So I realized that I've been negative or critical about a lot of things. The fact is that it's easier to criticize something that's different than to embrace it. I think it's more of a coping mechanism. At some point this week I realized how negative I've been, and started to make a list of all the thigns I lvoe about Madrid besides the care-free lifestyle, cheap booze, and endless nightlife.
Alimentación
Literally alimentación means food or nourishment, but they're produce stands/convenience stores that are all over Madrid, and most other parts of Spain. They sell almost anything you could want from fruits and vegetables to litronas (40s) and bricks (boxes of wine) to snacks and milk. Somehow I hardly pass any on my walk from home to work, probably because the majority of my walk is through pijo neighborhoods. But it makes it so easy to stop on the way home to pick up fresh fruit or vegetables, which is something I really miss about New York. In DC I have to go out of my way to pass any type of grocery store on my way home and even then the produce isn't always fresh. But here I stop and pick up a tomato (tomate), zucchini (calabacin), or avocado (aguacate) on my way home from work on a daily basis and never have to worry about what coordinating my route home to make sure I can stop at the store. My closest alimentación is next door to my apartment and it's really spoiling me. Not to mention alimentaciones, unlike grocery stores, are open on Sunday which means whatever you need for your Sunday brunch you can still buy. And if you're lucky, your alimentación sells fresh pan.
Metro
Sure, NY, DC, and Boston all have subway systems, but the Madrid metro is clean and efficient. It was a gift to Spain -- let's call a spade a spade, it was a dowry gift from Great Britain when Victoria of Battenberg married then-Prince and future-King Alfonso XIII of Spain. (Actually, they have a lovely wedding story. They married in Madrid in 1906 when anarchists were alive and well in Europe. An ancarchist attempted to assassinate the couple during their wedding but threw a bomb that somehow bounced off of phone lines and whatever else the bomb could hit so it missed the Royals. The bomb succeeded in killing some visitors and Victoria's dress was stained with blood. Everytime I pass by the site of the assassination attempt all I can envision is absolute mayhem but Victoria crying about her dress. That may not be true, but it's how I see it.) This is also why the Madrid metro runs on the "wrong" side of the track. So while cars drive on the right side of the road, the metro drives on the left. It takes a while to get used to.
Anyway, the metro is clean, and during rush hour you never wait more than 2 or 3 minutes for a train. Compare this with waiting 6 or 7 minutes for either a blue or orange train to come, so 10 - 15 minutes if you need a specific train. OK, first world complaints, but still much appreciated. Thank you, Great Britain, for your generous contribution. But thank you more, Madrid, for keeping the metro in good condition.
Respect for History
Europeans never stop reminding me that U.S. history is nothing compared to European history. Their memories reach far back and hold on to a lot of the past. One really great thing about this is the maintenace of old architecture. In the U.S. we have a tendency to tear down buildings and erect bigger ones in their place. Madrid, however, is more like D.C. in that there are newer parts of town, but in the older sections (|| Capitol Hill) buildings are preserved and converted into something else, but the façade stays the same. And plaques are put up to remind people why that building or site is important. It's really incredible to walk around Madrid and see the old buildings where so-and-so lived converted into retail shops and apartment buildings, or a hotel, but by the outside you'd never know that anything had changed in the last hundred years. I actually took this for granted until someone mentioned it to me and I realized that it could be a huge economic investment to demolish and rebuild the city, but out of respect for the historical value of the city, they only invest in internal renovations, if that.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Euro
When you want to buy something, and you check the price and it seems a little steep and THEN you realize it's in Euros, not Dollars:
Although with the current economic situation, we may be back at evens soon.
Although with the current economic situation, we may be back at evens soon.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
The rain in Spain falls mainly on...
The plains.
When I was little, I misunderstood which kind of plains we were talking about it, and thought the rain in Spain falls mainly on the planes. Because they're high up in the air and the rain never quite made it down to the ground so it fell mainly on the planes. I had a lot of interesting thoughts like this. And then I thought this rhyme existed merely because it rhymes.
Turns out, it's true. The rain in Spain does fall mainly on the plains. There's also a Spanish version of this rhyme which is similar and wasn't used in My Fair Lady. The northern and southern parts of Spain get significantly more than the mountain area of Madrid does. So much so that Madrid is technically a desert, and I'm not sure how there's so much greenery here so if anyone knows please tell me.
Living in Madrid for a year I didn't think it rained that much and can only think of a few days when I needed an umbrella. Madrileños love when it rains because it's so rare. Coming from Tufts where it rained non-stop in the Spring, I didn't mind dryer weather. DC hasn't been particularly rainy since I moved down, so I don't mind the rain in Madrid as much now as I did a few years ago.
