Almost exactly four months since I moved to Barcelona, the complete upheaval of my entire life is beginning to settle. The flat is beginning to look more homey (though there is a lot of work still to be done in this area), I am getting to know my new job, which is not as scary as I thought, and the money situation has gone from critical to merely concerning. However, the life refurbishment is still far from completed, as the social aspect has gone untouched since I got here. Now that I have a job to complain about and a salary to spend, I have to find some friends to complain to and spend with! Before I had a job there was no money, after I found a job my parents were here, when I started my job I was too exhausted, and now I have run out of excuses. I have to get a social life before I turn into a hermit.
Just after I got the call about the job, I had the incredible fortune that my parents AND my aunt and uncle (my dad's brother Ricardo and his wife Susi) were all in Barcelona AT THE SAME TIME. Unbelievable. Not only that but I was still not working, but with the reassurance that shortly I would be, so I could really have fun, instead of spending the three weeks with them sending CVs and going to interviews. My parents, predictably, spoiled me rotten. The extent of the spoilage, however, was unprecedented and unexpected. They bought me kitchen grills and ham cutters, fixed drawers and clothes lines, helped me buy a suit (and lent me the money for it) and basically showered me with gifts which I am extremely grateful for because we really needed all that stuff and heaven knows when we would have got around to buying measuring spoons or changing the door on the fridge to open on the right hand side. More stuff got fixed in those three weeks than in the entire three months previous. To be fair, this is because poor Erik was working his little ass off at HP all those months and I am about as useful with a screwdriver as a fish is with a bicicle, but it was great to be able to just cross all those little niggly things off the to-do list. Well, Erik's to-do list.
Besides the handyness factor and the spoilage, it was great to see my parents again. The weather was generally kind to us, and although it was chilly and despite the occasional downpour we wandered around the Ciutadella Park, Barceloneta, El Born, El Gotico, and all the touristy stuff you're supposed to do in Barcelona. Mum was horrified at the museum offering: The Tàpies museum (the one she was most looking forward to) is closed until March 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art was three quarters empty, the Picasso museum only had early works which were not very interesting and the Dalí museum is in Girona and too far. I think out of all the museums in Catalunya the only one she wasn't pissed off by was the CaixaForum. Art lovers destined for Barcelona, beware.
Perhaps the highlight of the stay was when the four of us piled in the car to visit Erik's family in Euskadi. We visited a winery, a cider brewery, we went to Donostia (San Sebastián), we ate and drank like kings all weekend, we had a great time and we came back swearing we would all eat nothing but salad for a week (we didn't). It was a nice break from Barcelona but next time I think I will try to go somewhere closer! The main aim of the trip was achieved however, so now that our parents have met and they don't hate each other we can breathe easy and continue living the way we always have done (far away from both sets).
The day my parents left Barcelona so did I - to do my training week in their Madrid offices with the COO's ex-secretary. I fulfilled a little dream I've always had since I began globe-trotting: flying business class. How was it? Totally disappointing. The only difference I could see between economy and business was the moist towelettes. They didn't even let us on the plane first.
Once in Madrid, it was a gruelling week of meeting thousands of people whose names and roles I am supposed to remember, and trying to orient myself in this enormous, gigantic multinational. I have only ever worked in small companies, the biggest employed about thirty people but most of these were cleaners and not even in the office most of the time. The company employs about 1,500 people, and I don't even work for and I work for the International part, which means my "work colleagues" are mostly in across Europe, not to mention specific cities in th US, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. Needless to say, the culture shock is quite jarring. Used to fending for myself and using my resourcefulness to solve problems and fulfil requests, the idea of picking up a phone and getting someone else to do things for me is strange. Need a flight? Call the travel agency. Need a computer fixed? Call IT. Need a paperclip? Call General Services. I am more a co-ordinator than an implementor just at the moment, which I am getting used to. There are a couple of juicy projects in the near future however, so I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into those. The fact that my bosses are away most of the time is proving to be more of a help than a hindrance; all secretaries know that when your boss is in the office they just generate distractions. "This mouse feels funny, can you get me a bigger one?". "There's too much light in this office". "This thingy isn't working!" (Solution 99% of the time: plug it in). Ok, this is a slight exaggeration, but running the office is much easier when you are by yourself! I am starting to sound like Sir Humphrey aren't I? "Hospitals are much easier to administer without any patients". Golden!
After I got back from Madrid, I got into bed at about 22:30 on Friday night and I didn´t leave it except to eat and pee until 22:00 Saturday night. I also spent a significant part of Sunday sleeping, which for me is extremely unusual - generally on weekends I am up at the crack of dawn wanting to make the most of the limited time I am not a slave to my paycheque. But my body was telling me, quite sternly, that I needed rest and I was too exhausted to do anything but listen.
After Madrid I had a week in the Barcelona office before I set off for Lisbon to oversee a conference involving people from the US, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Poland, and Brazil. Scary! Thankfully most of the organisation (well, pretty much all) had been done by my counterpart in Lisbon, Claudia, and all I had to do was make sure everything ran properly and fulfil a couple of on the spot requests. Still, it being my first conference, and such a large one, I was nervous, stressed and therefore exhausted when I got home! Thursday and Friday were spent catching up with all the stuff I should have done Mon-Wed, and then BRING ON THE LONG WEEKEND!
This weekend has been rather homey. Erik has been working late shift and has been on call during the nights, which means we haven't ventured far from home. With all the travelling I've been doing and the fact that it is significantly chillier in Barcelona now (though not as cold as Dublin, hahahahahaha!) I was feeling a bit flu-y and relished the domesticity. Friday night I treated Erik to japanese (I had been dying for sushi) and on Saturday we went to Rodrigo's place for lunch and a chat. Saturday night unfortunately was ruined as Erik was called to fix a problem (which should have taken 15 minutes to fix) but the VPN connection to the office wouldn't work - he had to go all the way to Sant Cugat (about half an hour drive out of Barcelona) to fix it and come back. He was furious, and I can understand. I got him in a better mood on Sunday by making scrambled eggs for breakfast (gotta love how easy some people are to please), and in the afternoon we went to the hammam to sweat out all the toxins and relax. Then it was time to satisfy one of my cravings - hamburgers, which I had been desiring since Friday. We made some ridiculously tasty burgers featuring onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and fresh chillies. Topped with lettuce and tomato on a sesame seed bun, they were delicious. Thanks Mum and Dad for the electric grill!
Today I had planned to go grocery shopping but since it is a public holiday, the Boquería, Mercadona, Sorli, Carrefour and Alcampo are all closed. Closed closed closed. Cerrado, tancat, itxi, chiuso, fermé. Anything I needed today I should have bought on Saturday. Augh! I understand that everyone needs holidays but enforced holidays for the entire country are just silly! How does anything get done? This is the twenty-first century! I live in a city apartment with limited fridge and pantry space! It is difficult to store many perishable goods and I would like to be able to purchase them on the days I am not working! OK, enough ranting. I am just pissed because I wanted to make peanut cookies and now I cannot buy peanut butter. However, now that I think of it, I do have a huge bag of peanuts and a magimix... ooh, this experiment could go very wrong. I am feeling Tim the Toolman Taylor vibes. But cookies! I want cookies! I'll let you know how it goes...
