Slow Progress... 27 February - 11 March 2012

On Wednesday 29^th I went to a bar to watch the Spain v Venezuela football match. I was just amazed at the complete lack of interest in their national team by the locals. There were six others in the bar at the start and four left after 20 minutes – without having once even checked the score. At half time I went to another, smaller bar but where there were more people and there was the same apathy.  I suppose in recent years compared to our (England's) chronic under-achievement they have been spoiled by both the success and standard of football at club and national level. Games such as  Malaga v Barcelona get them worked up though.

I was invited to a meal at the home of a friend on the following Saturday. Of the five guests, three were Spanish, two of whom speak no English. Although the conversation was not complicated I was encouraged by being able to contribute and generally understand.

I have continued doing a good deal of walking. There are still areas to explore. Although now not intending to buy a property here, I do plan on coming back again next Winter, hopefully with a more reliable car and will go further afield. The cities of Granada, Cadiz, Seville and Cordoba are all between one and a half and two and a half hours away.

I made the following observations to a friend in an e-mail last week:

 ‘One of the bars I go to has a photograph of Manhattan and New York - amazing to think of the number of people that live there and how different it would have looked 10 years ago, 50 years ago, 100 years ago.................. and in its way it is magnificent.

This afternoon I was walking approximately 15 minutes away from that bar.... at the furthest, around one hour away. At times I could see maybe one or two buildings and probably 99% of what I could see would have been the same for one of the Romans here 2000 years ago and maybe 95%+ would have been no different for a Bronze Age settler 5000 years ago..............

I am also reading a novel by Anthony Trollope (he who 'invented' post boxes in the mid 1800's), called 'The Way We Live Now' first published in 1875. The problems some parents had with their children were on a similar level although different to now. Finance was dodgy with folk borrowing more than they could afford to pay back. Millions (equivalent) were made by people who set up companies on the stock exchange but then had difficulty delivering solid results....................... so the genuine investors lost out........’

 The comment I received in response was ‘Are you p*@*!d!?’. I was not.

On Friday, after classes I made my fortnightly visit to the supermarket. I bumped into one of my class colleagues. She was doing her shopping for the second time. She had put her shopping by her car before helping an invalid friend and on returning to her car, someone had taken her shopping bags. That is the first ‘crime’ of which I am aware since I arrived.

The class that morning seemed particularly difficult. Overall I am disappointed with my language progress. I am getting to know more people and although most are English speaking, they live here, are themselves improving their Spanish and I should find it easier to improve next Winter.

On Saturday I went to my second Balonmano (Handball) game. Not as good as the first but it was much closer, with Ronda winning 26-25. Then went for a meal and a couple of beers in the town.