Being in France is a little easier than I expected. I've managed to have conversations in Spanish this morning at the bus station and ticket stand. I acutally talked to a Spanish family about whether this bus was going to the airport, which I survived. I also knew where to go to buy tickets in the office and helped two ladies who were waiting at the wrong window.
But then, I got to France and was able to check in my bags, buy a snack, etc. All in French. Even though vocabulary is hard right now, French is so much easier because I have so, so much more experience with it. The equivalent of 5 years of classes in high school, and many French classes in college mean that it comes back more quickly. I don't even want to dream about how much easier things would be in Spain had I put time into Spanish instead of French. Instead, I will enjoy a few days of brushing up on French, and hanging out in Paris! I am going through the tiny security desk here at Biarritz soon! I will check in later in the week!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Things I have in common with Mayor Bloomberg
We both try to speak Spanish with varying degrees of success.
Language Log summarized via video some of his Spanish attempts during the preparations for hurricane Irene this weekend: http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3399
And if you haven't seen it, he's been satirized on Twitter as El Bloombito. http://twitter.com/#!/ElBloombito
I think my Spanish is better than his, but I do empathize with him. Speaking another language and sounding like an idiot isn't an easy thing to do. I do it every day here, but (fortunately) not in front of millions of people on TV.
Language Log summarized via video some of his Spanish attempts during the preparations for hurricane Irene this weekend: http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=3399
And if you haven't seen it, he's been satirized on Twitter as El Bloombito. http://twitter.com/#!/ElBloombito
I think my Spanish is better than his, but I do empathize with him. Speaking another language and sounding like an idiot isn't an easy thing to do. I do it every day here, but (fortunately) not in front of millions of people on TV.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Going to Paris
Tomorrow I go to Paris for about 5 days for a conference. I'm in my usual pre-travel craziness, but I have to keep reminding myself that this time a trip to Paris isn't a 9 hour flight across the ocean. Instead, it's a forty minute bus ride to Biarritz (in the south of France) and then an 80 minute flight to Paris. Much easier!
I've made the (unfortunate) decision to try to practice a bit of French before I go. Which means my constant confusion of French and Spanish in full force. I have a Spanish class this evening, so it's sure to be full of mistakes. I'm sure Parisians will think I'm nuts because I'll be an American speaking a crazy French/Spanish blend. I have a little audio book that reviews a bunch of basic French phrases, so I'll listen to it a couple of times on the flight and on my bus ride tomorrow.
Spanish classes are going well. I went out for dinner with some friends last night (Countries of origin: England (2), Ireland, Italy, Venezuela, France, Spain). Our conversation shifted from English to Spanish and back throughout the night. I was sort of surprised because listening to two of my friends whose Spanish I always thought was quite good, I noticed grammar mistakes and weird turns of phrase and thought to myself, "I can speak that well, too!" So, I've decided to be less intimidated and try more. I've been harassing waiters and store clerks to tell me what things are or how to say things in Spanish. If a waiter speaks to me in English, I speak back in Spanish and ask a ton of questions. I moved to a new level of Spanish last week (according to the CEFR scale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages). I'm hoping that I can get through C1 (advanced, just below fluent) by next spring. I think it will be possible if I keep practicing. We'll see, I guess! In the mean time, I'm working hard on my bravery and not confusing French and Spanish over the next few days! I'll try to update from France, but if not - see you next Monday!!
I've made the (unfortunate) decision to try to practice a bit of French before I go. Which means my constant confusion of French and Spanish in full force. I have a Spanish class this evening, so it's sure to be full of mistakes. I'm sure Parisians will think I'm nuts because I'll be an American speaking a crazy French/Spanish blend. I have a little audio book that reviews a bunch of basic French phrases, so I'll listen to it a couple of times on the flight and on my bus ride tomorrow.
Spanish classes are going well. I went out for dinner with some friends last night (Countries of origin: England (2), Ireland, Italy, Venezuela, France, Spain). Our conversation shifted from English to Spanish and back throughout the night. I was sort of surprised because listening to two of my friends whose Spanish I always thought was quite good, I noticed grammar mistakes and weird turns of phrase and thought to myself, "I can speak that well, too!" So, I've decided to be less intimidated and try more. I've been harassing waiters and store clerks to tell me what things are or how to say things in Spanish. If a waiter speaks to me in English, I speak back in Spanish and ask a ton of questions. I moved to a new level of Spanish last week (according to the CEFR scale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages). I'm hoping that I can get through C1 (advanced, just below fluent) by next spring. I think it will be possible if I keep practicing. We'll see, I guess! In the mean time, I'm working hard on my bravery and not confusing French and Spanish over the next few days! I'll try to update from France, but if not - see you next Monday!!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Getting more Spanish ...
This time it's not the language I'm talking about, but the ways I'm starting to act like (or at least understand) the Spanish.
My relationship with time, food and sleep have all changed in Spanish ways, but the most obvious way I've become more Spanish is in greetings, which I'm sure I've talked about before. In Spain, you greet everyone with "besos" - one kiss per cheek. You say goodbye the same way. You meet someone for the first time? Besos. You run into your best friend on the street? Besos. Now, I feel like it is completely natural to meet people and it's besos all around. In fact, when I see people on American TV greet each other with one kiss, it seems very strange.
