Update from the Spanish Front

Well hello.

How is everyone? I am doing just fine, and have infact had quite a fun week so far. Let me fill you in since whatever-it-was day last week that I wrote before.

So. Last Friday. I went to the gym again, not really wanting to because I was tired and aching, but decided that since a)I´d paid and b)it´s good for me, I would go. It turned out to be absolutely hilarious. The teacher made it known to all the others that I´m English and they kept asking me how you say things in English, and they were all really friendly. As for the class itself... it can only be described as "baffling". At one point she told us all to get these long sticks, then said we´d be singing in English, then everyone went to the centre of the room and put the sticks together in a point, then some people starting singing this chanty thing and doing a kind of hopping-type dance, and then they all burst out laughing. I have no idea what that was about.

You know how there´s a kind of stereotype for middle-aged women who go to the gym to escape their annoying children and nagging husbands and to be all young and girly again? Well, it´s not just a stereotype. It´s true. They couldn´t stop laughing at the fact we had to do pelvic thrusts lying on our backs. But then again, neither could I! And as is becoming quite common, at the end of the class the lights were turned off and we all gently stretched to Unbreak My Heart. This included lying upside down in a foetal position. The most surreal experience of my life! And I´m going again tonight!

The weekend was chilled out and lazy. I went out to buy the paper on Saturday morning (the Torygraph I´m afraid, but the only one I can get in English, plus I like the crossword!) I made my first attempt at chocolate brownies... mixing the ingredients in a pan because I don´t have a mixing bowl and guessing what 100g of butter is because I don´t have scales. Needless to say they turned out abit rock hard! But trial and error is the way forward, I am going to try them again this afternoon. I want to give them as a present to the German beggers here. At least I think they are German, they said something that sounded very much like "danke" when I gave them bread last week.

On Sunday I went with a friend of a friend to a new church, which I loved. I have never felt so welcomed among strangers. As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted with a fierce hug by a woman I felt sure I should know, but don´t... I guess this may have freaked some people out, but it only made me feel really wanted and at home. There are quite a few English speakers there which was nice, and I chatted to lots of new people. I´m looking forward to going again next week. It does take me almost 3 hours to get there... but totally worth it.

Monday and Tuesday this week have been quite artistic. We watched Miss Potter at the weekend (in Spanish because we always do, but then I re-watched it in English because I really wanted to hear Ewan McGregor´s real voice!) and I was inspired to paint and draw. Ha ha ha I hear you laugh, yeah I know I´m not the most artistic person in the world, but it´s fun, and no-one has to see what I "create". Using that word in it´s loosest of meanings!

Other than that, my friends, life here is pretty quiet and steady. Nothing majorly exciting to report. I have been buying Christmas presents though which IS very fun. Oh and something which I find really funny about living here... individual houses don´t have their own rubbish bins for collection, what happens here is that you take all your household rubbish and recycling to "communal" bins in the street. You can´t imagine how aweful I feel doing that, it being illegal in England and all. I feel like I should be going with gloves and a balaclava it feels that wrong! But hey ho, when in Rome and all that jazz.

Well, this is too long and probably boring by now. Tootle pip.

Ugh can´t believe I just typed "tootle pip". And look, I just did it again. Loser.