What-u mates.
I must confess that that week was the drunkest week I ever had. In fact for the whole week I was drunk half the time. It's not that I have a problem with alcohol, it was just a question of being in the right place at the right moment (I know the sentence is not right, but I changed it for my own purpose). I found really nice going to a Pub to enjoy my book with a couple of pints, in fact I loved that moments. If you have the whole day free, if you don't have anything to do or go afer 5pm and you need to spend some time doing something nice, reading on a Pub with a pint of nice Ale (or lager) and beside the chimney (or however it has to be written) it's one of the most wonderful things in life. I really love and miss that moments. But after 3 hours being on the Pub, waiting to meet somebody or just going home meant to be drunk. You can't stay on a Pub for 3 hours without drinking 2 or 3 pints, I believe it would be cheeky to do the opposite. So I did.
The problem always was when I went home, or met the people whom I had to see, there was always a chance to get drunker. My flatmates brought more beer, or I had something to do with Alice that finally envolved drinking (like the raffle thing). Or there was just kind of a party at Alice's house with her parents, or just meet her father, brother, brother's fionce when arriving at home at the local pub. I don't want to blame Alice, but mostly it was her fault, except for the previous book beers.
So next day, the day after the raffle event, I spent the day at London. This time I promised Alice I'll help her with another fund rising event, tihs time a conference or something like that (that kind of events had a name, but as always I fogot) at the Marie Curie Hospital. I went before the event to help them (Alice and the girls at the raffle) to move chairs, furniture, machines and leave everything prepared for the event. I did help them, but I couldn't stay for the conference, I don't really know why. They had speakers, and I believe they talked about some organization or part of an organization that goes to high mountains on south america, I'll ask Alice and I'll explain it to you later. The bad thing is that the conferences seemed to be really interesting, with loads of exciting stories from the speakers, and I feel really jealous about Alice being there and not me.
Anyway, I had to meet them at the hospital later, 4 or 5 hours later. So I went for a walk on the area, wich was close to Camdem Town. They adviced me to go to Camdem Market, but you know I love to be lost and so I did. The fact is I couldn't find Camdem Market, but I had a nice walk. But I still had a lot of free time and nothing to do. Guess what I did; yes I went to the Pub to drink and read. So when the time came I was again partially drunk. I went back to the hospital and help them to put the stuff back on their original place. And after that, and talk for a bit with the girls, Alice, myself and Alice's boss (Andy?) left the place on a car. We went to Marie Curie Office at Vauxhall. The building is very posch and seems to be expensive. So I asked Andy? how it was that they had the office there, you know when you have a funding organization expending a lot on an office seems to be a nonsense. He told me the building was crap, badly made and even ill, so the owners had planned to pull it down and rebuild a new one. So the rent is very cheap, and a lot of fundings have their offices there. I wander what'll happen when they finally pull the building down.
After that Alice and I had to go to an Alice's house for a birthday party and so we did. We reach the house and met her friends. I talked with them while Alice was changing her clothes for going out, and drunk white wine. Then we left the house and went to a Pub to drink more. There's not a lot of interesting things that happened on the Pub. I was really really tired, so I was a bit silent, and that's really strange on me, you know. So I'll just tell you the interesting bits of the night.
Some French friends of Alice's birthday girl came to meet us on the Pub. I was telling Alice that everybody hates French guys, and also that I do hate Frenchs (actually it's not true, it's just part of the topic that everybody hate French people). So it happend again the same as the night before. I was told the girl speaked fluent Spanish. And after hearing that, just before telling Alice about the world and myself hating Frenchs, that I made my way to talk to the girl on my own language. I know it did surprise Alice again, how I can change my mind and even forget about pain when there's a nice lady that can speak spanish. I promise I was joking about the hating, I do not know enough French people to have an oppinion about them. So I talked with the girl, and in fact I talked a lot. It was a bit strange for me because she had a south spanish accent, I mean from Andalucia. So I was speaking with a French girl with an Andalucian accent, and I couldn't notice a strong French accent at all, it might had been I was drunk. She was really nice I say, but her boyfriend was beside her. She liked to speak with me because her English wasn't as good as her Spanish, her boyfriend translated almost everything in fact.