It's also nice because I think it fosters a feeling of being close to people right away. Rather than shaking hands, or waving hello, people actually take the time to meet and greet every individual in a group. This is one of my new favorite things about life becoming more Spanish!
My relationship with time, food and sleep have all changed in Spanish ways, but the most obvious way I've become more Spanish is in greetings, which I'm sure I've talked about before. In Spain, you greet everyone with "besos" - one kiss per cheek. You say goodbye the same way. You meet someone for the first time? Besos. You run into your best friend on the street? Besos. Now, I feel like it is completely natural to meet people and it's besos all around. In fact, when I see people on American TV greet each other with one kiss, it seems very strange.
It's also nice because I think it fosters a feeling of being close to people right away. Rather than shaking hands, or waving hello, people actually take the time to meet and greet every individual in a group. This is one of my new favorite things about life becoming more Spanish!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Weary
I have a post part way written about Semana Grande last week and another one part way written about other ways in which I'm acclimating to Spanish life.
But I have been tired lately and sleeping poorly and am feeling rather weary as a result, which means no entertaining (or at least coherent) posts today. Instead I will just reiterate that I'm looking forward to the following things:
Paris in 10 days! Followed by a visitor here! Followed by a little weekend jaunt to the Netherlands! Followed by Pete visiting!
I'm also looking forward to this weekend being tourist-lite compared to the absolute insanity of the last week (imagine post-Cubs game pedestrian traffic right around Wrigley, but spread it out over the entire city and make it last for 8 straight days).
More stories from Spain soon!
But I have been tired lately and sleeping poorly and am feeling rather weary as a result, which means no entertaining (or at least coherent) posts today. Instead I will just reiterate that I'm looking forward to the following things:
Paris in 10 days! Followed by a visitor here! Followed by a little weekend jaunt to the Netherlands! Followed by Pete visiting!
I'm also looking forward to this weekend being tourist-lite compared to the absolute insanity of the last week (imagine post-Cubs game pedestrian traffic right around Wrigley, but spread it out over the entire city and make it last for 8 straight days).
More stories from Spain soon!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Well ...
I was just sitting in my apartment reading a wikipedia entry when I realized I was reading in Spainsh. That's the first time I've read Spanish without thinking "oh man, I'm reading Spanish now." It happens a lot when I'm listening to Spanish, mostly because hearing what people say is sort of impossible to avoid. Maybe some day it'll happen to me when I'm speaking Spanish.
After I realized I was reading in Spanish, it sort of hit me. I'm living in Spain. Actually living in Spain! And as hard as it can be, and as frustrated and lonely as I can get, this is my life right now. Which is really crazy because I'm not sure it hit me until right now that ... I ACTUALLY LIVE IN SPAIN.
More tomorrow on fireworks, etc.
After I realized I was reading in Spanish, it sort of hit me. I'm living in Spain. Actually living in Spain! And as hard as it can be, and as frustrated and lonely as I can get, this is my life right now. Which is really crazy because I'm not sure it hit me until right now that ... I ACTUALLY LIVE IN SPAIN.
More tomorrow on fireworks, etc.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Fireworks
Saturday started Semana Grande here in San Sebastián and in Bilbao as well. Basically, Semana Grande is a typical Spanish fiesta. Food stands, drink, live music, carnival games and rides and lots and lots of tourists. A friend and I went down to Parte Vieja on Saturday night to meet another group of people. After two pintxos bars we were done. The crowds were totally insane, and a girl in our group had her wallet pick-pocketed. Lesson learned - in large crowds do not (a) have an open purse, (b) keep your wallet near the top of this open purse, and (c) keep your purse swung around behind your back where you can't see when someone reaches their hand into it. I had purposely brought a closed purse that you have to lift the flap up to open. I also tend to bury my wallet in the middle of my bag so anyone who reaches into it has to sort through about a billion other things to find it. Anyhow, I had been out the night before as well, so we decided to head back to our apartment building.
Sounds like it was a bit of a bust, huh? However, Semana Grande also comes with the international fireworks festival. Every night a different group does a fireworks display. The hill leading up to our building happens to have an awesome view of the show about halfway up. There was a large group of people gathered (though not nearly as large as those down below - it took us 3 times as long as normal to get out of Parte Vieja and El Centro toward our hill!), including some really cute kids. We watched the 30 minute show, enjoying our break from our climb up the hill and enjoying the kids reactions. One little girl narrated the whole show "ROJO! COLORES!! AZUL!! (Red! Colors! Blue!" Etcetera. Then with glee, as the fireworks started forming shapes "CORAZONES!! (Hearts!)" And finally my favorite: "ESMAILIS!" (Smiley faces!)
Last night I didn't want to brave the crowds down below so I opted to go to the roof of our building with a girl I work with who lives here and a glass of red wine. Last night's display was one of the coolest fireworks displays I've ever seen. Really beautifully choreographed with fireworks at different heights from close to the bay to very very high up. Lots of cool color combinations, and a finish that I can't even start to describe, but was the coolest, most unique finish to a fireworks show I've ever seen. I'm planning on spending 30 minutes on the roof for the next few nights to watch the rest of the shows.
