The run down:
-I made it to Madrid, and I’m living with a family here for two weeks (Raquel, Paco, Sandra-7, Laura-8).
- I’ve gotten lost a lot, and my Spanish is shit.
-El Corte Inglés is Target on steroids.
-El Menú del Dia is beer, bread, a starter, and entrée and dessert…for about 10 euro.
-My day goes as follows: 8 eat breakfast with the girls, 9 ride with Paco to drop the girls off, 10-5 study and explore, 5 meet the girls at school, 6 ride with Raquel and the girls home, 7 nap, study, or work out, 9 eat supper then help the girls with English, 12 sleep.
-I found a family to live with in Ourense, and will be moving in  a week.

 

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        My first week in Spain  has gone better than I could have ever expected. As I said in my first blog, I found a family to live with for a few weeks here in Madrid. The mother spoke English, so I thought it would be a nice transition given my Spanish is ridiculously poor. The family has two girls, (Sandra 7 and Laura 8). The mother, Raquel told me her and Paco, the father, would bring the girls and pick me up at the airport. Before leaving, I told my mom the only bag I couldn’t lose was the one with my high heels and snowboard. As to be expected, that was the only bag an airline has ever lost in ALL my travels.  Luckily, when I reported it lost they informed me it was on a later flight from London, and they would drop it off at the house the next morning. It arrived, shoes and board in tack.

            When I found my new family there girls were waiting with hand made “Bienvenida Amber”  (welcome) signs. They had on adorable matching dresses and the each gave me two kisses, one on each cheek (as is the Spanish custom). The family welcomed me with open arms and have been nothing but fantastic since I first met them.

            The house I am staying at has four floors. I live in the basement and have my own fridge, bathroom/shower, bed, couch, desk, storage space and a disco ball! Upstairs there is the kitchen, a bathroom, living room/dining room and a patio with a pool. The third floor has each girl’s room, a guest room, a bathroom, then Paco and Raquel’s room with their own bathroom. And finally, on the fourth floor is Paco’s work space, and by work space I mean DJ set up. He was a DJ in Madrid for many years. I forget his current occupation, but he works from home. Raquel worked for British Airlines for many years and now works for a Canadian company that trains pilots, I believe.

            The first day I arrived I unpacked and rested. That evening we went to eat with some family friends. The next day I bought a train ticket. While technically the city I am living in is Madrid, I am about a 30 minute train ride from the center of the city. I hopped on the train and planned to meet up with a friend from college who has been living in Madrid for a year.  I got lost a few different times and asked for directions, which were given to me in Spanish, so I had no idea what they were saying. Buuuut, I finally found him and we sat at a park and enjoyed a liter of beer as we people watched. I managed to find my way back home only getting lost once on the way back.

            The next week the girls started school and so began the “normal schedule”. The day typically goes as follows : I wake up around 7:30 and get ready. I meet the girls upstairs for breakfast around 8:15 and we leave for school around 8:30/9. I go with Paco and drop the girls off.  Then I go somewhere (the library, the mall, or into Madrid) as I wait for the girls to finish school. I use that time to study, explore Madrid, send emails, etc. I eat lunch around 2 or 3, as is the norm, and meet the girls at the school at 5. They pack an afternoon snack and we wait at the school until Raquel is finished at work. When we go home the activities vary, lately I have been sleeping due to being 100% exhausted each day! We eat supper around 9 and then I practice reading, writing, and speaking English with the girls for a bit before they get ready for bed. I typically head to be around 12, sleep, and then repeat.
            During my first week I also wanted to look into finding a place to live in Ourense (the city I will be staying in while I teach), beings its kind of important.  I had emailed a few apartments and shared flats but wasn’t having much luck. Raquel suggested that I sign up on this au pair website that she was using as she said there were some families from Ourense looking for English speakers. I was lucky enough to find a family, but they spoke very little English. Raquel agreed to call them for me and inquire what their expectations were and if they were interested in hosting me. After about an hour long conversation with the mother and father, she told their expectations were exactly what I was looking for, and they would love to have me! The expectations were nearly the same as the family I am living with now, only they have two boys (3 and 9). They understand I will want to socialize, travel, and will be working. They do not need me to nanny their children but rather help them, and speak in English when I am at home. Again, in exchange they will house and feed me. This was fantastic news because it eliminated the need to find a place to live, AND should save me about $400 a month that can go straight into my travel fund…errr I mean savings account.

            Since I was able to sort out my future housing situation I took it easy this weekend. I  went on a few runs, took some pictures, made a website, and watched the disgustingly painful Nebraska game! On Sunday, Paco surprised the girls with a new puppy, a tiny little beagle; they named him Joy. :)

            To wrap up I will describe two things you need to know about if you ever get the chance to visit or live in Madrid. The first is “El Corte Inglés”, which is essentially Target on steroids, and they are EVERYWHERE. This is the one-stop-shop for everything you can imagine. The one closest to my house is about the size of an average target…and four floors of it. Then, to top it off they add on a huge grocery store. They are ridiculously large and may very well be the death of my bank account. However, if you find yourself in Spain and need anything from a cell phone to laundry soap, this is the place to go. Second is the “menú del dia”, or “menu of the day”. This is served at lunchtime in nearly every restaurant. They are typically a drink, bread, a first plate, second plate, and a coffee or a dessert…for about $10. They usually offer about three or four different options for both the first and second plates and a glass of beer is almost always an option for the drink. They serve this at lunch because, in Spain, the largest meal is had around 2 or 3. So, El Corte Inglés maybe the death of my bank account, but el Menú del Dia will certainly be the death of my health.