Hi everyone!

I am back from my 9 week family adventure to Spain and I can honestly say now it feels like I never even went! I jumped right back into the swing of things and I love seeing all of you again. Believe it or not, I really did miss this place when I was gone!

I wanted to tell you about our life changing experience in Spain. We flew into Valencia, a city close to the water which is the third largest city in Spain. We rented a small apartment and lived there for almost 7 weeks! We also visited Barcelona and the gorgeous island of Mallorca! To say we fell in love with Spain is an understatement.

We took Spanish classes as a family three times a week and I gotta say, we got pretty good towards the end! We also put the kids in art classes which they loved. The intent was to really immerse ourselves in a new country, language, and culture. We wanted to truly feel like we were living there and that’s exactly how it felt.

Every morning we would walk to the market and get fresh croissants, pastries and our produce for the day. We would walk to our local park, sit at a café and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening while our kids would play soccer with other kids they had just met on the street. It was pretty much a dream.

By the end of our 9 weeks we would be running into neighbors on the street and chatting, the owners of our favourite restaurants and cafés would smile and wave, and our favourite ice cream shop owners from Italy would see my kids playing and come out and hand them an ice cream cone on the house. It was just so lovely and the people were beyond kind.

Life there runs at a different pace. People work hard but what really got me is how everyone seems to truly and genuinely enjoy life there. I never saw anyone on their phone or even have their phone out at a restaurant or café once. Not one single time!

If there’s anything I learnt is how different the world can be, but how similar we all are at the end of the day. I hope to have taken with me their love for life and the ability to really be in the moment. It’s a lot harder than you would think!

I could not have had this experience without the girls here who held down the fort while I was gone and to all of you, my patients for being so supportive. Your well wishes, gifts, and messages were so incredibly encouraging.

As we gear up for the end of yet another Summer and the beginning of another school year, I hope you will take the time to enjoy the little things in life.

See you at the office!

Dr. Sunayna