Huelga!

The word 'huelga' will be a well known piece of Spanish vocabularly for anyone who has lived in Spain recently. Madrid is a city full of life and fiestas but also of deep underlying social unrest. Huelga is the spanish word for strike, and during my year abroad, a week wouldn't pass without this word coming up in conversation. 

Most of you will know that the Spanish economy is up the swanny. The country's situation is particularly poor for students at the moment. At my University, there wasn't a month that went past, where there wouldn't be a huelga. After listening to a lecturer speak for over an hour in Spanish about Organisational Structure, my mind would begin to wander. But as soon as I heard the word HUELGA, my ears would prick up like a little overexcited puppy. Remember back in High School when it would snow, and the next morning you would pray that school would be called off. Well imagine the excitement of a snow day, times a million, every couple of weeks. Yeah it's awesome. You get to spend the whole day in the sun, without that 2 hour round trip to Uni, sipping on Tinto de Verano, without a care in the world.

During my first couple of weeks in Madrid, I was told that if an Erasmus student went into Uni when the others were on strike, that they would get oranges thrown at them… pretty hilarious. Pretty weird as well though… Another hilarious strike which I encountered was a cleaning strike in my faculty. On the first day of the strike, I was greeted with thousands of little pieces of shredded paper all over the floor in the Business School. 13 days later, lifts were full of rubbish, the toilets were indescribable, and there were news reports that rats had invaded the campus. Not so funny anymore… However, when we returned to University on the 14th day, we were pleased to see that the students had spent their own time cleaning the entire building. Cheers guys!

On a serious note, I’m not surprised that Spanish students are protesting and striking all the time. There has been a huge increase in tuition fees, which means that many Spanish youngsters will not be able to go into higher education. And without an education, it will be difficult to get a job. (if there are any..) There is a severe lack of jobs in Spain at the moment and the unemployment rate for under 25 year olds is currently 55%. Pretty bad ey? With such little opportunity for youngsters in Spain, it really makes me appreciate my education so much more. 

Another issue which I am concerned about is the state of Spanish healthcare system. One of my house mates had to take a trip to the public hospital as he had an inflamed gland in his throat. We knew that he would have to wait for a long time, but we didn't think that it would be as much as an ordeal as it was. The waiting room was full to the brim of people who needed immediate medical attention. We took a seat on the floor as we waited for someone to call out our name and luckily we only had to wait 4 hours in total for the doctors to give us their verdict. However, others weren't as lucky as us, and could have been waiting there all night.The facilities were very poor, the bathrooms were dirty and there was a severe lack of staff. A couple of months before our hospital trip, we attended one of the biggest strikes of 2013 in Madrid. Hospital staff, students, pensioners, single parents and many other unhappy Madrileños lined the streets to protest against the budget cuts. 

Let's hope that the economy begins to improve, because Spain is in a pretty bad place right now. 

Nesquik Overload

I'm not a huge comfort eater. But here, I am munching all flippin day. For breakfast, I have at least two chocolate milkshakes, biscuits, cakes and toast, for lunch I'll have soup and salad, plus another two milkshakes, maybe a yoghurt and more cake. Then for dinner I'll have chicken, tortilla, cheese, a yoghurt, then another chocolate milkshake before bed, and I'll probably polish off another four Oreos in bed. Surely this diet is not doing me any good... but I can't help it. 

I've had a pretty awful day, and the only thing which makes it better is eating. This morning the children refused to do their class. Then when the Mum comes in to check on me (as per usual), she thinks it's my fault. For some reason she thinks that her children do everything I say and that I can control them. Well I'm sorry Madre, but you are wrong. If you can't control your own children, then how am I supposed to? 

I'm in bed, it's 10:30pm and the children are screaming the house down in the bedroom next door. When I was younger, my bed time was ALWAYS before 9pm up until the age of about 13. The children are 4, 7 and 8 years old, so why is their bed time 10pm? 

