¡Felíz Año Nuevo! Happy New Year!
This year I was going to stop writing these silly anecdotes, but on our recent visit home, several of you asked me when the next is coming out...so here you have it!
Same Holidays Different Traditions
In a recent email from my Aunt Carol, she asked me about the differences between celebrating the holidays in Spain v.s. the USA. I think most of you will concur that the Christmas holiday (I have chosen not to be politically correct here...so I hope my non-Christian friends will not take offense) begins the day after Thanksgiving with the traditional “Black Friday” shopping...if you are in NYC and see the Macy´s Thanksgiving Day Parade, perhaps you will say it begins when the Santa float makes its appearance. Anyway...since Thanksgiving is not a holiday celebrated here in Spain (Duh), Christmas marketing begins a little earlier...just after Halloween (Halloween wasn´t traditionally celebrated here, but over the past few years, has begun to catch on). Santa Claus or Papá Noël as he is called here, is viewed as an Anglo Saxon tradition and does not have nearly as much popularity as the Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men/the Three Kings)..although I must add that each year he is gaining in popularity. During the Christmas season, although losing its popularity, is the tradition of the children going from house to house singing villancicos (Christmas carols) and collecting money.
La Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) is celebrated with the family with a huge sit down meal of 3-4 courses. Tradition calls for several dishes of seafood as well as cordero asado (roasted lamb). The practicing Catholics will go the the Misa del Gallo (the Rooster Mass or midnight Mass). The families that choose to exchange gifts at Christmas do so on Christmas Eve. Christmas trees, while gaining in popularity here, are not the tradition, but rather, an elaborate Belén or manger display. My parents-in-law didn´t have either at their house this year, but my brother-in-law and his wife had both – an artificial tree and a Belén. Last year Ángel and I put up a tree, and a few decorations around the house. This year we didn´t do anything since we were in the States for the holidays. What I really miss here in Spain and loved seeing while back in the USA are all the brightly lit houses with the merry, twinkling lights. Here the cities and towns put up special Christmas lights and I have even seen a few decorated trees, but in general the private homes do not do too much decorating…at least nothing compared to the USA. Then again, as Ángel frequently says, everything in the USA is más (more). He was quite surprised and enjoyed seeing the lit houses in the Philadelphia area.”Just like the movies” he exclaimed.
December 28th is the día de los inocentes much like April Fools Day in the USA...practical jokes abound. I don´t think there is any direct or indirect correlation between this date and the rest of the holiday season, but who knows?would have to do a little research on that.
The celebration of La Noche Vieja (New Year´s Eve) runs the gamut from huge public celebrations in the main town squares, to the very chic private parties in highly coveted bars, to the mega parties in the discoteques and the private family gatherings. Whatever your style (Ángel has not missed a New Year´s Eve dinner at his parents´ house in his entire life) the one tradition that is seen at all celebrations is that of the doce uvas (12 grapes). I recall in my college Spanish classes, Dr. Iglesias animatedly telling us about eating the 12 grapes to the rhythm of the bells tolling the hour...one grape per chime. Ahhh, no big deal we thought, how easy. But not so easy! After a huge dinner of 3-4 courses (yes the Spaniards are big on eating!)… dessert...coffee...everflowing wine and champagne, try downing a dozen grapes (they are big here, this is wine making country!)...and not the seedless variety either! Of course there is all sorts of marketing that goes along with this tradition including party favor style cans of 12 grapes each.
The children do not write letters to Santa Claus but rather to the Reyes Magos. In all of the centro comerciales (shopping centers) they line up to sit on one of the Three Kings´ lap to tell him their wishes. On the 5th of January, each child leaves a pair of shoes by the window (no stockings are hung by the chimney with care) so that the Reyes Magos can leave them a surprise. Here, on the 6th of January, Epiphany in the Christian religions...the date the three wise men brought the gifts to the Christ Child...families exchange gifts --- it´s a national holiday and marks the end of the holiday season. Of course the traditional breakfast and coffee food is the roscón that comes in many different varieties. Generally it is a large round pastry (about the size of a medium pizza) with a hole in the middle (like a doughnut) and filled with cream and topped with candied fruit, inside the roscón is a small trinket that is said to bring good luck to the person who gets it.
