Living in Spain..during a crisis

 How is it December already?  I feel like I just arrived in Spain yesterday.  So much has happened in the past two months, a lot of lessons learned and great experiences.  Lately, my fellow Auxiliar community has been very frustrated with the government of Spain.  The English teachers in my region (around 100 of us) have yet to get paid as we enter the holiday season.  Frustrating, yes.  However, there is nothing that we can do about it.  Apparently we won't be receiving a paycheck until sometime in January (there's no money).

 

 

The Spaniards are just as frustrated with their government as we are (strikes). The unemployment rate here is more or less 25%.  For people MY age, it's around 50%.  Yikes.  Even though we haven't been paid yet, I still feel blessed to have an opportunity to have a job here in Spain when others my age cannot find work.  To think that the only reason I have a job is because I was born speaking English is crazy to me.

 

  How to make quick money in Spain as an English speaker....

 

I am constantly asked if I can give private English lessons.   I have given lessons to kids as young as 6 and adults as old as 38.  Parents have realized that their children need to learn our language in order to have more opportunities when they are older.  It's not uncommon for Spaniards to flock to us asking for these private lessons.  For example, I was out with with my friends one night at a bar and a girl heard me speaking English.  She came up to me and gave me her number asking to go out and practice speaking our languages, that easy.  I do anywhere from 8 to 10 classes a week in addition to working at my elementary schools during the day.

 

 

Living more economically......

 

Food: A euro can go a long way here in Spain.  Food is cheap, I spend around 30-40 euros a week on groceries.  I use to buy my groceries all in one stop, guess where? Walmart.  Here, I love going to the small fruit and veggie shops.  They are everywhere! The food is cheaper, fresher and it also feels better supporting the local community.

 

Rent is also cheaper.  My first apartment was 137 euros a month (plus electricity).  My new (nicer) apartment is 230 euros a month.  Not even half of what I was paying for rent during college back in the states.  Almost the entire city is full of apartments or townhouses.  Spaniards tend to live with their parents until they reach the age of marriage or when they have their own families.  Leaving the house at the age of 18 is just unheard of and not feasible (no jobs). 

 

Central heating: I happen to have heating in my entire apartment building but it only comes on from 4pm to 2am. Most people use small heaters and put them under their tables in their living rooms during the winters to save on their electricity bill.

 

Ovens & Dryers: Ovens are rarely used and dryers are pretty much never used

 

Transportation: Carpooling is common (this is how I get to school) and a lot of people either walk or use the bus (1.05 euro per ride) I don't drive anywhere, I can easily walk to any store that I need to go to.

 

Recycling: Spaniards seem to do a way better job at recycling, keeping their cities clean and they also try to limit their use of water.

 

WIFI and Cell Phone Bills:  We recently just got WIFI installed in our apartment for a total cost of 40 euros per month divided by the three of us (not bad).  My cell phone bill is 3.50 euros a week (including data, 50 messages and calls)

 

Travel: Flights within Spain average around 100 euros or cheaper.  Flying throughout Europe you can get many deals as low as 10 euros, what!? My flights from Louisiana to Iowa can reach around $300-400! Buses are cheap too.  A bus ride 3 hours from my town to Lisbon, Portugal is around 30 euros. Prices range from country to country but I think you get the picture that things are generally cheaper than the states.  

 

 

Although it's a pain to not be receiving pay for my work, I have high hopes that it will soon be here.  I am going to continue to travel and stay positive about my experiences here. On the bright side, I know that I will eventually return to the USA and have other opportunities- not to mention this is only 8 months, I have the rest of my life to work :)