Sounds like it was a bit of a bust, huh? However, Semana Grande also comes with the international fireworks festival. Every night a different group does a fireworks display. The hill leading up to our building happens to have an awesome view of the show about halfway up. There was a large group of people gathered (though not nearly as large as those down below - it took us 3 times as long as normal to get out of Parte Vieja and El Centro toward our hill!), including some really cute kids. We watched the 30 minute show, enjoying our break from our climb up the hill and enjoying the kids reactions. One little girl narrated the whole show "ROJO! COLORES!! AZUL!! (Red! Colors! Blue!" Etcetera. Then with glee, as the fireworks started forming shapes "CORAZONES!! (Hearts!)" And finally my favorite: "ESMAILIS!" (Smiley faces!)
Last night I didn't want to brave the crowds down below so I opted to go to the roof of our building with a girl I work with who lives here and a glass of red wine. Last night's display was one of the coolest fireworks displays I've ever seen. Really beautifully choreographed with fireworks at different heights from close to the bay to very very high up. Lots of cool color combinations, and a finish that I can't even start to describe, but was the coolest, most unique finish to a fireworks show I've ever seen. I'm planning on spending 30 minutes on the roof for the next few nights to watch the rest of the shows.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
**WARNING: RANT AHEAD**
Oh lord ... I normally HATE dealing with customer service anywhere, but dealing with American customer service while in Europe is a particular nightmare. I've had to call customer service a few dozen times since coming here due to various travel snafus, financial issues, and phone problems. In terms of companies who I called the American number for they rank like this:
Best - Iberia
Good - American Airlines
Not terrible - American Express, Holiday Inn Express, Air France
Horrible - Verizon Wireless
I would rather do almost anything than ever have to deal with these terrible, horrible people again - Capital One
There are a few things to note about this list.
First: Iberia is rarely first at anything, especially when it comes to customer service. Their overseas flights are usually not so plush as American Airlines (and other airlines) flights, with crummy customer service, a few tiny tvs around the cabin for movies, and terrible food. BUT, I called them and in <30 seconds I was talking to a real human. In less than 3 minutes on the phone, they fixed my problem AND sent me an e-mail to confirm it before we even hung up. So, I'm probably the first person in the world to rank Iberia first in customer service, but it was a truly easy phone call and didn't stress me out at all.
Second: Verizon gets a terrible ranking for lying to me repeatedly on the phone. If they weren't the only company with any service in Chesaning, I'd probably switch to something else. For now, I suffer without a US cell phone.
Third: Capital One customer "service" is useless. A bit of a back story. Capital One is the only credit card company that does not charge international transaction fees. They also give you miles for each transaction that you can use to pay for travel. So. I was thinking "fantastic! Two birds - one stone! I'm getting a Capital One card". For the first two months I was here, the card worked fine. Then it started acting up, so I called and they said I needed to put a travel authorization on the card. Fantastic. I did that. Then I bought a song on iTunes and BAM! The card doesn't work. So I called them back and they reinstated my travel authorization. This worked more or less 'til I got back from the US. My card was suddenly declined ALL THE DAMN TIME. Every store I tried to use it in "declined." I had no idea why this was happening as I paid my bill on time every month, so it should be just fine. Turns out, Capital One also has no idea why it's happening. I've talked to them four times in less than 2 weeks and they have been completely and totally useless.
"Oh, we don't see any declined transactions. It must be the computer of the store you're in." Or not, since my Spanish debit card works. Other people's credit cards work. Just mine isn't working.
"Oh what error message are you getting." Well, I'm not Spanish, so I can't really tell what it's saying on the screens, but in the past two weeks I have learned the words for 'declined' and 'denied.'
The latest? The best today?
Capital One: Okay, here's my solution. Go use the card right now and call me back while you're using it. Me: I don't think that will work, unless you are going to pay the credit card fees for me calling the US from my Spanish cell phone
Capital One: How are you calling now?
Me: From my computer as I told you at the beginning of this conversation.
Capital One: Can you take your computer to with you and call from that
Me: Uh, to the grocery store? At 10:00 pm? In Spain? No. I can't.
Capital One: How about calling collect? You can probably do that from your cell phone.
(Sure, my carrier will still charge me exorbitant fees for calling the US).
Me: No. That isn't going to work. How about you figure out what is causing this problem and try to fix it now on the phone with me.
Capital One: I'm sorry ma'am but I don't see any problem on my end. This really isn't Capital One's fault.
Sure sure. My card hasn't worked in any store in WEEKS and it's not Capital One's fault. The very best part of this conversation was when the customer service rep returned to his script and we had the following conversation:
Capital One: Okay, I'm sorry for any inconvenience you have experienced. Have I solved all of your problems you called about today?
Me: No.
Capital One: What could I have done to make this conversation better?
Me: Helped me at all with the problem I've been having for two weeks and have called four times about.
Capital One: That feedback is very useful for us. Thank you for calling Capital One. I hope we solved the problems you called about.
Ugh.
Best - Iberia
Good - American Airlines
Not terrible - American Express, Holiday Inn Express, Air France
Horrible - Verizon Wireless
I would rather do almost anything than ever have to deal with these terrible, horrible people again - Capital One
There are a few things to note about this list.