For the last two days, it's been raining in Madrid. For the first time I've heard thunder in Madrid, and huge cracks of thunder that echo across the mountains. The skies turn this marvelous dark grey-purple. But days are never rainy or grey, which means even though it's raining on you (but never pouring) you can always look to the east or west and see sunshine.
With the luck that Lara and I have, we got caught in one of the two patches of rain yesterday. It started as we exited the metro and ended as we got to her boyfriend's apartment. Que suerte. I wish I had taken a picture of the sky after because it looked fake. There was a swirl of dark clouds in the center of our view, but to the left and right it was perfectly sunny. I think this might be a typical rain patterm for mountainous Spain. Although not Madrid, these were taken a few years ago in Granada at Al Alhambra. It was snowing in the shadowed areas and sunny in ... the sun.
Knowing that it was supposed to be a rainy weekend in Madrid, I woke up this morning and checked the weather. Partly cloudy. No chance of rain. So I decided to do a load of laundry. 20 minutes after I hung the laundry to dry, it started drizzling. Que suerte. Oh well, the clothes just stay on the line and will eventually dry if the weight of the water doesn't make my laundry fall down 4 stories. So now I'm sitting in Lara's apartment, and hear the thunder cracks, and realize that maybe now would be a good time to take in my laundry. Well just imagine that for the first time in a while I timed it perfectly and took in my laundry and as I took my last T-shirt off the line, the heavens opened up. Maybe my luck isn't all bad after all.
When I was little, I misunderstood which kind of plains we were talking about it, and thought the rain in Spain falls mainly on the planes. Because they're high up in the air and the rain never quite made it down to the ground so it fell mainly on the planes. I had a lot of interesting thoughts like this. And then I thought this rhyme existed merely because it rhymes.
Turns out, it's true. The rain in Spain does fall mainly on the plains. There's also a Spanish version of this rhyme which is similar and wasn't used in My Fair Lady. The northern and southern parts of Spain get significantly more than the mountain area of Madrid does. So much so that Madrid is technically a desert, and I'm not sure how there's so much greenery here so if anyone knows please tell me.
Living in Madrid for a year I didn't think it rained that much and can only think of a few days when I needed an umbrella. Madrileños love when it rains because it's so rare. Coming from Tufts where it rained non-stop in the Spring, I didn't mind dryer weather. DC hasn't been particularly rainy since I moved down, so I don't mind the rain in Madrid as much now as I did a few years ago.
For the last two days, it's been raining in Madrid. For the first time I've heard thunder in Madrid, and huge cracks of thunder that echo across the mountains. The skies turn this marvelous dark grey-purple. But days are never rainy or grey, which means even though it's raining on you (but never pouring) you can always look to the east or west and see sunshine.
With the luck that Lara and I have, we got caught in one of the two patches of rain yesterday. It started as we exited the metro and ended as we got to her boyfriend's apartment. Que suerte. I wish I had taken a picture of the sky after because it looked fake. There was a swirl of dark clouds in the center of our view, but to the left and right it was perfectly sunny. I think this might be a typical rain patterm for mountainous Spain. Although not Madrid, these were taken a few years ago in Granada at Al Alhambra. It was snowing in the shadowed areas and sunny in ... the sun.
Knowing that it was supposed to be a rainy weekend in Madrid, I woke up this morning and checked the weather. Partly cloudy. No chance of rain. So I decided to do a load of laundry. 20 minutes after I hung the laundry to dry, it started drizzling. Que suerte. Oh well, the clothes just stay on the line and will eventually dry if the weight of the water doesn't make my laundry fall down 4 stories. So now I'm sitting in Lara's apartment, and hear the thunder cracks, and realize that maybe now would be a good time to take in my laundry. Well just imagine that for the first time in a while I timed it perfectly and took in my laundry and as I took my last T-shirt off the line, the heavens opened up. Maybe my luck isn't all bad after all.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Patron Saints and Puentes
Patron Saints
As Americans, we know little about patron saints. Maybe we know there's a patron saint of children, or healing, or healing children (St. Jude?). But most of us do not have patron saints of our home towns. Spain has a rich Catholic history. (And Jewish. And Muslim. But why focus on those little details when we can have PATRON SAINTS!!!) So this is where I take you all on a fabulous history of Spain, but only the parts that are relevant to patron saints. As told by Tara (aka Liz's favorite way of learning history).
