Spanish 101

I always thought I'd enjoy going back to school when it was on my own volition rather than as a mandatory thing.  Maybe it's just because the subject matter is one that I need to cover rather than want to learn.  Actually I can't 100% say that because I do want to learn Spanish.  I guess I'd just like it to happen through osmosis or something.  Anyways, I took Spanish classes for about a year here.  Yes, I learned from them but not nearly at the pace that I think I could have learned had I done one on one classes.

In the past I've felt good about taking classes.  Taking classes meant that I was being proactive about my learning the language and integrating into society here in Spain.  I had friends that weren't being so proactive and while that is certainly up to them, it made me feel good to know that I was putting in the effort...a least sort of.  And by sort of I mean that the classes weren't a huge challenge for me.

The classes that I took started with the beginner book which despite my figuring I was past that, I took anyways, afterall, I wasn't 100% sure that I knew everything (or most of) the book until I actually took it.  But because I was in a class, I couldn't progress past those parts that I did know on to something that I didn't know until the class was at that stage.  And so the class didn't hold much interest for me quite often and it didn't challenge me as much as it could have.  In the second book there was certainly more challenges than the first but again, I had enough prior knowledge that I could have moved at a faster pace.  By the start of book 3, I decided to take a hiatus.

And while I had planned to go back to class this fall, I figured focusing on my Spanish drivers license was enough Spanish for the moment (despite the written portion and classes being in English - it was just enough "Spain" at a time) and that I would use my Rossetta Stone in the interim.  Though in a way I knew this was a bit half assed and I wasn't proud of it.  And as a matter of fact, a bit frustrated too because I wasn't sure how I was going to go about improving (which I did want to do) my Spanish but doing it on my own terms.

So I've decided to try a different route - the personal tutor.  Several people in the last few weeks have said how much they have learned a new language either formally or informally just by having more one on one conversations, not just quick intercambios.  And the more I talk to them, the more I realized that this is what I need to do.  So on a recommendation of a friend who was working with a tutor, I hired Scelene.

I met with Scelene last week and I immediately felt connected with her in the sense that she was the no nonsense type and immediately pushed me to start speaking in Spanish.  She asked me why I wanted a tutor and what I had hoped to get out of working with her and requested that I do this all in Spanish.

In the end we had about a 40 min conversation that flew by, all in Spanish and while I didn't get every single word she said, she enunciated her words clearly, spoke at a normal pace and made sure I understood before going on. The result is that we will ONLY speak in Spanish together because she said my comprehension skills are good enough to warrant it (I'll admit, that felt good). We will cover new grammar items for 10-15 mins each session, review homework (yes homework) and then have conversation where we can apply all my new knowledge and apply it to real life rather than fake situations that you would normally have in a book.  So it will be part grammar and part intercambio which are both what I need to progress.

I had my first class with her today.  I could have sworn we only spent 30 minutes talking together, it just went by that quickly.  I can honestly say that I don't remember the last time I took a class of any sort where the time went by quickly.  We covered some things that I knew and a bunch that I didn't but related back to the stuff that I did (does that make sense?).  She drew a chart that put it all together and while the chart was in Spanish, it all became so much clearer.  Why, oh why, don't they do this in Spanish class?  I learned more today, in an hour, than I had in months.  It felt good, really really good.  I can now say that I know the 4 past tenses and while 2 of them were completely new to me and I certainly will have to practice using them, I get it... I undertand.  And that was huge.  Because she explained everything to me in Spanish and yet, I got it.

My next class is on Thursday and I've already got homework - use those 4 tenses in an autobiography 150 words or more.  A challenge in the sense that I have to figure out how to write it using 4 different past tenses so more a matter of how do I word the sentences in order to apply this information.  But I'm looking forward to Thursday and learning some more.... finally... it's about time :)

Besos,
Julie

Back to Spanish Class... Again

March was a busy month for me and I'm in no way complaining...I feel like I've hardly had time to just sit back and relax much less get any work or studying done.  I went away in mid March for a few days with my girlfriends and upon my return the following morning my cousin Meghan arrived for a week.  Just a week later, we were off and running for Italy for Semana Santa having returned on Friday night. 

So since March was so busy, I decided that I would take most of the month off from my Spanish classes as well as the first week of April.  Now I've been taking class consistently since Feb 2011 with the exception of summer vacation and Christmas break.  I hadn't thought much of it and didn't realize how much I was getting from these classes...until I stopped.  At one point during this month I realized I hadn't learned a single new thing and it really really bothered me. 

To me this is significant.  I've always said that it was important to me to learn the language here - I live in Spain therefore I should speak Spanish.  Unlike "some" people I know (ahem, Josh), I know I can get by with what I currently know but I want to learn more.  But I guess the reason that the fact that it bothered me was signficant was because I hadn't been in a rush to learn before and now I feel this pressing need to learn as much as I can while the motivation is there.  I was just taking it day by day and I certainly didn't look forward to class on Tuesday and Thursday knowing that I was going to have to really focus my brain and absorb everything being thrown at me.  But for some reason these days, and maybe it's because I know have a better timeline in my head of how long we will be here, I have this need to learn. 

The school I go to is ok...nothing to write home about (and yet here I write home to you about it).  But one of the things that bothers me about this school is that the owner will just throw you back into a class that's currently doing the book you want to do.  So while I've missed a month of classes, essentially I'm supposed to jump right back in as if those 4 weeks didn't happen and that's a bit intimidating because I know they covered stuff that I just don't know.  The only good thing is that my teacher was also out all month and so hopefully the sub moved at a slower pace.  In the meantime, I'll do some review of my own in the hopes of catching up before I go back on Thursday. 

Besos,
Julie

Naked Rosa

As an American, I recognize that we are a little more reserved when it comes to nudity.  It's taboo in a sense though I'm not 100% sure why that is.  After having lived in Europe for just over 2 years now, and more specifically Spain which I think is less reserved than most European countries, I've learned that by taking away the taboo, takes away a bit of the mystery in a sense and makes nudity less of a big deal.

For instance, at home, I would never wear a bikini, or rarely.  Unless you are a model, you'd see most women beyond the age of 25 in a more sensible tankini or even a one piece.  At least in New England, I can't vouch for other parts of the US.  If you are a woman wearing a bikini, you stand out, for sure.  Here, it's quite the opposite, if I were to wear a tankini, I'd stand out more than those wearing bikinis, or god forbid, are topless!  Yes, topless.  It's big here and quite honestly it doesn't really phase me at all, nor the kids.  Josh appreciates it, however ;)  That's not to say you'll see me romping about on the beach with no bikini top, but you will at least see me in a bikini here. 

I think in part that this is related to a different mindset about body image here.  Old, young, skinny or fat, these women are confident in who they are and it does not matter that their bodies may not be model perfect - they are proud of who they are and will flaunt it as they see appropriate.

Let's move from the beach to the women's locker room at my gym.  It's FULL of naked women.  And not just women changing for a shower, but women who are just putting on their makeup...naked.  Rubbing on lotion....naked.  You name it, they are doing it...naked.  It doesn't bother me but more just kind of feels a bit overwhelming, it's a lot of nakedness in one room.  At home, in the locker room most women wear a towel and ease on their clothes by somehow manipulating said towel so no extra skin shows... I'm pretty sure I've never seen anyone at home putting on their makeup in the buff. 

I tend to shower at home though... but not because of the nakedness... I'm no prude.  But because I live barely a block from the gym and why wouldn't I choose my luxurious shower over the gym one?  Right?  Anyways, I do keep my jacket in a locker with my keys, phone, etc so everyday I walk in and out of the locker room to and from my workout.  And it's the same old same old each time... lots of naked women just minding their own business.

So fast forward to my workout yesterday.  Just a regular workout, my daily routine, though I was joined by my friend, Ed.  So we were chatting it up as we worked out - in English.  After finishing up, I went to the locker room to grab my jacket and as I spun the combination to my lock, was approached by a NAKED WOMAN whom we shall henceforth call Naked Rosa. 

