So I’m finally getting settled in Bilbao. It was a crazy transition going straight from traveling to trying to get settled in a new city (and country…). Now that I feel a little more secure, let me fill you in on my experience thus far…
Finding a place to live was a lot more difficult than I expected it to be. Originally, my friend Jessica and I intended to find a place together with Spanish roommates so we would force ourselves to speak in Spanish the whole time. Well, it might have been possible for one of us to find accommodation, but by the time we figured out that finding two vacant rooms in a Spanish “piso” (aka apartment) was virtually impossible, pretty much all the rooms were filled by Spanish students who are starting school around this time. We saw some pretty shabby looking pisos in the outer neighborhoods, and some mediocre rooms with questionable roommates. The worst by far was a room in a tiny piso with a guy named “Vladamir” who worked a night job, had porn up on his computer, and welcomed “night visitors”. Let’s just say we high-tailed it out of that one and immediately upped our budget and did more research on good neighborhoods.
Anyway, we ended up being extremely lucky (thanks to one of Jessica’s teachers). We had to compromise on the Spanish roommates, but we got a cute 3-bedroom piso in a great neighborhood in the center of town. The previous renters had just moved out the day before and our landlord, Javier, hadn’t finished cleaning the place, but we insisted on a tour. After having seen so many (pardon my language) shit-holes, we didn’t even hesitate before running to the bank and giving Javier a 300 euro “signal” that we wanted the place. It was just our luck because by the time we got back from the bank, he had showed the house to another couple who would’ve taken it if we hadn’t. Phew! So, luckily we knew of another girl doing the Language Assistants program who was also having trouble finding a place, and the three of us moved in on Monday. Anyway, we’ve been spending the last week trying to make it seem like home. We shoved the creepy animal-skin rug into a closest, reorganized the kitchen, bought bedding and organizational things at Ikea, and figured out how to light the gas stove and operate the washing machine (in which my clothes were trapped in pool of water for three straight days. We finally got them out, but it’s still trial and error to get it to work). There are still some more little projects, but I’m starting to feel much for comfortable in the piso, and I’ve finally gotten to cook my own food!!
Speaking of food… Let me fill you in on how it works in Spain because this is one of the more revealing aspects of the culture here. First of all, Spaniards eat on a different schedule than Americans. They typically have breakfast (like a cup of coffee or orange juice and bread or a pastry) around 8 or 9 I’d say. Then, most people head to work and return around 2 or 3 for the biggest meal of the day. At restaurants, you can order off of a “menú” which is a 3 course meal. They usually have about 3 or four options for each course. For example, here’s what I ordered for my first meal here:
- Pan: Bread (Standard with any meal)
- Ensalada mixta: Salad with corn, eggs, olives etc. (You dress your own salad with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper)
- Filete a la plancha: Seared, flattened steak filet served with steak fries
- Perfiteroles: Profiteroles… delicious.
- Café con leche: Coffee with cream (although usually you would have a choice or wine, juice, or water)
There is usually a bunch of seafood on the menu here because we are so close to the water, but I’m still a little wimpy when it comes to seafood. However, I have had bakalao (cod), gambas (shrimp), and rabas (fried squid slices), which were all really great. I also tried some calamari, which was chewy... (Not my favorite). The last meal of the day is cena, which is really just a snack. Often people go out to a bar or café and have a “pintxo” or two. “Pintxo” is the Basque word for “tapa”, which is like a little appetizer, usually served on a slice of bread. Restuarants usually just set out plates of various Pintxos, and you just order them as you want them. Typical pintxos include: croquetas, which are breaded, fried, and creamy in the middle; salchichas or chorizo which is sausage; gambas; bocadillos de jamón, which are little ham sandwiches; and of course tortilla española, which is like a thick potato omelet. Those are the most common ones, but I’ve also had some other great pintxos of curried chicken, fried lomo (pork loin) with quail egg, and fried zucchini. Then you usually order a caña (small beer), tinto (wine), or a kalimotxo (which is red wine mixed with Coke, which is surprisingly tasty).