First: Iberia is rarely first at anything, especially when it comes to customer service. Their overseas flights are usually not so plush as American Airlines (and other airlines) flights, with crummy customer service, a few tiny tvs around the cabin for movies, and terrible food. BUT, I called them and in <30 seconds I was talking to a real human. In less than 3 minutes on the phone, they fixed my problem AND sent me an e-mail to confirm it before we even hung up. So, I'm probably the first person in the world to rank Iberia first in customer service, but it was a truly easy phone call and didn't stress me out at all.
Second: Verizon gets a terrible ranking for lying to me repeatedly on the phone. If they weren't the only company with any service in Chesaning, I'd probably switch to something else. For now, I suffer without a US cell phone.
Third: Capital One customer "service" is useless. A bit of a back story. Capital One is the only credit card company that does not charge international transaction fees. They also give you miles for each transaction that you can use to pay for travel. So. I was thinking "fantastic! Two birds - one stone! I'm getting a Capital One card". For the first two months I was here, the card worked fine. Then it started acting up, so I called and they said I needed to put a travel authorization on the card. Fantastic. I did that. Then I bought a song on iTunes and BAM! The card doesn't work. So I called them back and they reinstated my travel authorization. This worked more or less 'til I got back from the US. My card was suddenly declined ALL THE DAMN TIME. Every store I tried to use it in "declined." I had no idea why this was happening as I paid my bill on time every month, so it should be just fine. Turns out, Capital One also has no idea why it's happening. I've talked to them four times in less than 2 weeks and they have been completely and totally useless.
"Oh, we don't see any declined transactions. It must be the computer of the store you're in." Or not, since my Spanish debit card works. Other people's credit cards work. Just mine isn't working.
"Oh what error message are you getting." Well, I'm not Spanish, so I can't really tell what it's saying on the screens, but in the past two weeks I have learned the words for 'declined' and 'denied.'
The latest? The best today?
Capital One: Okay, here's my solution. Go use the card right now and call me back while you're using it. Me: I don't think that will work, unless you are going to pay the credit card fees for me calling the US from my Spanish cell phone
Capital One: How are you calling now?
Me: From my computer as I told you at the beginning of this conversation.
Capital One: Can you take your computer to with you and call from that
Me: Uh, to the grocery store? At 10:00 pm? In Spain? No. I can't.
Capital One: How about calling collect? You can probably do that from your cell phone.
(Sure, my carrier will still charge me exorbitant fees for calling the US).
Me: No. That isn't going to work. How about you figure out what is causing this problem and try to fix it now on the phone with me.
Capital One: I'm sorry ma'am but I don't see any problem on my end. This really isn't Capital One's fault.
Sure sure. My card hasn't worked in any store in WEEKS and it's not Capital One's fault. The very best part of this conversation was when the customer service rep returned to his script and we had the following conversation:
Capital One: Okay, I'm sorry for any inconvenience you have experienced. Have I solved all of your problems you called about today?
Me: No.
Capital One: What could I have done to make this conversation better?
Me: Helped me at all with the problem I've been having for two weeks and have called four times about.
Capital One: That feedback is very useful for us. Thank you for calling Capital One. I hope we solved the problems you called about.
Ugh.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Clearing the clouds
Yesterday was inexplicably hard. Waking up was hard and my bed was much, much more comfortable than the thought of getting out of bed and starting yet another day here. I walked to work from the bus stop in the rain which did nothing to improve my already sour mood. Work was fine, but quiet as always here, which means I don't have a lot of human interaction during my day. I went back to my apartment, and felt really, really cranky and frustrated. I managed to try a new recipe last night which turned out okay (not fantastic, but better than edible), but I was feeling frustrated about work possibilities in the future ... and honestly, I was just tired of being here and being away from Pete. Yesterday was primarily cloudy and gross. Things aren't shiny and new anymore which means less excitement in every day. I have a routine and I actually LIVE here. I see now why most people in college study abroad for one semester. Typically, a semester is about 3 or 4 months. That period of time is enough that you can get the experience of living in a new place, without the shine wearing off.
Even though things were way, way scarier (and in a lot of ways harder) when I first moved here, they were also new. I was learning in leaps and bounds in Spanish, starting new projects that were exciting, learning to live in a new place, being able to explore every day.
But now.
I get more and more frustrated by the same stupid mistakes I make in Spanish (I swear I know the difference between imperfecto and indefenido tenses, but I perpetually confuse them when I'm telling a story orally). The new projects aren't so new anymore and are in the slogging state, where you just need to do a billion different things before you get any results. And living here is becoming like living anywhere else. A mix of good and bad things, but routine.
So, I'm continuing my attempts at shaking things up a little. I have Spanish class tonight and then I'm joining my friends for a quick drink and a pintxo. Then tomorrow there is an outing with the school where I take Spanish for pintxos. So, I'm going there too. Then more Spanish on Thursday and Friday. Hopefully, the more I practice the easier the whole actually speaking Spanish part will get. As my teacher says "poco a poco." I'm trying to make a conscious effort to do more exercise besides my usual tons of walking. I know Pilates will make me feel better, so I'm working on doing that at least 3-4 times a week with a bit of yoga thrown in. Between the Pilates mat and the set of small hand weights I've procured, I can at least be in great shape when I go back to the US again in a few months. :)
I'm not sure I've mentioned here, but between the walking up and down hills (mountains) all the damn time and eating well (though boringly), I've managed to lose quite a bit of weight being here. Almost all of my pants/shorts/skirts are too big now (besides those which I purchased on my most recent trip home). My dress for Molly's wedding was about 3 inches longer than it should have been because I'd lost weight - the corset back saved the day with the rest of the dress fitting as it should. I'm guessing November and December trips to the US will include small shopping sprees.
