My first month in Spain – what I wish I’d known…!

Adapting to a new life…

Having been in Spain now for just over a month, I thought I’d reflect on how it has been and what I wish I had expected before coming.

1 – the Spanish timetable

            Breakfast at 11:30, lunch at 3, tea at 6 and dinner at 10? In short, I can’t hack it. Firstly, I end up having two breakfasts because I can’t last til 11:30 with no food. Having lunch at 3 means you end up wasting the entire afternoon cooking and eating (so I don’t normally eat til 4pm). A small snack at 6/7 means that really, I’m not that hungry for dinner, so I start cooking at 9 to eat at 9:30/10pm. By the time I’ve finished and washed up, it’s nearly 11 o’clock most nights so time for bed in order to get up at 7! However, sleeping is no mean feat as my body is still trying to digest dinner…! Basically, it’s going to take some adjusting to… at least the food is tasty!

2 – it rains 

            Not much, but a lot. See my previous post here. I really wish I’d brought waterproof shoes as I sit here with soggy socks…! (YUM)

3 – everyone is so welcoming

            And I mean everyone! Even the lady in the bank was very happy to help me and asked me how I was getting on. And the lady in the €10 shop helped me and Valentina when we were using the wrong word for an electric whisk! Batidor and amasador are different things apparently…!

4 – it’s exhausting

            I’m exhausted. Getting to know so many new people means A LOT of socialising which super fun and important but also so tiring! It’s also taxing trying to speak or listen to up to 5 different languages every day – English in the school, Spanish at home with Valentina, Italian with her and her friends, Catalan with my co-workers and Catalan classes and German with some other friends! My brain is struggling to cope and I’m getting very confused!! Hopefully it’ll get easier…

5 – everything is casual

            Before arriving at my school, I asked my tutor what the dress code was, to which she responded, “we don’t have one, just use your common sense”. Coming from the English education system, it is incredibly weird to see the headmaster wearing a rugby polo shirt and jeans, and other staff members wearing slogan t-shirts and ripped jeans! Even the lady in the bank was wearing jeans and a t-shirt! But I won’t complain, it’s super comfy! 

6 – 15 degrees is cold

            Trust me, after 3 weeks of weather in the high twenties, we were hit last week by an extremely cold morning – 15 degrees. This feels like you’ve just stepped into a fridge when the day before you were sunbathing on the beach! Of course, during the day it warmed up to a balmy 25 degrees, but the morning was freezing! I’m going to need the heating on please mum and dad when I come home this weekend!

7 – markets are cheap

            Last weekend Valentina and I went to the market in Bonavista and I bought about 12 kilos of fruit and vegetables for less than €15! And it’s all so fresh and tasty!

8 – alcohol is dangerously cheap, and tasty

            Another tasty thing is, of course, alcohol – you can’t go to a country and not savour their alcohol. Here, SANGRIA! Very dangerous because it’s so cheap. Also, with every drink you usually get a tapa, or you can order one – my favourite is patatas bravas – mmmm! A specialty of this region is also vermut, which I tried this week and would also recommend!

9 – water tastes like swimming pools 😦

            The tap water here is drinkable, however it tastes like chlorine because that’s what they use to purify it. So, we buy bottled water from the Spar for €0,95 for 8 litres which tastes much better and isn’t too expensive. I’m sorry for ruining the environment with more plastic, but the bottles are recycled (as far as I know…!) It also gives me an opportunity to do a bit of exercise – one time I left the spar and a man said to me “estás muy fuerte” (you are very strong) as I was carrying 2 bottles, so I guess I can take that!

10 – everyone wants to practise their English with you!

            Having been here for just over a month now, I have still only had one conversation in Spanish with my coworkers: the problem being they ALL want to practise their English with me! At least Valentina and I speak Spanish at home! Although it is frustrating as I want to improve my Spanish, it does mean that I’m not completely forgetting my English!

That is all for today, folks! More to come soon so stay tuned!!