Just as in the States, during the entire holiday season, there is the tradition of visiting friends and family and wishing them all good cheer. The homes are often stocked with turrones (almond nougat candies), polvorones (another traditional candy), dried fruits, nuts, and bombones (chocolate bon-bons) and as soon as the guests arrive, a sweet tray is readily prepared and served with the everpresent coffee, or in some cases, a liquor/cordial.
Sometimes I get saddened by the tremendous influence that the American culture has on Spain. I relish the fact that different countries have different ways of celebrating the holiday season. Spain had not been a very consumer driven country, previously the wealth did not exist. The people bought what they needed and used what they bought. There was a much larger middle class and the upper and lower classes were the exceptions rather than the rule. However, much is changing here. Consumerism is rising here as is consumer debt, the middle class is beginning to shrink. The concept of keeping up with the “Garcías” (as I call it) is beginning to become apparent in certain social circles and classism is becoming more and more the norm.
Ahhh but you can´t have it all. Along with the bad comes the good and vice versa...
Wednesday, January 01, 2003
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
Mom and Dad's European Vacation
Mom and Dad´s European Vacation
So, I had Mom and Dad here visiting for the month of August, minus one week when they escaped the doldrums of our mountain home for 7 days of urban bliss in Paris. During that time, Patti came and went as well. It was a really neat experience to have them here! After all these years of “Spain this or Spain that”, they finally got to know the country that I first fell in love with 18 years and 15-some trips ago. For Mom, it was the first time she ever set foot in Spain. For Dad, it was the first time in 40 years he had been here. If you know anything about recent Spanish history, you know that the Spain of 40 years ago, under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, has absolutlely NOTHING to do with the democratic/socialist Spain of today, currently under the leadership of President José María Aznár and the Partido Popular (the Poplar or Populist Party). Needless to say, Patti marveled at how remarkably similar to Italy Spain is and Mom and Dad were impressed with the old world and new world functioning side by side. Old world stuff...I had Dad participate in an encierro small town bull fight. Yes, he was actually in the ring with the bulls and a bunch of other brazen young and not-so-young, sober and not-so-sober men (I won´t say which category my father falls into). Actually there were a few women participating too. This chica, as crazy as she is, has retired from her festive days. I enjoyed the spectacle from the bleachers with Patti and Mom...who I am not so sure was enjoying it too much. I think she was worried about explaining to my brother how all of Dad´s ribs got broken. Hee hee. Dad made it home in one piece, after a few tense moments and Angel finally going down and dragging him out of the ring. Literally. It was quite an experience and a memory that I am sure Dad will enjoy reliving many times over. New world stuff … shopping in El Corte Inglés, Spain´s largest department store and wandering through Carrefour, the French chain of hypermarkets that was never really successful in penetrating the American market. I also have to mention zipping along the autopistas (highways) that are quite modern in their own right. Of course me with my new Spanish drivers´ license, I am not permitted to zip too much...more like crawl at 50 mph (newly licensed drivers are permitted a maximum speed of 80 kph for the first year of their license) with all the others zipping by me at breathtaking speeds of 100-120 mph. Ahh but it´s good to have friends in all the right places, or as they are called here enchufes. So, Juan (yes, Lori, can you believe it? He is now a big time lawyer here in Madrid) has promised to take care of any speeding tickets, just for crying out loud go faster than 50 mph (as he so eloquently put it)!
