It’s been one month, and a few days, since Christian and I left the United States for Spain. Yet, it somehow feels much longer and much shorter simultaneously. However, we’ve developed some solid routines since our arrival in Madrid. Through these routines, the smallest connections have sparked joy.
Many of my crucial connections have been made at work. I work four days a week, Tuesday through Friday – meaning I have a three day weekend every week, truly a dream. Jose Hierro, the school I work at, is located in Parla, which is about 20 minutes by car, and 50 minutes by public transport from Sol, the center of Madrid. It is one of the many, over 150, bilingual schools in the area. JH services infantile (essentially Pre-K) through 6th grade and much of the instruction is done in English. In addition to my shortened work week, the school day in Spain is also much shorter.
The school day begins at 9 am and ends at 2 each day. While at school, all of the students and teachers have a communal recess from 11:15-11:45. During this break the delightful kitchen staff prepares an array of pastries, sandwiches, and the staple of tomato spread with toast, pan con tomate. There is also coffee, tea and a variety of juices that are served. This is JUST for the teachers. In this time, teachers switch off with one another, allowing for an extended break without supervision duties.
I will say, it’s not always the most delicious selection. Occasionally I’m surprised by the random use of tuna in sandwiches or pastries. I’ve always been a fan of tuna – my mom used to come eat lunch with me in elementary school armed with a tuna sandwich from Subway. Always featuring olives, cucumbers, cheese and lettuce on the cheesy bread of course. But tuna when you’re not anticipating it, or it’s barbacoa (BBQ) flavored…not a fan.
However, this break has been a wonderful opportunity to come to know the children, the teachers, and the other auxiliaries well. We often swap stories of oddities from the day or our plans for the weekend. It’s such a nice change of pace from working in American schools. Having a designated time to rest and recharge midday feels like such a treat, which is truly a shame. But, it is a nice reminder how sharing a meal together can build and help to foster community.
You may wonder, “Big deal. What makes this different from having lunch??” In most American schools, teachers either walk their children to the cafeteria, using at least 10 minutes of their maybe 25 minute lunch break, or they have to eat WITH their children. Thus, it’s either a terribly short break or not a break at all. Combine this with the 7:30/8:00-3:00 school day, the teachers and students are all exhausted with each other come 3:00 PM.
The students at JH bring a small snack to eat during this break and are offered lunch at school following dismissal if they wish to partake. This offer is also extended to teachers but as it takes me an hour to get home via train, I have usually opted to wait and eat at home.
Christian’s day is flipped. He typically works from 12-8, but it all depends on when he starts. He spends his mornings walking me to the Metro station and working out. Oftentimes, he will meet up with Zach and play chess in Retiro Park or visit a new museum. He’s gotten very creative with his work spaces, working primarily on our terrace, weather permitting. As I’m writing this, standing on a bus in Gran Canaria, he’s standing next to me with his laptop open – actively participating in a meeting. Definitely living up to his digital nomad status.
After work, I typically arrive home around 2:30/3:00 depending on the day and the number of random stops the cercanías decides to make. The trains are great but they are usually a minute or two off. Following my arrival home, I’ll have a small snack and head out for a run. It’s definitely not a daily thing yet but running in Retiro is unmatched. There are always lots of other runners, cyclists and rollerbladers that encourage me by proxy. Retiro is a 15 minute walk from our apartment so going to and from is always the perfect way to warm up!
Actual “lunch” typically falls between four and five. If you had told me this before I moved here, I would’ve never believed you. And the Spanish dinner? It’s real. We typically eat dinner between 8:30-10:00. A big range, I know, but it all depends on our schedule and activities for the evening. Thank you to my brother, Ryan, for preparing me for late dinners. Growing up, we used to eat dinner following basketball or football games sometimes around 10 pm. Additionally, when we were roomies post-college, which I will always remember fondly, we typically ate a later dinner. Who knew I’ve been preparing for this moment my entire life??
One of my favorite changes since moving, has been grocery shopping. I’ve always enjoyed the act of making a list, going to the store and marking off each item. The systematic nature of grocery shopping is often soothing to me. When we first arrived we frequented Lidl and Carrefour for our grocery needs. Both of these stores align well with the typical American grocery store: crowded, so-so produce and meat, and slightly overpriced everything.
A month in, we’ve transitioned to shopping at aforementioned the Antón Martin market, and a new found favorite, the Natural Market. The Antón Martin market is three floors of restaurants, butchers, fruit and vegetable vendors, wine stores and coffee shops. We’ve already befriended, at least in our mind, a few of the vendors. The vegetable man is our favorite as he always greets us cheerfully with a smile followed by “buenas días chicos!” Another crucial connection. In addition to his happy greeting, the vegetable vendor always has great prices and portions. Long gone are the days of buying an entire head of celery and wasting the majority of it because you only needed two stalks.
The Natural Market is a small whole foods store, not like the chain supermarket…literal whole foods. Much like the Mercado, the Natural Market has great prices and you only have to buy as much as you want/need. It’s packed with seemingly endless rows of glass jars and containers filled with spices, nuts, pastas, herbs, candies, trail mixes, granolas, and at least 15 different types of rice. We’ve only visited the Natural Market once but it’s safe to say it will be in the regular rotation during our Market/Museum Mondays.
While our first few connections have been small, and we haven’t made tons of friends yet, they have made Madrid feel much more welcoming. Everyone I’ve spoken to in my broken Spanish, which is usually followed by them switching to English after I said “perdón?”, has been patient and understanding.
So cheers to our first full month and to all the future connections we will make!
MGD Overseas 