It's a real shame because I feel like I want to quit. I want to tell the father tomorrow that I've had enough and want to go home, but I haven't got the cojones to do so. I've said to myself, that if this carries on and I am no happier by next Tuesday when we leave Zaragoza, then I am going to have to say something to the father. The other day the 8 year old girl bit her 4 year old brother on the back until he bled. At first I stood there in shock, then tried to pull her off him, and I got punched in the face. Is this how all children act!? To be honest I don't know, because I'm never surrounded by children, but I'm pretty sure this is awful behaviour. 

To be honest, I'm not really upset with the children's behaviour, because they are children. I'm more upset with how the mother treats me. She watches my every move and it makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. Every day she will come into the class and question the way I'm teaching her children. If you are so bothered, then hire an English tutor, not an Aupair. Whenever I'm with the children, if I am not chatting away in English every second, then she will shout at me and tell me to make more effort. There is only so much I effort I can put in, and I'm seriously being pushed to my limit. I feel like her child when I am with her. I have absolutely no independence, and it infuriates me. I understand that I am a fussy eater and that it can be a pain in the backside at times, but you are not my mother. You cannot shout at me for having a poor diet, you cannot shout at me for not wanting to eat fish, you cannot tell me how to make a cup of coffee, or how to cook a pizza, when I obviously know already. 

Wow. I'm sorry. That was a pretty intense rant. I'm just pretty frustrated to be honest and I can't meet up with anyone to drown my sorrows in Vino Blanco and moan about my day, so I'll just have to do it here instead, with a chocolate milkshake… 

The Second Part Of My Aupair Experience

16.07.13

Today has been an absolute nightmare. I have been looking after the children, without a break for 14 hours straight. The girls refused to do their English class, the little boy cried after his mother for an hour by the swimming pool, they fought throughout the whole journey to Zaragoza (we were in the car for 4 hours) and then they were misbehaving and showing off at the dinner table in front of their cousins and friends. 

It is now 10:30pm and I am absolutely shattered. The house we are staying in is a lot older than I imagined. It houses over 30 people and is very traditional with high ceilings and heavy mahogany doors. Usually the family stay here when all their family are here, as the mother has 8 brothers and sisters, and the children have over 30 cousins. However, at the moment it is just us and their 18 year old cousin and her mates. My bedroom has a balcony which overlooks a huge forest and waterfalls. Tomorrow the family are going to show me round the area, and I am pretty excited! The house has no internet (holy moley how am I going to live!) so I will have to go to the hotel tomorrow to publish this blog post. 

17.07.13

I am feeling a lot more positive today. I was able to lie in until 9.30am which was awesome and I actually slept really well despite being in a different place. We are staying in an area called Monasterio de Piedra. It is incredibly quiet and chilled here. We spent the morning doing a bit of homework, and relaxing by the pool. The pool was situated at the top of a cliff, surrounded by trees and is extremely peaceful. The mother told me before we arrived that there isn't much to do here, and she was right. However, it's kind of refreshing being in the middle of nowhere. I am writing this from my balcony, looking down onto the forest, listening to the sounds of waterfalls and wildlife. Being away from home this summer has really given me time to think. Everywhere I live, there is always some form of drama. There is never complete peace and tranquility. 

After this experience, I don't think I will be au-pairing again. It's been fantastic to be able to travel around Spain and not worry about money, and the family have been incredibly generous. However, my patience can only go so far until I break down. There have been a few moments where I have just had enough and gone for a little cry in my room. Children really know how to push your buttons. Being called fat, ugly and a pig every couple of days by a 4 year old boy doesn't exactly boost my confidence. Being spat on by him is also pretty rancid… However, there are a couple of moments in the day where he will make me smile and I'll forget about how much of a little brat he can be. 

Buenas noches x

Màs Fotos de Madrid

Taken by Giselle Helene Elizabeth Boxer

Instagram Shots of Madrid

Taken by Laura Molineux 

Madrid Farmers Market

Madrid’s Cámera Agraria located in the stunning area of Casa del Campo is held on the first weekend of every month, and shouldn't be missed! There are many vendors selling fresh, delicious produce from the region. 

