I’ve survived my first month in BCN. Yay! Now that my new life is somewhat settled, here’s a glimpse of what a week is like for me:
Monday: It’s Francisco’s one day off so we make the most of it by doing as much as we can. Depending on what we need/want to do, we’ll go check out some new place, shop, hang out with people he doesn’t see much, or see a movie. One thing we never miss is eating well, his favorite thing to do on his day off. So we’ll indulge on a nice meal in some fancy restaurant. Obviously, I make him plan our day because I’m broke and I have all the time to do the things I want to do the rest of the week.
Tuesday: I have my morning café con leche at 2 de Vins, Francisco’s bar. His mom then force feeds me with either toast or torrijas or a croissant. I already feel guilty enough getting free coffee everyday that I don’t really like eating at the bar. So usually I’ll pretend I’m not hungry. But his mom is like any other mom that I think she knows that I don’t eat enough or something. The other day, she did something that was very reminiscent of my own mother.
Me: Buenas dias, Aurora.
Aurora: Que? Como estas? You want toast?
Me: No, I’m okay. Gracias.
Aurora: Did you have breakfast?
Me: Ummm well, no but really, I’m okay. I’m not hungry.
Aurora: Okay, I’ll make toast then!
After breakfast, I then stay at the bar and use the internet. I usually leave by noon before the lunch crowd arrives. At about 3:30, I’ll take the bus to BCN. Depending on traffic and whether I catch the express or regular bus, I’ll get to my school within an hour. I prepare for my classes, teach from 5:30 to 6:30, then from 7:30 to 9:30, and get home by 10:30.
Wednesday: I repeat my morning routine of coffee and internet. I take the bus at 3:30 again and teach at 5:45 to 6:45. I get home right before 8.
Thursday to Sunday: Besides my morning routine, I do absolutely nothing, or at least I don’t have anything to do. Most of the time, I’ll blog or write my long emails in my computer so I can just copy and paste them when I go to the bar the next day. I will also do laundry and clean the house, and really, there’s only so much I can do when I do it every freaking week. Aurora thinks our apartment must be super clean…it’s not. Most of the time, I’ll tag along with Francisco when he has to do business outside the bar (i.e. shopping for alcohol/food, paying vendors, going to the bank). If I’m feeling rich, I might spend money on a bus/train ticket so I can go to BCN and/or hang out with Michelle. Or sometimes, I’ll buy little necessary and cheap things for the house. I also frequently go on walks to pass time. On Sundays, I will often have lunch with Francisco’s sister and her son.
So there you have it. Pretty exciting, right? Oh why is life so ironic: when you have time, you have no money to enjoy your free time. I try to fill my spare time with random things I can think of and if I’m really, really bored, I just go across the street to 2 de Vins. If not, I just watch TV and wait for Francisco to get home, my favorite part of the day. It’s all about enjoying the best and cheap – or even better, free – things in life.
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