Anyway. I woke up today feeling better. This morning was cloudy and I thought it might rain on my way to work. Instead, the clouds started clearing. I feel better in part, I think, because before I fell asleep last night, I was reflecting on life here. Even though I have hard days where I'm frustrated and tired of being here, I also have good days. Great days even. And even more than having good or great days, I look at how much progress I've made since coming here (especially in Spanish) and how much I've changed (in good ways), I'm very happy overall with my choice to come here. Even without the good professional aspect, living in Spain has made me slow down, relax and be more patient with other people and with myself, which are all great accomplishments for me.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Don't drink the sangria
So last night was a co-worker's birthday, and like any event here, this means pintxos!
We went to two of my favorite pintxos bars and then one of my favorite cafes. At the first cafe, there was a group of American women who made two rookie mistakes that made it clear to everyone that (a) they were not from around these parts and (b) obviously haven't taken the time to read a guidebook/website/anything about the culture and the customs around here (besides "these are good pintxos bars to go to).
So let me set the scene for you. This particular bar is one of our favorite places because they have a huge terrace on one of the big plazas in the old part of town. Inside, the bar itself is quite large, and always packed. I think there are a couple of picnic-style tables in the back (though I think they're for raciones only - the larger plates), but the rest of the "tables" are tiny little shelfs jutting off the walls and, if you're really lucky, a wine barrel. So, we managed to grab a wine barrel when we got in, and the tourists were at the barrel next to us. The traditional thing to do at pintxos bars in the Basque Country and (tapas bars in Spain in general) is to have 1-2 pintxos each at a bar, a small glass of wine/beer/cider with your food, and then move on to another place. These Americans ordered 18 pintxos to split between the three of them (ordering them all at once, which mean they all came out at once). They also ordered directly form the bar instead of any of the hot pintxos off the blackboards. (More about the blackboard vs. bar pintxos soon ... as well as learning what the best pintxos are at each place.) But, in addition to this, they made the biggest mistake you can make in northern Spain. They ordered sangria.
So I know everyone in the US has this idea of Spanish food and drink from tapas restaurants and tv shows. In a tapas restaurant, you order the tapas for the table, typically all at once, and then the restaurant paces out what they bring to you, so you get a little bit for sharing at a time. Plus, you order a huge pitcher of sangria, that's what they drink in Spain, right?
No.
In Spain, especially in northern Spain, you might drink homemade sangria at home, but when you go out you get wine, beer, cider, or a soft drink (grape juice, soda, etc.). Never sangria. You can tell that you never get sangria here because when someone does order sangria, they fancy it up by putting brightly colored straws and umbrellas in it, as if a neon warning sign to the other patrons "THESE ARE TOURISTS. THEY WILL ASK YOU TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE AND NOT UNDERSTAND HOW WE SHARE SPACE IN PINTXOS BARS." The other major no-no is ordering so much food at once. First of all, I can't imagine any self-respecting Spaniard eating more than 1 or 2 pintxos per bar before moving on. And even if you wanted more, you don't have room on a wine barrel table for 18 different tiny plates.
It didn't help that these girls were obnoxious and the sorts of tourists who make you want to punch them in the head because they are so insistent on NOT learning anything about the culture before they come, expect everyone to speak to them in English, etc. One girl actually said "I feel like they should let visitors reserve these tables so they don't have to wait." Or, princess, you could just do what everyone else who walks into this bar does. Wait for a table. Or stand and eat with your plate in your hand. Just like the 80 year old couple behind you is doing right now, since you are standing at an empty table since you've finished your pintxos and are just sipping on your wine and standing around a table.
So lessons here:
1. Read about the culture before you go to a place
2. At least learn how to say "Do you speak English", "I don't speak X" and "Thank you" in the language of the culture you're going to
3. Don't drink the sangria.
We went to two of my favorite pintxos bars and then one of my favorite cafes. At the first cafe, there was a group of American women who made two rookie mistakes that made it clear to everyone that (a) they were not from around these parts and (b) obviously haven't taken the time to read a guidebook/website/anything about the culture and the customs around here (besides "these are good pintxos bars to go to).
So let me set the scene for you. This particular bar is one of our favorite places because they have a huge terrace on one of the big plazas in the old part of town. Inside, the bar itself is quite large, and always packed. I think there are a couple of picnic-style tables in the back (though I think they're for raciones only - the larger plates), but the rest of the "tables" are tiny little shelfs jutting off the walls and, if you're really lucky, a wine barrel. So, we managed to grab a wine barrel when we got in, and the tourists were at the barrel next to us. The traditional thing to do at pintxos bars in the Basque Country and (tapas bars in Spain in general) is to have 1-2 pintxos each at a bar, a small glass of wine/beer/cider with your food, and then move on to another place. These Americans ordered 18 pintxos to split between the three of them (ordering them all at once, which mean they all came out at once). They also ordered directly form the bar instead of any of the hot pintxos off the blackboards. (More about the blackboard vs. bar pintxos soon ... as well as learning what the best pintxos are at each place.) But, in addition to this, they made the biggest mistake you can make in northern Spain. They ordered sangria.
