Arriving in Barcelona was slightly surreal as it was almost like I had never left. I had only met the family about a month before and some of the aupairs I had met were still in the city. The kids were on holiday for the first two weeks so it was a good opportunity to get to know the family and explore the town before school started.The host mum has been told the school want teachers to volunteer to improve their English with the aim of being able to conduct a proportion of lessons in English. We're doing a half hour class most days and my inability to pronounce 'th' and spell has therefore unfortunately been revealed before I've even started the CELTA course. It has also been a wake up call that I need some serious work on my grammar. As the mum consistently points out- English often is less than straightforward. She's treating the lessons slightly as if English has a personal vendetta against her and is designed to confuse the Spaniards which is very entertaining.
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| The old part of town |
I've had a very productive time sorting myself out with a Spanish sim card, library card and gym membership. I am now connected with the world and have the potential to be super fit and well-read. However as the pool has a retractable roof when its sunny and a dedicated sun bathing area, I have been putting more effort into my tan than swimming and I still need to make it to the library... But at least everything is in place to achieve my goals! My first visit was ended prematurely by a lifeguard yelling 'gorro! gorro!' and me being bemused until he pointed and his head and the penny dropped that everyone was wearing swimming hats. So I purchased a fetching white number that makes me look like an egg. So much room for confusion abroad. Onwards and upwards!
Its amazing how much more technology kids have now. I've had quite a challenge tearing them away from TV, video games, IPads, Wii, phones etc. As I am a bit of a grandma on the technological front ( I was until very recently about the only person apart along with my grandma in the non-smartphone club) its been a bit of an eye-opener. So the mission to get away from the screens has been fought with bike rides, cookie making, games and beach trips.
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| Present from the girls to add a bit of bling |
The town is a nice size to have everything you need and is between the beach and the mountains. There are other aupairs in the towns up and down the coastal train line which has been perfect to meet for drinks and going to the beach. I've been shamelessly joining every aupair/student/erasmus group on facebook which has been great to meet people even if its slightly disconcerting to be receiving lots of random messages! We are embracing the Spanish culture by sampling the different 'claras y bravas' (beers and essentially chips) in the different bars and chiringuitos (beach restaurants). There seems to be a surprising level of variation which therefore means we need to continue the research. All good so far.
The mountains above the town have really beautiful views over the town, sea and as far as Barcelona. Weirdly the dog Nana is named after the dog in Peter Pan and my grandma is named after Wendy.
Its still definitely warm enough to go to the beach- looking super fly in my hat that the kids make fun of.
The town is quite scruffy and very Spanish and I've been exploring with the dog which is a good tactic to meet people. I was accosted by a grandma (with a similar dog) who got very excited when it become clear I wasn't a local and it turned out she'd been an aupair in London over 40 years ago! I've been slightly surprised by how many people have addressed me in Catalan rather than Castillian (which foreigners would all think of as the only version of Spanish) which I'm taking as a compliment that I'm starting to look less foreign. I've arrived at a time when independence for Cataluyna has become a very controversial issue and there are a lot of Catalan flags and political propaganda.
