Home Sweet Apartment

Days 2 and 3 in Ubrique were a success! In a matter of 24 hours I met some potential roomies, explored the city by foot, found a spacious, beautiful apartment with a fablous view, got a tour of the surrounding neighborhood from a friendly elder lady, negotiated a lease completely in Spanish and now have the keys in my hand to my future home. While I'd like to take pride in my improving Spanish skills and survival instincts, I'll admit I couldn't have done it myself! The buena gente (good people) here in Ubrique have been helping me every step of the way.

I had stumbled across some other language assistants staying in the hotel between Friday night and Saturday morning. We decided to piso hunt together since it would cut the cost... and no one wanted to get left behind to be homeless. Mi amigo Pepe heard back from one of the renters that had a 3 bedroom apartment just 2 streets over. He arranged for a meeting at the hotel and sent us on our way with Maribel- an overly friendly, optimistic, whimsical older woman with a permanent wide-eyed smile on her face. Seriously, permanent. She was a great saleswoman, pointing out the major benefits of the place to the smallest detaisl, though she didn't have to try so hard - the place was AMAZING. We didn't even have to think long about it; for the price she was offering, we agreed to sign that very day. After returning to the hotel to grab passports and money (which took longer than the anticipated 5 minutes because Maribel stopped along the way to show us the nearby pharmacy, restaurants, park, etc) we returned and went across the street to her son Jesus' house. Jesus, the partial owner, drew up a contract for October - June at 400 Euro per month. That's only 100 per person. That is insanely cheap. You can't just find a flat that cheap on a whim (with an awesome view might I add) anywhere in the states I'm pretty sure. He also agreed to let us move in as soon as we want and only pay 50 Euro each for the month of September. Bangin' deal since that's the same price we are paying PER NIGHT for our 2 star hotel! Discussing the lease in Spanish was somewhat of a task, but we made it through. Some people may have their doubts, that perhaps we were being railroaded since we are the new Americans in town. I am positive this is not the case. Jesus and Maribel were both extremely helpful and I truly believe they had the best intentions of helping us settle down and feel comfortable in their hometown.

Nearly 5 hours later, we finally made it back to our hotel. (Maribel felt the need to take us on a walking tour of the entire neighborhood and point out all of the essentials, including following me into the grocery store as if I had never seen one before. Did I mention she showed me how to work a microwave and TV as well? I must seem REALLY foreign.) I wanted more than anything to pass out, or at least take a siesta, but the night had other plans for me. First, I met with the bilingual coordinator from my school, Trini. She was on her way home from seeing a movie with her absolutely adorable daughter Paula when she stopped into the Ocurris hotel just to check in on me and make sure I was doing alright. It was very sweet, but she could see that my day had taken a 180 and I was settling in just fine! Afterwards, 2/3 of my new roomies and I went to dinner at El Laurel, which was delicious. I had some croquetas de jamon and red peppers stuffed with bacalao (codfish?) and smothered in some sort of tomato sauce, mmm. We then had a few cervezas (beers!) at a local bar and took turns buying a round (at 1 Euro a piece, it was more than affordable.) The liquid courage caused us to try our hand at conversing with each other completely in Spanish. I think we did alright, but I'm sure the locals thought we sounded foreign and crazy. Later, upon coming back to the hotel for the night, the cafe was empty except for Pepe of course and the camarero (waiter) Pedro. We had a drink with the two of them and practiced our Spanish for real. They are always so kind and generous to us foreigners, and most importantly they are patient with us. When we don't know how to say a word, we use circomlocution to explain our intentions, but even then sometimes there are malentendidos (misunderstandings). Pepe and Pedro are not only fun to talk to and patient with our not-so-perfect Spanish, but they teach us local words, phrases and pronunciation. Oh, and occasionaly give us free beverages and chocolate.

After that productive evening, I allowed myself to sleep in til my hearts desire- after all, Sunday is the day of rest! I slept in very late, took a nice walk throughout the town, and then came back to the hotel for a siesta. By the time I woke up, it was time for dinner! The new roommates and I went to the apartment to test out our new kitchen. After a nice meal of pasta, jamon serrano (cured ham, a Spanish specialty!), and pan (bread) we enjoyed some vino tinto (red wine) and tinto de verano (red wine with a hint of lemon! Specialty in Andalusia) up on the rooftop terrace. The night time view of the illuminated mountain facade was quite spectacular, the stars were bright on a clear night and we heard some coyotes off in the distance. It was a great way to spend our first evening in our new home.

view on my walk today

In addition to relaxing a bit, we did spend a little time walking through the rooms and deciding if there's anything we need to buy when we go into town - sheets, blankets, hand towels, etc -  though almost everything we need is already in the fully furnished apartment. I mentioned it was 3 bedrooms and as I'm sure you caught on there are 4 of us language assistants. There is in fact a 4th spare bedroom though it's very tiny. One of the girls has agreed to take the spare and we are going to cut the price of her rent a bit to make it a fair deal. In addition to the 4 bedrooms our new home has a spacious living/dining room with a balcony, a fully equiped, preciously decorated kitchen, 1 and a half bathrooms, our own laundry room with a washing machine and clotheslines, and... drumroll please... our own rooftop terrace with a beautiful view of the mountains. The decor could use a little updating (IKEA anyone?) but the space has so much potential to be a comfortable, spacious place to live for the next 9 months.

