Week 2

On Monday I started my classes again, but this week the class got separated into two classes. This week the nationalities in class were Dutch, German, Russian and English. Maybe Chinese too but I am not sure about that anymore. Class was still in the main building and at the first floor. When entering the classroom I noticed a big change from the past week, in this room was no table. That seemed kinda weird, but soon I found out that the chairs were equipped with a folding table at the armrest. Getting that thing in place for the first time is like Mario Balotelli putting on his training shirt. Does not go smoothly.

Class started and again the Dutch were in the majority. And if Dutch come together they speak Dutch, also when they are in Spanish class. So if one of the Dutch had a question, someone started talking in Dutch and on Dutch volume.

In the evening we had cena again, not sure what I had but just like most days I did not understand most of the conversation so I focused on the food. At some point I finally knew what the conversation was about and I joined them in the conversation, as good and as bad as that went. At least I tried and increased my vocabulary. Later I went to the intercambio again.

Tuesday was ‘San Valentin’, which is more a commercial day than really a day of love. Not much to do on a day like that, so I went searching for a bike. The shop I wanted to go to was recommended by someone I met at one the intercambio evenings. You probably never would have guessed it, but I got lost and never made it to the shop.

At Wednesday I was trying to get some more information about were I was supposed to move on Saturday. They told me the street name and when I could move in, somewhere in the afternoon, after the cleaning ladies were finished. As that sounds like a perfect time frame I went on my way again, to have comida at the host family. Not sure how they did it, but all the comida was very tasteful and way better than I ever expected. I registered to go to ‘oeanografic’, the local sea world.

Thursday I woke up and had to drop all of my laundry down from the second floor so they could do it all before I moved to the apartment. During the week I got to know that the breakfast wasn’t enough to pay attention for four hours of Spanish class. As a Dutch guy I loaded up on ‘stroopwafels’ to fill all the empty space in my bags before going to Spain, so everyday I took a couple of ‘stroopwafels’ to survive on till comida was served. The Spanish even have a name for it ‘almuerza’, basically the meal between breakfast and lunch. They also got a name for the meal between lunch and dinner, usually around 6:00pm, ‘merienda’. Again I went out to look for a bike, found a couple of shops, but it was siesta time. Or they opened later, not sure of that since a lot of shops do not show their opening times. Back home I still had no bike and I almost had to move, which I planned to do by bike.

Friday I got the last of my stuff together and got ready to move. Not sure how I managed it, but this time I had four bags. That were two bags more than I arrived with. I finally got to know the complete address and got to pick up the keys. As it turned out I was going to move in to the apartment where two of my classmates were living in. They told me that there was no way to make coffee. Being as horrible as that is, I went looking for the Chinese shop, a shop that got everything and is cheap. I went to bed early to get up early so I could drop off my bags at the apartment before heading to Oceanografic.

Since the timeframe was still as precise as they told me, I went after breakfast. It was about half an hour walking from the host family and while being sad that I would miss Fideua, I was exited to move into the apartment. Turns out it is more difficult than I imagined to walk with four bags to the apartment.

At arrival at the apartment I thought I was at the right location. And I was, just not at the right door. So after five minutes trying the keys on the door I decided to walk a bit further. There it was, the door of the apartment building. At that moment I realized that I tried the wrong door, the door of my neighbors for five whole minutes. Finally going through the right door I saw the ramp for a wheelchair, something I did not expect as often as buildings in general are not build for wheelchairs. Soon the thought of a wheelchair went away. I saw the elevator. One flight of stairs up. Another flight of stairs up was the first floor. This might seem strange, but that is because it is. So another flight of stairs up was the first floor for the elevator. And another flight of stairs up in the apartment, the door on the left side. I think this can be better explained by pictures. Do not worry, they will come.

Upon entering the apartment I met the cleaning ladies and an older English women. My classmates were getting ready to go to the Oceanographic, while they were still doing that I could move into the room. I started unpacking and getting ready to go too.

We left and took a taxi to the Oceanographic. It is nice to see animals, but after seeing most of those animals in the wild it is sad to see them in small and closed habitats. Afterwards we went to Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciences, the modern building you might recognize from pictures. Later on we went to have lunch –in what we could have known as the logo was in all kinds of colors and it looked more like a toy shop logo- at a restaurant where no one of us ever wants to return.

Afterwards my classmates went home and I went into the city, together with someone from my school who we met at the Oceanographic. She was meeting others and I went looking for the bike shop again. I was very glad she knew where to go, since I knew the way from where she had to be. This time I found the shop and went inside. This was going to be my first buy in Spanish. That all went ok and I was told that I needed at least two locks, one for my bike and one for my saddle. I also got some warranty with it, however not sure what exactly. That part was a bit too complicated. I bought myself a red bike of the brand ‘conor’, according to the lady from the shop a very good brand. Personally I liked it mostly because it looks like no one is going to put effort in stealing it.

I went home on my bike, not sure about traffic regulations, so here and there I might have broken some of them. Locking my bike on the corner of the street was the only place close to my apartment where I could find a pole to secure the lock on.

Later that day I met my third German roommate and at night: fiesta.