My ten day disaster

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I should NEVER EVER go along with one of my 'good ideas'. They never work out the way I think they will but I never learn. Hindsight is a bitch. 

I thought it would be a good idea to take a job looking after kids in sunny Spain. 

So, here are the major faults in my planning strategy.  A) Why did I agree to 10 and 14 year olds, these aren't kids - they're adolescents. B) Why didn't I check the weather forecast before heading off the the flipping mountains of Northern Spain? 

Well the answer is pretty simple, I'm an idiot. 

It's safe to say this whole endeavour has been a disaster, mostly on account of them being arseholes. 

I'm somewhere over west France while I write this on my phone. I know for a fact that some people, mainly those who bet on how long I would last, would like to know what happened and why I headed home so early. 

Let me start with this: I have never been as relieved as the moment mid argument that the father of the family I was working for told me he had booked me a flight for tomorrow - that was until I realised I had 24 hours of complete and total awkwardness in which I would have to avoid them at all costs which wasn't easy considering home for them is a flat with 6 rooms. 

So here's the juicy bit of how the argument happened. (Background info first).

The agreement was that I'd be with the kids from 9-4 everyday which was fine. An hour each to teach them English, fine. Lunch at 1.30 - fine. But the parents always came home for lunch and didn't go back to work until about 3 which felt a bit weird. It was like they were checking up on me and it also made the day a bit disjointed. While they were present, I wasn't in charge of the kids like I was in the mornings so I had no authority over what they were up to. How do you tell a 10 year old to shut her nasty little mouth and to stop slamming the doors when her mother is there to do it? You can't. It was always so bloody awkward. 

Once I had finished their English lessons, it was usually about 11am and they would put the tv on or go to their rooms. It rained everyday bar one that I was there, so there wasn't much else for them to do really. Their phones and iPads were kept by the father in the mornings so they had to entertain themselves the old fashioned way. Cue monopoly. 

At about 11.30 one day last week, the kids had done theirs lessons and they got out monopoly. For two difficult kids who didn't want me around, they were perfectly pleasant until they had an arguement about cheating. Anyway, the dad gets in and sees the (abandoned) monopoly board and tells me off saying they shouldn't be playing games, that's not what he's paying me for. 

Now, these kids were playing in English, and translating the words for me. I literally couldn't comprehend how it made sense that we shouldn't be playing nicely together? He kept saying 'go for a walk' which would have been dandy if the rain didn't piss down everyday. 

So this is still week one, and people who know me well will appreciate that my patience is not something to brag about. It was wearing thin, but I agreed to myself to do 4 weeks and leave before going to summer camp with the kids. 3 more weeks I told myself. Haha. 

On one day that it wasn't raining in the morning, we went for a walk to another town and got back at around 1.30 and I got told off for not having lunch ready. I was ready to go crazy at this point so after 4, when my 'duties' were done, I sat in my room and read my book. Which he's now informed me is rude, apparently. 

Yesterday, when the drama began, the kids were both watching Disney channel so I was on the sofa with them reading my book and he comes in at about 12 and says what are you doing... The first thing that came to mind was a sarcastic 'I'm riding my bike what the fuck does it look like I'm doing'. He sighed and said I don't think this is working. The kids and I are all just staring at him wondering where this monologue is going. He continued saying "you're supposed to be teaching them" so the 14 year old tells him we've done our lessons and we were going to go for a walk but it's raining. He didn't appreciate her input so he tells then both to leave the room. He comes over to me and says "I'm not paying you to have free time I'm paying you to be with them from 9-4."

I wondered what he thought I'd been doing all morning, climbing a mountain? Knitting a bloody jumper? I was with them all morning, chatting, getting them to practise conversational English. But they got bored and on went the telly. Watching re runs of Disney channel programs in Spanish isn't what I call free time. It's called - 'your kids refuse to do anymore English and they don't want to make a cake either, what else am I supposed to do' - time. 

So I explained this with an oscar worthy facade, when inside, my only thought was 'I wonder how hard I could punch him'. 