So I know everyone in the US has this idea of Spanish food and drink from tapas restaurants and tv shows. In a tapas restaurant, you order the tapas for the table, typically all at once, and then the restaurant paces out what they bring to you, so you get a little bit for sharing at a time. Plus, you order a huge pitcher of sangria, that's what they drink in Spain, right?
No.
In Spain, especially in northern Spain, you might drink homemade sangria at home, but when you go out you get wine, beer, cider, or a soft drink (grape juice, soda, etc.). Never sangria. You can tell that you never get sangria here because when someone does order sangria, they fancy it up by putting brightly colored straws and umbrellas in it, as if a neon warning sign to the other patrons "THESE ARE TOURISTS. THEY WILL ASK YOU TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE AND NOT UNDERSTAND HOW WE SHARE SPACE IN PINTXOS BARS." The other major no-no is ordering so much food at once. First of all, I can't imagine any self-respecting Spaniard eating more than 1 or 2 pintxos per bar before moving on. And even if you wanted more, you don't have room on a wine barrel table for 18 different tiny plates.
It didn't help that these girls were obnoxious and the sorts of tourists who make you want to punch them in the head because they are so insistent on NOT learning anything about the culture before they come, expect everyone to speak to them in English, etc. One girl actually said "I feel like they should let visitors reserve these tables so they don't have to wait." Or, princess, you could just do what everyone else who walks into this bar does. Wait for a table. Or stand and eat with your plate in your hand. Just like the 80 year old couple behind you is doing right now, since you are standing at an empty table since you've finished your pintxos and are just sipping on your wine and standing around a table.
So lessons here:
1. Read about the culture before you go to a place
2. At least learn how to say "Do you speak English", "I don't speak X" and "Thank you" in the language of the culture you're going to
3. Don't drink the sangria.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Scattered
After a couple of days of strong focus, I'm now back to being sort of scattered. I've been fighting off a cold and general malaise, so this weekend will be a good time to catch up (especially since two of my closest friends are out of town for the weekend). There's some talk of going to Vittoria for a fiesta, but I'm not sure I'll go, especially if they end up staying overnight (yikes!).
I had my Spanish class yesterday, which was really, really good. I'd forgotten a lot since my last class in mid-June, but not as much as I'd thought I had, and most of it came back really quickly yesterday. I really want to focus on grammar, vocabulary and speaking in the class, since I need to be able to talk more easily (but hate making grammar mistakes!). I wish I'd done this class a while ago, because it's really good practice for me to have to speak for a whole hour. I'll decide in the fall if I'm going to continue, but I think I might, especially if the classes at work switch to only twice a week (and especially, especially if I'm in the lower of the two classes that are going to be happening at work)!
Today I have a lunch meeting downtown with a friend from work who is on maternity leave. Then more Spanish class ... then (hopefully) a relaxing Friday evening!
I had my Spanish class yesterday, which was really, really good. I'd forgotten a lot since my last class in mid-June, but not as much as I'd thought I had, and most of it came back really quickly yesterday. I really want to focus on grammar, vocabulary and speaking in the class, since I need to be able to talk more easily (but hate making grammar mistakes!). I wish I'd done this class a while ago, because it's really good practice for me to have to speak for a whole hour. I'll decide in the fall if I'm going to continue, but I think I might, especially if the classes at work switch to only twice a week (and especially, especially if I'm in the lower of the two classes that are going to be happening at work)!
Today I have a lunch meeting downtown with a friend from work who is on maternity leave. Then more Spanish class ... then (hopefully) a relaxing Friday evening!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Feeling at home(ish)
Well, it took me long enough, but I'm finally starting to be settled in. I slept for 6.5 straight hours last night and woke up feeling really refreshed and great. I think I was extra tired last night for two reasons. I think I'm coming down with a cold (it seems to be going around here at work and everyone is sniffling and coughing). I also went out with my Basque friend and some of her friends last night which meant all Spanish all the time for almost 4 hours. I understood maybe 40% of the conversation, which was less than normal, but could be expected since half the conversation was about people's summer travel which involved lots of town names around here that I don't know yet. Anyhow, we'll see how exhausted I am after my first proper Spanish class this evening! I came into work early so that I can leave around 5:15 to make it to my 6 o'clock class across town. But I'm still feeling kind of sickly this afternoon, I may run home after lunch for a quick rest before class. Since "after lunch" means 3pm, it's only a couple of hours off my day, and it will be worth it if it means not getting sick!
It's been funny because the shift in feeling better happened after Tuesday night when I took some visitors out for pintxos. My friend Alison's husband's cousin and the cousin's husband recently moved from the US to Barcelona, where the husband is also a postdoc. They were visiting San Sebastián for their vacation. I took them out for a pintos and then to our favorite outdoor bar for a drink. Then we headed out for music night. Walking in and seeing my friends made me realize how lucky I am to have a group of people in my life who I truly enjoy being around. This was also the first time that I knew more about this place than someone else. So I knew where to go when my first choice of pintos bar was too crowded. I knew the best place to go when we wanted to sit outside. And I knew how to get everywhere. I left that night feeling a lot better about being here, so it was definitely great to have that feeling.