C/ Fernan Caballero, numero 10

I couldn't be more grateful to have found a perfect little piso in Ubrique. A big gracias to those who helped me get this far, it has made the transition to Spanish life a lot easier to be surrounded by buena gente!

Saludos <3

Getting there is half the fun...

....but twice as exhausting!! The last 3 days of my life have consisted of multiple cities, 3 plane rides, one cancellation, a hotel in Boston, a hostel in Malaga, some taxis, a train, 2 very long bus rides and lots and lots of waiting. Oh, and of course hauling around my luggage, the weight of which I suppose is close to that of dragging around a dead body... which, in all of my struggle to juggle 3 heavy bags, I got some strange looks from people most likely thinking "who is the crazy foreign girl carrying around her house?"

But despite the struggle and exhaustion, I've still managed to enjoy the hectic ride and meet some cool people! Add to the mix of interesting characters that I met on the Madrid fight: a man from Ghana enjoying the beach life in Malaga, a young French couple, a 50-going-on-20 year old woman from Holland WWOOFing it through Southern Spain with her free-spirited travel buddy* and a very kind British couple who helped me figure out the unreliable bus schedule.
*I learned that WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. People volunteer their labor in exchange for place to stay and eat for a few days. Apparently it is a very relaxing and peaceful experience!

All in all, it has taken me 3 full days but I have finally made it to my final destination: Ubrique (Cádiz) Spain, and it is even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Add to that the fact that the people are extremely kind and helpful. I'll admit as I walked the streets from the bus station to the hotel, hauling all of my luggage and sticking out like a sore thumb in this peaceful town, I began to worry a little bit-- if I would fit in, if I could survive on my limited stipend and my shotty Spanish conversational skills, if I could even find a place to live... but I was quickly reassured by the buena gente here that it is going to be a fantastic experience. Though my Spanish is still hurting a bit right now (a lot of mas despacio por favor and repite and no entiendo), I've already managed to make conversation with some of the locals in the few short hours I've been sitting in the cafe of the hotel. A delightful elderly man talked to me because I “appeared to be so lonely,” welcomed me to town,  shared with me pictures of his adorable nietos (grandchildren) and reassured me of the safety and wholesome goodness of the people in Ubrique. And then there is Pepe.

Pepe I will consider mi first local friend. He either works at the hotel café or owns it or maybe he just likes to hang out there, I’m not quite sure yet. What I am sure of is that he is one of the most benevolent Spanish men I’ve ever met. I must have had a facial expression that reads “I’m so lost” because he approached me at the café and asked what he can do to help me. I jokingly told him to find me a place to live, but he must not have picked up on the sarcasm (cultural thing?) because he literally dropped everything, left the room and came back with a list of phone numbers. But wait, as if that wasn’t enough, he has been making phone calls and returning them and helping me find options for a place to live. I felt bad because at first it was very hard to understand him – the combination of my sheer exhaustion and inability to think in Spanish as well as the very distinct gaditano/ubriqueño accent (even Pepe admitted that Madrileño Spanish was like a foreign language to him). However, he has been very patient with me and trying so hard to help, just conversing with him throughout the day has been extremely beneficial to my Spanish-speaking confidence (though my listening skills need work, he says I speak quite well!) While I was feeling a little foreign and uncomfortable earlier today, I now feel much more confident already. My foreigner blues were easily cured by a hot shower, some tapas and a cerveza, and the kindness of the people here.

In addition, I met another language assistnat who is staying at the hotel/ Apparently there are several other assistants living in Ubrique as well, though I have yet to meet them. It was nice to chat with someone else in my position; it made me feel less alone and worried. Tomorrow I think we will do some piso shopping together. Sharing an apartment would cut down on the cost a lot. As Pepe said when he realized I made friends with another American girl in my position, mejorará! It will get better!

All in all, my first evening in Ubrique has been a very emotional one. I went from feeling like a total foreigner who could hardly understand a thing, to a traveler that just might do ok. Hopefully I will be feeling like a local in no time (and speaking like one too!) The assimilation process these next few weeks is going to be tough, but I think I can handle it and enjoy ;this experience despite the difficult times. The good people and the stunning view won’t make it too hard either.  :)

Abrazos <3