The Conquista
The conquista, or conquest, of Spain by the Arabs began in 711 (kind of funny if you make a connection between the religion of a lot of 7-11 owners. Inappropriate? Sorry, it's how I remember the date). Little by little those moors (I'm translating the Spanish word, not being insensitive) conquested their way up the Iberian Peninsula (but who cares about Portugal?) and almost made their way to the Pyrenees. (Note: If you ask the Basque people, they were the only realm never conquered by the Moors. WOOHOO). But then, one day, somewhere in the northwest of Spain that has more Celtic influence than Spanish, a miracle occurred. Santiago Matamoros (translation: St. James the Moor Killer. We see where this story is going) descended onto Earth from heaven to help the Christian army fight off the dreaded Moors circa 844, in a David and Goliath-type battle, and saved Iberia from complete conquest. Traditionally, this also marks the beginning of the end for the Conquista. Funny, because Arab rule lasted until 1492 (see! another easy date to remember!). In reality, this marks the farthest the Arabs were able to push up north in Iberia and Europe. So yes, the Spaniards credit themselves with saving ALL OF EUROPE from Moorish conquest. Sigh. Needless to say, because Matamoros single saintedly saved Spain from Arab domination ... kind of ... he is the Patron Saint of Spain.
The Christian Kings -- Los Reyes Católicos
But wait! There's more! 1492 was a pretty big year for Spain. Sure, there was that whole discovering America thing, but there was also THE FINAL RECONQUISTA. Queen Isabelle signed a treaty that expelled the Moorish rule from Granada, the last Muslim city in Spain. In return, the Muslims could leave in peace in their own neighborhoods, or Morerías, just as the Christians and Jews had been allowed to live in peace in their own neighborhoods, so long as there was no direct conflict with Islamic law. Isabelle kept up her end of the treaty. Until she forced conversions on the remaining Muslims in Granada. ANYWHO, the Spanish hail Queen Isabelle, and her husband, King Ferdinand, as the Catholic Kings and the final reconquistadors. The marriage of Ferdinand and Isabelle also united the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castille, bringing Spain to the glorious size she is now. (Note: The Basques still maintain they weren't conquered). Well, if you draw some parallels between Ferdinand & Isabelle and Matamoros, you get the trifecta of people who kicked some Muslim tush. Therefore, Matamoros is also the patron saint of Ferdinand and Isabelle's reign, and was so at the time, so any palace occupied by Ferdinand and Isabelle has wonderful statues, paintings, and stained glass like the following:
San Isidro
Saint Isidor the Laborer was a wonderful Madrileño who worked hard and performed a bunch of miracles. At least two of which involved water. And lots of it. But Madrid is a desert in the mountains so this water feat is even more impressive. Needless to say the man from Madrid who could make water appear is the patron saint of Madrid. One of his water miracles included making the water rise in a well after his son fell in and couldn't get it. Up went the water, out came the son. Then he and his wife, also a saint, proclaimed abstinence and went to live in separate houses. Then their son died. I'm not making any glaring generalizations or connections between god punishing their son for their abstinence. But you just did. So, San Isidro, to commemorate your water miracles, on the 15th of May, to commemorate the day of your death, Madrileños go down to el Parque San Isidro, which is right on the lovely / low-lying Manzanares River in Madrid, and have a fabulously drunk picnic. Complete with children in chulapos. And some adults, but the kids are cuter:
Along with the giant tail gate, there are different festivities for the week leading up the holiday, including LOTS OF FIREWORKS. Considering 4th of July will be spent in Spain, I'll take those as my Independence Day Fuegos.
...Which brings me to my last topic for the evening, Puentes.
Puentes
Ah, yes, puentes are wonderful things that help you get from one piece of land to another piece of land when there is water or a huge drop in the middle. Yep, puente means bridge. So what do bridges have to do with Patron Saints? The obvious connection is something about San Isidro and bridges because of all the water he brought to Madrid. Nope. The real answer is the desire to have the most fun as possible.
Instead of observing holidays on a Monday like we do in the States, Spaniards observe the holiday wherever it may fall. When it happens on a weekend, you usually don't get an extra day off school or work, though I suppose in some places they might. On a Monday or a Friday, you get a 3-day weekend. BUT, on a Tuesday or Thursday, FOUR DAY WEEKEND, and the extra day off bridges the gap. Ahhhh it all makes sense now. No one wants to work the Monday between a weekend and a holiday, so why make them. They'd probably ask for the day off, so just let everyone take an extra day off. And this may have something to do with the Spanish economy. Just maybe. If we take out our handy-dandy calendars, we'll see that San Isidro fell on a Tuesday. Which means I got Tuesday off work. And a lot of other people got a four-day weekend to celebrate some water in Madrid, but mostly to drink some wine and sangria and tinto de verano in a giant park.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Air Conditioning and Laundry
Air Conditioning
This morning I thought, good lord, this is the first time in my life that I've lived in a house without air conditioning. And it's miserable. Except that's not true. My house senior year of college didn't have air conditioning. So this is actually my first summer without air conditioning.
