It dawned raining in Asturias. It was Thursday, 4 November 2020, in the city of Avilés. We got up at an ungodly hour to catch the plane and be there before midday to sign the purchase. With our heads full of doubts and determined to see it through no matter what, we presented ourselves before the notary and signed.

The supposed joy of the buyer was a luxury we could not afford. The weight of uncertainty far outweighed any optimism. If we were there, it was because we wanted to believe that at the end of this long road there would be a future that would make up for all the sleepless nights ahead.

The first of those came precisely that very first night, as I lay awake turning over in my mind something as seemingly trivial as the plot where the house would discharge its wastewater. Without going into technical details, it turned out that this land also belonged to the seller, who had generously granted us a portion so we could install the septic tank and anything else we might need. In his words, “that land is as good as yours.”

I have to say that, while I never doubted his word, what we signed before the notary was a private agreement binding only the current owners. It does not automatically extend to our respective heirs or to any future buyers of either property. Later that night, during the early hours of that endless evening, I was able to confirm that we had documented the agreement sufficiently to ensure no one could deny us the right to use that land. However, it is not as solid as a fully official transfer, which would have significantly increased the cost of the purchase and forced the seller to carry out other equally expensive procedures with potential future complications.

In short: verbal agreements and private contracts have long been the currency with which land and properties have been managed in certain rural areas. Trying to demand full transparency and official paperwork in a world apart like this one is a dead end, littered with bureaucratic obstacles.

In short, it’s ours now. Whatever we do from here, we can already start thinking about another place where there will (or will not) be a different home from the one we have today. I thought it was important to record this entry in the blog.