A Day in Vitoria-Gasteiz!

This was my first day trip outside of Gorliz flying solo. My host father luckily had to go into Bilbao to buy some things so he dropped me off at the bus station. “Un ticket para Vitoria por favor!” (I had rehearsed that once or twice). I took a short 45 minute ride to the green capital of Europe 2012: Vitoria. What the bus ride lacked in culture (comparing it to my bus and combi riding days in Africa full of African music, chickens at my feet, and people trying to sell me things at every stop) it made up for in ease and comfort.

            My only goals were to see the contemporary art museum, walk around, and take pictures; nothing too difficult. I had printed a map with a highlighted path of how to get to the tourist office for some real maps. I stepped off the bus and of course I was already lost. I ended up just walking until I found signs for “oficina de turismo”. Over an hour after getting maps and just wondering around trying to find the popular cathedrals, etc. I realized I had the map facing the wrong way and I wasn’t even looking at what I thought I was. But hey, I just wanted to see the city so it didn’t matter much to me.

            After wondering around for a few hours, going to the Atrium: a contemporary art museum, going into a few little shops and a beautiful church, I wanted to try my Spanish and order some pinxtos at a bar! I walk in and see my fav: tortilla de patata but this one had cheese and ham inside! The guys that were talking at the bar all stare at me. I point saying, “Cuantos… cues….?” The bartender laughs, “Yeah, cuanto cuesta.” From then on he explained everything in English and I responded in English. “How much does this cost?” I had practiced that a million times! Oh well, I got an amazing tortilla de patata at Mallory’s and the guy even gave me a huge slice, I think he may have felt bad for me or something. With bread and a drink it only costs 3.50 Euros!

            Right next door I was eyeing this ice cream place called HUMMM. It was empty… less people to embarrass myself in front of maybe? I went in and ordered this yummy gelato, one scoop of Oreo and one of dolce de leche. I used my little bit of Spanish and a lot of pointing. Me and the young girl working there ended up laughing as I said, “No hablo espanol muy bien” and she explained in Spanish that she doesn’t know any English. I liked that better than the bartender just automatically talking to me in English. I’d rather struggle with the Spanish. That night when I returned home I even tried looking to see if HUMMM has other locations near Gorliz… it doesn’t look like it, but I’ll be on the lookout. It was worth the calories for sure!

Picture taken from HUMMM's website 

Where to for my next weekend getaway? Pamplona for San Fermin to watch the running of the bulls! 

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!