My Two Month Reflection

Well, I have just finished my second month and I feel obligated to post something.  A couple quick observations before we dive into anything.  First, I've never been more injury prone in my life than when I've been here.  I have battled (and still battling in some cases) the inability to sleep, stomach problems, a cold, and a bum knee.  Also, I haven't been traveling as much as I have wanted nor have I mingled with non-English speakers.  It's very similar to study abroad in the fact that there are so many people doing this program in Bilbao.  In addition, it is very easy to get work in Spain if you speak English; everyone wants to learn how to speak English (speak is the key word, because let's face it, the grammar is relatively simple. Finally, the iPod touch 4th generation is one of the greatest travel companions that one could have.

Positives & Negatives & Works in Progress

Of the first two months I have experienced some positives and some negatives. Positives first, of course.  A positive is that I have developed a good core groups of friends.  It makes it easier and cures homesickness.  Another positive is that Liz and I have been able to pull in some extra income to supplement our salaries.  Believe it or not, my Spanish is getting better.  Also, I have tried new things thanks to the people I have surrounding me.

The negatives are as follows.  We have yet to meet any Spanish friends to call our own.  We have met some Spanish people, but they're friends of friends.  Hence we speak in English to each other.  Moreover, we have yet to do more than day trips.  Don't get me wrong, I loved Santander and San Sebastian, even Haro, but I need to travel more.  Even getting out to the mountains every now and again for some good old fashion hiking.  Luckily for me we are improving and will be venturing to Valencia in December and to Malta, Scotland, and England for Christmas (tentative schedule, but Malta is for sure).  This drought has been in part due to the increased prices accompanying transportation these days.  Siestas are getting the best of me!!!  I keep taking 2 hour naps, which would normally be OK, except for the fact that the sunrise is at 9-ish here and the sunset is at about 5:30-ish.  So I wake up when its dark in the morning and nap the remainder of the sunlight away at night.  

Works in Progress is my favorite, yet crippling category.  It's everything I hope to be doing but will most likely never accomplishment, but here it goes anyway.  One thing that I have been working is acquiring in basis in the Basque language.  It's quite interesting to me because its more of an immersion type of learning;  I'm not taking any classes, but I'm frequently being spoken to in it and inquiring about certain meanings.  So far I can say the basics: Zer moduz? (how are you), ondo (good), oso nekatuta nago (I am very tired), eta zu? (and you), Kaixo (hello) and agur (goodbye).  Another work in progress is taking pictures.  It's very difficult going out into rain to take pictures.  There's very little ambition to do anything with the rain.  It's like the Seattle of Spain.  Reading.  In both English and Spanish.  I would like to read more, but I still prefer (and probably will always prefer) films/movies.  And last but not least, trying to understand people from England, Scotland, and Ireland.   I have never realized it before, but our English is completely different.  I was walking home tonight from the pool hall listening to two Scottish people talk.  I understood maybe 70% of what they said, and thats a stretch.  Thanks for the reads and I hope you got some insight.  Next time will be about traveling and pictures, lo juro.  Stay tuned...

Learning is the objective

One of the driving forces behind me coming to Spain was to learn.  Through these first two months I have managed to figure out how to get myself into learning experiences.  My main learning facets have been school, traveling, and learn-by-doing in everyday life.

School has been a eye opening and jaw dropping experience like always.  The lack of respect that teachers get in Spain is twice as bad as in the United States.  It's incredible the amount of shenanigans that students try here.  Writing on desks, throwing things across the room, and hitting each other.  I'm not going to lie, students in the United States do similar things, but for the most part they know when enough is enough.  Not in Spain.  Not to mention, they have mouths on them like sailors!  Then again, so do their parents.  Every other word is joder, cabron, de puta madre, etc.  Ok, I get it, they're teenagers, but today one of my colleagues at the elementary school said that one of his kids said puta (b****).  The kid is only 4 years old!  Basically, swearing is the more of the norm in Spain.


Traveling is interesting in itself.  You quickly learn many things when traveling.  Some things are about yourself and others are about people.  For instance, I prefer to take a train rather than a bus when traveling long distances.  The train allows you to stretch, walk around, enjoy a bit more of the scenery, and to see how average people live.  For example, my home town doesn't look like New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, or any of the other large towns.  When you travel you usually travel to the main attractions and skip over the "ugly" side of it, but when you travel by train you get to see the country in its full spectrum.  It's more of an off-the-beaten-track kind of thing.