She started to talk to me in rapid fire Spanish (while NAKED), but even if she had spoken to me in plain old English, I think it would have taken me a moment to get my bearings.  Who was this woman who was standing in front of me NAKED asking me, something?  I understood her saying something about me speaking in English in the gym.  At first I thought, ok, is she upset that I was speaking in English at the gym?  Is she so upset that she has to confront me naked?  But no, it turns out she was actually happy to hear me speaking in English and apparently was quite comfortable chatting about it in the nude.

You see, Naked Rosa was looking for an English tutor for her two children who are 8 and 6... yes, I learned that much from her while she was STANDING IN FRONT OF ME COMPLETELY NAKED (have I mentioned yet that she was naked?).  I'm not 100% sure if she was asking if I taught English, but regardless, she was looking for someone.  So while trying not to focus on the fact that we were having this conversation while she was naked, I gave her the phone number of my friend Maria, who does in fact teach English.  We parted ways and I couldn't help but laugh at the entire situation.

Yes, I'm sure you could have imagined my face during that entire conversation or picture the things that were going thru my mind.  One of them being, "how in the world do I find myself in these situations??" and of course, "ahhh Spain".  But it also made me realize that while I thought I had de-Americanized myself in a sense from being uptight about nudity, apparently I haven't done it completely because it was just a weird weird weird situation. 

She ended up calling Maria who called me to ask about this woman who claimed to be a close friend of mine.  So of course, I had to tell Maria the story and this is why this woman is now known as Naked Rosa.  I'm curious about running into Naked Rosa again at the gym... will I even recognize her if she has her clothes on???? 

Hope you enjoyed your morning laugh :)

Besos,

Julie

Progress Report - Spanish Class

No matter what I write here, I can tell you, I'm never going to be happy with where I stand when it comes to my linguistic capabilities in Spanish...not til I'm fluent and I'm a long way off from that.  However, that being said, I'm making progress and I have to take that for what it is, improvement. 

When I look back to 2 years ago when we first arrived in Barcelona, I had high school level Spanish that I hadn't used in more than 15 years (I don't know how that's possible when I'm only 25 ;)).  It was rustic but a base to start with.  Before we arrived I had been using Rosetta Stone to try to at least refresh what was somewhere lost in my head.  And surprisingly, there was a decent amount still there.  Since Liam was home with me full time, I didn't really have tme to take class... ok, let me rephrase that, I didn't take the time and used him as an excuse.  I could have hired a sitter during the time he was home, but I just wasn't ready to make the jump yet.

In September 2010, Liam started school and so I was free to start taking classes, however, I didn't.  Why?  Well, for the most part, I was really just enjoying the freedom that comes with having both kids in school full time for the first time in over 6 years.  The idea of going out to lunch with friends, doing work without interruption, shopping... all took precedent over taking Spanish class.  My Spanish was improving just by living here and having to function in Spanish on a daily basis, but the learning curve was definitely harder and slower than I anticipated. 

But then in January 2011, my friend Jodi asked me to take a class with her.  I think this is what I needed to give me a kick in the pants, a Spanish class buddy.  I was happily surprised when in Aula 1 (book 1), I knew probably about 90% of the content.  It was a confidence booster for sure.  However, I still dreaded the idea of going to class and having to focus 100% in Spanish for those 2 hours rather than just here and there throughout the day.  My enthusiasm wasn't there even though I was seeing improvements and getting compliments on how far I was coming.

I speak in Spanish everyday...most definitely not thru the entire day, but sporadically.  When I go into a store, book an appointment, buy groceries, eat in restaurants, etc - I function just fine on a daily basis.  But it's functioning not full out chatting or conversation.  Everyday I have an intercambio (a conversation where one person is fluent and one is not) in Spanish with my friend Jose.  I see huge changes in our conversations over the last two years and one of the things I love about Jose is that he has no problem teaching me and has the utmost patience with me.  I look forward to our daily chats. 

Jodi left this summer and I was at a crossroads, do I take a class in the fall or do I go back to my Rosetta Stone and just "functioning"?  Thankfully my friend Gina picked up where Jodi left off and in October we started Aula 2.  And again, a good chunk of the book I already knew...up til about the last 1/3 of the book where suddenly the 80% of information I knew each day became the 80% of NEW information that I didn't know.  Talk about an eye opener.  Suddenly the class had become a challenge and required a focus that I hadn't put into it before in order to keep up with everyone.  This was a good thing for me, I think.  Motivating for sure because I didn't want to fall behind but I'm also super competitive and didn't like the idea that others might do better than me in class.

And again, I started seeing progress.  A few weeks ago, I was waiting for Liam to finish an afterschool class.  As I was waiting one of the parents from Aidan's class sat down next to me.  Now the boys go to an international school where the primary language is English.  But that doesn't mean that all the parents speak English fluently and Pablo's mom is an example of that.  She, like me, takes classes (but in English obviously) but doesn't speak fluently.  So we talked in Spanish.  We didn't talk about anything super complex, but we chatted about our plans for Semana Blanca (Feb vacation), the activities our kids were doing after school, even the fact that the kids chew on their sleeves til their t-shirts are destroyed.  Like I said, nothing complex, but it was a fluid conversation FOR 45 MINUTES!  Seriously, a 45 minute conversation all in Spanish.  I have no doubt that I didn't do it perfectly and messed up verbs, tenses, etc, but Pablo's mom got the picture.  When it came time to pick up Liam and I walked away, I will admit, I did a little fist pump of victory.  It was a turning point for me to know that I can do this, but that I need to set my mind to it.

As we were completing Aula 2, Gina announced that they were leaving Barcelona at the end of this school year.  Motivation gone... the idea of going to Spanish class on my own was not something I was interested in and started to consider other options such as refocusing on my job or getting my drivers license here.  We've started Aula 3 which is intermediate, a huge leap in my mind, but I figured I'd start it again in the fall...but now I'm rethinking if that's the wisest choice or to continue on as is.

Something happened over the weekend that made me rethink where I'm going with this.  Aidan and Liam take tennis lessons every Saturday.  When Aidan first started at this court last year a mom approached me that heard me speaking English to him and befriended me.  Delphine is the nicest woman and we would chat every Saturday that I would be there (Josh would alternate weekends with me).  However, this season, she put her kids in an earlier class which meant that I would have no one to talk to...that's fine, I was there to watch the boys anyways.  I had also met another nice parent, Jordi, who's youngest son played with Aidan.  I chatted with him a time or two but not much. 

Fast forward to this season and Josh would take the boys more often than I would (after all I handle sports, etc during the week, he can take the weekends), but occassionally I would take them.  And a few times I was approached by some of the dads who speak English, just to chat about living here and living in the States.  I think they just wanted to speak in English and to me, that was a completely different perspective - wanting to voluntarily speak another language rather than having to speak it.  Hmmm, interesting...

I didn't think a whole lot of it til this weekend though.  I was sitting with Liam who was sick and a dad approached me and in broken, non-fluent English, asked if the seat next to me was taken.  It wasn't.  But then he continued in his broken English trying to start up a conversation to which I was happy to participate, for him this was an English intercambio, for me, it was the opportunity to bond with another local person and in the end, learn from him.  He told me that he takes a course once a week in English but that he also listens to an English teaching radio station daily as he's doing chores in his house, etc.  But that's not what fascinated me or what caught my attention.  This man (who's name escapes me), who's English was about the same level as my Spanish, had a book in his hand, something I may not have really cared that much about if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't help but notice, the title was in English.  So I asked him about it and he said that he was trying to read the book in English as it was another way to try to learn the language.  He said, you have to not just want to learn but you have to PUT THE EFFORT IN. 

He's not the first person I've heard this from lately but for some reason it really hit home.  Maybe it's because I saw him on a level playing field with me - he's at the same English level as I am with Spanish.  And he wanted to learn.  I'm seeing a lot of that here, the desire to learn a new language.  Not because they have to, but they WANT to learn.  My mindset is that I have to learn this language.  I know I don't have to in the sense that I could get by, but I have to because I feel it's the right thing to do, after all, I live in Spain and therefore should speak the language.  But my mindset is wrong, I shouldn't have to learn it, I should want to learn instead.  My friend Nasi is the same way as this parent - he's always saying he WANTS to speak in English and watches TV in English and has encouraged me to do the same in Spanish and yet, I've been resistant to this idea of watching TV in Spanish or having a conversation in Spanish unless I need to.  Why?  I have no idea... especially because in a matter of months, I've seen huge improvements in his English, why wouldn't I want to do the same for my Spanish?

