Happy New Year! I'm now back in Spain after a gloriously relaxed time in England for Christmas.
A not-so warm welcome
I have bad news about my Nissan Micra, Mabel. When I was away I naively thought my car would be OK parked outside my house. Alas, no. New Years Eve festivities meant the streets were a little chaotic in Prado. Now Mabel has no wing mirrors, or a front reg plate (which was salvaged thankfully). It could have been a lot worse. However, it's all a learning experience, it'll also force me to stay in the boundaries of Prado while she gets fixed. She will live another day.
During the post Christmas limbo state I embraced the socially accepted laziness and got caught up watching Season 2 of Emily in Paris. For those who don't know, Emily in Paris is a light-hearted series about an American marketing executive's perspective on her new life in Paris. It's been slated a lot because of its overuse of French stereotypes, but it's an easy watch. Some of her difficulties living in a different cultural environment reminded me a lot of my own.
Of course there are so many who have similar problems living in a different country, however it feels more comforting watching a fluffy, dramatised version of these experiences.
Habla español?
I knew that I needed to up my Spanish game once I saw where I was placed. I I last studied Spanish about 5 years ago as part of my degree. However I felt fairly confident that I could get by in Prado del Rey, which I actually can. The problem is small talk, or anything conversational. Emily in Paris had the luxury of, well, being in Paris, where English is widely spoken. In one episode she attends language classes and has to retake her previous French class, much to her frustration. I rarely put myself out of my comfort zone and have nearly always managed to achieve
what I've set out to do because of this. Not being able to immediately speak perfect Spanish felt like some great personal failure to begin with. Well-meaning teachers at my school often invite me over to theirs or out for coffee to practice Spanish. The awkward Brit in me fears any situation like this. Andalusians are pretty extroverted and expressive, which is great in some situations, but I do value my own comfort and boundaries.
The working day
Going from a UK working culture to a Spanish one is GLORIOUS. Spain is vastly more relaxed than the UK and other northern European countries. Granted, there are longer waits at supermarkets and people's physical speed is actually slow. It's nice to slow down from time to time. The 'grind' and 'side-hustles' seem like the be-all and end-all of Western culture, at least in my generation. This constant state of chasing productivity is absolutely draining. There are so many great things about Instagram and LinkedIn etc. but the over-exposure to everyone's highlight reels can sometimes be inescapable. Physical distance from the UK has been liberating in this sense, I recommend it.
Driving
I tend to not make New Years resolutions, however my aim last year was to drive in a foreign country, I'd say that one has definitely been achieved after taking on the scenic (yet terrifying) mountain roads of the Sierra de Grazalema. I do tend to fear more mundane every-day situations (any supermarket, ever) more than mortally threatening ones so really I knew this would be achievable.
Where's better to drive? SPAIN WINS HANDS DOWN. Yes, some roads are a bit dodgy, but it's generally quieter and roads are wider. The dance with death
I'm back at school today and have just finished a lesson with the college-aged kids, we spoke about movies and now I have a new list of Netflix recommendations. It's nice to see the teachers, however it seems they've kept to their promise about speaking 100% Spanish in the canteen. Maybe I'll join in after a few more sessions on Duolingo.
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