Leaving Everything to Start Again

Transcript

Chapter 1: From Childhood Holidays to a First Home in Mallorca

Hello and welcome. I’m Helen Cumins and this is Mallorca Living, a space dedicated to those who are dreaming about making Mallorca their home. Today I’m delighted to welcome Enus Herman, originally from Austria and now living in Mallorca. She’s going to tell us all about her journey to arriving here. Let’s dive in.

Enus, you’re very welcome.

Thank you for inviting me.

Thank you for being here. I know English is not your first language.

No.

Sorry, my German isn’t so good, but let’s see if we can do a nice job today of explaining to the listeners a little bit about your journey.

Okay. So let’s go back to your first experience with Mallorca. What brought you initially to Mallorca?

It’s a long time ago because my parents discovered their love very early on in the Balearic Islands and they had a house in Mallorca first. When we children were born, they decided to buy something on Mallorca because they thought it might be better for families. My journey starts very early, when I was a baby.

Oh wow. What part of Mallorca were you? Where did they buy the house?

It was in Santa Ponsa.

Okay. So do you have many childhood memories of having your holidays here?

Yes, absolutely.

So it held a special place in your heart.

Absolutely. Mallorca was very special for me my whole life.

Super. So when did you decide to buy a property here? I know before we met you, you already had a home in Santa Ponsa.

I had an apartment in Cala Vinyes first, and then in Santa Ponsa.

So you have many years of experience living here.

Many years.

But at that point they were holiday homes, right?

Absolutely. Your life was in Austria and then you were spending your vacations here with your family.

Yes.

You had a beautiful home on the first line in Santa Ponsa. When did you buy that? Tell us a little bit about it.

We bought it around 2022, 2023. It was only a holiday home for us, but we loved it too because it was the same corner as our family house before, so it was very family oriented.

The location of this property was amazing.

Absolutely. There’s something special when it’s on the first line and you can hear the sea when you open every morning and every night. And you’re also alone, so it is really nice.

So it must have been quite difficult to let go of that apartment.

It was. I think your heart was somehow connected with that place because of the family memories, but it’s okay.

You reformed that apartment as well, so you had some experience of doing a reform project here on Mallorca.

Yes, we did it. We bought the apartment and it was not our style. It was beautiful, but we wanted a change. We modernized it. It was really very beautiful.

So what made you decide to sell that home and buy a bigger home?

Chapter 2: Leaving Austria for a New Life on the Island

We were thinking a lot of time, or I was thinking that I want to live in another country, so we said okay, let’s try and do it in Mallorca. It’s not easy, don’t understand me wrong, but it’s like a second home. I decided okay, we can come to Mallorca and try to stay here. It was also the same time when I decided to let my profession as a systemic therapist go. I didn’t want to work anymore in this field, so I said okay, let’s go. That was the point because the Santa Ponsa apartment was too small for us. I have two children and we have lots of animals.

You have lots of animals. What? You have a farm?

Now at the moment we rent a home and there are really lots of animals like donkeys and sheep.

Oh really? But you don’t have to bring those with you.

No, no, no. We have three cats and three dogs.

You need a big home and a big garden for space. So you decided, because I know you looked around quite a bit, and at one point you were thinking of a home that would also be a business, like a small hotel, but finally you didn’t pursue that idea and focused on buying a home for your family.

Yes, that’s true. That was the first idea, to complement everything together. It was a nice idea to have it all in one place, but we couldn’t find something like that. We found a plot of land. The view from this plot is beautiful.

What are you looking out over?

It’s in Portol. On one side you see Palma, the lights of Palma, and you see the sea. It’s a little bit far but you can see it. On a clear day it’s really beautiful. On the other side you see the mountains. You have a 360 degree view. I like to have a little bit of everything.

That’s what is a little bit deceiving about Portol. People don’t realize that parts of Portol offer these kind of views of Palma. For listeners who don’t know exactly where Portol is, it’s actually looking onto the airport side of Palma and backing into Santa Maria del Cami area.