So blah blah there's a disagreeing conversation going back and forth until he says he doesn't think I'm working out so I told him I'm not a teacher, I'm helping them with English like you asked. If you wanted them to have a teacher you should have sent them to summer school. I think to some extent he was agreeing with me and I was about to tell him I think I should just go home before he whips out a boarding pass for a flight home the next day. SWEET FREEDOM..... In 24 hours. It struck me about ten minutes ago that he had already brought the ticket before this argument happened. It makes me wonder at what point he decided he didn't like me. But whatever, I literally couldn't care less about this silly little man. 

The awkward 24 hours were appalling. They absolutely insisted I went out with them for dinner, where literally the only words spoken to me were: what do you want? Even worse than not being spoken to, however, was the fact that they actually started speaking about me. Yep. "I wasn't paying her 100 euros a week to play games". 

Haha. Ha. Ha. Then this was when I realised these people mean absolutely nothing to me. I have nothing to owe them. I had been nothing but nice and polite (things they ought to learn). I could ignore them, they'd drive me to the airport, and this little escapade will never be repeated ever again. 

Or at least until I get another bright idea. 

Footnote: signs from the universe telling me that everything was going to be a disaster: 

1) getting lost in Bristol because the roads were diverted. 

2) nearly missing boarding the outbound flight due to engrossing stories in Cosmo. 

3) the whole car ride to Beasain being weird and awkward

4) Beasain in general

5) all the stuff in between 

6) duty free in Bordeaux having a) run out of vodka, b) not selling Captain Morgan's spiced rum 

7) head butting the over head luggage cabin when sitting down. 

Fucking disastrous. 

I'm having a bloody nightmare.

My 'adventure' which was supposed to be a dreamy summer spent with two lovely kids in the sunshine is turning out to be a bit of a nightmare. 

Let's replace 'summer' with a British day. (Cloudy with regular rain). Let's replace 'lovely' with evil, and 'kids' with lucifer's spawn. Let's just shoot down the word sunshine. 

I always seem to have good ideas which turn out to be rubbish. So far on this adventure, I've set fire to a microwave, been in a car collision (apparently the spanish can't parallel park), realised the risks of having children, witnessed the start of world war three, and had to refrain from punching a ten year old in the face.

I've met brats in my life, sometimes I'm one of them. But I swear to the old gods and the new, I've never met someone evil. The ten year old is small, and very sweet looking until she opens her mouth. She's got a fair pair of lungs on her and always makes sure to annunciate when she's screaming 'puta' (bitch in Español). This is a child who likes to get her own way and surprise surprise, it always happens. 

Today she didn't want to go for a walk, but unfortunately for me, that was one of my orders from her dear padre. Naturally she refused and spent the morning watching the Disney channel so when padre got home for lunch and she's sat in her pyjamas, I'm the one that gets told off. 

When we sit down for lunch, her Madre asks her to put her phone away but she didn't want to so she starts screaming when her mother puts up a fight, she knocks a jug of water over. Then she takes her food, and more importantly her phone to eat in her room. 

The other girl is actually nice enough, but at 14 and in her summer holidays, the last things he wants to do is sit doing English with me when she's near fluent and her friends are out and about. So of course, she's stroppy and I look like the bad guy. 

I'm good at biting my tongue but I'm not so good at hiding my emotions. When I'm told "you should have taken her out for a walk today, it's your duty," I probably look very much like this: 

I'm taking bets on how long I think I'll last. I've been bet I'll pack it in by the weekend, but I reckon this time next week. Any takers?

Culture shock

I'm in total culture shock. I've been to Spain plenty of times but never to live with a generic Spanish family, so I don't think I came with any expectations of such a difference. Bad move.

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. 

Outward bound from Cardiff.

I would consider myself a bit of a romantic. I always hope I'll find love at first sight at the train station or the person who's eye I catch in a coffee shop will wonder what my story is but we'll never see each other ever again. 

So, it comes with dismay that I'm sat writing this on an isle seat, not a window seat that looks out over the French countryside and that I'm writing this on my iPhone and not a quirky little notepad. But whatever, that's the 21st century for you, it's unromantic. More importantly however, this is the start of my little adventure to España. 

