The First Week

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Where to start. One week ago, I was boarding a plane in Boston – and now I am in Madrid. Some basics from this past week:

The Computer: The accent mark on a Spanish keyboard is exactly where you would find the apostrophe.  In fact, the whole keyboard is close to my English keyboard.  Just close enough that I make a lot of mistakes if I don’t stare down at the keys while I type.  My Rippowam typing teacher would be appalled. Everything at work is in Spanish, so I have no clue how to operate Outlook or Word or the printer or the phone.  Even the shortcut commands are different.  For example, “Ctrl S” underlines while “Ctrl G” saves.

Animals: I’ve seen three cats near work – near the buildings away from the streets.  They look like they live on their own and any city that has cats roaming around is fine by me.  Also, one out of three people seem to have a little dog, all perfectly groomed of course.  My temp apartment is in a bit of a posh area and I saw one lady walking her little dog which was rocking some very nice hot pink bangs. Have to admit, I liked it.

Working hours: My office hours are going to take some getting used to.  Or not.  Here they are:

  • 9am: arrive at work
  • 11am: coffee break (as in, go to the coffee shop down the street and stand there and drink your coffee)
  • 2-3:30/4pm: lunch (as in, huge meal with wine or beer, and desert)
  • 5pm: coffee break
  • 8pm: travel home

I actually don’t mind working so late (yet anyway) because most of the people I need to get in contact with (not to mention friends and family) are just getting into their day when my evening is starting.  But I gotta say, I was kinda tired at the end of each day.  But this could have been the whole “move your entire life to another country” thing I’ve got going on right now.  Yeah, that could have been it.

Food:  Yes, everything you’ve heard about how amazing the food is… it is all true.  One simple lunch I washed down with sangria last week was a plate of grilled octopus, a plate of calamari, and some toast with salmon and cheese.  On multiple mornings I have started the day with tostada con tomate.  tostada con tomateI’ve also had more potatoes in the past week than I have had all year. I had what seemed like a potato frittata shoved into a baguette.  Another lunch included baby new potatoes with smoked salmon and capers on top.  Olive oil everywhere.  I have drunken more beer and eaten more bread in the last week than I did in the last month.  So far, I have managed not to eat any jamon.

Nightlife:  Madrileños stay up forever.  I was warned about this and everyone I meet confirms it.  They eat late, then they go to the bar, then they go clubbing, then they go to the bar again and then they go eat when the sun is coming up.  I might not be sad if I never do this.

This weekend, my first full weekend in Madrid, I was lucky enough to have Rosa and Eduardo in town.  Originally from Madrid, Rosa was visiting family and so I met up with them and some of their friends on Saturday night.  We went from bar to bar to bar, ending up at a coffee shop called Nuevo Café Barbieri. It was smoke-filled, tables covered with whiskey and coffee and ashtrays, occupied by people of all ages – from romantic couples to boisterous large groups.

In fact, I shouldn’t say this is “nightlife” because the cafes and bars and patios everywhere at all times of the day are filled.  Walking around, even on Sunday, I saw plazas filled with people.  People sitting on benches, reading or socializing, in cafes with just a small cup of coffee.  No one, it seemed, would rather be tucked away in their home.

Much much more later, but it’s now time to begin week two.