My Spanish Life.

I’m back in Spain now. The weather is typically Spanish, not a cloud to be seen, hot days, hot nights and so far it has been like I never left.
H is here now and we’ve found an apartment that we move into on Sunday or Monday (whichever takes our fancy). It’s situated in Malasaña, party central and has a lovely terraza and two bedrooms. Anyone heading my way take note of this… we do have a spare bedroom (which could be leased out for a small fee or beer).

I’m refusing work at the moment, although I’m discovering that I prefer work to holidays. As much as I moan and groan about working, breaks from work tend to drag. It’s hard to continuously fill the day with inexpensive things to do.

I’ve decided to start work again around the 8th September, which will hopefully guarantee enough dinero for October. Spanish classes are going to start back up next week and I aim to improve more this year. More focus. More focus. More focus.

Right now, we’re staying at a friends on the outskirts of Madrid. It’s hugely generous for her to tolerate our (or more precisely, my) presence for this long. It’s been a good way to ease H into Spanish life. Her Spanish is worse than mine, although I am sure that she will quickly be better at it than me. My aptitude for languages that I thought once existed seems to have buried, been sunk or just plain disappeared. Or maybe I just don’t work hard enough anymore.
I’m going to send my resumé around tomorrow. I’ve already got two companies I could work for (be exploited by) but I think it’s more in my interest to look around again. Just to see what’s out there. Sometimes I wish I’d taken a small town last year, but then I doubt that I would have met the people I know here already.

That’s all I’ve got for now.

Wow. How time flies. It’s been almost six weeks or thereabouts since I wrote anything.

London. The City. Of Great Expense. Of Overpriced everything. Of underpriced nothing. Of estate houses next to council flats. Of multiculturalism. Of possibly the busiest job I’ve ever had.

I’ve been living here for what seems an age. In reality, it’s less than 40 days but who believes in the fixed reality of time anyway. I’ve met so many different faces, learnt so many names, spent so much money, and felt like I’ve never stopped working. I’ve taught the Croatian Pop Idol, a future Formula One driver, and various other punks and pijos. It’s a constant flux of getting to know students then letting them go, and it seems like an age since the first lot left.

But enough of work, what have I discovered of London. Well, it’s well overpriced. £12.50 for Westminster Abbey?! You gotta be joking. £16.50 for the Tower of London. That’s like AUD$35. Do you know how much that is in the Zambian Kwacha? Didn’t think so. 109,927.29ZBK. I mean, how is any reasonable, (sure, impoverished) English teacher going to afford this city? Needless to say, I paid my way to support Queen and Country. But only to support Queen and Country. No other reason!!! It’s not like I really wanted to see them. I did however refuse to pay the £15 for St. Pauls Cathedral. That was just too much.

The Tower of London was probably actually worth the EXORBITANT prices, as I spent a good 5 hours in there, exploring graffitied walls, hidden passage ways and even managing to get some of the Crown Jewels. (I figure we’ll give them back if England win the Ashes). On the other hand, Westminster Abbey, whilst fascinating, was perhaps a little pricey. I did, however, have a giggle when I noted that Charles Darwin’s grave does not even mention what he did or who he was. Just a bland, plain Charles Darwin ???? – ???? (think I can remember the dates, think again).

Where else have I been? Museums, galleries, Cambridge, etc… all of these are vibrant in their own way. But what have I discovered about London? It’s a grand city, but one that I don’t think, no matter how much I like it, I could ever live in. Too many people, too much bustle, too much pretense and shamdangling. (Yep, new word creation here). It’s great for a visit and I want to come back, but give me a smaller city anyday!