It was a glorious summers day, and despite the sore heads and icky tummies (we were hungover again…only on your year abroad once though ey!) we ventured to Lago metro stop in search of the June Farmers Market. The area was beautiful, so green and peaceful, despite only being 20 minutes from the centre of the capital. We were greeted with a stand that allowed us to buy vouchers in exchange for multiple glasses of wine from the local vineyards. IDEAL! The only thing to get rid of a sore head is to drink more! We walked round each stand, sampling cheese, meats, fruits, pastries, liquors, honey and some other bits and bobs which I had never tried before. I'm a bit of a fussy eater, but since being in Madrid, I have really opened up my horizons to new foods. Everything was so yummy, apart from the anchovies on toast. (YUK!) There are also stands selling the best quality meat and vegetables from the local farms. It's a real shame that I didn't visit the market before, because I would have loved to create some dishes with these ingredients. 

Definitely worth a visit if you are in Madrid. One tip, get down early if you are greedy like me and want to make the most of the samples! 

Madrid Snaps

Taken By Sarah Rebecca Wilkie

Thank You Madrid...

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

Thank you for providing me with the craziest, strangest, best nights out ever.

Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Thank you for igniting in me a huge interest in travelling.

Thank you for forcing me to become independent.

Thank you for your amazing vintage clothes.

Thank you for Fro Yo.

Thank you for the friendships I have made here.

Thank you for inspiring me.

Thank you for your beautiful architecture.

Thank you for making me try Beef Carpaccio.

Thank you for your terraces and afternoon Gin and Tonics.

Thank you for your eclectic mix of people.

Thank you for your beautiful squares, perfect for people watching.

Thank you for making it acceptable to meet people in the street, and then becoming close friends with them days after.

Thank you for making me laugh for 99% of my time here.

Thank you for all the hilarious dogs I have seen.

Thank you for your beautiful sunshine.

What Is/Is Not Socially Acceptable In Madrid?

What Is Socially Acceptable in Madrid?

1. Wearing sunglasses indoors, especially on the metro. The Spanish are all about creating that mysterious, too cool for school look... I just do it when I'm looking rough. 

2. Staring, especially on the Metro. Cast your eyes on someone on the Metro, look at them up and down, check out what they are wearing, stare into their eyes, and don't worry if they spot you… keep looking and don't get scared. 

3. Being late. In Madrid you should never be on time for anything. Being on time is just not cool here. 

4. Kissing twice on the cheek when you greet someone. This is the cause of many awkward moments when someone only goes for one kiss, and you are left hovering in their personal space with your lips pursed ready for another one. 

5. Being slow. Everyone in Madrid, whether young or old, walks at the pace of a tortoise. In England everyone always seems to be in a rush, but in Spain, the pace of life is extremely slow. I have places to be, people to see, and I just want to kick them up the hiney and tell them to move out of the way!

What is NOT Socially Acceptable in Madrid?

1. Non-Spanish Clothing. Women, don't wear anything else but jeans and parka coats, no matter what time of year it is. Even in the blistering heat, it's just not socially acceptable to get your pins/cleavage out. If you dare try, I promise you will spend your whole day trying to cover up your skin as you receive disapproving looks off old women, and unwanted attention from men. Unless you like that greasy, slimey, tracksuit wearing fella who is desperately trying to chat you up. 

2. Being polite. Spanish people are not polite, and they don't do queues. Every man is out for themselves. Since moving here I've realised that English people are incredibly polite, and I love that. The English are forever saying sorry, queueing patiently and giving up their seat on public transport. The Spanish on the other hand, are quite the opposite. 

3. Going out early. You shouldn't be going to a club in Madrid until at least 3am. PRO - The Metro will be open when you leave the club. CON - You will have been drinking from 11pm until 7am, and by this time, you probably won't even know what a Metro is...