He's so right.  Sure, I'm taking a class.  I do a daily intercambio.  But am I putting all the effort in that I can in order to learn?  I hear people who are fluent by 2 years (I know it supposedly takes closer to 7 for most though) and yet, I've just started an intermediate course.  I'm behind the 8 ball as far as I'm concerned and now I'm feeling the motivation and ambition to rectify this.  It's this realization that we have to go out of our comfort zone in order to learn that really got to me. 

And so after I complete the book I'm currently reading, my plan is to pick a book from my reading list and instead of reading it in English, I'm going to read it in Spanish.  I have absolutely no doubt it's going to be hard and that it's going to take me significantly longer to read than if I were reading it in English.  But my hope is that as I continue to read the book, the language will feel more natural and there won't be a constant need to interpret in my mind into English what is being said.  I'm going to commit to watching at least one 1/2 hr tv show a day in Spanish as well, a show that I would normally watch in English so I'm familiar with the plot lines and characters.  Or maybe something as simple as watching one of the kids' movies in Spanish since the language in a child's film tends to be much simpler. 

Regardless, the moral of this story is that none of this is going to happen thru osmosis.  I need to put in genuine effort on various levels, not just taking classes twice a week.  My kids have Spanish class daily and have more fluency than I do.  I'd hate to move back to the States and not be able to claim that I can have a decent conversation in Spanish after all my time here, it would feel like a waste of time lived in Barcelona.  It's another way for me to embrace the culture here (though you will NOT see me studying Catalan, one thing at a time) and to truly feel like I'm living this life to the fullest.  Wish me luck!!!

Besos,
Julie

Back to "School"

I am always at my best when my schedule is packed full of things that need to be accomplished.  Whether social, work or commitments for the kids, I like to keep busy.  So this fall I told myself I was going to focus on work - that I wouldn't over do my social calendar like I did last year, my first year of "freedom" with both kids in school full time.  Only since I'm not out as much, I'm finding myself with more free time and therefore, not quite as motivated as I am when I'm scrambling to get things done.  Go figure.

My friend Gina had asked me to take a Spanish class with her this fall.  I had said I'd look into it but again, I'd lacked in some motivation. So I finally said, let's just go to together and get signed up.  And while it didn't pan out exactly as we'd hoped, in the end it will work out and on Tuesday I go back to school again.  I took a class last spring but it was the Aula 1 - beginners book, mainly to see exactly where I am and at the time didn't feel I was ready for more.  This time I'm going for Aula 2 which would seem like a natural progression.  I'm interested to see how far I've come and if this book comes as easily to me as the last one did.  Of course most of the last one I had learned in high school.  It will also be a nice challenge because I think Gina and I are around the same level, actually, she is likely further ahead than me.  And the competitive side of me says, that's a great challenge - to do as well if not better.  So I'm really looking forward to the class! 

My other "class" that I will be taking is not really a class but a personal training session each week.  So I guess I'm working on both my body and my mind these days.  Maybe it will make me a more well rounded person.  I had a personal trainer for a while back in the States and what a world of difference it made in my workout routine.  I do go to the gym at least 3 times per week but up til the last few weeks my focus has been on cardio which is doing nothing for my butt, abs or elephant arms.  So I've been trying to redistribute that focus and start doing the weights and machines again.  Hopefully Ignacio can help me along in the right direction!

My first session with him was today and I expect to be feeling pretty sore tomorrow.  My previous experience with a trainer definitely came in handy since many of the things he had me do I had done before or had done something similar and not to pump up my ego because I have a long way to go, but he was very surprised at how well I did and that I was willing to continue to push hard.  I felt like I wasn't starting at square one but perhaps square 4 which was a really good feeling and most definitely motivating!!  And while I don't dread going to the gym on a daily basis, I don't necessarily look forward to it either - but I think now I'll have a bit more motivation!

So my schedule is filling up, a good thing.  It's nice to have a lot on my plate and it will help me to keep my focus as well.  And if my Spanish can improve even more AND I can get myself in better shape, well, that's a win win for sure!!

On a side not, completely not related to any classes, but a funny story nonetheless that happened today.  I went to visit my friend Leigh in Premia de Mar and had a great day with her and her two adorable little girls.  I left a little later than planned and was speed walking to the train.  The train would have been coming from behind me and so as I'm walking I turned and looked behind me to see if it was coming or if I had time to walk at a "normal" pace.  Perhaps I should have just focused on the road ahead because I slammed myself into a metal pole - hard.  To the point where I bounced off it, mostly with my head and knee.  Yeah, I was that person... so I'm thinking maybe not all the soreness tomorrow will be from my workout!!

Julie

An "Excercise" in Frustration

For those of you who exercise on a regular basis, you know how easily one can fall off the wagon and how difficult it is to jump back on to it.  Before we moved to Barcelona I was pretty good about going to the gym, not as great as I could have been but I would go on a regular basis and I was running at least a mile or two every morning up until we left. 

When we moved here last January I was unable to join the gym because the gym's here do not have daycares and I had Liam home with me for the first 9 months we were here.  I probably could have gone at night after Josh got home but honestly, I'm a morning gym goer - you can't pay me enough to go at night.  To make up for my lack of a gym I was running on occassion on the weekends.  However, I've had knee problems off and on and found that it was really causing me more pain than gain by running on the streets and hills here without having built up the muscles around my knee to better support it.

Finally came the fall when the kids started school and I was ready to join the gym.  But I couldn't bring myself to do it.  Why?  Once again, for the millionth time, I let the language get in my way.  But when a friend of ours died of a heart attack in October I decided to say screw the language and joined the following business day that the gym was open.  Ahhhh, it felt good to be back!  And most of all, it felt good to hop on that treadmill and start working that knee little by little on a flat, evenly paced surface. 

In the last 6 months I've been running 3-4 times per week at an average of 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) each time I run with the occassional 5 mile distance run thrown in.  It's a great feeling and sense of accomplishment to do this on a regular basis.  And what has helped to motivate me is my friend Sue who is back in the US.  Without her and the Nikerunning website I probably wouldn't have pushed myself so much and so I'm so happy that she's helped me to get back on track.  We've been doing some challenges on the Nike site and every morning when I just don't feel like going to the gym or going for a run outside I think, "I can't let Sue down".  Now realistically I know Sue is never going to be upset about me not doing a run or doing my part in the competition - it's an online competition with no reward except the pride of having completed the task (ideally in a winning position).  But regardless of this, it is motivation for me to get out there and get my exercise on! 

Where does the frustration come in you are probably thinking by now.. So much to my dismay, over the last 6 weeks I've been having some pain in my lower left leg.  It started off slow - maybe the size of a dime and was more of an ache.  But over the last few weeks the pain has grown in size and intensity.  It truly broke my heart last week to tell myself that I needed to take a break - for a week - and see what happens.  Still not feeling 100%, I went running yesterday.  It was a big mistake on my part.  I barely made it the 5k before I could barely move another muscle. 

And so that brings us to today, my exercise in frustration.  It was time to pay the piper... time to go to the ... doctor!  Yes, the doctor.  I've only been once here and it wasn't an experience that I want to do again.  The kids have a pediatrician here that speaks English that they see every 6 months, but me, nope, don't have a doctor here.  I did all my annual exams when I was home in October and unfortunately have had to switch my dentist appts from twice a year to now once a year when I go home.  I've been praying and avoiding the thought of having to find a doctor here.

First off, we have global insurance.  NO ONE takes it here.  NO ONE.  We pay the bill and then submit it to insurance and then are reimbursed.  A major pain in the ass.  Thankfully we are getting local insurance in the next few weeks which we will be able to use in conjunction with our global one.  But I couldn't wait a few more weeks for my new and shiny insurance card - I decided that today would be the day I would go to the doctor. 

The kids' bus stop is in front of a clinic here.  Since I don't have my own primary care here I figured I would just go to the clinic which other friends have raved about here (not this particular one, but the clinic system here).  I waited in line this morning, told the person who showed up after me "soy ultima" (I am the last one) so they would know where they were in line.  Then at 8AM when the doors opened, went to the information desk (there was really no point in doing the ultima thing as everyone dispersed upon the doors opening but I see them do it every morning so figured there was a reason for it) where they gave me the impression that my insurance would be taken and to go to the first floor.