I should also mention paella, which is also very Spanish, but I’m still not completely sure about its cultural importance. Paella a huge family-style dish made of rice and either mariscos (seafood), or carne (meat). It takes a few hours to prepare. I had paella at a welcome party at my school, but I don’t usually see it on menus. Therefore I get the impression that it is like a party/celebration dish. They also served txokoli, which is a Basque cider that is traditionally poured from up high. Asturias, the region where Steph studied, is very well-known for their cidra (cider), but txakoli is apparently the Basque version. I’m not sure if there is any difference besides they name and the place it was brewed.
On that note, I should probably explain what I mean when I refer to “Basque”… So, Spain is broken up primarily into different provinces. For some reference points, Barcelona is part of the state of Cataluña, and Madrid is part of Castilla La Mancha. Bilbao belongs to País Vasco (it’s Spanish name), or the “Basque Country” as we say in English, or “Euskadi” as they say in Basque. The Basques have preserved their own language, Euskara (or just “Basque” in English), which is one of the oldest languages in Europe. It originated and has remained in the Basque Country, unlike Spanish, whose Latin roots were introduced when the Romans invaded and took the Iberian Peninsula as part of the Roman Empire circa 200 a.c. Anyway, Basque is completely different than Spanish, and everyone here is fluent in both languages, which just makes things more interesting. For example, most streets have a Basque name and a Spanish name. Usually people refer to the streets as their Spanish name, but apparently the Google Maps gives you the Basque name… let’s just say that when I arrived here, my directions weren’t very helpful. Also, a lot of times Basque people code-switch in the middle of a conversation. So, I’ll be overhearing a conversation, following along in Spanish, and then all of a sudden I’ll be completely lost! They did this at my orientation meeting and one of my fellow teachers must have noticed my open mouth and befuddled expression and said “If you ever can’t understand someone, they’re probably speaking basque.” This somehow made me feel more and less comforted at the same time. Anyway, it hasn’t caused many problems, and it’s actually pretty interesting. I’ve already learned a few words like Agur (which means goodbye) and Kasko (city).
*Fun fact: My cereal box has four languages on it: Spanish, Basque, Catalán, and Polish (at least, that´s what my roommate thinks it is…)
As far as my job in concerned… I haven’t done much. I went to the school the Friday before last for an introduction. Cristina, my “tutor” showed me around the school and took me to her classes, where the kids already knew my name and asked me lots of questions. The most popular ones were “What are your hobbies?” and “Do you have a boyfriend?” I’m teaching in an “Instituto”, which is a few different schools lumped into one, but I’ll be mainly working with the kids in secondary school, so they’re between 12-16 years old. I haven’t actually taught a class yet, but from what I understand, I’m mostly there so the kids (and teachers) hear English spoken as a native language, and to give insight into my culture.
[Ok, update since I first wrote this… I’ve had two days of teaching. The kids are precious. I mostly had them get into groups and brainstorm what comes to mind when they think of the US. The most popular answers were: Hollywood, big houses/streets, shopping, fat people, hamburgers, fast food, New York, Miami Beach, Justin Beiber… Most of their activities are written in British English, so at one point I had to read a passage and totally stumbled over the word “mum”. They also asked if I lived in a “flat” or a house in the States.]
I’ve met quite a few of the other Language Assistants. We started a facebook group, so a lot of us in Bilbao have gotten together. I’ve now got friends from Colorado, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Ireland, Scotland, and England. It’s pretty funny comparing our accents and dialects. For instance, the guy from Oklahoma is named is “Thomas E. Mosley III”, which my Irish friend pronounced “Thomas E Mosley the Turd” so now he’s just “Thomas the Turd”. Also, a fanny is something much different in British. And in Ireland, they say “What’s the craic?” instead of saying “What’s up?”
Alright, well now that I’ve written your ear off, I’m going to head for bed. If any of you want to explore my neighborhood on Google, you can search: Calle Iparraguirre 44, 48011 BILBAO. I’m on the 4th floor of a random triangle-shaped building.
Agur!
