So, thinking about making a blog, doesn't actually make a blog. I knew that, but still. I intended to make a post when I was a week out from leaving--I was a nervous wreck as you may assume. Yes, I did pack last minute. Yes, I do already regret some of my packing choices, like shorts... I saw Spain as the finish line rather than the beginning before I came. If I can just make it to Spain... the last year was worth it. I worked pretty hard, getting things together, making the dream possible, saving up. I've been taking it easy my first weeks.
The airport was surprisingly easy. I met a girl in my program 30 minutes after sitting down, waiting at my terminal, then another and then another. There was more of us than that, too. The plane ride was nice. I had a window seat and no one sitting next to me. My new lactose intolerant friend gave me their dinner because they couldn't eat either of the options. The entertainment system was broken but I was preoccupied with thoughts. There was some turbulence but it was generally painless and I did sleep some. When we got there we had to wait hours for a free bus to the hotel though. If you know me well, you know I've done worse things to save 30€. All while lugging around 80 pounds of my belongings, surrounded by new colleagues, thirsty/hungry/tired but trying to feel social. When we finally got to the hotel, we couldn't even check in. It was about noon and check in was at 3pm. We did get to store our bags and I got lunch with 3 of my new friends. I got a lox bagel sandwich and coke, it was cheap, like 7€.
After a couple tries, I was allowed in my hotel room. I came find they arranged us by first names so my roommate's name was Taylor. We got along fine. I did not nap. We went out for tapas with our orientation groups, we combined groups so there was about 12 of us. I got this pepper, shrimp, mushroom combo in sauce and a vermouth, (I drank these the last time I was in Spain and not since) it was 17€. There was a tapa with anchovies, tomato, olive that I tried that I did not like, one with brie and a seafood salad one. I was starting to feel a loopy kind of tired.
Breakfast at the Princesa Plaza Hotel (4 stars) is a buffet at the hotel from 7 to 10:30am. They have coffee, eggs, meats, cheeses, fruits, juices, yogurts. For Americans, it kind of asks us to show up at 10:15, we're jet-lagged. I can't imagine the staff loved us, 4 weeks of 100 Americans every week. But I made it every day.
It was a rather stressful week. Everyone was looking for housing and trying to get everything together: roommates, leases, bank accounts, paperwork, appointments, phone plans, etc. Honestly I didn't do much, I hung back. I'm not sure if it was a personal choice or being overwhelmed. But I eventually got a bank account with help and I knew how to survive without a phone plan and I had my housing figured as I was going to be an au pair.
Orientation was generally just making friends, gaining information through talks and presentations around Madrid at parques and cafes by using the metro or walking. I bravely fought jetlag. On Wednesday, three days after arriving, we all went to a flamenco show. It was much different than the flamenco shows I had been to when I studied abroad two years ago. There was a middle-aged man, a woman and an older lady for the dancers, a male guitarist and two singers, one man and one woman. By the end, the man sweat through his suit. We all admired their leg muscles. I couldn’t help but think about the group’s dynamics behind the scenes. The lighting included a projector of Spanish scenes. There was a guitar solo that was very cool. I couldn’t help but believe he was likely the most talented there. At the end, the older lady came out with a tasseled shawl and blew all our minds. We filled the entire theater, all of us from the program, probably 100 people.
Thursday, September 16th, the last day of orientation…
There's something reasonably scary about getting in a car (you were sent a picture of hours before) owned by a man you don't know, with a kid in it that you will care for the next year. But after bonding in a little traffic I got a short tour of the house before going to a neighbor's backyard for lunch. There was like 10 people there and a dog and snacks and a pot full of paella. A man that supposedly lived in San Francisco and kind of reminded me of Will Ferrell spoke some English and handed me a croqueta with rice and cheese in it--it was amazing. They got me a chair and asked what I wanted to drink. But most of it was them talking amongst themselves and me trying to follow. I tried some octopus potato combo that looked encouragingly seasoned but I did not like it. There was cheese as always. The paella was good. I watched the dog steal a shrimp from a table when no one was looking, he decided he wasn't interested. We discussed briefly words like "bromance" and "ok boomer." They talked about surfing, I think. I captured the attention of some of the abuelas present, one of them being the hostess. They spoke some English and said basically they wanted American girls to live with them too. I told them I'd put the word out (somebody from my program did take them up on that offer.)
My first week in the house was really just learning the routine. Mornings were around 8am they had breakfast and cartoons, I tried to sleep in. School lets out at 1pm and then we go to the park for an hour then lunch. Then it's basically playtime, then bath time, dinner and sleep.
I like their pets.
They have a chihuahua named Nina. She's not that nice, she peed in my bed the first week and now she knows I don't like her in my room but continues to test my patience/tolerance. She likes to cuddle near me for warmth. I have seen her try to sneak attack a larger dog, a bicycle and some children. I think we've come to an agreement but we're not besties.
It would be "I love their pets" if it were just the cat. (I guess living at Devin's changed me to more a cat person than anticipated.) The cat is a 9 month old Siamese named Llumi (you-me). She has blue eyes and brown feet/face with some Ombre. She does try to escape, as she is allowed in the backyard and occasionally climbs the fence. Once I found her in the neighbor's yard somehow. She definitely needs to be watched, but she's a beautiful little baby. She likes to half-climb onto your shoulder and enjoys all forms of entertainment including bottle caps. I also don't allow her in my room because of butt crusties and allergens.
My host dad, José is a culinary artist. His paella is some of the best I've had, of the chicken and pork variety. We had burritos and curry and Chinese takeout but it's usually mostly meat and potatoes. They have fruit at the end of every meal: peaches, melon, kiwis. They use olive oil and salt rather heavily. I haven't yet adjusted to the eating schedule. I don't eat breakfast, lunch is between 2-3pm and dinner is at about 9pm. I'm always hungry at noon and 7pm.
My room is nice, it's about the size of mine at home. It's temporary because in about a month I will move to the 'attic' area, it's the entire top floor with a view. They are renovating now. I have automatic shutters, Spaniards use their shutters religiously, every morning and night. I have a TV equipped with Netflix and YouTube. The closet is solid and there's storage under the bed. There's a light that hides behind the shelf of the bed and it's very modern. There's always a light switch next to the bed, genius design.
My host family is very nice and I am grateful to them. My host mom is named Neus, she speaks English very well and is a ophthalmologist. My host dad is named Jose, I think he owns a computer repair company of sorts and he drives a motorcycle and loves all forms of art. Jose doesn’t speak English which is good practice for me, he has been generally very patient and helpful to me. And my primary client Marc, he is seven years old and loves sports and Mario. We spend our time playing Mario, watching cartoons, going to the park and sports practices, playing basketball on the back patio and a game we call volleyball that consists of him hitting a stuffed ball out of the trampoline and me retrieving it. We discuss the differences between Spanish and English and he asks me some words and I tell him words as they come up in conversation, reaching towards mutual bilingual-ness.
This weekend they had more extended family over at the house. I met Jose’s dad, stepmom, brother, sister, mom, niece and nephew. It’s difficult to communicate with the language barrier but we bonded over a large portion of paella. Food-wise it was one of the better “cook-outs” I’ve been to. It was an interesting cultural experience.
This was fun to read! Can’t wait to see more
Awesome, love you, enjoy!