05.09.2014 - Qué tengas buena suerte!
I thought about giving an update, so let’s see:
Tuesday: Spanish Class, ride home, Welcome at Vicálvaro, SIM Card
Wednesday: free, Drinks with the Spanish Course
Thursday: Spanish Class, Erasmus Tour, José’s Birthday, Charlotte
Friday: last day of Spanish Class, Americans on the Metro
Let’s begin in the beginning. So, on Tuesday was finally the Welcome of the Erasmus students at Vicálvaro after Spanish Course. It was a great disappointment for everyone who expected something interesting or helpful, but not for me. I don’t get disappointed easily.
So, the Welcome was basically the two decans talking and showing some stats about the University (all in all ~40.000 students, ~20.000 in Vicálvaro campus, ~1.000 students from abroad including me). Other than this year, last year there were only 200 Germans. I feel like this year it’s more like 40%. If someone asks an Erasmus student where they were from and they don’t answer Germany, I’m already impressed. We also watched the image film of URJC which is really nice, but I had seen that one when I was deciding on which university I want to choose (last year), so really, there was nothing interesting for me.
Luckily, Raquel was there so I sat with her on the floor of the hall, because all comfy seats were already taken, and talked a bit. After the speech some students showed us the campus (Laura, Javi and, for she was there, Raquel). Javi turned out to be in my study course of tourism and was very nice and also handsome.
Raquel afterwards gave me a drive home in her car which was so cute of her.
Mara also was very nice, she came with me to the Orange shop to get some information but in the end wouldn’t have to because the guy there actually spoke that kind of English that was understandable.
I had the evening off then and was happy about that. I don’t have to be outside everyday.
On Wednesday, I didn’t have Spanish Course because José had to go to Granada for a conference or something. That’s also why we started eariler on Monday to keep up with the paid lessons and why we have longer lessons the other days. I didn’t do much during the day besides grocery shopping, but instead of having course, the group met up at 7pm to have some drinks together. Fulfilling my clishé, I was the first to arrive at Plaza de España. We then went to a bar which was the bar José had spent most of his youth at, as he told us. It was very Spanish with old framed pictures all over the walls, with Spanish food behind the bar, only few light, fenches in front of the windows and Spanish flags and Real Madrid, Celta de Vigo and Deportivo flags and scarves and banners everywhere. José invited us to drink the bar’s own white wine but of course I refused and got a water instead. The water bottles were frozen, btw, so the barrista had to search for several until one actually was filled with water instead of ice.
I was pretty bored. There was nowhere to sit, so we all stood around and held onto our drinks. The wine came in Galician bowls instead of wine glasses and later there were some tapas that no one really liked, I think.
Somewhen a Real Madrid poster from 1974, I think, called for my attention. It was hung up high above me head so I was staring at it and found Günter Netzer (oh god) on it, in his best blond time. José saw me watching it and he told me not to care, as it was only the shittier team of the city.
I told him I was Madridista and he was shocked (see, I knew he was an Indio/Atleti fan). The guy behind the bar wasn’t happy either but they are friends with José so they forgave him for his comment on RM.
I was pretty bored the whole evening and felt extremely unwanted there. One time it was even ridiculous obvious that people forgot about me because we more or less were standing in a circle but somehow they moved so they were standing in a circle and I stood behind them, taking a glance at José though Isabel’s and Matthias’s shoulders who are both very tall. I squeezed myself in again but didn’t really know why.
Isabel later asked me if I didn’t drink any alcohol and I told her the story of not liking it and seeing no single advantage in it and so on and that people usually are weired out by it. She told me she thought it was cool of someone to pull though stuff. I thought, of course I do.
Well, I took the first opportunity to go home around half past nine then.