Senior year I only lived in my house for a few weeks in August when the house would get unbearably hot. Liz and I would wake up in the morning, clean as much of the house as we could (gross boys lived there before us. We spent literally two weeks cleaning out the grime). Around noon or one we'd have reached our breaking point with the heat and leave to go get lunch. In air conditioning. And then go to the food store or target or home depot. In air conditioning. And we wouldn't come home until the sun had gone down enough that the house was bearable again. And then we'd keep cleaning.
I'm not sure I can keep up that lifestyle all summer. Today is only May 12th and it's a solid 90 degrees out. I couldn't care that I'd get stared at, I went outside with soaking wet hair, and it was dry in under 30 minutes. I was wearing the lightest dress I own and still had the damn thing stinking to me after 10 minutes of walking. And it's only going to get worse. I tried to accustom myself to the heat before I left, but there was only so much I could do. When I got home from my walk all I wanted was a nice class of ice water, but due to my lack of a freezer, that's impossible. And my housemates have taken up our tiny refrigerator, so I can't even keep a pitcher of water in there.
I realize that this is quite the first world problem, but I've never actually had to cope with this. Well, now that I'm thinking about it, I actually went through 6 summers without air conditioning at Camp Lakota but we were in the mountains with breezes and a (gross) lake. So maybe it's just been 7 years since I've had to cope with summer heat. But I'm not sure I'll ever get accustomed to sitting down and having every inch of your body be sticky. But not sweaty. It's just cool enough that my body is on the cusp of sweating without actually sweating which might be even more uncomfortable than if I sat hear in a sweaty heap.
Laundry
Today was my first forray into doing my own laundry in Spain. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. Washer. Dryer. Fold. Done.
It started with not really being sure how to use the washing machine. My housemates are out of town, so I figured out out my self. Set to cotton. Check. Go. An hour later, my clothes were still being washed. I was wondering what 90°, 60°, 40° meant next to different settings. What could these degrees possibly mean. Minutes. They mean minutes. Needless to say I fast-forwarded the wash to spin dry.
Then comes the drying process. Almost no one in Madrid has a dryer. Washers are really rough on clothes as it is (maybe because I normal wash cycle runs for 60 minutes, then spin dries), and dryers are even harsher on clothes. So everyone has drying racks or clothes lines strung outside their apartments. Now, the only time in my life I've hung clothes on a clothes line was with my grandmother. But her clothes line is strung across the back patio and all you have to do is walk up to the line and pin it and you're done. If the clothing falls, NBD, you pick it up and put it back on the line.
My clothes line is strung between my apartment and the apartment across the patio from me on a pulley so you can pull the clothes line away from you to hang more, or towards you to collect the clothes. I live on the 4th floor. And am 2 or 3 inches too short to comfortably reach the end of the line. So I pinned one side of the shirt, pushed the line, pinned the second side. And prayed it didn't fall. I tried not to hang clothing past the roof below me so at least if it falls I have a chance of recovering it without knocking on neighbors' doors to see if they have my clothing. So far, so good.
This morning I thought, good lord, this is the first time in my life that I've lived in a house without air conditioning. And it's miserable. Except that's not true. My house senior year of college didn't have air conditioning. So this is actually my first summer without air conditioning.
Senior year I only lived in my house for a few weeks in August when the house would get unbearably hot. Liz and I would wake up in the morning, clean as much of the house as we could (gross boys lived there before us. We spent literally two weeks cleaning out the grime). Around noon or one we'd have reached our breaking point with the heat and leave to go get lunch. In air conditioning. And then go to the food store or target or home depot. In air conditioning. And we wouldn't come home until the sun had gone down enough that the house was bearable again. And then we'd keep cleaning.