Yes, absolutely. I have to say I didn’t know anything about Portol either. I know Santa Maria too, but Lucy told me. It’s quite a difference from Santa Maria. It’s more Mallorcan. You can imagine that they also produce the ceramics. The village is famous for the ceramics.

I think if you choose Portol, you are going really local. You need to speak the language there because it’s predominantly local people living there. So how is your Spanish coming along?

Chapter 3: Learning Spanish & Building a House in Mallorca

I go twice a week to school.

Very good. I try. I knew some words before, but it makes a difference when you live here because you have to speak. When I was here on holidays for two or three weeks, I tried to speak but it’s easier to speak English or German. Now you have to, and I think that’s the push you need. It’s very important because you are here on a Spanish island, so it’s very important to speak Spanish. I also think it’s the way that the locals open their arms to you.

You have a Mallorcan builder building your house, Pep Mascaro. I met Pep and he’s a lovely man.

Absolutely. It’s very funny because he tells me every time that after this construction I will speak perfectly Spanish.

You have all the construction words. I remember when I was renovating here, my vocabulary only expanded as far as construction. But if I went to a dinner party, I was lost.

Lucy, who works with us, Lucy Adamson, she helps me a lot. She speaks Spanish and she goes to the area with me to meetings. She asks me what’s going well and what we can change, and she speaks to the construction company or writes to Pep. She’s helping a lot with the translation. It’s so helpful.

It was a big step because you bought a plot of land that had a license to build, so you could put your own taste in. You could choose the kitchen, the bathrooms. It was a great opportunity, but you had to be very patient because it’s a two-year project. How has that experience been for you?

I loved the construction, the plans for how they built. It is a Mallorcan style with the stones, and the other side is also very modern. I love the combination. Now we are doing the small things inside, like the kitchen. It’s very exciting for me because now I have a really huge room where I can put the kitchen inside. I think it’s very beautiful and it’s the heart of the house where everybody is meeting.

That’s how we live now, isn’t it? Everybody is in the kitchen. I love that.

So patience was the big thing for you. How has that been? Are you a patient person normally?

No, absolutely not. I think this is what I’m really learning now. It will be a really beautiful home for us and all my farm animals. It’s very funny because there was a small dog living at this rental house and now it’s our dog.

So when are you planning to move in?

In June.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for you. So you’ve been renting in between. How was it difficult to find a rental on the island?

Chapter 4: Overcoming Rental Challenges with Local Support

Yes, it was difficult because with the animals it’s a little bit difficult, and rentals are also a bit expensive.

Where is the house you’re renting now?

It’s in Bóquer, but we rented before a house in El Molinar. It was a little bit difficult because of the neighbors. It was a bit stressful. I decided to move to another rental home because we knew the construction would take a little longer. Pep from the construction company said he knew a man in Bóquer. Of course he did. He knows everything in Portol. Nothing moves that Pep doesn’t know about. So we found this home.

Isn’t it great that when you’re plugged into the network here, things open up? When you’re on the outside, nobody’s really there for you. But when you step in and start building relationships with people locally, there’s a trust and then all this help shows up. When you come to a new country, things start flowing.

Chapter 5: Finding Land & Building a Home with Expert Guidance

Enus, you contacted us some years ago in the early stages of your search for a home, and then you connected with Lucy Adamson. You and Lucy have been on a journey for these last two years.

Yes, she is on a journey.

So can you tell us what that experience was like for you?

I met Lucy the first time and told her we were looking for an existing home at first because that was the plan. She was great, really motivated. I was living in Vienna at the time and had to manage everything from there. Lucy helped me so much because she was on the ground here. She found me the existing houses and then she would say, “Enus, come on, when can you come to Mallorca for a viewing trip?” We would do it often in one day. I would fly in in the morning, she would have organized all the viewings, and I would fly out again in the evening.