Business as Usual
Summer is over and it´s back to business as usual, or is it? I sometimes feel like my life is an endless series of adventures. Close one chapter open another. It´s actually a pretty cool feeling. As I have always said, better busy than bored. So, I am busy creating the next chapter (within a chapter) of my life. Now that all the summer visitors are gone, we are full steam ahead on our business. Originally planned for a September launch, but it looks like it´ll be closer to October before Iber-English Language Partners will be opening it´s office just northwest of the business district here in Madrid. For those of you familiar with the city, it´ll be located in the Plaza de Castilla/Valdeacederas section. In the meantime, between laying brick, hanging drywall, developing teaching plans for the business and teaching a few random classes, I have been cranking out a couple of proposals for corporate clients (see, those non-profit fundraising days served me well to write great proposals on a shoestring budget!). Two of them are multinationals (one American and one Spanish), the third is a smaller local client. Along with that, have been pounding the pavement for English teachers...native speaking and preferrably legal. Otherwise, our expenses go up with the cost of administering the paperwork and legal fees to get the teachers their work visas...Patti! Where are you???!!! So, you are sitting there, shaking your head and thinking….”that crazy Becky! How does she do it??”. I don´t have to wonder, I know...I do it with the tremendous support of my wonderful life partner (or as Lee puts it, my best friend, my lover, my husband).
Fallen Angel
So, Mom and Dad...AND Patti, had the opportunity to get to know Angel much better and his wry sense of humor. I really hadn´t given it much thought before Patti pointed out to me how so many of my friends and family were concerned/worried about me “running off, getting married, and moving to Spain” in the blink of an eye... primarily because no one really KNEW Angel. Yes, several had met him on his brief weekend visits during our “courtship”. But the brevity and language barriers prevented any real “familiarity” from developing. Well, Mom and Dad left with future dreams of spending several months at a time visiting. And Patti, well...how ´bout it Patti? As I have always said, you never know what is waiting for you just around the next corner!! I feel like my Angel has fallen from the heavens. For those of you remaining with any bit of concern or worry, he is a wonderful wonderful man who has done (is doing) everything humanly and inhumanly possible to make sure that my transition here is a smooth one and that I become every bit the independent woman that I was in the states. Can´t beat that!
The Flip Side
Yes, I feel like my life is a shining sun, but it does have its dark spots (as every life does). My legal battle with O.E. is moving forward. Will probably have my court date mid October. I don´t care about being paid at this point, all I care about is putting these losers out of business so that they don´t continue to cheat hard working teachers and innocent families out of money. Angel and I have launched a massive (by our standards), publicity campaign against them. I even had my first TV interview here in Spain. Ha ha! It´s much different doing such an interview in a language that isn´t your native tongue. I felt like such a rebel running around Madrid at midnight posting up signs on all of O.E.'s former offices telling teachers and students alike to get in touch with each other via an email account that Angel set up. Oh the fun of it all. Good thing that Angel and I are like minded!
Food and Fun
As I mentioned in one of my previous chapters, Angel and I with the help of Jeremy, organized a decent sized bilingual barbecue in June. In all we had about 30 attendees and it was great fun. The next one is planned for this Saturday (the 21st) and the guest list has swelled to 53 and counting. The menu includes paella (seafood, meat and vegetable) as well as sangría and burgers and dogs for the expats with a hankering. We are gearing up for another volleyball game. Can´t wait. Rumor has it that a French guy is joining us this time around! If you are a Spain lover, or have a curiosity about the country, I recommend that you check out Jer's website. The guy has webcams all over the place as well as a very active message board. Aside from the social aspect of the BBQ, I am really testing the waters for part of our business...bilingual activities that give students of either language (Spanish/English) the opportunity to practice in a non-threating environment. Ah yes, remember game-night groupies...game night will never die, on the drawing board are plans to launch a monthly bilingual game night here! Many thanks to Patti who brought Taboo and Scrabble and also Rob and Chumi ... Boggle lives on! Mom and Dad taught Angel´s parents how to play rummy and they taught Mom and Dad how to play chinchón. Cards, the international game.
Many thanks to those of you who emailed and said that you were looking for me on the news when the local stations covered the Tomatina (the huge tomato fight here in Spain). Unfortunately, our plans of going were altered by the tremendous hailstorms that Spain suffered the last week of August. The Tomatina was held, but the weather was rather cool. We didn´t want to run the risk of driving 5 hours only to discover it had been cancelled...there is always next year!
