Last Days in Vera

Sunday/Monday-January 6 & 7, 2008

Today is officially my last day in Vera, as I’m catching a bus back to Almería tomorrow (Tues. Jan 8). From there I’m heading to Madrid for a few days…time to see some new things and participate in a little more action.

Wouldn’t you know it though, I just met someone last night that I could be spending some time with and who wants to take me dancing! He’s a fifty-seven year old Spanish man who works nine hours a day in a hotel in Vera, has been divorced for twenty years, has two grown children (ages 30 and 34), loves dancing, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink much (yes, I met him in a pub, but it’s not quite the same thing here), and doesn’t speak a word of English.

I met him at Pacino’s, a little pub a few blocks from my B&B. It boasts Argentinean food, and is run by a couple from Argentina, with a waitress from Bolivia. They make a delicious pollo grillada son salsa mostada (grilled chicken with mustard sauce), which I wanted to have before I left.

They don’t open until 7 pm, and like so many places here, things are not necessarily on time. The owners had a small crowd of people waiting to get in when they arrived late. Patience is a virtue here though and they eventually served everyone drinks and brought my meal.

Many men were there to watch a football game on the TV and I had a table full sitting beside me. The people here are always friendly and the men of various ages started speaking to me and borrowing the empty chairs at my table as more of their friends joined them. None of them could speak English. The one closest to me started talking to me, but he didn’t understand any English.

Somehow though, Agustin (awe goost-een) and I made it through an hour or more of conversation and I learned about him and him about me. I only know a few words in Spanish and find it hard to follow the speech (they seem to speak so quickly though I’m sure they’d say the same about me), but we managed. Sometimes we used my little notebook and pen to write down numbers. Sure wished I’d taken more Spanish lessons and remembered the words I’d already learned!

In the end, he wanted to drive me to Mojocar, which is a town about ten miles away, and go dancing. This was the point at which I pretended not to understand, and I actually couldn’t tell if he was asking me to go with him that night or not. Eventually, we called over the owner’s wife, who is a friend of his, and who could speak a little English. We decided that I MIGHT go tonight and meet him at Pacino’s at 8 pm. Of course, I won’t show up….no way I’m going with someone I don’t know, especially not in a car and to another town, and not speaking the language.

My brain was mush by the time I’d finished the conversation with him, because I had to struggle to speak in Spanish and he didn’t make an effort to learn any English words…they just were beyond him. However, I have been practising my Spanish and I don’t speak any English to shopkeepers anymore here unless I absolutely have to. I was quite proud to have ordered my dinner last night in Spanish and to be told my pronunciations was moy bueno (very good).

And today I managed to ask in complete Spanish for my bus ticket. I really love the language and will learn it someday.

I’ve decided though I love Spain, that I wouldn’t live in Vera after all. It’s quite charming, but too isolated from bigger centres, transportation services, etc. The travelling thing is quite interesting as it’s helping to define what I might want to do in the future or where I might want to live, even if I return to Canada to live.

I’ve also noted that, although I am living so much more in the ‘now, that it’s a bit difficult to follow the concept when travelling as one has to plan far enough ahead to get cheap prices on travel and accommodations (or have lots of bucks). Once one arrives it’s easy to be flexible and flow with the moment, but getting from point A to Point B is tricky, as well as finding accommodations. You can always find them if you’re willing to pay the price. The key after that is to be flexible to take in things you don’t know about when you get there. You could also be somewhat knowledgeable about the area before you arrive in case you miss something you might like to have seen.

When I do this type of travelling again, a few months from now, I will make a more definite plan in terms of the type of journey I’m doing. This time I came prepared to start teaching anywhere, so dragged along a few things I didn’t really need. I always travel light, but even so, there were some things I could have done without, while I flitted about from country to country. I did send some things home, but never knew when I might work, so kept most of what I’d brought. Regardless of what type of jaunt I’m on, next time I will also bring more of my special pens and less ‘smalls’ (undies according to people in the UK).

Good thing I didn’t set myself a particular budget or I would have blown it long ago. With accommodations being anywhere from $40-$140/night, it can be expensive. I suspect this type of travelling always would be unless I were to stay in hostels, which would be quite possible another time, as long as I only travelled with a one sole backpack (no laptop, working clothes, etc.).

At any rate, I’m off on some more adventures after tomorrow…..exploring more of Spain before I head off to????