Did she do video viewings for you sometimes?

Yes, at first sometimes, but it was very important for me to see it in person because it’s a feeling to find the right home. It’s a process. Many people begin with one idea in their head and end up with something completely different. You see something, you fly back, you think about it, you speak with the family.

I remember one house we went to see for you close to Festival Park. You really liked it.

Yes, but what I have now is even better because it’s more in the village. For the kids and everything, it’s better to be in the village and not so outside. The view I have now is amazing, and I was able to put my own stamp on it.

Once you found the plot, what else was Lucy able to help you with?

At first I had a breakdown about the total cost. It’s confusing to know which costs are coming, which taxes are coming. Lucy made lots of summaries for me to see the overview of everything. It’s very important. Also for the legal level, she made recommendations for lawyers. She told me about a Spanish-Mallorcan lawyer. It’s very important to have a Mallorcan lawyer because the law is different. He speaks German, so it was really good for me to have communication with him. It’s very difficult to speak at that level with someone.

So he was able to help you with all of that. Now we are bringing this project to an end.

Yes, now we are pushing every week. We are driving to the site. I’m becoming the best friend of Pep. You have to be active in this project.

You have a young daughter and an older one.

Chapter 6: Raising Children & International Schools in Mallorca

Is your younger daughter going to school here now?

Yes, both are going. My older daughter is 16 and my younger daughter is eight. They both go to Agora School.

You’re happy with it?

Absolutely. It was very funny because the first idea for my oldest was to go to the academy in Santa Maria, which would be very close to your house. One month before we came, she decided, “No, mom, I want to see Agora too.” She saw the school and was absolutely in love with it.

Is she doing IB now?

Yes, she’s doing the two-year IB program. The eight-year-old is in primary school.

My daughter went to Agora for 15 years. She started when she was three and finished at 18 with the IB. She loved it. She was a very happy student and the results were very good.

It’s a really good international school because the children learn in Spanish and English. They have a lot of sports facilities, music. It’s very important.

For your older daughter, was it difficult to make the transition from the Austrian education system to the Spanish one?

At first, no. She was much clearer than I was. She said, “Mom, come on, let’s do it now and don’t think about it.” She is doing really well here. She has found lots of friends. The difficulty is building a bridge between old friends and new friends, but that’s something she can learn to manage.

Maybe she will go back to Austria for university?

No, she said she will go to Madrid.

Madrid is supposed to be fantastic. I told her, you have two years and then you can go back, and she said, “No, mom, I never want to go back.”

It’s so important to have the whole family committed to this decision.

Chapter 7: Adapting to Island Life & Future Dreams

Was there anything that surprised you along the way that you expected would be more difficult but you found easier?

I think everything is a little calmer here. At first it’s also a little challenging because we come from a big city, Vienna, and everything is so fast there. I knew everything would be calmer here, but when you feel it, it’s different. You have to manage it too. But now I think it’s better for life. You become a little quieter and calmer. A calmer mind is so important for your health.

But I don’t think you’re going to stop and do nothing here. You have plans. Do you want to tell us a little bit? Are you hoping to do something here on the island in the future?

The plans were to maybe find a little hotel or a retreat center. I want to create an area where health is very important, maybe a medical center for yoga and meditation. We will see. I’m not going to slow down totally, but I will do it much more quietly. I have lots of plans.

Wonderful. I want to wish you all the best. Thank you so much for using our service. Some quickfire questions before we finish: beach or mountain?

Beach.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise.

Summer heat or winter calm?

Summer heat.

Siesta or fiesta?

Now fiesta.

Pa amb oli or ensaïmada?

Pa amb oli.

North coast or south coast?

South coast. It brings me a lot of good memories of life on Mallorca.

I wish you and your family all the best. I hope Pep meets the June deadline and that you can get into your home for summertime and enjoy everything that brings to your life.

Thank you so much, and thank you for you and your team for everything.

You’re very welcome. A pleasure.