I'm not sure I can keep up that lifestyle all summer. Today is only May 12th and it's a solid 90 degrees out. I couldn't care that I'd get stared at, I went outside with soaking wet hair, and it was dry in under 30 minutes. I was wearing the lightest dress I own and still had the damn thing stinking to me after 10 minutes of walking. And it's only going to get worse. I tried to accustom myself to the heat before I left, but there was only so much I could do. When I got home from my walk all I wanted was a nice class of ice water, but due to my lack of a freezer, that's impossible. And my housemates have taken up our tiny refrigerator, so I can't even keep a pitcher of water in there.
Laundry
Today was my first forray into doing my own laundry in Spain. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. Washer. Dryer. Fold. Done.
It started with not really being sure how to use the washing machine. My housemates are out of town, so I figured out out my self. Set to cotton. Check. Go. An hour later, my clothes were still being washed. I was wondering what 90°, 60°, 40° meant next to different settings. What could these degrees possibly mean. Minutes. They mean minutes. Needless to say I fast-forwarded the wash to spin dry.
Then comes the drying process. Almost no one in Madrid has a dryer. Washers are really rough on clothes as it is (maybe because I normal wash cycle runs for 60 minutes, then spin dries), and dryers are even harsher on clothes. So everyone has drying racks or clothes lines strung outside their apartments. Now, the only time in my life I've hung clothes on a clothes line was with my grandmother. But her clothes line is strung across the back patio and all you have to do is walk up to the line and pin it and you're done. If the clothing falls, NBD, you pick it up and put it back on the line.
My clothes line is strung between my apartment and the apartment across the patio from me on a pulley so you can pull the clothes line away from you to hang more, or towards you to collect the clothes. I live on the 4th floor. And am 2 or 3 inches too short to comfortably reach the end of the line. So I pinned one side of the shirt, pushed the line, pinned the second side. And prayed it didn't fall. I tried not to hang clothing past the roof below me so at least if it falls I have a chance of recovering it without knocking on neighbors' doors to see if they have my clothing. So far, so good.
Week 1 Reflections
Quirks in my apartment:
What I've learned this past week...
What I've relearned this past week...
- No matter how hard I try I can't open the door on the first try.
- No kitchen light
- No shower curtain
- The freezer is teeny tiny, and full of snow. So forget about buying any kind of frozen food.
What I've learned this past week...
- Elevators can have motion-sensor lights, that don't go on when the door opens, only when you step in. But who wants to step into a dark elevator?
- Don't mess with coffee breaks. Or lunch times.
- Not having a phone is kind of nice.
- Non-Americans work in embassies.
- Not all ambassadors are political appointees. In fact, most are not.
- A 3-mile walk to work is farther than a 3-mile walk home from work.
- People really do have a negative perception of Americans. Until they meet us, and then they think that we are some of the nicest, most polite people they've ever met in their lives. Even New Yorkers.
What I've relearned this past week...
- People stare. A lot.
- People stare a lot. Because I'm blonde.
- Mullets, mohawks, faux-hawks, single dread locks, and long hair are all acceptable hair styles for men.
- Because staring is socially acceptable, I can stare at your outdated mullet, mohawk, fauxhawk, single dreadlock and outdated clothing style from the 80s and 90s and don't even feel rude.
- When you face a patio, your house stays cool but you know every time your neighbor goes to the bathroom.
- It's disgusting when people smoke in the street at 7 AM
- Pushing past people instead of saying excuse me and waiting for someone to move is socially acceptable.
- Cold weather is relative
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Musings
I'm constantly amazed at what goes on in the embassy. I spent most of Tuesday and Wednesday at the American Citizens Services window, which deals primarily with issuing passports. Here's a sampling of what I've dealth with in the last 3 days.
1. Man who wants to renounce his U.S. citizenship because his real allegiance is to Israel. Except that he JUST became a German citizen. And he's planning to move to Israel from Germany with his wife and kids, who are in the US and he hasn't told his wife they're moving to Israel.
2. A woman who needed to find out if she is or is not a U.S. citizen, and if she constructively renounced it, can she reclaim it.
3. A father who kidnapped his son because he lost a custody dispute in Spanish court and wanted a passport for the child or to seek assylum in the embassy or to have the US government help him sneak out of Spain with the child. He turned up in Switzerland, outside of EU jurisdiction to arrest him for kidnapping.
4. A father who's been looking for his children for ~10 years after the mother fled to Spain with them. It seems like his children were finally tracked down, but one of them may have died (or, her death may have been faked), shortly after the children arrived in Spain.
5. Two people who claimed to be destitute looking for the US government to pay to send them back to the US.
6. Someone asking for a certified copy of the constitution of a US company.
7. An older couple flying from the US to Slovakia with a layover in Madrid. He died of a heartattack during the layover. She is senile and thinks she's in Slovakia.
