So I made it safely to Autol, despite some problems with Rail Europe (but I’m not going to go into that). My apartment turned out to be much better than I expected, it’s actually larger than mine was in BR, with a small-town Spanish twist, which is a fresh change from my modern set-ups in the past. (I have a short video tour of it, actually, however I seem to have either forgotten to pack or have misplaced the camera cord that connects to my comp, but I’ll post it asap). It is, however, more expensive than I originally thought-a translation error on the program’s side, I suppose-however my situation is fantastic, if not at least better than most of the other teachers I talked to in Madrid. My landlords, Carlos and Fanie (Stephanie) are super nice and have basically adopted me into their large family. So far, I haven’t needed to cook or buy a meal, as I have either dined with them or one of their two kids, who are both in their 30s and have families. Moreover, Carlos owns some land for growing crops so he said he would provide me with potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, garlic, and several fruits while I’m here for free. If that’s not enough, Fanie’s family owns a bodega-basically an underground cellar used for storing wine-that is over 150 yrs old, and every Sunday the family, about 20 in all, gather there for lunch. Yesterday they invited me to join them for a massive feast consisting of wine,olives, salad, tomatoes, bread, lamb ribs, chorizo (sausage), bacon, asparagus, pork ribs, fried fish, potatoes, sautéed peppers, fruit, desert, and coffee. It lasted 4 hrs.
Also, being the new person in town, the family has introduced me to just about everyone and their grandmother. It’s kind of crazy how literally everyone in the town knows each other; I have never witnessed a community as close as this before. In fact, I feel as though I already know half of the town, or at least half of the town knows who I am. And everyone is so generous and kind, it kind of throws me off. I’m really looking forward to becoming a part of this place for the next 8 months or so.
photos and vids coming as soon as I either find or replace my camera cord.
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well chris i mean it shouldnt be that different for you because i mean everyone knew who you were in lafayette. but hey glad you made it there sounds like a blast looking forward to pics and vids. peace out.
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome!! Sounds like you it made in the shade. Your experience really reminds me of my trip to Spain. I never paid for a thing in terms of grub. You know you hear so many bad things, in the world, and then move and people are SOOOOOO accomodating.
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