Saturday, October 02, 2010

Hola! Como ¿Estas?

Hello everyone!

Yes! I have landed in Barcelona! Ok, I actually landed three weeks ago but its been a crazy three weeks for me. I would've preferred to give you all an update sooner but I've been so busy with work and settling in that I could only really sit down and bang out a blog entry now.

So! Is Barcelona an improvement over Jeddah? CLARO. ( "Claro" means "of course" in Spanish ) Life here is good. The city is beautiful. The people are nice. The scenery is good. The air is fresh. The colors are vibrant. The weather is fantastic. There is a whole section in the supermarket devoted to hams/sausages/bacon. There are women walking around instead of ninjas. I can have a beer with my iberian ham during dinner. Driving is no longer a gamble with the grim reaper. You catch my drift? Life here, is life.

However, not everything is smooth sailing and cheery though. As with life, there will always be issues. I MUST learn how to speak Spanish! Everyone here speaks Spanish ( ahem, you are in Spain Einsten...). I'm facing difficulties with even the most mundane tasks! For example, ordering a big mac meal at MacDonalds or shopping at the supermarket! I'll have to get this sorted soon though coz I cannot imagine trying to explore the place without a basic command of the language.

Also, my apartment isn't really what I expected. Let's just say that this isn't a place I'd willingly rent for myself. I would give you a tour of the place as I did when I first got to Jeddah but then there are 2 rooms that are filled with boxes right now so I will wait for that to be cleared before I take some photos and introduce the apartment to you. However, I am looking to move so maybe you won't get to see this place after all. It all depends on how long it'll take for my resident's permit to be approved. Can't rent a new place without one. Shit. Hmmm, I have to go find out how to say shit in Spanish. My iPhone's Spanish dictionary doesn't list it. Hmph.

Other than that, work has been driving me bonkers. Within a week of my arrival, I had to deal with French air traffic controller strikes and even a Spanish General Strike! Hours and hours of stress and planning. But, by the grace of God, I managed to get through it all. There's still a heap of challenges in store for me but I know that I'll get through it. I always do.

Right, I'll wrap up for now but I will update soon on my adventures in Barcelona! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

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