My office has pretty much thrown me into the pool of American problems, and I think I'm treading water pretty well. Working customer service jobs for the past 6 years certainly helps. Everyone's really understanding when I ask questions, and happy to fully explain situations to me, not just with customer serivce and data entry, but also giving me the factual background of cases and the legal implications, and what could have happened if certain facts were different. I'll wind up with a pretty broad understanding of international law.
One of the things that has surprised me most has been my experience working with Spaniards. I'll admit, all of my preconceptions on the caliber of Spanish employees was based on the caliber of Spanish students. There's a culture of doing the bare minimum to get by. I'm not sure if this is a cause, effect, or just part of the cycle, but Spanish students are graded on a Pass/Fail basis until the enter high school. By that point, they've lived their lives only needing a 50% to pass, and whether they get a 50% or 100% doesn't matter, they pass either way. So there's no incentive to give more than 50% to anything. I saw this carry over in Spanish universities and just assumed that this would carry over to the Spanish workforce.
Instead, I'm working with some of the most efficient people I've ever worked with. OK, it might be kind of confusing to switch between Spanish and English cuando le da la gana, but work gets done. This week, haven't seen a single person using their cell phone, checking their e-mail, or going on facebook at any time during the day. Everyone chips in to make sure that work gets done, especially since 4 people are out of the office this week. Overall it's a positive environment to work in. Tasks get delegated and accomplished.
I've been exhausted between jetlag, the whirlwind that was the end of finals, and trying to keep track of everything I've learned this week. I've tried really hard to adapt to a Spanish schedule but the last two days I've come home and taken a nap, and then haven't been able to sleep well that night. It's hard to run on my normal schedule, however, becuase the sun doesn't begin to set until at least 8:30. And it's not like backhome where the sun hangs low for a while even if it doesn't set. The sun seems to stay higher here and then set more quickly, which doesn't give me the impression of a sunset, but is more of a light switch. It shouldn't make any difference, but ti makes it hard for me to wind down at night which I guess I associate with a slow sunset. I'm realizing more than ever how dependent my body is on the sun's position in the sky. I'll either learn to cope, or be tired until I come back home.
1. Man who wants to renounce his U.S. citizenship because his real allegiance is to Israel. Except that he JUST became a German citizen. And he's planning to move to Israel from Germany with his wife and kids, who are in the US and he hasn't told his wife they're moving to Israel.
2. A woman who needed to find out if she is or is not a U.S. citizen, and if she constructively renounced it, can she reclaim it.
3. A father who kidnapped his son because he lost a custody dispute in Spanish court and wanted a passport for the child or to seek assylum in the embassy or to have the US government help him sneak out of Spain with the child. He turned up in Switzerland, outside of EU jurisdiction to arrest him for kidnapping.
4. A father who's been looking for his children for ~10 years after the mother fled to Spain with them. It seems like his children were finally tracked down, but one of them may have died (or, her death may have been faked), shortly after the children arrived in Spain.
5. Two people who claimed to be destitute looking for the US government to pay to send them back to the US.
6. Someone asking for a certified copy of the constitution of a US company.
7. An older couple flying from the US to Slovakia with a layover in Madrid. He died of a heartattack during the layover. She is senile and thinks she's in Slovakia.
My office has pretty much thrown me into the pool of American problems, and I think I'm treading water pretty well. Working customer service jobs for the past 6 years certainly helps. Everyone's really understanding when I ask questions, and happy to fully explain situations to me, not just with customer serivce and data entry, but also giving me the factual background of cases and the legal implications, and what could have happened if certain facts were different. I'll wind up with a pretty broad understanding of international law.
One of the things that has surprised me most has been my experience working with Spaniards. I'll admit, all of my preconceptions on the caliber of Spanish employees was based on the caliber of Spanish students. There's a culture of doing the bare minimum to get by. I'm not sure if this is a cause, effect, or just part of the cycle, but Spanish students are graded on a Pass/Fail basis until the enter high school. By that point, they've lived their lives only needing a 50% to pass, and whether they get a 50% or 100% doesn't matter, they pass either way. So there's no incentive to give more than 50% to anything. I saw this carry over in Spanish universities and just assumed that this would carry over to the Spanish workforce.
Instead, I'm working with some of the most efficient people I've ever worked with. OK, it might be kind of confusing to switch between Spanish and English cuando le da la gana, but work gets done. This week, haven't seen a single person using their cell phone, checking their e-mail, or going on facebook at any time during the day. Everyone chips in to make sure that work gets done, especially since 4 people are out of the office this week. Overall it's a positive environment to work in. Tasks get delegated and accomplished.