4 countries, one day. Wales to Bristol then a flight to South France and a drive to North Spain. A 7 hour journey from the time I left my house to the time I arrived in my host family's. 

I'm living with a Spanish family who's kids' English needs improving and need watching throughout the day. The brilliant aspect is that the 14 year old speaks fluent English, and the other is 10 so it's not like I'm watching little kids. No nappies, no tantrums, just mornings of English and afternoons sunbathing. 

I'm in a little town called Beasain which is deceivingly small but given that most families live in flats out here, the concentration of people is huge, meaning that this supposedly sleepy little town is a very busy one. 

My weekends will be spent in the coastal city of San Sebastián. A surfer's paradise and a beach bum's dream, I reckon this summer is gonna be a goon 'un. 

A Caption For 1000 Possible Words

With posts starting in Summer 2010, the 'humansofnewyork' tumblr blog has seen over 6000 snaps of the average New Yorker. 

The photoblog run by Brandon Stanton is one of my favourite new discoveries.  Whether they be old, young, with their partner, family or friends, etc., all the photos give a tiny snapshot into the life of a stranger. 

Most of the pictures have a quote. Sometimes the quotes are part of a conversation, sometimes just a snippet of what the person has said, or simply a caption of what's happening.

This blog captures emotion in a way you would miss with a simple picture. It is often true to say: "a picture paints 1000 words". But would you ever look at a very generic looking middle aged man and be given an impression of what's really on his mind?

I personally would assume a very generic life. Office worker, small family, average income; But this blog reminded me how everyone has a story you couldn't even imagine. 

I've selected a few recent photographs that caught my eye. Some surprised me due to the quotes, some made me laugh or evoked sadness and empathy for these strangers I'll never even meet.   

First we have that middle aged man.

"What’s your greatest struggle right now?"

"Dining with my daughter."

"Dining with your daughter?"

"She has an eating disorder. So she avoids every situation that involves eating with the family."

"My three year old daughter has figured out how to unlock my phone. Now she’s always calling people and saying ‘hello’ over and over."

"I have stage 3 melanoma, which puts me at a 48% chance of survival over the next 5 years. However, I have the ability to speed read very technical material, so I went to the library at Duke and read over 800 papers on melanoma, which doctors just don’t have the time to read. I found one very promising study that suggests chloro quinine, combined with the deprivation of a certain amino acid, has shrunk tumors in mice to almost nothing."

"I want to be a singer, a president, and a tennis player."


"I want to be a president, a teacher, a doctor, and a police."

"He’s wonderful in bed."

"I’m taking a puddlegram."

"The army stationed me down South when I was younger, and I couldn’t even use the same bathroom as white people. But things have changed so much. The younger generation isn’t nearly as racist. I’ve been sitting here for fifty years. So much has changed. This neighborhood used to be all black. A white person couldn’t even walk down this street. All the races kept to themselves. Now you’ve got Indians talking to Pakistanis, blacks talking to whites, everybody is here and learning from each other’s cultures. I’ve been sitting here for 50 years. Things are getting better."

This was so funny. I ran into this Mexican couple on a trail in Central Park, and they were lugging around all these balloons. I asked what the balloons were for, and the guy told me that he’d brought them all the way from Mexico. He said he’d concocted this elaborate plan, where he’d given balloons to different people around the city (starting with the hotel concierge), and sent the girl on a scavenger hunt to find them.
"Just because?" I asked.
"Just because," he said.

——————————-

When I got home, I had an email. It said: 

Brandon,

I couldn’t tell you, but I was about to ask her to marry me.

She said yes!

Rodrigo

"I told her that if she wanted to start over, to meet where we first kissed. She was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago."

"What was the happiest moment of your life?"


"Well, it’s not now."

All these photographs and many others can be found at: http://www.humansofnewyork.com 

The Struggles of Legally Being an Adult

If like me, you're rubbish with money, then you might think I'm crazy to say this. 

With the 4th shift of my new job looming, I'm already planning how to quit. I'm not going to name any names, but it's a supermarket chain that I also worked in at my home city of Cardiff.
There's nothing wrong with the people or the company, but honest to God, working in a supermarket is the most depressing thing EVER. 