So, I had Mom and Dad here visiting for the month of August, minus one week when they escaped the doldrums of our mountain home for 7 days of urban bliss in Paris. During that time, Patti came and went as well. It was a really neat experience to have them here! After all these years of “Spain this or Spain that”, they finally got to know the country that I first fell in love with 18 years and 15-some trips ago. For Mom, it was the first time she ever set foot in Spain. For Dad, it was the first time in 40 years he had been here. If you know anything about recent Spanish history, you know that the Spain of 40 years ago, under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, has absolutlely NOTHING to do with the democratic/socialist Spain of today, currently under the leadership of President José María Aznár and the Partido Popular (the Poplar or Populist Party). Needless to say, Patti marveled at how remarkably similar to Italy Spain is and Mom and Dad were impressed with the old world and new world functioning side by side. Old world stuff...I had Dad participate in an encierro small town bull fight. Yes, he was actually in the ring with the bulls and a bunch of other brazen young and not-so-young, sober and not-so-sober men (I won´t say which category my father falls into). Actually there were a few women participating too. This chica, as crazy as she is, has retired from her festive days. I enjoyed the spectacle from the bleachers with Patti and Mom...who I am not so sure was enjoying it too much. I think she was worried about explaining to my brother how all of Dad´s ribs got broken. Hee hee. Dad made it home in one piece, after a few tense moments and Angel finally going down and dragging him out of the ring. Literally. It was quite an experience and a memory that I am sure Dad will enjoy reliving many times over. New world stuff … shopping in El Corte Inglés, Spain´s largest department store and wandering through Carrefour, the French chain of hypermarkets that was never really successful in penetrating the American market. I also have to mention zipping along the autopistas (highways) that are quite modern in their own right. Of course me with my new Spanish drivers´ license, I am not permitted to zip too much...more like crawl at 50 mph (newly licensed drivers are permitted a maximum speed of 80 kph for the first year of their license) with all the others zipping by me at breathtaking speeds of 100-120 mph. Ahh but it´s good to have friends in all the right places, or as they are called here enchufes. So, Juan (yes, Lori, can you believe it? He is now a big time lawyer here in Madrid) has promised to take care of any speeding tickets, just for crying out loud go faster than 50 mph (as he so eloquently put it)!
Business as Usual
Summer is over and it´s back to business as usual, or is it? I sometimes feel like my life is an endless series of adventures. Close one chapter open another. It´s actually a pretty cool feeling. As I have always said, better busy than bored. So, I am busy creating the next chapter (within a chapter) of my life. Now that all the summer visitors are gone, we are full steam ahead on our business. Originally planned for a September launch, but it looks like it´ll be closer to October before Iber-English Language Partners will be opening it´s office just northwest of the business district here in Madrid. For those of you familiar with the city, it´ll be located in the Plaza de Castilla/Valdeacederas section. In the meantime, between laying brick, hanging drywall, developing teaching plans for the business and teaching a few random classes, I have been cranking out a couple of proposals for corporate clients (see, those non-profit fundraising days served me well to write great proposals on a shoestring budget!). Two of them are multinationals (one American and one Spanish), the third is a smaller local client. Along with that, have been pounding the pavement for English teachers...native speaking and preferrably legal. Otherwise, our expenses go up with the cost of administering the paperwork and legal fees to get the teachers their work visas...Patti! Where are you???!!! So, you are sitting there, shaking your head and thinking….”that crazy Becky! How does she do it??”. I don´t have to wonder, I know...I do it with the tremendous support of my wonderful life partner (or as Lee puts it, my best friend, my lover, my husband).
Fallen Angel
So, Mom and Dad...AND Patti, had the opportunity to get to know Angel much better and his wry sense of humor. I really hadn´t given it much thought before Patti pointed out to me how so many of my friends and family were concerned/worried about me “running off, getting married, and moving to Spain” in the blink of an eye... primarily because no one really KNEW Angel. Yes, several had met him on his brief weekend visits during our “courtship”. But the brevity and language barriers prevented any real “familiarity” from developing. Well, Mom and Dad left with future dreams of spending several months at a time visiting. And Patti, well...how ´bout it Patti? As I have always said, you never know what is waiting for you just around the next corner!! I feel like my Angel has fallen from the heavens. For those of you remaining with any bit of concern or worry, he is a wonderful wonderful man who has done (is doing) everything humanly and inhumanly possible to make sure that my transition here is a smooth one and that I become every bit the independent woman that I was in the states. Can´t beat that!