I've been exhausted between jetlag, the whirlwind that was the end of finals, and trying to keep track of everything I've learned this week. I've tried really hard to adapt to a Spanish schedule but the last two days I've come home and taken a nap, and then haven't been able to sleep well that night. It's hard to run on my normal schedule, however, becuase the sun doesn't begin to set until at least 8:30. And it's not like backhome where the sun hangs low for a while even if it doesn't set. The sun seems to stay higher here and then set more quickly, which doesn't give me the impression of a sunset, but is more of a light switch. It shouldn't make any difference, but ti makes it hard for me to wind down at night which I guess I associate with a slow sunset. I'm realizing more than ever how dependent my body is on the sun's position in the sky. I'll either learn to cope, or be tired until I come back home.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Day 1
Taking the metro to work this morning reminded me of a lot of things that I forgot about Spain. Everyone was staring at me and I couldn't understand why. Was there something on my face? Was a button loose? Did I look like a mess? Was I was the only woman on the metro in a suit? Was I not wearing heels?
Answer: Spaniards stare. A lot.
And then I couldn't find my way to the embassy from the metro because the street you need to take is actually a giant staircase. Or you can walk the wrong way, then cross a bridge, and avoid the stairs altogether.
And THEN I tried to just stroll through the embassy like I knew where I was going. And got stopped by the marine on duty.
All in all, an eventful hour.
The rest of the morning went a lot better. I was in shock to see how many Spaniards work at the American Embassy because I thought you had to be American. Turns out I had a lot of misconceptions about embassies. The good thing about the composition of the embassy staff being about 1/2 Spanish is that I can actually speak Spanish during the day and learn Spanish legalese. There are two lawyers that I'll be working with, one of whom is a licensed Spanish attorney and a permanent staff member in the embassy, so half of her rundown of the embassy was in Spanish and half was in English. I understand 95% of what people are saying which is a plus. And most people just flip back and forth in Spanglish all day long. This could be really good, or really bad.
It sounds like I'll be working with international custody/family law questions, extraditions, judicial assistance, registration of life events, passport decisions, and a couple other odds and ends that the American Citizens Services deals with, and will spend a couple of days over on visas to see the types of issues that visa staff deals with.
Aside from learning what the consuls actually do and what I'll be doing, we also had a townhall meeting with the Assistant Secretary for the European Division -- he basically sees all of the European embassies. It was interesting to hear him speak and to hear him answer questions and concerns from the Embassy and from the Consulate in Barcelona.
There was also a report of a parental child abduction today. I'm not sure what I can say about it so I'll err on the side of nothing. But it was fascinating to see the lawyers working to figure out what to do because the kidnapper was a U.S. citizens. Even though he was in violation of Spanish law -- and possibly international law -- the consulate's job isn't to help Spanish law enforcement, it's to protect the interests of American citizens. No, that doesn't mean grant him asylum. It basically meant pretend you know nothing about the police pursuing him. What was even more interesting is that it wasn't the start of the U.S. work day yet, so my supervisor's couldn't call their big boss for another hour or so to get an answer on what they should do if he showed up at the embassy.
It's 8:30 PM and looks bright as day outside. This will take some getting used to.
Answer: Spaniards stare. A lot.
And then I couldn't find my way to the embassy from the metro because the street you need to take is actually a giant staircase. Or you can walk the wrong way, then cross a bridge, and avoid the stairs altogether.
And THEN I tried to just stroll through the embassy like I knew where I was going. And got stopped by the marine on duty.
All in all, an eventful hour.
The rest of the morning went a lot better. I was in shock to see how many Spaniards work at the American Embassy because I thought you had to be American. Turns out I had a lot of misconceptions about embassies. The good thing about the composition of the embassy staff being about 1/2 Spanish is that I can actually speak Spanish during the day and learn Spanish legalese. There are two lawyers that I'll be working with, one of whom is a licensed Spanish attorney and a permanent staff member in the embassy, so half of her rundown of the embassy was in Spanish and half was in English. I understand 95% of what people are saying which is a plus. And most people just flip back and forth in Spanglish all day long. This could be really good, or really bad.
It sounds like I'll be working with international custody/family law questions, extraditions, judicial assistance, registration of life events, passport decisions, and a couple other odds and ends that the American Citizens Services deals with, and will spend a couple of days over on visas to see the types of issues that visa staff deals with.
