Madrid Teacher

All my friends seem to be setting up a blog so will I, I thought. So here it is. A basic run down of what this will probably be about:

• Living in Spain
• Working in Spain
• Living with my Spanish Partner
• A lot about my dog
• A bit of comment on issues of the day

So lets start with today.

All is well today. Done a lot on my family tree , sent a lot of emails to friends and thought a bit about the new term at school ( but not too much).

Its hot here in Madrid today but I shall be returning to UK for a week or so very soon to cool down. Will be spending quite a bit of time with my family so that will be nice. Touching Base.

I am going to go . Very tired. 2.47 in the morning and need to go to the bank tmw. I will tell you about Spanish banks next time. Ohh this can´t wait.

personally I have no problem with my bank, its very efficient and is one of the only institutions in Spain which never lets me down eventhough I manage my account like a 1930´s aristocrat. A friend of mine a few years ago wanted to set up an account, this happened when about 20 of us started work in Spain. There are two of us left. The reasons why there are only two of us left will become apparent in the future. Anyway I digress. One one day (can´t remmeber the date) a new starter opened up an account. The following day in the same bank a few of us went to open up our accounts. I joined one below my flat (saves walking), but I went along to because when you atart to work abroad you need to be in the incrowd which does actually include everyone who started on the same day (obviously this friendship network alters after a few weeks when , like university days, your best friends become pains in the bum after the first couple of weeks of nights out). I digress again. Anyway in this bank where they had opened an account a few days earlier they refused to open one up for my new colleague. "But you opened one up yesterday" we said in berlitz book Spanish, "Cant do it they replied", "but you opened one up yesterday" we said, "can´t do it" these phrases were repeated about four or five times, then without any thought the teller said yes. This is an example of beauocracy in Spain. They said no for no reason then said yes. Now I wish I had learned this lesson there and then but five years on I still expect it to be like going to the post office in the UK. This engendering of good customer relations reached its catharsis for me when trying to replace a driving license I was told to F*** off to my own country. At least it was in Spanish so I didn´t understand what they were really saying. I think the moral of this story is not to learn too much spanish or you might find out that you have been insulted.

Good night