It's strange when you figure out that you're very much like your parents in many ways.  For example, when I travel I always need to have a bag with certain items: ibuprofen, sunblock (for Liz), and I even pack a lunch and snacks from time to time.  Thanks Mom. In addition, I have always considered myself more of a free spirit and up for anything, but it doesn't seem to be the case.  When ever people ask me if I want to travel I have to look up everything.  What time does the train/bus leave?  What is there to do there?  How much will it cost me?  One time I want to just jump on a train for a week and see where it takes me.  Just show up and find whatever I need when I get there.  Maybe someday when I have money.

The most learning by far can be attributed to everyday life.  Even the simple things impress you.  For example, I have realized, thanks to the rainy climate of Bilbao, that I have short legs and not a pair of jeans that compliments them.  What's more, I hate having wet pants so much that one day I pinned them up with clothes pins and walked around Bilbao.  Also, this trip has revealed to me that Spanish people (maybe just the basque people from what I have experienced) are some of the nicest people I have ever met.  People you've just met will give you there phone numbers and cards and say if there's anything you need to just call them.  However, they also think that we are inept to do anything.  They treat us somewhat like children.  If we ask them how to get somewhere they will walk us there.  They assume that we cannot speak Spanish and prefer instead to struggle in broken English in order to communicate with us.  Our landlord coming in to clean everyday doesn't help.  Well until next time, stay tuned for some travel photos and movies...

Storms, X-rays, and Citizenship

So after my nearly two week hiatus, I am back.  Some things to catch up on: Halloween, paycheck to paycheck, hospital visits, Jenga, maybe even some school.

Halloween in Spain is a bit different from the United States. Basically, it's nonexistent.  Based primarily on our lack of funds (and partially on the fact that they don't dress up at all) I went as the ever easy to replicate Justin Bieber.  The night started at a house and migrated (thanks to our roommate) to an interesting and entertaining (literally) disco, and in a true American fashion, we ended our night around 2 AM.

I've never really been so tight for money that I have actually had to live payday to payday.  Luckily, right when we ran out of our reserve plus a couple hundred in loans fund, we started to pick up private lessons.  Our task went from enjoying our time in Spain to avoiding any possible fiscal decision.  Needless to say I'm happy to have money again.  Along with the arrival of money came the acquisition of a citizenship card (known as a National Identification Card/Number) and a library card.  Now I feel like an official citizen of Spain.  I'm pretty jacked about it too!

As you might remember from my last post, I injured my knee doing absolutely nothing.  After a couple of calls to my insurance company and finding out that the vast majority of the people who work there are native English speakers, I was told I had to go to the emergency room.  This is very different and a bit odd in a socialist country.  As some of you might know, Spain has universal coverage for its citizens.  Needless to say, unlike the insurance company, no one spoke a lick of English.  It was however, the most productive  hospital visit that I have ever made going in and out of the waiting room a record 4 times during my visit.  I felt as though I was on a game show.  Matt Bardwell come on down to door number 1!  Well door number 1 doesn't work, try door number 2.  Door number two won't get the job done, so how about door number 3?  Nope, on second thought, maybe your should go back to the audience, and we'll bring you a conciliation prize.  Interestingly enough, I wasn't even surprised when they took an X-ray of my knee, even though I knew that I needed an MRI to see the condition of ligaments, tendons, cartilage, etc.  Oh well, they gave me ibuprofen and a knee brace and insisted that I make a follow-up for next week.

This next theme, Jenga, came about during our money saving escapade thanks to the mentality and persistence of our single, young, and generous friends.  They wanted to go out, but we couldn't afford or justify going out.  Finally, we came to a compromise, we decided that we would go buy a board game and get a bottle of wine.  The cheapest and most exciting game we could find was Uno Stacko Jenga.  Jengate, te jenga, jengame, jengarse.  All of these wonderful new Spanish words that can be created with one game and a few drinks.  I'm sure that our neighbors were very excited to hear our beautifully conjugated new word.








Much to the excitement of our Scottish friend Graham, we have discovered a pool hall just across the river in the Deusto neighborhood.  We head there a few times a week and test our skill against one another.  It's good fun and at the very least a good way to pass the time, especially in the weather that Bilbao has been experiencing for the last two weeks.  It has been downpour after downpour.  According to the Bilbaínas that I work with, this is quite irregular weather that we have been having.  I believe last weekend it rained for a minimum of 24 hours without cease.  I'm not just talking light sprinkles, but immense downpours. Thankfully, due to the significant increase in our financial status and the improvement of the weather, my posts should be getting better as the time goes on.

 Last but not least, school.  School is school.  There's not a whole lot of it and thank God for that.  The students in Spain are less respectful than those in the United States, which is ludicrous to even begin to think.  Nevertheless, kids are kids.  All in all I'm doing fine and couldn't imagine doing anything else.  Thanks to all of you who've taken an interest.  Until next time...