After Thursday’s class I went home quickly and had cooked a nice meal, only to go out again around six. There was a city tour for Erasmus students at 6 pm which I joined. I met Matthias and suddenly found two other guys standing behind me. First the one that I had said Hello to on the Metro (who I thought was French) and then someone else, who looked so beautiful I was shocked. He didn’t seem to know anyone so when I looked at him, he started talking to me. He had black hair and beard and greenish blue eyes that were looking right through you. I had thought such a combination was impossible but well, whatever. I thought he was Scandinavian because he was wearing a lumberjack shirt made from pretty robust and therefore thick and warm cotton, but he turned out being Brazilian. He’s the first Brazilian I had seen at all and his name was Ricardo. Ricardo and me talked for a moment (in English), and I asked him if he already had an apartment. No, he didn’t have one - he had been here for only one day! That’s why he neither knew anyone.
We later got into groups to run around the city a bit. My guide turned out to be Javi from the campus. We were more or less 10 Germans, a Frenchman and - tada, Ricardo again. I talked to him and also to another girl called Rebecca and to Javi as well as to some German guy called Lukas/Lucas. He was very tall and because of that was pushed to do the group selfie in front of Puerta de Alcalá. Next to Cíbeles there is an Irish Pub that shows “English matches” as I overheard Javi telling Lucas. I instandly asked if they showed only international matches or also the Premier League and he told me, that it was also the league. Very good, hehe. After walking around we entered a bar. Guess which one: El Tigre again!
We stood exactly at the same table as where I’ve stood at with Raquel and had something to drink and tapas. I had noticed that Ricardo always walked a little set back behind the group, even though others and also me had talked to him. I asked him if he was okay and he told me he was just thinking about how to get an apartment. I told him, if he wanted, I’ll ask around for free rooms and make some pictures of offers at the campus. He gave me his facebook name to contact him. I felt pretty hypocritical for being so nice (even though I just am) but I have to say it was also because he was so so handsome.
Around a quarter to eight, everyone left again. As I was invited for José’s birthday (friend of Raquel, no, not the teacher) for the same evening, I left the group at Gran Vía. I was walking next to Ricardo, so when I left at a redlight, he thanked and looked at me and looked very pretty, putting his palms together and nodding. I promied to message him.
I was a bit early at the bar where I had to met José and the others, so I sat down at the bus station and read. When it was time, I met the others and we sat down at La Sureña in Gran Vía. It’s a beatiful place! Even though the tables are right next to the street it didn’t seem loud or uninviting. They ordered some tapas (friend chicken, chips, croquetas, fried fish) and a bucket full of crushed ice with some beers. The beers are so small here! Bottles of 200ml! Imagine that in Germany, everyone would laugh at them! I had a cola and it was very cool sitting with them. I noticed that I was understanding a lot more than the week before and I was also able to talk to them quite well. When Ana (another Ana, not the one I already knew and that was sitting in front of me) joined us a little later, she, looking shocked, said to Raquel: “Ella habla super bien Español, eeeh”. ;) Hehehe danke! I also asked all of them if they knew any free room for Ricardo, but no :(.
I left later around midnight because our course started at nine the next morning and I was tired already. When I arrived home, there were around 10 guys and girls in front of the house. I had to open the main entrance which is almost never closed, so I had some problems figuring out which key I had to use and they were making fun of me. They asked me if I knew where the Erasmus party was and I said no. They didn’t seem convinced. I told them again and they asked me if I wanted to come with them and I, of course, said no and that I had an exam tomorrow. Naturally the laughed again because university hadn’t even started so why would there be an exam. They then asked me where I lived and I said "Well, here." In the same moment the door was opened from inside so I entered, opened the next door and ran up the stairs. When passing the first story I noticed that there actually was a party going on. No wonder they didn’t believe me.
In our apartment there were two girls talking in English when I entered. I thought they were Mara and Chloé, but it turned out to be Charlotte and Cloé. Charlotte, the German friend of Mara. Sure, I thought, Mara had gone back to Bilbao today and Charlotte was staying in her room as she still hadn’t found an apartment. We talked for half an hour or so and she told me that Joel had opened the door for her, being in his usual outfit: boxers.