Upon arrival at the first floor I took a number (again, why are these people asking who is last when it really doesn't matter) and waited my turn to meet with the receptionist.  I told her I was having leg pain and she asked for my insurance card.  Here is where some of my frustration comes in.  They won't take it.  And after about 5 mins of back and forth and trying to understand her I get that she needs me to pay up front.  That's fine... I hand her my credit card.  But ah no, your credit is no good here my friend... cash only.  So she takes all my info and tells me to go to the ATM down the street and come back with my 53.90 in cash.  Ok, off I go. 

I'm back less than 10 mins later and give her 60.00.  She looks at me like I've got two heads and asks if I have the 3.00.  Uh, nope the ATM doesn't give me singles.  I've got the 90 cents in change but don't have a 10 or 3 singles.  This gives her some concern but she takes my money and tells me she will be back.  Seriously, they can't take my credit card but they can take cash but don't have change???  Really?  Finally she comes back with my change and proceeds to give me my papers with my receipt, etc.  She directs me down the hall and says that someone will call my name around 9.

There is a huge line and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to wait in it.  I have a little piece of paper with some numbers on it - 11-03-08.  I don't realize it's the date until later... duh!  Thankfully the receptionist comes out and points me to a seat and says that the line is for those looking to have blood drawn.  Whew, that's a long line and I'm glad I don't need to stand there and wait.

I wait about 40 mins (which is very unusual from what I've found here) and finally a doctor calls my name.  She firsts asks my my primary care doctor here and when I tell her I don't have a doctor she gives me a look that makes me feel like a scolded child - if I could have I would have communicated to her that yes, I do have doctors and I've seen them in the last 6 months, they just happened to be in the USA - instead I hang my head in shame and then I do my best in my Spanish to tell her what the problem is.  I "think" I've gotten my point across and then she tells me she's going to send me down the hall to another doctor that speaks better English than she does.  While I appreciate that, it means that I didn't communicate as well as I had envisioned.  I get down the hall and the doctor's English is about that of my Spanish but we work it out.

In the end, my "exercise" in frustration is that I now cannot exercise.  He did not explain to my understanding exactly what is wrong but I think the gist is that it's a pulled muscle or something that is getting worse because I keep using it.  So no running for AT LEAST 15 days and only minimal walking (which should be a challenge since I have no car here and walk everywhere).  After all my hard work and pushing myself to continue to get improve, I've actually hindered myself in a way because I've now got to stop cold turkey and wait this out.  It's frustrating and I can only hope that I can regain that momentum when my 15 days is up!  And during my 15 days sabbatical, I'm on a mission to find a doctor who speaks English!

Julie

Frustrated

We all get frustrated – no matter where we live. Things don’t go right, you jump thru hoops, you feel that no one gets what your needs are and communication is nil. It happens to us all. But have it happen to you in a foreign country.


I’ve been lucky so far. Yes, lucky. The first few months here were really rough and very frustrating. My inability to communicate left me feeling helpless a lot of the time. For the most part time has healed all wounds and overall this feeling has passed. I still have helpless moments but they aren’t for the small things anymore… or so I thought.

For the last few weeks our cable and internet have been failing us on a regular basis. To the point where when it goes back on we do an excited dance (ok, maybe we don’t dance but we make a big deal of it nonetheless). Over the last year it might go out for an hour, maybe 2 but no more. We just took this as part of living in Spain – just like the power goes out when we use our dryer with any other major (or minor) appliance. There was this nagging feeling that I had that eventually our outages would increase and in fact they did. To times where it would be out for a half of a day and even once, an entire day.

But this week takes the cake. Josh is away in the States and I'm here on my own.  It is now Thursday mid day and I have been without a phone, internet or cable since when I woke up at 6:30 Tuesday morning. Who knew we were so reliant on these things til we don’t have them right? And at home I’d make the frustrating (there’s that word again – hear that utilities – frustrating!) call to Comcast and while I’d be on hold FOREVER, I’d finally get someone and most likely would have someone out there the next day or have someone walk me thru the steps to get everything back online.

So what do you do when you can’t speak the language (well)? My fear has become a reality – it was time to call the utility company. Now if you think the utilities are bad in the US, I’ve heard horror stories about them here. And that only made me even more ambivalent and anxious. So I waited… and waited. I let all of Tuesday pass hoping that the internet would go back on. No luck. Keep in mind that like most cell phones in the US, my Spanish cell phone cannot call outside Europe (and honestly I haven’t had it that long that I haven’t used it outside of Spain yet either), something I need to fix! So ALL of my communication abilities are cut off except email via phone.

I was sick Tuesday night so I took it as a sign that perhaps I shouldn’t be working and I should be sleeping. Though I did try to call them several times with no luck – if my interpretation was right (and it probably isn’t) the message said there is no one here to help you please call back in 10 minutes and it hung up (I tried for an hour and kept getting this message). By Wednesday morning I was feeling slightly better but still a little ragged – not really well enough to tackle the telecommunications company but alas someone needed to. I tried the number again and my frustration grew and once again the same message.

I dug thru some old files hidden away and found an old Telefonica bill. Whew it had a number… oh but that number you need to call from a Telefonica phone and mine doesn’t work (apparently they don’t take that into account). But they had a store front listed about a mile from me and it was on my way to the school where I needed to be at 1 (that’s a whole other story). Fingers crossed I set out to the store only to find it was a MoviStar which is their mobile phone unit. But I went in anyways hoping they could guide me in the right direction…

And they did. The guy who worked with me spoke some English though I was able to communicate my problem effectively in Spanish (It’s not that I can’t speak Spanish, I can’t do it on the phone – for some reason I really need to do it in person) and so between the two of us we figured out the problem and he called their technical service. But again frustration sets in… he gave them my mobile number and told me that they would call me that night or on Thursday.

Great… so they are going to CALL me. Remember what I just said, I’m good in person but on the phone I’m crap. Wednesday night passed and I finally relented and updated the money on my internet USB so I could at least have some access, after all I hadn’t done any work other than responding to emails using my email on my phone and I had other things I needed to get done as well.  

This morning I sent an email to Elise who works with Josh.  He suggested it since she works in HR and handles issues for the expats as well - yes, I'm an expat but after more than a year I really didn't want to have to rely on outside help so to speak.  I really wanted to do this on my own if I could for my own sake of pride.  But this morning when the internet still didn't work I sucked up my pride and sent Elise an email essentially begging her to call Telefonica for me.

Much to my surprise this morning, they did call. And spoke to me in rapid fire Spanish despite my protests to slow down. I was pretty sure they were coming to my house within a ½ hr – at 10:30. 10:30 comes and goes and my frustration gets all the worse. I have a vet appointment for Jake at 11:30 and as 11 grows closer I finally call up and reschedule it for tomorrow because I can’t take a chance that I won’t be here and they show up.  I emailed Elise and told her I was all set - does it count that I emailed her for help when I actually ended up doing it myself??

Finally around 11 I get a call again in Spanish and again asking me if my phone works and I have to explain that nothing works. He finally seems to sense my inability to mime over the phone and switches to some broken English (which is by far better than my broken Spanish) and asks if he can come by this morning between 11 and 12 (it’s already 11 so not sure how he was going to do that). Honestly I almost wept with joy. Seriously I had tears in my eyes. Have you ever gotten so frustrated that just hearing the words “I am going to help you” are the sweetest words you have ever heard?

But the guy that showed up was not my English speaking friend. He spoke only Spanish. But that to me is manageable. I have become the queen of pantomime – I used to be terrible at games like charades but now I’d kick your ass. And I’ve got my trusty iPhone with translation apps that I can use to assist me if necessary but for the most part the tech just does what he needs to do in order to get my stuff working again! And you know what, within 15 minutes he had everything working!!!! My life is back to “normal” and I never thought I’d be so happy to have my lines of communication open again!

Take that Barcelona - I'm taking back my internet (and phone and cable)! 

