I'm the red dot ^
Life is completely different here in every aspect. Firstly, when you meet someone, it's a kiss on each cheek which yes, made me feel a bit like Made in Chelsea, but I can confirm, it feels as awkward as it looks on telly. I've been kissed by more people in the last 24 hours than in my life.
Next there are the roads. I've had more experience of European roads than I would like for a lifetime. They drive fast and in the middle of two lanes. It's erratic and I have to admit I was gripping the door handle.
For some reason everyone here lives in flats. I've not seen a single house in this town. I thought university halls were bad but the Spanish seem to outdo students. I can hear everything going on around me. There's a yappy dog downstairs, a baby who I'd like to thank for my wake up calls last night (yes, plural) and a very heavy footed couple upstairs. Past midnight seems to be the normal bedtime, even for the infant who I swear to god, never ever sleeps. I've been confused by a neighbour already for unknown reasons, as she was speaking basque...
...Which leads me onto the next point. You know how in wales all the signposts are welsh and English but most people don't really know what it means? Well in the basque region, everyone speaks Spanish and basque, and they switch in between the two. One minute I'm following a Spanish conversation, we laugh at a joke, then they carry on in basque - a language which sounds like a mix of German and Italian, with the occasional Russian thrown in, all said in a Spanish accent - and then I'm lost again.
The language barrier was to be expected, and obviously GCSE level isn't particularly impressive but I've quickly gotten into the habit of just listening and observing. The biggest shock of all is that people are almost impolite. Maybe it's the Brit in me who insists on keeping up my manners, but no one says please or thank you, when there's me with my muchos gracias at every given moment.
The final culture shock is the way kids are raised here. With my host's friends last night, I was asked about jobs and why I chose to take this one so I explained that it's nice to earn my own money and that a job gives me responsibility etc. but they were truly shocked. "Why don't your parents buy you whatever you want?" This question was one that seemed stupid. Of course they buy whatever I need but when I want a £60 handbag, that's a desire and not a requirement. They explained that in this region, children's only focus is education so parents will give them anything they want, to keep them happy and send them in the right direction. I'm sure that this isn't applicable across Spain, but here in the Basque Country, industry is high and the unemployment rate is minuscule. It is perhaps for this reason that money seems (to me) to be spent frivolously simply because there is no short supply of it. This may be the reason that the kids don't say please or thank you - they don't need to because the answer is always yes; It's an inevitability on both sides of the question.
This town is not in anyway a tourist destination so at 5'9 with shit Spanish, blonde hair and skin as white as milk, I stick out like a sore thumb. Put it this way, I miss little old Wales.
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