It literally feels like you'll never escape. Time slows down and you seem to attract every arsehole in the world who asks you something stupid like: "Which of these mustards has an earthier flavour?"

http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com

Then when you don't have the right answer because you don't rate the earthiness of mustard, they're so rude that it shoots down your faith in humanity. (This actually happened).

As a student, I'm further into my overdraft than I'd prefer to think about. Unlike other people, I don't have a student loan so the money won't automatically get topped up as of April 1st; Thus why I'm now employed and need to pay off the domino debt. 
So anyway, I hate the job. Absolutely hate it. But how do I quit when I'm contracted to 3 months?
I've thought of a few options. 


Tell them I've broken my ankle and there's no way I can carry on my contract. 
Never show up again 
Tell them a family member is on the fence of life and I must rush back to Cardiff 
Fake my own death
Cry at them until they understand and we'll split mutually i.e. they'll assume I'm mentally unstable and get rid of me as quickly as possible

As you can tell, I'm avoiding an honest, grown up conversation because I'm not a qualified adult. (By legal standards yes but judging on the fact that I'm lying on my floor eating crackers, let's go with nowhere near maturity).

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I'm struggling to find ways of having a conversation with them that doesn't involve something unrealistically dramatic.

Just a Few Reasons Why Fairtrade is so Important.

As part of my course, I study a radio module for which we get set regular projects. As part of this weeks project, we've been told to make a news package on something current and relevant to a 16-24 year old age range. A few google searches later, we found out that it's currently Fairtrade fortnight, so there came out project topic. 

Despite our university running its own Fairtrade events, none of the 4 members of my group, myself included, knew about it so we decided to find out why young people aren't targeted more heavily for Fairtrade awareness, because we do care. Myself and my group are a prime example of this. 

Although we're only half way through our package, I've found that this project has been genuinely really interesting and has inspired me to share the importance of Fairtrade. 

First of all we had to find out about Fairtrade. We all see the symbol and know the basics but here's a better description from the foundation itself. 

"Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world"

Here are some bananas that were on top of my fridge and bare the Faitrade sticker. Bananas are one of the main culprits for unfair trade in the developing world. 

Fairtrade are currently running a campaign called 'Stick with Foncho' which is urging people to sign a petition for MPs to investigate unsustainable supermarket pricing practises. The only people who suffer from cheap banana pricing is the producers which is wholly unjust. The supermarket price wars are threatening the livelihood and futures of banana farmers who cannot cope with such bad prices for their produce. 

Click Here to sign the petition. It will barely take a minute but will hopefully help Foncho and people like him. 

http://Foncho.fairtrade.org.uk

Chocolate and coffee are two other major products that we in the western world purchase from developing countries. It was a surprise to me to find out that leading brands such as Cadburys aren't always Fairtrade products. A Fairtrade representative we interviewed informed us that as soon as Cadbury products introduce another element other than chocolate, for example fruit and nut, the chocolate is sourced from non Fairtrade producers. 

The point I'm making is that if there is a Fairtrade label, we are always going to notice and appreciate it, but it's not something that we explicitly look for. I know I don't, but it's something I'm going to change. 

Fairtrade is becoming a more present element of food and produce, but will only become a household factor when people are more aware of it. 

In my honest opinion, supermarkets should have to source their products fairly. The Fairtrade Foundation is not for profit. It is not a trademark or a company, it is a certification of justice. The pictures included in this post are all items I have bought in my university over the past few days. However Fairtrade is not the sole provider of fairly sourced produce. There are many produce- specific foundations such as the ethical tea partnership. Fairtrade is just the example I'm using to promote the importance of a balanced trading system in the world.  

In a way I'm proud to attend a university that embodies Fairtrade, but actually this should be the norm. I shouldn't even have to think about it, and I don't think you should either. (Ps. I totally didn't eat a flapjack and and brownies whilst writing this. I promise...). In the short time we've been working on this project, I've had my eyes completely opened, and I'm hoping I can do the same for other people. Please sign the petition. It could change someone's life.