Julie

Clase de español (Spanish class)

I'm starting this entry the night before I start my first Spanish class.  I know I've now been here for over a year but it's only been recently that I've felt good about the idea of committing to a Spanish class.  Until know I've been relying on my high school level language skills that hadn't been tapped in at least 15 years in addition to Rosetta Stone.  Don't get me wrong, I learned a ton from the Rosetta Stone - way more than I expected.  But I've lost my motivation to use it.  I literally fall asleep using it (perhaps a sign I shouldn't study while sitting on the couch).  In fact, I think what it comes down to is that I need a new challenge.

Barcelona is no longer scary to me.  I haven't cried in close to a year about our move.  I've built relationships, tackled challenges that at home would seem like cake walk.  I've seen more of the world than I'd seen in my 35 years of life.  And now it's time to move on - I need a new challenge and what better thing to start with than my language skills.  I'm at a plateau with my Spanish.  It's not great but not as horrible as others (ahem, Josh...).  It's come a long way in the last year.  But I've got a long way to go.

So when a new friend approached me about going to a class together I jumped at the opportunity.  This is what I need.  Not only a challenge but in a way, a competition.  I'll admit it, I'm competitive.  I'm sure that doesn't come as a surprise to most but I am.  And I've always been a classic over achiever.  So to be in a class where I have an opportunity to shine, yeah I'll take it.  I know I know... that sounds really egotistical, I'm aware.  But if that's what it takes for me to improve my Spanish skills then that's what I need to do.  I don't want to be the student that doesn't know the answer.  This is going to be my motivator - I want to be the most improved when the class is over. 

Now given that I don't know the skill level of my "competitors" this could really be a pointless thing - one extreme or the other.  And even I don't know what my skill level is - I'd like to think I'm at the higher end of beginner but not quite into intermediate???  But perhaps I'm doing better (or worse) than I thought.  I'm really curious about what the teacher will say when I step into class and she catches us up to speed (classes started mid last month) to see where I stand.  My vocabulary is pretty decent but my verbs are crap as are my tenses.  Don't ever ask me to translate something into past or future tense - everything happens in the present, that's it!  If I can learn the past and future tenses this class will be worth the time just for that!  Fingers crossed for tomorrow!!! 

*     *     *     *     *

Fast forward to Monday.  I've now had my first class.  I realized shortly before I went into my class that I have not actually taken a course of any kind since my college days.  That's a really really (ok, don't want to age myself too much) long time ago.  Seminars just don't count.  Today was part of a catch up class because the actual course started in January.  So it was just myself and my friend who has more of a French background than a Spanish one (and by background I meant that we took these classes in high school). 

The teacher was good - she spoke only in Spanish and was very clear with her words, that is when she wasn't chewing on her nails.  Yes, she was chewing on her nails during the class.  Gross!  But despite that, I liked her.  I did feel that the class was a bit scattered - never did she ask us how much Spanish we spoke, give us any kind of test to determine our level, etc.  She just started speaking in Spanish and expected us to keep up and really just jumped around.  My poor friend who had little Spanish - I felt bad as I'm sure she was a bit overwhelmed and I would have been if I had been in the same boat.  However, I will admit that it did build up my confidence a bit that I knew the majority (not all by far) of the answers to the questions she asked and I appreciated the opportunity to ask questions myself of things I had been unsure of and learned from it.  I can honestly admit I learned at least 4 things today and it was just a catch up class.  If that isn't success I don't know what is!  If I can learn 4 things each time I go, we'll call this class a winner.  Oh, but I can't make the next class due to a scheduling conflict with Aidan's teachers... hmmmm...ok I guess I'll have to learn 8 things in the following class, right?  That might be asking a bit much...

So far so good though and I made it thru the 2 hours with no problem - the time actually flew by much faster than I anticipated which is good.  I'm actually looking forward to my next class!  The big test is going to be when they throw us into the class that's already been running for a few weeks and see if we sink or swim!

Julie

Say What???

For the last year, I've had one major struggle that has been coming up repeatedly, not just in my blog, but in my life.  Language.  I'm a believer that the older you get, the harder it is to learn a new language; your brain just is no longer fine tuned to accept the info.  You know, can't teach an old dog new tricks.  But alas, I'm trying.  And yet, it still eludes and intimidates me.

I've let this language barrier prevent me from doing things I would normally have already done at home.  Top of that list lately, sports for the kids.  Aidan has always done sports year round since he was a little kid.  And for the last year, nothing.  Now the boys don't get home from school til 5 and after school sports start anywhere from 4:30 to 6 and last up to 2 hours.  So that's certainly a reason not to pursue it at this time.  But for me, the big reason was I didn't want to have to deal with the research, communication and eventual sign up of a sport.  I had this same intimidation when it came to signing up for the gym and if a friend of mine hadn't just passed away of a heart attack, I probably would have continued to procrastinate that one. 

Lately I've come to realize that in order to see my kids thrive here, I need to get over my fears.  The boys have been acting out a lot lately and I think that part of this is due to their lack of outlet to get their energy out.  In addition to that, Aidan and I have had several conversations in the last few months about participating in school.  He doesn't want to raise his hand and have the answer be wrong.  My response was to give him some silly alternatives such as "Is the teacher going to hang you by your toes in front of your class?" if you are wrong?  I've given this some thought and like other things I've learned from the kids in the last year, this one makes sense too.  What is the worst thing that's going to happen to me if I can't communicate perfectly?  Can I get the job accomplished?  Yes... I can. 

And so today I went up the tennis courts that we've played at in the past and while I didn't actually sign them up, I got all the paperwork necessary and we will be going on Saturday for a trial lesson (which was at their suggestion and I actually understood that) and then can sign them up.  Regardless I have to go back on Saturday, explain in Spanish that they are there for a trial lesson and then get them signed up after the lesson (assuming, hoping and praying it goes well).  So it was a huge accomplishment today for me.  Not to mention, I found a short cut on the metro that should have been so obvious before but wasn't for some reason and trimmed at least 15 mins off the travel time to the courts.  Check that one off the list and while I'm add it, add in a little boost in confidence.

In order to continue with this confidence building trend, I really need to focus.  One of my (many) new year's resolutions this year was to take my fear of language and kick it's ass.  I was determined that I would study my Rosetta Stone every day for at least one hour.  I've done it before, I can do it again.  Monday was my first day...and I almost fell asleep during that hour.  Tuesday I said screw it.  Apparently that resolution has bit the dust.

Or has it?  I'm looking at alternatives - possibly taking a class with a new friend.  I downloaded an app to my iphone that I can study when I'm on the train.  I signed up for a word a day email as well.  I also want to improve for my kids - I expect them to be fluent by the time we move back home and if I have those expectations for them, how can I not at least attempt the same?  While I know I won't likely be fluent by the end of this year or even by the time I leave, there is no doubt that progress will be made.  I've improved dramatically in the last year alone so hopefully given some time to actually study, maybe you can teach this old lady some new tricks!

Julie

Lost in Translation

As we approach the completion of our first year here in Barcelona, I've been thinking of what has been my biggest challenge in the last 11 months.  Many things come to mind, however, I have to say that the language has been my biggest obstacle.  When I look back at past blog entries I find that it is a reoccuring theme and with good reason. 

And still, 11 months into our 3 1/2 years here I am still struggling though not nearly like I was when we first arrived.  I can communicate the majority of my needs - some with words, some with pantomime, some with my iphone translator.  But regardless, the point gets across.  However, that doesn't mean that my inability to communicate "well" doesn't frustrate me, because it does.  Josh and I have differing opinions on this - he believes that as long as I can get my point across then I've accomplished something, but I'm of the belief that not only do I need to be able to say the things I want to say, I need to say them well. 

I know that I have no one to blame but myself on my lack of knowledge.  I told myself when Liam started school in September that I would have more free time to focus on studying and would commit a minimum of 1-2 hours a day studying.  Honestly, it lasted one day.  Because while I have difficulty, I'm also in a comfort zone these days.  I run my errands, I meet up with friends and I work.  So now I need to schedule it in.

Because as much as there are days when I say I'm getting along just fine, there are other days where I remember the fact that the language stil finds ways to intimidate me.  The good thing is, it no longer terrifies me.  There was a point where I was literally afraid and almost to the point of hyperventilating, if I needed to ask a question or approach someone about something.  While I'm no longer scared to do this, it doesn't mean I don't dread having to do it because I've got to put my Spanish cap on and quite honestly it can be exhausting at times. 

