing about them here.
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