Santander: My First Time Out of the Basque Country!

Last weekend I left the Basque country for the first time for Santander! Located in Cantabria, west of Bilbao but still right along the north coast, Santander is a wonderful city.  It is the perfect combo of beaches, mountains, and a nice little city with beautiful architecture and so many kind and welcoming people!

Meet my tour guide for my stay: Antonio!

A last minute find on my favorite site, couch surfers!  Not only did he give me a free place to stay (my own room and everything!) but he showed me all the sites his city has to offer, for the low cost of one beer per hour! Okay, maybe I didn’t buy him that many beers, but I tried my best to pay him back.

We walked all around the city, taking in the sights, and I enjoyed every minute of it! We went to a small, outdoor, free zoo-type-thing that had sea lions, a penguin that may or may not have been alive, and ducks! Where I come from ducks are in every pond you see, but hey! I guess in Spain they are more exotic? There were amazing views of the beach and the ocean from here too. This was my first trip where I was able to get some pictures with me in them! (Thanks Antonio!) 

We went to a huge palace that was constructed for the King but is now used as a library for a University.

Inside the Palace.. not sure who these people are, but i'm looking good!

After getting a HUGE ice cream cone (Hazelnut for me!) we took a ferry to a Peninsula across from the city called Somo. It was a less crowded beach with a couple of bars and drunk twenty-something men singing Spanish songs. Antonio and I took a long walk around the peninsula (which for a while I thought was an island). I took pictures, talked politics, and enjoyed the sand between my toes!

Then Antonio took me up what I would call an ‘incline’… but I think that is just the name of the one in Pittsburgh that I’m used to.  I’m not really sure what they’re actually called. But it’s like a slanted elevator up a small mountain. There I got some of my favorite pictures from my trip! Including what is now my facebook cover photo, haha.

We took a small rest back at Antonio’s place and headed out to meet up with some other couch surfers and some locals to celebrate the festival! The rest of the night was a little more walking, a lot more talking, some yummy pinchos and a few drinks!

The next morning I parted ways with my wonderful host and got some breakfast then went to the beach for a few hours before it was time to catch my bus home. 

My short weekend trips to nearby cities have absolutely been my favorite part of living in Spain for the summer :)

Hola Gorliz!

Getting ready to leave for Spain, I was more nervous than when I was leaving for Africa. For studying in Botswana I had pre-departure orientations which included power points and discussion on what to expect. I knew I was going to be taking classes and living in a dorm and I knew there would be other international students in the same situation. For Spain there was more fear of the unknown.

I had met a family through one of the two au pairing websites that I created profiles on – greataupair.com. I sent and received over a hundred messages between the two sites from families all over the world. I finally found a family that was the perfect fit!

WHERE AM I?

I am now in Gorliz, Spain in the beautiful Basque Country. It is along the northern coast about 40 minutes away from the city of Bilbao. It is about 4 hours from Madrid, in central Spain. The Basque people are their own ethnicity with their own language (completely different from Spanish and I have heard it is extremely difficult to learn). My family, made up of a mother, father, and two daughters (8 and 12), live in a nice, simple home 15 minutes walking distance to the beautiful beach! 

THE FOOD

I was nervous about the Spanish cuisine as well. My travel book told me that squid, octopus, and baby eels were a common treat in the Basque country. None of which I even had the slightest desire to try. But when I got here, my first meal with the family was spaghetti! They had homemade tomato and pesto sauces. My second night: hamburgers! Had I even left the States? The food has been pretty wonderful. There are different Spanish dishes, but they are simple and have similar flavors to foods I am used to (so far). The most popular dish in Spain I am told is Tortilla de Patata (I had guessed Paella but was wrong). My host father taught me how to make it! It is basically a potato omelet.. and then you can put anything in it that you want. Soon, I’ll try to make my own and see how it comes out. I’ll take a picture to show you guys.

[Chicken and Pork paella prepared by my host father]

Although they do seem to fry a lot of things here, I do feel like I am eating healthier. Salad dressings do not even seem to exist. I’ve given up my fatty Ranch for olive oil and either balsamic vinegar or lemon juice (my brother Corey will be so proud).  Eating fruit and yogurt after lunch and dinner is expected, and keeps me from eating too much of the main meal so I have room for the healthy dessert.

Every week day I eat lunch with my little sister at her grandparents’ house. They prepare a full on meal, so delicious! One day last week they baked chicken with whole apples, to make the chicken a little sweet and moist. Then, I got to eat one of the baked apples like a dessert, yum! The other wonderful thing about eating with the grandparents is that they don’t speak a word of English. I do my best to make sense of what they’re talking about or asking based on the little Spanish that I know and gestures, and if unsuccessful, my little sister translates.

MY JOB

So, if you don’t know, an au pair usually is like a nanny; takes care of the children and commonly lives with the family. It is also common for families to look for au pairs from other countries to help their children with that language. In my case, I am taking care of two girls who are learning English. My job is to take care of them and entertain them while only speaking English. They must only speak English to me as well during my “work hours”. My normal hours will start next week: 9-2:30 Monday-Friday. For the first two weeks I have been working 7:30-1:30 because the youngest girl is still in school. Here is an example of a work day.

7:15 – Wake up and somewhat get ready

7:30 – wake up the youngest girl, and get her ready for school (make her breakfast, etc).

8:10 – Walk to the bus stop

8:20 – Return to the house and finish getting ready and making my bed (its in my contract to keep my room clean!... even though they have a house cleaner that cleans my room)

9:00 – Wake up the older girl

9:30 – go for a walk – to the beach, along the beach, and back home

10:30 – return home and get ready for the beach

11:00 – Go to the beach

1:00 – return home and get ready

1:30 – go to the grandparents’ house for lunch

What can I say, it’s a difficult job.

I have so much more I could say, but it is hard to pick and choose and I don’t want to write too much in one post! I am making plans to start traveling on weekends to nearby cities, so far I have only been to Bilabo. My next posts will be about learning Spanish, favorite foods and recipes, and then my travels to other cities, and life in the Basque country. I might do some all picture blog entries as well. If you have any specific questions about my travels, let me know!