The guy at the DeliShop - my American store, always tries to have a conversation with me and it frustrates me not to be able to say much back to him though I always manage bits and pieces but not all that I want to say and there are times I just avoid going there in order to not have to speak to him.  This makes me sad because despite the fact that I don't speak Castellano fluently, this guy always makes an effort which is so kind.

What also makes me sad is that I have let the language prevent me from doing things the kids and I enjoy because I just don't want to have to deal with again, the effort of having to think thru every single word and trying to get my point across.  For example, sports.  When at home in the States, Aidan played 3 sports the fall before we left.  Three.  Here he plays none.  Now given this is in part because his school day is longer - he doesn't even get off the bus til 4:55 each afternoon.  However, it is also because for once I'm letting what he says designate what I do.  He LOVES tennis and took lessons for more than 2 years at home.  Here we play on a fairly regular basis however when I asked him if he wanted to take lessons here, he said no.  Now there are two paths here - the first would be to let him decide, he is 6 after all.  The second path is to sign him up because I know who he is and I know that once he starts he'll fall in love all over again (and no, I'm not that kind of a pushy sport parent).  But because I'm letting the language get in the way, I'm going the first route which I actually consider lazy on my part.  And ok, it was nice that tennis was a 10 minute drive for me at home and here it takes a good 45 mins to an hour to get there PLUS the hour it takes me to get to school.  But let's be honest it's the language that I'm letting get in my way of actually signing him up because I need to communicate various pieces of information to the tennis club and I also need them to give me information that I need to comprehend.

However, on the flip side, I'm making progress - poco a poco as they say here (little by little).  When I went to order my turkey for our belated Thanksgiving (we'll celebrate Sunday) I realized how far I have come because I didn't let fear lead the way but at the same time, my sense of accomplishment in my mind was more than it should have been after just about a year.  This is something, again, in my mind, that I should have been able to do months ago without fear of vomiting before I ask a question.  As I've told Aidan when he is afraid to raise his hand in school, what's the worst that can happen if I get the answer wrong?  Maybe I'm just expecting too much of myself.  I should take a lesson from myself I guess - no one is going to beat me up if I don't say something just right. 

And I still have my daily intercambio with Jose - and our conversations have come a very long way.  He's been trying to teach me Spanish sayings (none of which I remember unfortunately but I'm trying) and we talk about things above and beyond where are you from, how old are you, etc etc.  We talk about the weather (there are a lot of descriptive words to describe weather so no judging me on this), about people that walk by us on a regular basis, about the holidays, about what we did over the weekend (just learned that this is called fin de semana which totally makes sense now that I know it), what we are doing for the holidays and so much more. 

So while I know that it is early to be making New Years resolutions, I have one already that I'm hoping I can keep - get on the ball with my Rosetta Stone.  I know I've learned from it - I apply things I've learned every day from it.  I just need to get back into learning mode.  By the time 3 1/2 years is up I may not be fluent but I damn well better be able to have a conversation!!!

Julie

3rd Time's the Charm, Isn't It??

People always say that things come in threes... good luck, bad luck, doesn't matter.  Well, apparently for me, that is how it goes for robberies.  I wasn't planning on putting this blog entry up but the whole point of keeping this blog is to not only keep my "audience" up to date, but also to keep a record for myself, Josh and the kids about our adventures here in Barcelona.  So bear with this not so happy entry...

Last Thursday, once again, I got robbed.  Now I'm sure when I say robbed a man at gunpoint comes to mind.  NO, so not the case.  We're talking a pickpocket, non violent, non confrontational.  And this is my third time in 10 months that it has happened.  A few months back my wallet was stolen right out of my zippered pocketbook on the metro.  In August the day before we were leaving to come home to the States, my stroller was stolen from the entry of my locked apartment building.  And on Thursday, the victim...my brand new iphone that I'd had for less than 3 weeks.  Yes, that iphone - the one I waiting for over a month for.

So we'll keep this entry short - I was pissed, beyond pissed.  A few not so pleasant words may have escaped my mouth once I realized what had happened.  However, thanks to some great new friends, the day was salvaged and we cancelled my "old" phone so that the robber couldn't use it (still hoping this is the case as I don't totally trust Vodafone on this one) and I went out to the outskirts of the city to then purchase (full price mind you - whereas my "old" one cost me 29 euros with a contract) a new iphone.  However a week later I still can't get my new one to work (my mission yet again today as it has been for the last several days).  So it just adds insult to injury that not only did this guy get my very nice, very expensive phone, but he has now inconvenienced me considerably.

Lesson learned... when you've been robbed twice, you need to realize you CANNOT put anything in your pocket during rush hour on the metro.  How stupid of me, I know.  And I know better which makes this very costly mistake all the more frustrating.  Just goes to show when you think you've become more city saavy, someone kicks you in the ass and tells you that you can never really be city saavy enough.  You can bet this new phone will never ever leave my sight (once I get it to work that is). 

My hope going forward - that I've paid my dues to Barcelona and that most people get robbed here at least once.  I know very few people that have not been pickpocketed here.  Now that it's happened to me three times, I'm hoping we can move forward to much happier things!!!

Julie

My Daily Intercambio

An intercambio is essentially an exchange of language - and here there are many groups that do intercambios in various languages; people looking to improve upon the language of their choice.  For me, the obvious intercambio choice would be Spanish.  But I'm not so into the formal intercambios that get together... I like something that's just a bit more organic.  Let me introduce you to Jose. 

So who is Jose you ask?  Jose works in the building next to Aidan & Liam's bus stop.  And every day since Aidan began school last January he comes outside for his break when I am waiting for the school bus.  Our conversations started off slowly - we went from hola and como esta usted?  To talking about the weather, talking about our children (his are my age and he has no grandkids yet), about vacations, the kids' school, my work and Josh's work and really pretty much everything under the sun, poco a poco (little by little) at least. 

This is my daily informal intercambio and Jose is the only one that I do this with on a regular basis.  I'm motivated by these conversations because I don't want to say the same old thing day in and day out so as I walk to the bus stop I try to review in my head those topics that (a) I want to discuss and (b) that I want to discuss and can actually figure out some of the words in Spanish in which to discuss them!  I know that he would never judge me for not knowing the words I want to use, but this is still good motivation - while there is no pressure except that I put on myself, to me it is pressure for me to learn so that Jose will want to continue to talk to me.  And today knowing that I was writing this entry, I was prepared for my best intercambio yet and was so thrilled when we actually had what I could essentially deem a conversation rather than just small talk.

It is people like Jose that encourage me to continue with my studies and who have shown me the patience that I wish more people (including myself) possessed.  After 8 months you would think he would have changed his break time so he wouldn't have to torture himself with my limited Spanish capabilities, but no, every day he is there and every day we talk about something, anything.  And I look forward to these conversations every day.  Jose, thanks for the encouragement -  one of these days I promise we will have a full conversation, pantomime free!

Julie

My New iPhone!!! And Learning to Navigate the Chaos that is Spanish Cell Service.

You are probably looking at the title of this entry and thinking, "has she been functioning without a cell phone for the last 8 1/2 months??".   The answer to that is no, I have a cell phone.  A Blackberry if you must know.  However, my cell phone is a US Blackberry with a Spanish SIM card.  It is a marriage that has not been working and after 8 months of having to shut down my phone several times a week (if not per day) in order to receive messages, a ringer that never seems to ring and an internet connection that won't work because for some reason it sends mixed messages about whether it is a Spanish or US phone, it was time to make the leap.  A leap to a new phone and a new carrier.

Why a new carrier?  Well when we moved here and Josh was getting our apartment ready for the arrival of myself and the kids, he was in charge of getting my cell phone.  Now he did nothing wrong so my change is not because of him - he did exactly what I would have done.  He went to the 3rd party vendor that does EVERYTHING in English.  Yup, I would have done that too.  In addition to them speaking English, the contract was a nice short one, 3 months and then month by month from there.  So it would give us time to determine who we want to be with and to adjust to our new Spanish life without having to deal with a phone.