She told me she found him hot and that it was a pity that he had a girlfriend.
"She must be a real beauty queen, telling by his looks”, she said and I assumed she was right. But I also wondered why a girl like her (skinny, long bright blond hair, no weird facial features, modern fashioned, positive aura) was worried about such a thing. She was the beauty queen out of us two, she was the pretty one. She then said, “It is how it always is. The can never have the ones you want”. I have no doubt that so far, she wouldn’t ever have had a problem getting someone. She really is very pretty.
When I went to bed, I noticed that Fulei had turned down the AC and it was hot in my room again. I wasn’t sure if he was home at all (neither if Joel was, because usually Joel always leaves his door open, but it was closed and it was quiet inside), so I just tried to sleep. It wasn’t a good night again, really, too hot.
Today then the Spanish Course started at 9, which was okay. I was awake anyway because I couldn’t sleep any longer than seven. Chloé unfortunately blocked the small (“my”) bathroom so I went to the other one, but my toothbrust was locked up in the first. It put me in a hurry later, but it was okay. Actually, I was extremely punctual today, usually I was too early. It took my exactly 45 minutes from stepping out of the apartment to stepping inside the class room which is fine.
José showed us a latin-american movie about the early years of Ché Guevara travelling through South America, but I didn’t get a thing. I just don’t understand their Spanish yet, especially when they make jokes or whisper which they did a lot in the movie. I've been a bit bored for two hours - that wasn’t what I had got up for! We later did some recalling and José gave me one of his novels as I hadn’t won one before (also to someone else). So in the end we all recieved one which I had expected in the beginning.
During the break, Maria asked me if I wanted to come outside with them so I went and sat down in the sun. There was also my French Metro Friend who turned out to be - drum roll - Dutch! It was the first time I head him speak in English and instandly thought so because I know the accent from Racoon. I then asked Laura if she knew where the boys (he was standing with two others) were from and she said Germany. I said that would be impossible and I think, Metro Friend overheard me because one moment later he asked his fellow where he was from. I didn’t hear that, but I heard Metro Friend saying that he was “from Ho'land, Chroninge” which means Groningen. I quickly had to go inside a little bit later because there was a wasp chasing me around and I had already embarrassed myself by running right and left before.
After the second part of the class, Miguel, José’s son, who before had been playing Nintendo in the corner, took a photo of José and us. José told us he had one of every course he teached and then said goodbye to each of us personally, giving the girls two kisses and hugging Matthias, his “hermano” (brother). This was the cutest and best teacher I've ever had! AMAZING! I wish we could keep him.
After the class, I went to take pictures of the offers for rooms for Ricardo. I sent him some and also websites I had asked my class collegues for and felt very, very obtrusive. Well, I think he didn’t felt that, he even gave me his new cell phone number via Facebook. I told him to have a lot of luck searching (Qué tengas buena suerte!) and now hope he’ll talk to me again as soon as he found something or to tell me he still needs help.
After that, I finally went home via Metro. When still waiting for it in Vicálvaro, two girls approached me to ask for help on how to get to Atocha which is Madrid’s central station. I told them they can come with me on the Metro. They were two US citizens, just had arrived two days ago, not having any clue on anything. It was marvellous. They finally were able to express that the wanted to go to Atocha by Cercanías from Vicálvaro for which they had to take the Metro first. Two stations.
I explained them that the had to get off again and to change for the opposite direction and they were very polite and stuff, but also very crazy. It didn’t seem as if they were used to anything… maybe they were from a very small US American city… Also, when I later thought about that, they instantly talked to me in English without even asking if I was speaking it. But when I told them I was German, they were shocked. Obviously they had thought I was Spanish… so was it a bit too naive of them to think that every Spaniard speaks English or was it American arrogance?
Finally at home, I tidied and vacuumed my room, cooked potates (FINALLY!!!) and ate. Amen.
That was a lot, dear god.
