Week 5

Well this has got to be a good sign… I can’t be arsed to write this week’s blog! Hurrah! I think it’s a good omen that things are on the up.

Biggest and best news of the week is that I’ve got a new place to live… and I LOVE IT!!!

It’s a fab flat right on Calle Fuencarral (v. trendy don’t cha know!) and while it’s costing lots, it’s worth every penny to have my own space (and a very stylish space it is too!). Far better to be happy than have money in the bank!

It’s only about 5 minutes from where I was living before, which is brilliant because it means that I can still go to my favourite café for my coffee in the morning and I know the nice places to shop and drink around here.

Getting the flat sorted was a bit of a scramble last week so took up a fair bit of time, but it really feels like a fresh start being here now. There’s internet access AND mobile reception – hurrah! I really feel I’ll be able to do some work in the apartment (there’s 2 big double door windows with little balconies, so it’s really light and the sun streams in throughout the afternoon). In fact I started a painting this morning… It will be brilliant when people come to stay and it looks like the sofa bed is set to have it’s springs tested!

I’ve got a veritable queue now lined up for the next few weeks. Rups is coming back with me after Emma’s hen-do next Monday for a few days. Then my sister and the babies are coming for a 2 day flying visit from Basel (Louis who’s just turned 3 is guaranteed to generate plenty of laughter). Then there’s a string of people coming out for birthday celebrations: Mum and Dad for hers, Anna for her birthday weekend and then Matt and Sarah for the weekend after his. Plenty of good times me-thinks!

Last Thursday was a bank holiday (la dia del meurte – day of the dead). It’s the day that people take flowers to the cemeteries, tend the graves and have a big family meal. Elena and I went to see Kate and her family. Kate’s recently moved about an hour outside Madrid to a lovely house with amazing views of the mountains and it was hard to believe it was the 1st November as we ate lunch on the terrace in the sunshine wearing only t-shirts. Lovely!

It was great to see her and we had lots of good chats exchanging news about old friends. It did shock me a little though seeing her ‘Interno’s’ room. She has a Paraguayan “chica” (“girl” – but she’s 26) who lives with them from Monday until Saturday morning every week. She helps take care of the 2 kids and does all the cooking and cleaning and washing and ironing. She has a small room downstairs by the garage. Apparently by working for Kate for two years she’ll be able to afford to buy a house in Paraguay (because they’re only €15,000 there). Kate was funny because she was talking about how this girl goes down to the internet café in the village in the evening and chats to her friends back home on-line. “Some people” Kate said “don’t even let theirs go out at night… can you imagine!”. I had to chuckle and felt rather a bond with her ‘Interno’ having spent plenty of evenings myself over the last few weeks in crappy internet cafes full of south Americans!

On Thursday night Emma and I went out with her new flat mate and his friend (both Spanish psychologists in their 30s) in La Latina (her new ‘hood). Was another really good night, bar hopping, eating the famosa heuvos rotos at Casa Lucio Taberna. It’s basically eggs and chips (!) but translates as “broken eggs” – apparently a phrase to be used with caution because in different circumstances it can mean “I’m going to break your balls”. Could be a handy thing to know! There was plenty of banter and we were given a Spanish wine lesson. Apparently Rioja has the best marketing but Somontano and Ribera del Duero are much better! After a few glasses we couldn’t help but agree.

I moved home on Friday and Emma came over and we drank another good bottle of Ribera del Duero and watched a rubbish DVD fllm about Goya.

I went to a couple of contemporary galleries on Saturday which also cheered me up – seeing some good contemporary video installation work here in Madrid and some big and bold and jolly paintings.

After a night out in Chueca on Saturday with a variety of people I’ve met along the way (Spanish classes and college) I went to El Rastro on Sunday to the massive market there. It’s HUGE and absolutely crazily chocker with people. It’s mostly selling rubbish (bit like Camden market) but it’s a really good atmosphere and as long as you don’t need to get anywhere and are just happy to be carried along by the crowd it’s good fun. I bought some brilliantly tacky touristy fridge magnets to put my photos on my new fridge door!

I found that the church nearby had a free Bach Cantantas (choral) concert on so I went to that on my own last night. It was jammed to the rafters so standing room only. In fact I perched at the back on the steps of the confessional box. A lovely old man next to me kept joking about sneaking into it and watching the concert from behind the grill. Those are the times when I especially wish I could speak better Spanish, as even though I understood the joke and laughed along, I couldn’t really respond properly!

The singing was beautiful and the altar piece especially lovely. It was a very simplified virgin Mary with enormous halo sparks coming out from all around her, floating on a bed of flowers. I looked at it for an hour and a half and fell totally in love with it and with her, while the music filled the space.


Now the shocking news of today is that my anatomy teacher actually said he liked (yes “mi gusto”!!!) two of my drawings. He said (well kind of acted out for me, as I didn’t entirely understand the vocabulary) that I had got the structure right and that the structure is like the scaffolding… now I’ve just got to spend time building the house. Anyhow it cheered me up no end (funny how you draw better when you’re happier anyhow… must be a lesson in that!). So we went from 3 hours of anatomy drawing, straight into another 3 hour class of life drawing!

Emma was laughing at me today (what’s new!?!) because she says that I’m succumbing to their evil ways and have started emulating their cheesy style now, and am even talking about my drawings either being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. She’s fair to point it out, but I do also think that if I’m going to be in the class and have my work constantly criticised then I might as well try to take on board what they’re saying. I hope that if I learn a bit of technique then I can still hold onto a sense of individuality too…. I’m only here till Christmas!!! I think I can resist being totally brainwashed. It’s a bit of a change of view from last week I know – but then as all those who know me will recognise, U-turns have often been my speciality. This lady is definitely FOR turning!

And one of the great things about this weekend and today is that I’ve done quite a bit of laughing! Muy muy importante!

Spanish class tomorrow morning and I've not yet done my homework. Feli was great last week, so I think the classes are going to work well and she lives just around the corner which is nice and easy. So I think I should head to my lovely bed - “and it’s mine… all mine!!!!” [cue evil laugh… fade to close….].