So now 8 1/2 months into things I've decided I cannot bear this phone any more.  I was going to just suck it up but when Josh pointed out that both Orange and Vodafone (the two primary carriers here) were having deals on the iPhone I decided what the hell, might as well jump on the iPhone bandwagon. 

But who here has ever gone to a cell phone store and enjoyed the transaction that takes place when going thru all the options of plans, data, number of minutes, who can you call (same carrier or does it cost to call a different carrier), when can you call, etc etc etc.  Ok think about how torturous that is for you.  Ok, now do it in Spanish.  Yeah, your getting it.  NOT FUN.

I had done some research prior to going to Vodafone, my new choice of carrier known to have a much better network than my current carrier, Orange.  I knew both were having deals on the iPhone 4 though I have to say the deals were much clearer (or so I think) on the Orange website.  Regardless, I wanted the iPhone 4, 32GB. 

I take my Irish passport, a copy of my NIE information (this is the Spanish equivilant to a social security number), a printout of the iPhone 4 and my banking information and head off to Vodafone which is about 3 blocks from our apartment.  I will say that I practically ran there because it was already after 2 and siesta starts anywhere from 2 - 2:30 for most businesses and on Saturday many do not reopen again til Monday morning. 

Whew!  They were open!  I go in and confidently (ok maybe not super confident but confident enough) and tell them in Spanish that I want a new iPhone.  Does she have the 32GB one?  No she does not, but she has the 16GB.  I ask in Spanish if I can get the 32GB at another location.  She shows me a listed of locations and yet she said ningun (none) have the 32GB one.  Hmmmm...interesting.  Part of me feels like I should go to some of these locations and exhibit some patience about getting my new phone - do some more research.  But no, that means I have to get up the courage to pursue this at each and every store not to mention get myself to each and every store which is just a pain in the ass.  Ok, I'll just take the 16GB, it's still going to be 1000x better than the phone I have now.

She asks me if I am currently a Vodafone customer.  No, I'm not.  My carrier is Orange but my contract is thru Bright.  Bright???  Ah yes, that's in English so I write it out for them and she understands now (apparently my pronounciation of the word in English was not good, maybe I should have put it with a Spanish accent) - they call it Brillante apparently.  Why they would change the company name for themselves when the company is based in Barcelona is beyond me. 

Regardless we go back and forth for a few minutes on if I should transport my number and if I can or cannot do so without a penalty.  I call Josh to confirm my 3 month contract with Bright / Orange because this seems to have caused confusion that there would be a 3 month contract out there.  I really want to transport my number because in the 8 1/2 months that I've lived here I've only known my phone number for weeks.  Yes, it took me 8 months to remember my phone number.  But now that I know it, I'll be damned if I'm switching it!!!  They look up Bright's website to see about the contracts, etc. 

We've looked over my NIE information and my passport (because our NIE is a European one we don't have ID cards with our pictures therefore we need to use our passport in some places such as when getting a contract or going to some of the local stores such as FNAC and Al Campo - why they give the US citizens ones with pictures and yet the European ones don't is again, beyond me).  My NIE caused some confusion because it said that I was from the United States but that my nationality was Irish.  I was holding an Irish passport so I'm not 100% clear on why this was confusing but it was.  I had to explain that I had 2 passports.  Apparently that made things all better and we moved on... to picking a plan!! 

At this point, we have done almost all we can do using my limited Spanish.  It was at the point when I asked about the data plan that we had to move to google translate (I love google translate).  I said datos which means data, but apparently she thought I said tetas (again poor Spanish accent on my behalf).  For those who are not in the know tetas is Spanish for boobs...not breasts, but boobs.  She's pointing at her boobs and we all got a good chuckle out of that one!!! 

After much back and forth regarding the plans, we chose 2.  The first was for voice and this required a lot of my friend google - mainly because 2 of the plans were the same price and yet they offered different things.  One offered 24 hours of calling but only on your network and the other offered 18 and 8 (don't know what that means) on any network but you couldn't use it 24 hours a day.  I don't have that many people to call here (yet) but I do like the ability to call them at any time without having to worry about being nickle and dimed.  Ahhh but this is 1000 minutes.  I have maybe 4 or 5 friends here and I mostly email with them and I have a landline... I don't need 1000 minutes (just for point of reference - we had no landline at home and I lived on my phone, 1000 minutes a months would have been a joke - Josh and I shared a 3000 minute plan).  So we go with the 500 minutes for 59 euros.  But alas, wait... just like in the US there's more.  You mean it's not really 59 euros???  Ah we have to add in the IVA (tax) which they include in the plan (so it's the same every month) so now we jump to just over 70 euros for my 500 minutes.  Seems like a little bit of a rip off for such few minutes (the 1000 minutes was 99 euros just so you know).

Ok, well let's just go with that... that includes my data right?  Um, not that does not include data.  What???  Are you freaking kidding me??  Right now we pay around 70 euros for my blackberry and it includes data (I have no idea how much) and voice (no idea how many of those either).  So she offers me for another 25 euros a 250MB data plan.  I spend a lot of time working on my blackberry - I was without my data plan when I went home to the States this summer and I had no idea how much work I actually accomplish on this thing until I didn't have it.  So I need a good data plan.  For another 49 euros I can get my 1GB of data - whew!!!  So my new plan is going to cost me a bit more than my old plan but here's the bonus.  For my 18 month contract I'll be getting my new iPhone for just 29 euros!!  Beat that AT & T!!! 

But alas, here I sit with no phone.  Why you ask??  Because apparently it takes 10 days to transfer my phone number.  And even if they didn't transfer my number it still takes 10 days.  And no, they don't let you take the phone with you until that time.  I asked her how I will know when to get my phone.  She said she will call me.  But riddle me this... if my cell phone is no longer going to be thru Orange in 10 days, then how is she going to call me?  Will the SIM suddenly become a Vodafone chip?  Apparently not - apparently she will receive a Vodafone chip with my number on it in 7 to 10 days.  I'm still confused on how she's going to call me if they are transferring my number.  I'm not sure if I need to call and cancel my contract with Orange / Bright either (I'm thinking I don't since I saw her put an x on the box for Orange but who knows).  But my hope is that within 7-10 days I will be the proud owner of a new iPhone!!  Whew!!!

I have to say that when all is said and done, these girls at Vodafone are my heros.  They made me laugh, they had tons of patience and my hope is that at the end of the day (or 10) I will have a new phone.  Once again, a lesson learned here - if this were the States I can guarantee you that if someone went into Sprint or Verizon or AT &T speaking Spanish and looking for help buying a cell phone, they would not be as patient as these women were with me.  I could be wrong, but I still think the culture and people here are much more tolerant of differences than we are back home in the States.  And I, for one, am thankful for that patience!!

Julie

10/1/2010 - Post update.  I went in today to see if my phone was ready since it had been more like 12 days since I ordered the phone.  She recognized me right away and became apologetic.  Apparently the bank info (there are no checks here - everything is done via transfer or your credit card) I gave her was not enough.  She needed my actual bank book (yes they still use them here) with the balance in order to move forward.  If I could have asked I would have said, "why didn't you call me for this info within the last 12 days and what if I had never come in would it still be sitting out there in la la land?" - but no, I can't ask her that because my Spanish sucks like that.  So I asked her to write down what I needed and headed off to my local bank branch 2 blocks away, waited in line for 15 mins to find out that I don't have a bank book on my account (I didn't think so but then when we set up the account we had so much info that I was on overload so who knows) but he printed out a bank balance that he said should suffice. Off I go back to Vodafone, fingers crossed.  In and out in 30 seconds.  Yes this is enough info and in another 7 days I should have my phone.  Oy vey!!!

10/7/2010 - Another update.  I rec'd a text today saying that the number could not be transferred due to an invalid NIE (social security) number.  I took the kids and went back to the store AGAIN.  Realized on my way that the reason it was invalid was because the original phone with that number is actually in Josh's name and NIE number even though it is my phone.  Had to ask what the process would be to get the phone number in my name.  Josh had to go in after work and sign some papers.  Supposedly it will be yet another 7 days to get my phone.  Fingers crossed!

10/13/2010 It’s like the neverending story.  I went in again this afternoon to see if the phone was ready and was thrilled when I saw her pull out an actual iphone!!  Whew!  But my relief was short lived – apparently they can no longer transfer my number because they cannot prove that Josh or I owned it (odd because we pay the bill!) and so now it will be another 5 days for them to get me a new number.  Ugh!