Aside from learning what the consuls actually do and what I'll be doing, we also had a townhall meeting with the Assistant Secretary for the European Division -- he basically sees all of the European embassies. It was interesting to hear him speak and to hear him answer questions and concerns from the Embassy and from the Consulate in Barcelona.
There was also a report of a parental child abduction today. I'm not sure what I can say about it so I'll err on the side of nothing. But it was fascinating to see the lawyers working to figure out what to do because the kidnapper was a U.S. citizens. Even though he was in violation of Spanish law -- and possibly international law -- the consulate's job isn't to help Spanish law enforcement, it's to protect the interests of American citizens. No, that doesn't mean grant him asylum. It basically meant pretend you know nothing about the police pursuing him. What was even more interesting is that it wasn't the start of the U.S. work day yet, so my supervisor's couldn't call their big boss for another hour or so to get an answer on what they should do if he showed up at the embassy.
It's 8:30 PM and looks bright as day outside. This will take some getting used to.
Successful Return
It took two plane rides and 11 hours but I made it back to Madrid without any issue. No one hit me in the head with a drink cart. No one rudely assumed I couldn't speak Spanish. Everyone I sat next to was sweet. I didn't get held up at customs -- and think I found a loop hole in going through customs.
The hardest part of the whole trip was actually meeting Lara, a dear friend from college that I studied abroad with in Madrid 4 years ago, who's been living in Madrid for the past 2 years. For some odd reason the Madrid airport doesn't have anywhere to actually pick up passengers. When you walk out of arrivals there's a greeting area, and outside there's a line of taxis and buses, but not regular cars, so I made my way to the only part of the airport where cars could drive through. And they weren't being chased out of their spots by whistle-happy cops. I guess we should have planned our reunion a little better, but you forget what things were like before cell phones.
Sunday was Mother's Day in Madrid so Lara and her boyfriend took me to his mother's house for lunch, and they are the sweetest family. Lara and I had to laugh because it was like no time had passed, "Tú Lara, y tú Tara? Las dos rubias?" Yep, our names rhyme, we're American, and we're blonde with blue eyes. It's like we're related. Often times, a Spanish person hears my name and says, "You know that you're name means defect in Spanish, right?" so I thought his mom was going to say that to me, but instead went with "That's from Gone with the Wind, right?" Phew.
All throughout lunch I was impressed with how much Spanish I still understood, that I could still understand accents, and even though my grammar is shot, I think I handled myself pretty well. Especially considering I hadn't really slept for 36 hours.
My apartment is absolutely adorable. I walked into my room and Lara had prepared this for me:
She is the best.
There were some things I'd forgotten about. Like turning the water off when you shower unless you actually need it because Madrid is in a drought. And hearing everything your neighbors do through the patio in the middle of your building. I'll get used to it again.
Work starts today and I'm super nervous just like I am every time I start a new job, except this time I'm not at the National Archives. So I set up a little corner of inspiration:
The hardest part of the whole trip was actually meeting Lara, a dear friend from college that I studied abroad with in Madrid 4 years ago, who's been living in Madrid for the past 2 years. For some odd reason the Madrid airport doesn't have anywhere to actually pick up passengers. When you walk out of arrivals there's a greeting area, and outside there's a line of taxis and buses, but not regular cars, so I made my way to the only part of the airport where cars could drive through. And they weren't being chased out of their spots by whistle-happy cops. I guess we should have planned our reunion a little better, but you forget what things were like before cell phones.
Sunday was Mother's Day in Madrid so Lara and her boyfriend took me to his mother's house for lunch, and they are the sweetest family. Lara and I had to laugh because it was like no time had passed, "Tú Lara, y tú Tara? Las dos rubias?" Yep, our names rhyme, we're American, and we're blonde with blue eyes. It's like we're related. Often times, a Spanish person hears my name and says, "You know that you're name means defect in Spanish, right?" so I thought his mom was going to say that to me, but instead went with "That's from Gone with the Wind, right?" Phew.
All throughout lunch I was impressed with how much Spanish I still understood, that I could still understand accents, and even though my grammar is shot, I think I handled myself pretty well. Especially considering I hadn't really slept for 36 hours.
My apartment is absolutely adorable. I walked into my room and Lara had prepared this for me:
There were some things I'd forgotten about. Like turning the water off when you shower unless you actually need it because Madrid is in a drought. And hearing everything your neighbors do through the patio in the middle of your building. I'll get used to it again.
Work starts today and I'm super nervous just like I am every time I start a new job, except this time I'm not at the National Archives. So I set up a little corner of inspiration:
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