Spain. Eh, It’s Good Enough.

This is one of my favorite differences between Barcelona and the US. Besides being the land of “mañana”, it is also the land of “good enough”. We apply this phrase mostly to construction, but we also applied it to government processes and rental procedures (to our dismay). Upon looking for our long-term flat, we viewed many apartments. A recurring theme of poor construction and dated interiors surfaced, and we eventually deducted that people do not update their flats like we do in the States. And, why would they? Apartments are only meant for sleeping and basic necessities, as this is an outdoor culture. Eating out for most meals, meeting friends and family in the bars and cafés, and using plazas for children playgrounds is what the Spanish do best. All day long. There is no need to update because no one spends time inside, so why spend the money? And, if everything works, why would one replace anything? And, this is how, good enough came to be.

I started documenting “good enough” when we moved into our flat 2 years ago. We had a list of repairs for the landlord, some of which were addressed. Some of the items were met with a shoulder shrug stating this is just how things work. Don’t get me wrong. We have awesome landlords, but we came in with US standards. Our flat was constructed in 1978 and it is exactly how it remains today. It was time to lower our standards and embrace all things ’70’s. It was time to ask, “But does it work for now? Then it is good enough.” And shrug our shoulders like the rest.

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Our list of move-in punch-out items quickly became an ignore list or a fix-it-ourselves tally. We did install light fixtures (that we purchased) to replace the live wires or dangling light bulbs. I bought paint remover and cleaned up all the trim (from all the coats of paints in the last 40 years). We installed new closet hinges and clasps, and so much more. And, most recently, we have re-installed the kitchen sink.

It is Day 19 of lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak. There is no end in sight. We are bored but surviving. And from the heavens above, our under-mounted kitchen sink unattached from the granite counter overnight. I wake up to a PROJECT! And a big project to boot! I am actually excited something broke. While I wished the entire kitchen would break and I could replace it, I am left with figuring out how to re-install the kitchen sink and the only place open is the grocery store. I wait for DJ, my husband, to wake later and tell him there is something fun in the kitchen. He thinks it is a new recipe, but, surprise! We get to tackle something nasty.

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As you can see, it was gross. There were at least 3 types of silicone, adhesive, and epoxy mixed with mold holding that sink to the counter from years of “repairs”. I detached the plumbing parts that I could. I concluded that the plumbing also falls into the “good enough” category. The sink drain can’t be removed and it has 2 parts that allows food particles and sludge to remain between these two parts. The P-traps (U-joints) are just corrugated pipes that allow coffee grounds to forever remain in the hundreds of wells. And these are the new joints we requested from the landlord to help eliminate the smell.

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While scraping and bleaching everything, we had to figure out what product to use to put the sink back up. With the quarantine, the hardware stores are closed, so Amazon Spain became the solution. The next obstacle is translating every product and review to ensure we choose the right adhesive. After hundreds of videos and research, DJ finalized on “No Mas Clavos”. Translated, this means “No More Nails” or commonly known in the US as “Liquid Nails”. YES! We are familiar with this type of product and we order it. And then we wait 2 days for the tube to arrive, which is relatively fast for Amazon Spain. Meanwhile, we have been using the little sink in the kitchen and it has quickly become a pain in the neck.

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Our three day project was a success! No Mas Clavos worked brilliantly. We put in another small bead of silicone to keep out the mold. We pulled out a really nice bottle of cava and toasted to our accomplishment. True to our roots, we did not half-ass it and it was more than good enough. However, I told DJ that I want to tackle the little sink next. We have time…looks like we may be here awhile.