The Flip Side
Yes, I feel like my life is a shining sun, but it does have its dark spots (as every life does). My legal battle with O.E. is moving forward. Will probably have my court date mid October. I don´t care about being paid at this point, all I care about is putting these losers out of business so that they don´t continue to cheat hard working teachers and innocent families out of money. Angel and I have launched a massive (by our standards), publicity campaign against them. I even had my first TV interview here in Spain. Ha ha! It´s much different doing such an interview in a language that isn´t your native tongue. I felt like such a rebel running around Madrid at midnight posting up signs on all of O.E.'s former offices telling teachers and students alike to get in touch with each other via an email account that Angel set up. Oh the fun of it all. Good thing that Angel and I are like minded!
Food and Fun
As I mentioned in one of my previous chapters, Angel and I with the help of Jeremy, organized a decent sized bilingual barbecue in June. In all we had about 30 attendees and it was great fun. The next one is planned for this Saturday (the 21st) and the guest list has swelled to 53 and counting. The menu includes paella (seafood, meat and vegetable) as well as sangría and burgers and dogs for the expats with a hankering. We are gearing up for another volleyball game. Can´t wait. Rumor has it that a French guy is joining us this time around! If you are a Spain lover, or have a curiosity about the country, I recommend that you check out Jer's website. The guy has webcams all over the place as well as a very active message board. Aside from the social aspect of the BBQ, I am really testing the waters for part of our business...bilingual activities that give students of either language (Spanish/English) the opportunity to practice in a non-threating environment. Ah yes, remember game-night groupies...game night will never die, on the drawing board are plans to launch a monthly bilingual game night here! Many thanks to Patti who brought Taboo and Scrabble and also Rob and Chumi ... Boggle lives on! Mom and Dad taught Angel´s parents how to play rummy and they taught Mom and Dad how to play chinchón. Cards, the international game.
Many thanks to those of you who emailed and said that you were looking for me on the news when the local stations covered the Tomatina (the huge tomato fight here in Spain). Unfortunately, our plans of going were altered by the tremendous hailstorms that Spain suffered the last week of August. The Tomatina was held, but the weather was rather cool. We didn´t want to run the risk of driving 5 hours only to discover it had been cancelled...there is always next year!
Saturday, July 06, 2002
Legal Resident and Legal Driver!
Gosh, it has been ages since I last wrote a Life in Spain chapter in my ever growing “book” as some of you call it! So much has been going on these past couple of months that I hardly know where to start! I think the last time I wrote one was back in March...and here we are in July already! Where does time go?
Well, I am being fully indoctrinated into the Spanish life...on all levels! I finally got my residency here back in February and picked up my national ID card in March...wooo hooo! Now I can work anywhere in the European Union! Of course, now as a legal resident, that means I have (had) 6 months in which to get my drivers´ license if I wish to continue driving here after which my international license expires. So...
Licensed to Drive
I just recently completed AUTOESCUELA...yep you got it...driving school! A mandatory step towards getting my Spanish drivers´ license. It had been several years since I sat in lectures in Spanish...needless to say the first couple of classes in autoescuela were a rude awakening, between technical terms and my “false knowledge” of the driving here...was quite a challenge. I passed the “written” exam on Wednesday with flying colors scoring 39/40 correct. Next Wednesday, I present myself for the on the road test. This past week I have been taking driving lessons, can you believe that?! Gosh, what 17 years of driving an automatic does to really screw up your driving skills! However, sometimes I think my professor slams on the breaks unnecessarily just to demonstrate a minute point...if anything, out of sheer boredom. On the road, I am probably one of the easiest students he has since it was Angel who suffered through teaching me the use of the clutch and gears.
