So, we had our "vacation", and then I started my other vacation, i.e., being unemployed. Vacation it is not - first of all we had to find a place to live. We were shacked up in a hotel in Sabadell for the first two weeks on the company account, so I put my energies into finding a flat. The price of living is not too bad in Barcelona, but the rents are very high. We saw a lot of dumps and a lot of really great apartments, all for around the same price. We tried using an agency, but they charge a month's rent as fees, which is an astronomical sum. The agency itself was hilarious though, I thought I was trapped in an episode of Moonlighting. Everything about the place screamed 1960s: the old guys, the shirts, the décor, the rolodex (this is the 21st century people, scribbling on little cards is out; computers and BlackBerries are in). They showed me a couple of places but they were in keeping with the agency style - dated. Anyway there's very little chance I would pay the fee, so we kept looking on idealista.com, which is the best way to find a flat in Spain, if anyone is looking.
After I'd seen about seven places, finally we stumbled on one that looked perfect; the location is great, (right next to Ciutadella Park), the apartment looked refurbished, it has an elevator (walking up five floors with your arms full of groceries does not a fun afternoon make) and most importantly, we could afford it. I made an appointment right away to see it, and for me it was love at first sight. Erik took a little longer to come around, because the current tenant was moving, and the place was really dirty. Really dirty, like "Do you own a vacuum cleaner or what?" type dirty. But eventually he saw that underneath the cap of grime there was a great apartment, all double glazed windows (it's quiet as a mouse and will be very warm in winter) small but functional bathroom, and a huge and very well equipped kitchen with gas stove (yay). I think what sold him is the terrace - it's not a private one by any means, but it is a roof terrace and it might be nice to have a couple of drinks up there one night. Anyway we told Sonia we were interested in it, and the following weekend we moved in.
In exchange for moving in early we had to clean the apartment, which suited us fine as knowing Erik we would have cleaned the thing from top to bottom anyway. We spent the entire weekend cleaning, obviously the guy who lived here previously didn't know what a sponge was because the place was filthy. But now we live in a great, clean apartment in the middle of Barcelona! It still doesn't feel like home, as we need some pictures on the walls, or some kind of decoration. With the walls still blank I feel a little like I'm in a sanatorium, but the homey will come in time (and money).
Anyway, since we got the apartment sorted, I've been looking for a job. A little half-heartedly at first (who wants to go to work, right?) but now the reality is starting to set in; rent on apartment, bills, food, internet connection, crisis in the Spanish job market, and I am starting to get nervous. That said, I've been called for three interviews in two weeks, so my hit rate hasn't been too bad, if not great. What really isn't great is the pay. The crisis has really hit wages, and even with my experience I don't know if I can even match my Dublin salary, let alone increase it. Still, if I can get by for a few months, I can look for a better job later. And I have my savings, so I can at least pay rent and eat for some months ahead. I had the same feeling when I got to Dublin and was looking for a job, and I found one in a couple of weeks. But this is slightly different, the job market is much bleaker, Spanish is not my native language (although I am fluent), I don't have a notion of Catalan (which excludes me from 99% of admin jobs) and, well, I'm inclined to be picky regarding which job I take. But there has been some hopeful signals, it's not all doom and gloom. And, at the very least, while I am unemployed, the sun still shines and the clouds deviate to Ireland. Because being unemployed in the rain would have me heading for the nearest euthanasia clinic. And waving goodbye to Erik from the comfort of my bed as he goes off to earn our bread and butter is corroding me with guilt.
Barcelona itself is lovely, not huge like Paris or New York, but old style. There are very few green areas thanks to the drought, so thank goodness we live next to a park. With this, that and the other, including going to the Basque country last weekend we still haven't been to the beach, but we will get there eventually :) It is the first city I have lived in that has an underground system (not counting when I lived in Buenos Aires). That really is handy, especially in the rare chance it rains. Even with the underground you end up walking around quite a lot, especially if, like me, you are out of work and spend your time going to interviews, doing the grocery shopping, mailing letters, etc. Oh, if only I could lead this life of leisure forever, but, considering I haven't even bought a lottery ticket yet, I guess I'll have to jump back on the merry-go-round. Sigh.
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