Life in Spain has begun with my two month stay underway.
With my Spanish extremely limited I have been thrown in head
first, struggling to keep up with conversations and as yet only able to say
basic sentences at best. Never before have I felt so limited in my
communication skills, it’s a new and uneasy feeling, frustrating at times, I’m
eager to quickly learn. Lucky for me my fellow intern and housemate, Dana from
Minnesota, is completely fluent so in her I have both a teacher and translator.
As I stand by trying my best to follow the conversations she has with the
Spaniards my inadequacies are like a flashing red light but each day I try to
push myself to learn a new sentence or ask a question in Spanish. They say the
fastest way to learn is by diving in and immersing yourself so here’s to hoping
that after two months I can improve my vocabulary which I can further at home
through more study.
My first 4 days in Spain were spent in Marbella and I’m
thankful we are now living in Estepona. While Dana and I did happen to stumble
across and explore the charming old streets of Marbella the majority of the
city was full of uncultured tourists who drank, ate mostly English food and watched
football in the restaurant strip along the beach. Huge out-dated resorts lined
the ocean front and local women totted around in heels with their leathery,
tanned skin partially covered in loud, bright outfits displaying most of the
colours in existence.
Finding a place to live in Estepona for two months was our
priority and thankfully luck was on our side and we found a place on the first
day of our search. My new home is in a little guesthouse down a cobble stoned
street (yes I realise the cobbled stoned streets seem to be a recurring theme
in my blog) which is two streets back from the beach and one street back from
the restaurant and shopping strip. My room is on the top floor with a private
bathroom only used by Dana and I. We have access to the kitchen which is in the
private part of the house, also on the top floor but separated from our little
wing, which the hostel manager lives in. Last night marked our first home
cooked meal and I think my stomach was happy with the healthy meal, if not
somewhat confused!
Having had a chance to look around some of Estepona I’m very
happy with my new home. It’s a much smaller city then Marbella with a much more
authentic feel to it. There are more local people and fewer tourists so there
is more of a chance to improve my Spanish.
Back to work on Monday after my initial first day on Friday
and there is talk of driving the company car around Spain…. stay tuned!