Socalized Medicine
Here in Spain, although a democracy…has a socialized health system. What that means is that everyone is covered, free of charge, under the national social security system without the need for private health insurance. Of course you can get private health insurance, but for most health needs, it isn´t necessary. What does socialized medicine mean from a users´ point of view? Well, for instance, no calling the doctor the first week expecting to get an appointment the second. When you do get an appointment, it´s around his/her schedule, rarely yours. I had an unfortunate fainting spell the other week (don´t get alarmed, nothing serious and I´m NOT pregnant!!) and we went to the ER of the clinic in our town. Ok a town of 2,500 … the ER is open 24/7... the incident happened at 8pm on a Friday night. I was seen in the ER after waiting an hour. Geeze...no bedside manners here whatsoever. The doctor was all business and quite frankly downright rude. The best that not having Blue Cross will get you! Ah well, at least everyone here has their basic healthcare needs met, and no one is turned away…not even illegal immigrants.
Work in Spain
Uff where do I begin with this one? As many of you know...I had several promising job interviews and even a job offer by the Red Cross of the Valencia region to do regional fundraising… to the tune of a little more than $5,000 a year. Full time. OUCH. (before leaving Philadelphia a company wanted to interview me for a position paying 20 times that amount!!!) So, I didn´t accept the position, we moved to Madrid (well, El Espinar) and I began my new career as an English teacher. Interesting career it is and I have met the most wonderful and interesting people. One of my students is the national sales director for Volvo Spain. He told me that whenever I was ready to buy a Volvo, that he is the one I should talk to. Hmmm on what I make?? A Volvo???. Anyway...I am an independent English consultant and work for several agencies. But then we got to thinking…why not just get rid of the middle man and go off on our own? So, that is what we will be doing this summer...renovations in a space that Angel´s parents own in downtown Madrid. With a September launch planned. The English center will offer multiple services including English classes, both onsite and in companies, as well as translation services and eventually, interpreters. I have developed a real deep respect for those who want to learn English because compared to Spanish, it´s one hellava difficult language. It has so many grammar rules and there are more exceptions than rules. Oh and forget the spelling. Argh. Try explaining the pronunciation rules for though, through, thought and bough. Then the spelling rules for throw, dough, sew, so, know and now. See what I mean? And that´s just the tip of the iceberg!
Legal Maneuvers
So, in my work as an English teacher, I have been working, since November for a company called O.E.(I am omitting the full name here. It's one of 3 places that I work for). I was one of their professors who went to the homes to give private English classes. All was peachy keen until late March when they started to pay me late. They continued to pay, but perhaps 6-8 weeks behind schedule. Last Friday when I was in my boss´s office, she suggested that I stop teaching for the month of July to minimize my risk of non-payment. She said that I would be paid for May and June, but wasn´t certain how nor when. Since then, the Academy has closed up shop...closed all its offices and cut its phone lines. Angel and I are now in a legal battle with about 10 other professors to collect the money owed to us. The whole thing was a complete sham! As I said, I am being fully indoctrinated into Spanish life here...Spanish driving school, Spanish medical system and the Spanish legal system! What next?!
Now that July is here again, it´s time for the tremendous San Fermín Festival in Pamplona (remember Michelle??!!), commonly known as “The Running of the Bulls”. I was just reading the article about it on CNN.com and find it quite interesting the angle that the article takes. Painting the festival as a dangerous drunken rampage and talking about the tourists who have been gored or trampled. Ok, it´s a drunken rampage with all night partying (if you choose to drink all night). But give me a break, the “tourists” who are gored or trampled are the ones who purposely put themselves in the paths of these huge beasts. The route that the bulls run is carefully fenced off and the “spectating tourists” are safe from any wandering animal. Oh well, viva impartial reporting!