Mondo/Music

Much to my delight, Madrid's electronic music scene is huge. (I'm so edgy la la la) I've been lucky enough to see some awesome DJs here, including Jamie Jones, Danny Daze, Maya Jane Coles, DJ Zinc, Pachanga Boys, XXXY etc. Solomun and Art Department were also meant to play in Madrid, but never turned up...

In my opinion, Mondo is the best place to go in Madrid if you are into electronic/house music. It's very central, only 5 minutes walk from Puerta del Sol. The programme each month never fails to impress, with some of the biggest DJ's flying into Madrid to showcase their stuff. Next week, on the 16th May, we are going to see Joy Orbison at Mondo which I'm very excited about.

My housemates Greg and Charlie have also massively influenced my taste in music after they took up DJ-ing when they arrived in Madrid. Their career was short-lived, but incredibly exciting. They played at Taboó many times, as well as house parties. One particularly memorable week was the week before they played in the main room in Taboó. They practiced all day, everyday, until I was dying to hear some acoustic music without the housey beat. It all paid off though, the audience absolutely loved them and I was a very proud of my boys! I really hope they continue to DJ in Nottingham next year.

Miss Sushi

Definitely some of the best Sushi I have had in Spain. The decor and colour scheme of the restaurant is rather odd, with fluffy seats and neon pink lighting... it kinda looks like Paris Hilton's house. We were in a bit of a rush so decided to get it to takeaway and the quality of the food was fantastic. The Gyoza were spot on. I decided to go for 8 pieces of 'Dragon', the chains most popular sushi. Tempura prawn and asparagus wrapped up in rice and avocado, with mayo and a spicy dipping sauce. Caroline's veggie sushi alternative also looked great. 

Apparently they have a Miss Sushi in Madrid, so I will definitely be giving them a cheeky visit when I return next week. 

http://www.misssushi.es

Beach Party!

Taken at Laydown in Valencia by Caroline Marzano

Laydown

Feeling a bit worse for wear, we decided to make our way down to the beach, with lots of hangover food, for an afternoon of sunbathing. (living the dream!) We got our tan on for about 2 hours, then got very bored so decided it was time for Megan's ice cream of the day. As we got to the ice-cream van we started to hear some really good tunes, and ended up following the music. 

Somehow we stumbled across an absolute winner. It was a Moet and Chandon champagne bar, all outside, with white beds. Not usually my cup of tea, but I had a whale of a time. Bikini's and maxi skirts were adorned, as well as a rather cringe flat cap that I found on the beach. We hastily got the Gin and Tonics in.. hare of the dog and all that jazz. 4 hours later we were all overcome with this huge urge to pretend we were Shakira, dancing to African Tribal music in front of about 50 people. 

We really did not want to leave this place. With views of the Puerto, huge white boats, bright blue sea and sky, surrounded by palm trees, everything was just perfect.  

We left the bar, slightly disheartened as we had a dinner reservation to rush back for. We just wanted to be there all night. When i returned home I searched for the bar in Google and realised that that day was their opening weekend again for the summer. 

This place really is a MUST SEE in Valencia, if you are looking for a chilled bar, near the beach, with some ridiculous tunes, then this place is everything you could wish for, and more.  

Valencia!

Taken by Caroline Marzano

What an unbelievable bank holiday I have had! The journey started off a bit shakey, turning 

up at the bus station at 7.01am, when our bus was meant to leave at 7. We somehow managed to get down to Valencia without any issues, with lots of hungry tums, and over excited young ladies.  As we bounded off the bus into the sunshine, we soon realised that Caroline had left her £300 glasses on her seat. TRAGIC. We had many other setbacks after that, including Megan's card nearly being swallowed, eating an awful burger by the beach, waiting outside a restaurant for 1 and a half hours until it opened, later to be told that they were fully booked for the evening. Despite a few minor glitches, I have had a very eventful, hilarious, relaxing time. 

My next few posts will be photos from Valencia and reviews on a few restaurants which we visited.