In other great developments, I brought decaffeinated mint tea back with me from the US. Decaffeinated tea just doesn't really exist here outside of black tea, which is fine, but requires more stuff to make it tasty for me. Decaffeinated coffee exists mostly in powdered form ... if I can find it "de maquina" (by machine, or made like normal espresso), it's a miracle. I can get "descafeinado con leche" from the vending machine upstairs and it's palatable but tiny and quite sweet. I could also buy nespresso capsules for our coffee maker in the office here (we get a discount for buying in bulk since EVERYONE drinks this), but once again it's teeny tiny, and very sweet. But mint tea! It's a miracle! After lunch, I make myself a cup and then a second cup from the same tea leaves. I'm going through it so quickly (even with two cups per bag and one bag a day) that I'm going to need my US visitors to bring reinforcements. :)
I can tell I'm getting more used to it here because I am now tempting fate with the busses. It takes me a good 6 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace to the bus from my apartment including the elevator or stairs down (depending on my state of dishevelment upon leaving my apartment and whether I need to put my earrings on in the elevator or whether I can take the stairs). The bus tracker here is highly accurate, so if I haven't packed up my computer, I have to pack it up when the bus tracker says 9 or 10 minutes 'til my bus arrives. This period needs to be more like 12 minutes if I haven't packed my lunch and snacks yet. 14 if I don't have shoes on yet or I need to pack the rest of my work bag. But for the past two mornings, I've been waiting 'til it says 7 minutes for my bus and then sprinting out the door, down the stairs, and up the hill and arriving at the stop as my bus pulls up. From work, I need 10 minutes to walk (quickly) and 12 minutes for a leisurely walk to my stop, especially since my office is as far from the main doors to our office and the stairs out of the building. Counting in packing up, I should leave when the bus tracker says I have 15 minutes (at the shortest). Yesterday, it was 9 minutes, and I was basically running the whole way to the stop (in heels). I've hopefully learned my lesson, since I like a leisurely stroll more than a sprint. Though, it was good since I didn't feel like I needed to do any cardio yesterday after two sprints to the bus, a 45 minute walk to downtown, and then walking around for nearly 2 hours with the Spaniards!
It's been funny because the shift in feeling better happened after Tuesday night when I took some visitors out for pintxos. My friend Alison's husband's cousin and the cousin's husband recently moved from the US to Barcelona, where the husband is also a postdoc. They were visiting San Sebastián for their vacation. I took them out for a pintos and then to our favorite outdoor bar for a drink. Then we headed out for music night. Walking in and seeing my friends made me realize how lucky I am to have a group of people in my life who I truly enjoy being around. This was also the first time that I knew more about this place than someone else. So I knew where to go when my first choice of pintos bar was too crowded. I knew the best place to go when we wanted to sit outside. And I knew how to get everywhere. I left that night feeling a lot better about being here, so it was definitely great to have that feeling.
In other great developments, I brought decaffeinated mint tea back with me from the US. Decaffeinated tea just doesn't really exist here outside of black tea, which is fine, but requires more stuff to make it tasty for me. Decaffeinated coffee exists mostly in powdered form ... if I can find it "de maquina" (by machine, or made like normal espresso), it's a miracle. I can get "descafeinado con leche" from the vending machine upstairs and it's palatable but tiny and quite sweet. I could also buy nespresso capsules for our coffee maker in the office here (we get a discount for buying in bulk since EVERYONE drinks this), but once again it's teeny tiny, and very sweet. But mint tea! It's a miracle! After lunch, I make myself a cup and then a second cup from the same tea leaves. I'm going through it so quickly (even with two cups per bag and one bag a day) that I'm going to need my US visitors to bring reinforcements. :)
I can tell I'm getting more used to it here because I am now tempting fate with the busses. It takes me a good 6 minutes to walk at a leisurely pace to the bus from my apartment including the elevator or stairs down (depending on my state of dishevelment upon leaving my apartment and whether I need to put my earrings on in the elevator or whether I can take the stairs). The bus tracker here is highly accurate, so if I haven't packed up my computer, I have to pack it up when the bus tracker says 9 or 10 minutes 'til my bus arrives. This period needs to be more like 12 minutes if I haven't packed my lunch and snacks yet. 14 if I don't have shoes on yet or I need to pack the rest of my work bag. But for the past two mornings, I've been waiting 'til it says 7 minutes for my bus and then sprinting out the door, down the stairs, and up the hill and arriving at the stop as my bus pulls up. From work, I need 10 minutes to walk (quickly) and 12 minutes for a leisurely walk to my stop, especially since my office is as far from the main doors to our office and the stairs out of the building. Counting in packing up, I should leave when the bus tracker says I have 15 minutes (at the shortest). Yesterday, it was 9 minutes, and I was basically running the whole way to the stop (in heels). I've hopefully learned my lesson, since I like a leisurely stroll more than a sprint. Though, it was good since I didn't feel like I needed to do any cardio yesterday after two sprints to the bus, a 45 minute walk to downtown, and then walking around for nearly 2 hours with the Spaniards!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sleep
I managed to sleep for 6.5 (almost straight) hours last night, which is more than I've slept in a row since I got back. I feel much more well-rested, but also more positive about life here in general. It's really a miracle what sleep can do for me!