Making connections: I have slowly been meeting people (socially not through work) and am quite pleased with my network of bilingual/bicultural friends. I have been pretty skittish about connecting with the expat crowd here. I would much rather mix with Spaniards. However, I have found a great group of Americans who are romatically involved with spaniards (dating, married, etc), so we have a lot in common. Angel and I, with the help of Jeremy (an American expat with Spanish gal) organized a barbecue here in the mountains. We convinced a caravan of 8 cars carrying 27 people (Spaniards, Americans, Brits, South Africans) to make the 30 mile trek up here where we made paella, roasted lamb chops, sangria, roasted chicken and salad along with fresh bread. Yum! Of course the picnic was complemented with good old American baseball, a rousing game of volleyball and visits by wild horses. You can see the pics here: http://www.multimadrid.com/barbq/june9_2002/.
Visits, visits and more visits! The special guest award goes to Julie Cheng to be the first to visit with us in 2002! Jeannette Riviera and Suzanne Tenuto won the award in 2001. Unfortunately Julie´s visit was only for a brief drink in the Plaza de los Cubos, but great to see her all the same! I recently had lunch with Dr. Iglesias, my college Spanish professor and the person who started my love affair with Spain! She was in town (or should I say in country?) for a conference. Gosh it was so much fun to catch up with her and have her show me some of her favorite Madrid secrets! Angel and I are anxiously looking forward to having Mom and Dad Gaspar come visit at the end of this month along with Patti DeFrancesco. Maybe Angelo DiGiulio will give us a buzz while he is here on business from Venezuela later this month. My sister Jen, and her hubby are planning an October visit before we head “west” (to Phila) for the Christmas holidays. Who knows what (or who) 2003 will bring us!
Well, I am being fully indoctrinated into the Spanish life...on all levels! I finally got my residency here back in February and picked up my national ID card in March...wooo hooo! Now I can work anywhere in the European Union! Of course, now as a legal resident, that means I have (had) 6 months in which to get my drivers´ license if I wish to continue driving here after which my international license expires. So...
Licensed to Drive
I just recently completed AUTOESCUELA...yep you got it...driving school! A mandatory step towards getting my Spanish drivers´ license. It had been several years since I sat in lectures in Spanish...needless to say the first couple of classes in autoescuela were a rude awakening, between technical terms and my “false knowledge” of the driving here...was quite a challenge. I passed the “written” exam on Wednesday with flying colors scoring 39/40 correct. Next Wednesday, I present myself for the on the road test. This past week I have been taking driving lessons, can you believe that?! Gosh, what 17 years of driving an automatic does to really screw up your driving skills! However, sometimes I think my professor slams on the breaks unnecessarily just to demonstrate a minute point...if anything, out of sheer boredom. On the road, I am probably one of the easiest students he has since it was Angel who suffered through teaching me the use of the clutch and gears.
Socalized Medicine
Here in Spain, although a democracy…has a socialized health system. What that means is that everyone is covered, free of charge, under the national social security system without the need for private health insurance. Of course you can get private health insurance, but for most health needs, it isn´t necessary. What does socialized medicine mean from a users´ point of view? Well, for instance, no calling the doctor the first week expecting to get an appointment the second. When you do get an appointment, it´s around his/her schedule, rarely yours. I had an unfortunate fainting spell the other week (don´t get alarmed, nothing serious and I´m NOT pregnant!!) and we went to the ER of the clinic in our town. Ok a town of 2,500 … the ER is open 24/7... the incident happened at 8pm on a Friday night. I was seen in the ER after waiting an hour. Geeze...no bedside manners here whatsoever. The doctor was all business and quite frankly downright rude. The best that not having Blue Cross will get you! Ah well, at least everyone here has their basic healthcare needs met, and no one is turned away…not even illegal immigrants.
