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Another Change of Scene
Once more I find myself thrust from my life in England and placed into another society with different customs and different habits to that of my own. Having spent a lot of time in Syria I don’t think Spain can be any more foreign than Syria was to me, but there have been certain things which I’ve noticed whilst spending time here.
After leaving Syria I came back home and did a few useful things, such as work experience, whilst I tried to sort things out. I didn’t have any idea what kind of a job I was going to do in Syria. To be honest, the Spanish department in Durham hadn’t really sorted it out very well. Week after week I was getting information from the French department appearing on my DUO saying that there was another placement going, yet the Spanish department were keeping very quiet about everything.
I soon decided to pop out to Spain for a week and see what I could find. I booked a cheap Ryan Air flight, booked a hostel, shoved some clothes in a bag, and then off I went for 6 days. I translated my CV into Spanish and printed a few copies off and then went round looking for jobs. Near my hostel was an Arabic restaurant so I thought: “Hey! This looks like a good idea!” After going in and introducing myself in Arabic I realised that not only could they not speak very much Arabic, but I couldn’t speak ANY Spanish. I knew what I wanted to say but whenever I tried to say it then Arabic words just came out. I eventually got my message across and handed over my CV, telling him to let me know if they needed anyone. I haven’t heard back from them.
I then moved onto something which I was more suited to: Bar work. There was an Irish bar right in the centre of Madrid which had a “Staff Needed” sign outside of it, so I went in and enquired, but because it would be another month before I could actually start the work they told me to come back then.
And so here I am: back in Spain after month of working in the bar in Durham. I had a piece of luck when I popped over to Spain for a week a month ago in that I met up with my old Spanish exchange: Enrique. I got paired up with him about 4 years ago and we’ve been friends ever since, occasionally talking to each other on Facebook. Having this connection means I’m currently staying in his family’s house in Madrid while I look for a job and accommodation. I literally cannot thank his family enough for their kindness while I’ve been here. They’ve helped me get back into the swing of speaking Spanish and they’ve also given me some wonderful food. I have rediscovered a love of mine that I had when I was here 4 years ago: Gazpacho. For anyone who doesn’t know this cold soup, it is delicious. I don’t know whether it’s because they’re amazing at cooking it but it’s so tasty and so perfect for this hot weather.
The family is another part of Spain which I love. Again, I don’t know whether it’s only because I’ve been really lucky, but I love the way this family works together and they really make me feel part of it. When I got here I was frustrated because I couldn’t understand most of what they were saying, partly because they speak so fast, but now I’ve been able to understand most of what they’re saying at the dinner table.
I also love “Carmela” who I understand to be a sort of nanny/maid/grandmother figure who is clearly loved by all the family and even at her old age she cooks the food and clearly cares about all of them and it’s a beautiful relationship that the family has with her.
As for work, I returned to the Irish bar and handed in my CV, then I was sent to go and see “Felix” who was the owner of several different bars and cafes around the area. I ended up waiting for 40 minutes for him, then had a small chat, after which he told me to turn up at midday on Friday, which is tomorrow, so I THINK I’ve got a job but I’m not 100% sure. We’ll have to wait and see.
As for the future: I expect I shall be working most of next week. I’m also trying to watch as many Almodovar films as possible in preparation for my Contemporary Spanish Cinema module next year. I watched Todo Sobre Mi Madre this morning which was strangely interesting and I’ve got Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios which apparently is VERY amusing. I’m looking forward to it.
At the end of this post I think I have to thank Enrique and his family so much for everything they’ve done for me so far. Their generosity has been amazing and I hope that if they ever come to England I’ll be able to do the same for them in return.