We've been having some crappy weather lately - warm and humid during the day, then cold and rainy in the evenings. Basically, you need to have a sweater, a raincoat, and an umbrella with you at all times here, since you never know what the weather will be like.
Today has already been super productive at work, which will hopefully continue for the next 7 hour so hours!
We've been having some crappy weather lately - warm and humid during the day, then cold and rainy in the evenings. Basically, you need to have a sweater, a raincoat, and an umbrella with you at all times here, since you never know what the weather will be like.
Today has already been super productive at work, which will hopefully continue for the next 7 hour so hours!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Okay okay ...
So I've decided I need to cut my drama and be a grown up. I spent some time looking at job postings today, so we'll see how that whole things go.
I also decided I needed to learn more Spanish, so I talked to my Spanish teacher about definitely taking 3 classes a week until September. I'm feeling way better about that. I also hung out with my friends tonight which was good and relaxing. Unfortunately, I didn't make it through the day nap-less, but I'm still hoping I can sleep tonight. We'll see! More later.
I also decided I needed to learn more Spanish, so I talked to my Spanish teacher about definitely taking 3 classes a week until September. I'm feeling way better about that. I also hung out with my friends tonight which was good and relaxing. Unfortunately, I didn't make it through the day nap-less, but I'm still hoping I can sleep tonight. We'll see! More later.
Crabbiness
I've been in a funk since returning to Spain. I'm still really messed up on sleep, which makes things worse than they really are, but I'm hoping to kick this grossness to the curb sooner than later. As I said, my sleep has been totally wacky since I returned. I typically can't sleep until 2 or 3 at night and am waking up several times throughout the night. Last night I managed to fall asleep by about 1:30, but was up at 3, 4:30, and 6. Even letting myself sleep in until 8:30, I slept no more than 6 hours last night, which is pretty typical for the last week. A series of nighttime naps really isn't doing it for me, so I typically need a nap in the afternoon ... which probably causes the erratic nighttime sleeping. I'm going to try to go without a nap today, but the amount of yawning I'm doing at 10 am doesn't bode well for this plan.
I've also been feeling sort of gross physically, which is probably also a consequence and cause of the weird sleep stuff. I've been super congested with allergy grossness since returning. My stomach is always sort of crabby after a long flight, but it's been worse and more prolonged than normal. I go from not being hungry at all to being starving in a split second. I know that when I get back on a more normal sleep schedule, this will all go back to normal.
The worst has been my funk over work and other things. Because I am so, so tired due to the weird sleeping patterns, I have the attention span of a goldfish. This means it's taking me twice as a long to get anything done, which meant working over the weekend. While I was working, I was crabby that I was doing that instead of going out exploring the city.
On a positive note, the weather has been beautiful for the past few days, which results in much less crabbiness than if it were rainy. Unfortunately, I'm not a lay around on the beach sort of person (especially when it's windy and 70 degrees - I'm the person wearing a sweater outside because I'm cold, not laying in a bikini), so I'm not taking advantage of the weather as much as I should. I did go for a long walk yesterday, and two long walks Saturday, which helped with the crabbiness (but not so much with the productivity)
Anyhow, I'm hoping a new week means less crabbiness and a happier more productive time for me. I may be going to the Netherlands for a workshop in September that would mean all of my September weekends are now booked with travel or visitors. That said, I'm happy for all of that business, since I get things done more easily with a full calendar than an empty one.
Back to data and writing for me - and no more complaining about being back (at least for a while!).
I've also been feeling sort of gross physically, which is probably also a consequence and cause of the weird sleep stuff. I've been super congested with allergy grossness since returning. My stomach is always sort of crabby after a long flight, but it's been worse and more prolonged than normal. I go from not being hungry at all to being starving in a split second. I know that when I get back on a more normal sleep schedule, this will all go back to normal.
The worst has been my funk over work and other things. Because I am so, so tired due to the weird sleeping patterns, I have the attention span of a goldfish. This means it's taking me twice as a long to get anything done, which meant working over the weekend. While I was working, I was crabby that I was doing that instead of going out exploring the city.
On a positive note, the weather has been beautiful for the past few days, which results in much less crabbiness than if it were rainy. Unfortunately, I'm not a lay around on the beach sort of person (especially when it's windy and 70 degrees - I'm the person wearing a sweater outside because I'm cold, not laying in a bikini), so I'm not taking advantage of the weather as much as I should. I did go for a long walk yesterday, and two long walks Saturday, which helped with the crabbiness (but not so much with the productivity)
Anyhow, I'm hoping a new week means less crabbiness and a happier more productive time for me. I may be going to the Netherlands for a workshop in September that would mean all of my September weekends are now booked with travel or visitors. That said, I'm happy for all of that business, since I get things done more easily with a full calendar than an empty one.
Back to data and writing for me - and no more complaining about being back (at least for a while!).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)