Work in Spain
Uff where do I begin with this one? As many of you know...I had several promising job interviews and even a job offer by the Red Cross of the Valencia region to do regional fundraising… to the tune of a little more than $5,000 a year. Full time. OUCH. (before leaving Philadelphia a company wanted to interview me for a position paying 20 times that amount!!!) So, I didn´t accept the position, we moved to Madrid (well, El Espinar) and I began my new career as an English teacher. Interesting career it is and I have met the most wonderful and interesting people. One of my students is the national sales director for Volvo Spain. He told me that whenever I was ready to buy a Volvo, that he is the one I should talk to. Hmmm on what I make?? A Volvo???. Anyway...I am an independent English consultant and work for several agencies. But then we got to thinking…why not just get rid of the middle man and go off on our own? So, that is what we will be doing this summer...renovations in a space that Angel´s parents own in downtown Madrid. With a September launch planned. The English center will offer multiple services including English classes, both onsite and in companies, as well as translation services and eventually, interpreters. I have developed a real deep respect for those who want to learn English because compared to Spanish, it´s one hellava difficult language. It has so many grammar rules and there are more exceptions than rules. Oh and forget the spelling. Argh. Try explaining the pronunciation rules for though, through, thought and bough. Then the spelling rules for throw, dough, sew, so, know and now. See what I mean? And that´s just the tip of the iceberg!
Legal Maneuvers
So, in my work as an English teacher, I have been working, since November for a company called O.E.(I am omitting the full name here. It's one of 3 places that I work for). I was one of their professors who went to the homes to give private English classes. All was peachy keen until late March when they started to pay me late. They continued to pay, but perhaps 6-8 weeks behind schedule. Last Friday when I was in my boss´s office, she suggested that I stop teaching for the month of July to minimize my risk of non-payment. She said that I would be paid for May and June, but wasn´t certain how nor when. Since then, the Academy has closed up shop...closed all its offices and cut its phone lines. Angel and I are now in a legal battle with about 10 other professors to collect the money owed to us. The whole thing was a complete sham! As I said, I am being fully indoctrinated into Spanish life here...Spanish driving school, Spanish medical system and the Spanish legal system! What next?!
Now that July is here again, it´s time for the tremendous San Fermín Festival in Pamplona (remember Michelle??!!), commonly known as “The Running of the Bulls”. I was just reading the article about it on CNN.com and find it quite interesting the angle that the article takes. Painting the festival as a dangerous drunken rampage and talking about the tourists who have been gored or trampled. Ok, it´s a drunken rampage with all night partying (if you choose to drink all night). But give me a break, the “tourists” who are gored or trampled are the ones who purposely put themselves in the paths of these huge beasts. The route that the bulls run is carefully fenced off and the “spectating tourists” are safe from any wandering animal. Oh well, viva impartial reporting!
Making connections: I have slowly been meeting people (socially not through work) and am quite pleased with my network of bilingual/bicultural friends. I have been pretty skittish about connecting with the expat crowd here. I would much rather mix with Spaniards. However, I have found a great group of Americans who are romatically involved with spaniards (dating, married, etc), so we have a lot in common. Angel and I, with the help of Jeremy (an American expat with Spanish gal) organized a barbecue here in the mountains. We convinced a caravan of 8 cars carrying 27 people (Spaniards, Americans, Brits, South Africans) to make the 30 mile trek up here where we made paella, roasted lamb chops, sangria, roasted chicken and salad along with fresh bread. Yum! Of course the picnic was complemented with good old American baseball, a rousing game of volleyball and visits by wild horses. You can see the pics here: http://www.multimadrid.com/barbq/june9_2002/.
Visits, visits and more visits! The special guest award goes to Julie Cheng to be the first to visit with us in 2002! Jeannette Riviera and Suzanne Tenuto won the award in 2001. Unfortunately Julie´s visit was only for a brief drink in the Plaza de los Cubos, but great to see her all the same! I recently had lunch with Dr. Iglesias, my college Spanish professor and the person who started my love affair with Spain! She was in town (or should I say in country?) for a conference. Gosh it was so much fun to catch up with her and have her show me some of her favorite Madrid secrets! Angel and I are anxiously looking forward to having Mom and Dad Gaspar come visit at the end of this month along with Patti DeFrancesco. Maybe Angelo DiGiulio will give us a buzz while he is here on business from Venezuela later this month. My sister Jen, and her hubby are planning an October visit before we head “west” (to Phila) for the Christmas holidays. Who knows what (or who) 2003 will bring us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)