While my work life remains fully online for the next few weeks, I decided to make hay while the sun shines and try this whole working from abroad malarkey and what better time to do it than October? The temperatures are dipping in Ireland, but it's still a balmy average of 26 degrees here in El Puerto de Santa Maria, on Spain’s Costa de la Luz, the sun is still here, but the bulk of the tourists and mozzies have departed.
I found a little airbnb apartment in this town where I've never been before and so far so good. Having done a little bit of research before I arrived, I’ve been getting my bearings. My first task was to get myself to Decathlon which is only 1.7km up the road. I needed a good thick yoga mat and dumbbells for my classes. I walked up on the toasty warm Saturday morning - loaded up, was very pleased with myself coming out of Decathlon, loaded down with 8kg of equipment. It turns out they don't have Uber in El Puerto. Cue a very puffy panty sweaty walk back to the apartment. Later that day, not fully convinced by my apartment’s wifi - hence the reason there’s no picture included in this post - it doesn’t like uploading or downloading and is downright contemptuous towards netflix, I attempted to buy a dongle from Vodafone, but after much gesticulating and fruitless googling, I left empty-handed. Spanish for dongle anyone?
If you like fish, I’m pretty sure you would love it here, the place is falling down with fish restaurants. I don’t. I wish I liked fish and instead of being a pesky vegetarian could be a pescetarian. I also wish I spoke more than ten words of Spanish. My usual tapas staple in Spain of tortillas, pimientos de padron and deep-fried aubergine have been replaced with fishy versions. I was close to fainting yesterday when I found a place that served a non-meat or fish salad. With all that said the supermarkets and food market are fabulous AND I have to keep reminding myself and everyone else, that I'm not actually on holiday, so eating out every day isn't part of the plan. And I am determined to improve my Spanish. Lessons start this week.
But life is settling into a routine, I've got into a nice little morning ritual - up early, do all the usual bits I do when I'm at home but I have an extra hour to do it and don't have any of the distractions. My new favourite morning activity is listening to the Irish weather forecast. Gloat? Me? Never!
While I have a close friends a couple of hours up the road and down the road, I don't know anyone else in the immediate area, however I am determined to make an effort to meet some people. With a major push to exit the comfort zone, I joined an ex-pat facebook page where I found a Spanish teacher, have been invited on a hike and wrote a post saying where I was, that I was a total newbie and would anyone like to meet for coffee. My toes were absolutely curling when I did it and it does feel like standing in the middle of a playground asking would anyone like to be my friend? After several 'likes', which mortified me further, I've found a willing coffee companion who can hopefully give me the inside track and isn’t deranged.
So for the next few weeks, I'll be broadcasting live from El Puerto - business as usual - think Emily in Paris but 'Gráinne in El Puerto de Santa Maria', really rolls of the tongue, and more Decathlon and flea markets than Chanel and Balenciaga. I've yet to find an extremely handsome chef who makes a great Spanish omelette in the building but I'll keep looking.
Hasta luego babies!