10/20/2010 Finally I received my phone!!  But not without the warning that it would not be activiated until the following day. Try as I might, I could not get off of the emergency screen.  I went to the States the following day and was actively trying to get this thing to work.  Ugh!

10/24/2010 I went to the Apple Store on Boylston Street and lo and behold, they activated my phone!!  yes!!!  After all of that, I finally could use the phone...but wait, I'm in the States so no, I can't use it without costing me an arm and a leg.  But I downloaded a few apps to play with on the phone so it was something...

11/11/2010 Just when I thought all had gone well somthing had to happen right?  I've barely had the phone for 3 weeks and only been using it for 2.  And on the metro today it was stolen.  Yes folks, you read that right.  I waited a month plus for this phone and it was stolen right out of my pocket.  In the pickpockets defense, I made it easy for him because I had it in my pocket, exactly where it should not have been.  After trying several different Vodafone stores to try to get them to shut off my phone and replace it, we finally had to call in a friend to call them to shut it off.  And in the end, Vodafone would not replace it and so I had to do it out of my own pocket - I won't tell you how much but let's just say, it wasn't cheaper than a bread box... now, if only I could get service on this one (it's now 11/12 and I'm still waiting for the SIM card to activate 24 hrs later).  Let's hope this is the end of the phone saga!

Tour of Barcelona, Naked Man on a Bike, Intercambio and my 1st Successful Spanish Conversation - All in one day!

One of the best ways to see this beautiful city is by foot.  I've been exploring since day 1.  Almost every day, weather pending, Liam and I walk somewhere - anywhere.  I have yet to go into any of the museums I've heard so much about, mainly because I think it will be difficult with Liam who will have no interest and be stroller bound - I may need to leave those for the fall when he heads off to school with Aidan.  But we explore the sights around us - visits to the beach, to interesting neighborhoods, parks, etc.  This past week we met up with my friend Jami who lives down on the Raval near La Rambla.  She's not that far from the beach and in a very historic area which she kindly gave me a tour of.  My descriptions are probably not completely accurate and I tried to google some of these items but had no luck.  So I'm going to trust my memory and go with the flow...

First, a little history.  Barcelona was actually founded about 2000 years ago.  Yes, it's that old.  It wasn't always called Barcelona but Barkeno.  It's city limits were not the same as they are today but contained more to the old city that we now call The Born, Barri Gotic, Ciutadella and the Raval.  I believe there may be more in there, but those are the ones that I know.  Feel free to add or make corrections.  For an actual history check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Barcelona.  The city had a wall built around it, the use of which was obviously to keep enemies out.  As the city expanded the wall was taken down in many areas, however, parts of it still exist. 

These pictures are of actual crypts that date back upwards of 2000 years old.  From what I was told they ran along the road on the outskirts of the city as a bit of a warning to those who may dare to invade Barcelona - this may happen to you!  The bricks are obviously new, but they just renovated this area into a park of sorts.  Notice in the 2nd picture that they actually go under the building - parts of the city were built over the old crypts.

On the left is what is supposed to be the oldest stone in Barcelona.  How do we know this?  I have absolutely no idea but this is what I was told.  I googled "oldest stone in Barcelona" and came up with squat.  If you can find more, please send it along.  It is actually the center stone, not the entire thing.  And notice that part of the stone is actually broken which apparently happened in the last few years.  You can walk all over this stone - this is not like Plymouth Rock where there are barriers all around it.  It is on the street and you walk over it in order to get into the Temple listed on the right.  This building contains columns from the end of the 1st century BC - yes, over 2000 years old. 

The sign outside the door where the oldest stone is - has a little bit of history on it.  And the columns shown are the ones from the 1st century BC.  I will saw I was absolutely in awe getting to see something so old where the construction has literally lasted over 2000 years.  Absolutely amazing! 

As I mentioned above, this historic area is also home to some of the original wall that surrounded the city centuries ago.  You can see that newer buildings have been built upon the old walls.

More walls that surrounded the city.  On the left you can see that very little of this original wall still exists but the city does it's best to incorporate it into the buildings of today.  Look at the detail at the very bottom.  On the right, the area with all the trees is part of the wall.

After dropping Jami off at home, Liam and I continued our walk down to Barceloneta beach.  There we were thrilled to see that spring is here and sand sculptors are out!  He was absolutely fascinated by the artwork they created in the sand.

He was so fascinated that he had to get his bucket and shovel out to try to create his own sculpture.  I think he may have a way to go but great try Liam!

                          

We spent a few minutes digging our sand castle and then decided to head towards Villa Olimpica figuring perhaps we would take the train home from there (we actually walked the entire way home instead - probably walking at least 4 miles that day).  While walking along the boardwalk I will admit to being a bit shocked at seeing a naked old man riding his bike.  Now as I've said before, public nudity is allowed here in Barcelona as long as you have a permit.  But I guess I figured the odds of me seeing the 1/2 dozen people who actually do it outside laying on the beach were relatively low...not to mention it was only perhaps a balmy 50 degrees out (notice Liam is wearing a fleece), not exactly naked bike riding weather if you ask me.  Anyways, I wish I could have gotten a picture to share with you all but alas, I was in such shock that I couldn't whip my camera out fast enough.  Not to mention, while the man is obviously an exhibitionist, I still would have felt like I was violating him in some way by taking his picture.  But let's just say he was naked, he was old and he was riding a bike - ewwww times 3!  

Liam must have wanted to shield his eyes after that because he stuck the bucket on his head right after that.  Just kidding - he actually said he was Darth Vadar and started to run around the boardwalk like this - he never even noticed the naked guy.  The bad part being that the kid couldn't see anything and kept bumping into people left and right - I must have said lo siento (I'm sorry) a hundred times!

                                                      

As we made our way home fromVilla Olimpica we came across this building which to me looks like a stadium of some kind.  Someone told me they think it was designed by Dali.  I have no idea.  Feel free to add some input if you know what it is.  I just thought it was absolutely beautiful and the eggs on top had so much detail that just couldn't be captured by my camera. 

                                                   

So that was just my DAY on Thursday and it's already been a fun and interesting time!!  Thursday night I finally made it to my friend Kara's bar for English intercambio.  Kara, I'm putting your name in the blog - you told me to let you know when I do it... I'm doing it!  Anyways, Kara's bar (O-Bar ... giving you a plug too!) does this English intercambio - an intercambio is when a group of people get together to improve upon their language skills of the given session.  As above in this case, English.  However, every now and again they would revert back to Spanish or their given language so while it wasn't a huge skill building session for me since I got to primarily speak English it was a great chance to meet some very nice people and hear all about how they ended up here in Barcelona as well. 

My goal is usually to make it to the train by midnight (the last train during the week) but I was having so much fun that I didn't make it in time.  So I grabbed a cab.  I gave him the intersecting address closest to us since our street is so small and obscure it usually requires them taking out a map, etc etc.  He was a very nice driver and when he asked me a question I had to tell him that my Spanish was not so good but that I was studying and practicing.  Well, he gave me a great opportunity - he was the nicest cab driver EVER!  This little old man totally spoke slowly to me (as you probably know the Spanish speak quite rapidly which can make it a little hard to understand) and asked me very simple questions (how many children do you have? why are you here in Barcelona? how long have you been here?  etc etc) and I was able to answer all of them plus chat a little bit about the economy (amazing) and travel.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure I screwed up a lot of my words, pronounciation and tenses, but he understood me and we were able to go back and forth the entire cab ride.  This is the moment I have been waiting for since we arrived and with it came such a feeling of accomplishment.  I know there is still A LOT of work ahead of me as far as my language skills go, but I also know that this is a sign that I can do it and that I will be able to communicate here in time.  I feel like I have now gotten on the right path and I need to continue along this way.  I hear three months is a turning point here where things become less of a struggle every day - that's not to say I won't have days of struggle, but more that there will hopefully be more normalcy in my every day life.  I feel like this past week was definitely that turning point.  I'm making progress and that's all I can do... as they say here in Barcelona, poco a poco... little by little.  It will happen, all in good time.

Julie