After a while, and as a result of me being tired I talked to Alice, who noticed my tireness, and I told her if there was any possibility to go to her friend's house and sleep. She told me she was also tired and so we went out the Pub to talk about that. But she was hungry, and I was also and we went to a fried chicken place next to the Pub and asked for some chicken. Then this big black guy came and asked for chicken. When he was going to pay some coins falled from his hand. I quickly move my hand to pick them from the floor and gave them to the guy. He was really surprised about that, like nobody ever had done something like that for him. He told me I was a gentleman and that Alice was lucky. It made me feel really well, but at the same time made me think about English people not doing what I did. The guy was really happy with what I did and he was smiling all the time. I was also happy and his smile and happy face were a very nice thing. So we left the place, eat our chicken and finally went home to sleep.
I slept on the sofa and she slept on the ground with a sleeping bag. It wasn't my choice, don't believe I'm a bloody nasty guy who doesn't care about other people sleeping on the ground. She insisted it was worst to sleep on the sofa. But it seemed the sofa wasn't the appropiate place to sleep. At 3am the other people, the house owners and some others came back home to sleep. We had to leave the lounge and went to sleep on a proper bed. That sounds really nice, but it wasn't really a whole bed. I could consider myself as lucky that night 'cause I slept with two Ladies. But I must say I sleep with Alice's feet beside my face and I didn't sleep in the middle of the bed, so I wasn't surrounded by women. Fortunatly Alice's feet didn't snorl or smell.
I hope I won't have any alcohol problems in the future.
Manoel.
PS: Thanks Alice for so many really nice moments.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Thursday, November 11, 2004
The continuous story of the raffle night
Hullo mate.
I was becoming an English, so I guess I should speak like one of them.
I must continue with the raffle night. I think I left it with a couple, well more than a couple, of champagne glasses. At that time I was partially drunk and, on my own believings, being quite funny. So finally we left the place. We had to walk, but not much, but on our state we decided, they decided, to catch a cub. So I could enjoy a London cab. the inside was big, really big, and comfortable, with loads of space on the back seats. In fact there was enough space for 5 people and the seats were distributed like 3 on the back and 2 on the front, like a table. The cab driver was good, he didn´t talk that much, compared with Spanish taxi drivers, I mean, and he seem to know were he was going, compared with Spanish taxi drivers, I mean again.
So we went on the cab to another raffle, but this time it wasn't our. It was kind of a country party, I mean country music party, on a disco. Those kind of parties have a name, Alice told me but I just forgot, I'm sorry. There was a band playing country music, and people dressed with american cowboy hats and jeans. We drunk more beer and danced. It was really funny, happy and interesting.
Problems started when the band decided to play Anarchy in the UK on a country style. That anoyyed me a bit, I'm really sorry, and I was also drunk. So I decided not to dance and show my dissapointing. I just considered it ridiculous. How can you be an anarchyst playing country music? I guess Sex Pistols would be angry on their graves if they were dead (that's something I'm not sure about, but I guess they are). But people seemed to enjoy it. I told my friends (my raffle mates) about I was a bit pistoff, and they told me not to worry that much (well, I wasn't really annoyed, I was smiling) and that it's like being an anarchyst playing that song on a country style, I still don't believe it.
They finished playing, and they asked if everybody liked it, I said NO on a loud voice with so such bad luck that when I said it everybody was silent, so I was completly heard. I was a bit ashamed, as I was only joking. But nobody was neither angry nor screaming at the Spanish bastard. In fact, I guess nobody realized about what I did, they were drunk also. So the party was over (and not because of me) and we left the place.
There we were walking for a while on the streets on our ways to the different transports we chose for our back trips. I was a bit tired and also walking behind them, they were walking quite fast and I spent the whole day walking, dancing and drinking. There was a traffic sign and I tried to avoid it with the misfortune that something else was on my way. It was kind of a metal and sharp thing in the middle of the street and my right leg found it, exactly on the corner of it. So the pain was considerable high, and I had to stop just to scratch my leg and try not to think about the pain. Alice knows I have problems with my knees, so after she saw me she thought I was having pain on them and I wasn't able to walk properly, and she told the other girls and they came to help me or at least to feel a bit of sorrow for me. Unfortunatly at the precise time they decided to do it I heard two girl voices speaking in Spanish. I was so happy and drunk that I forgot about my pain and jumped and ran to say hello to the girls. The other girls saw it and they forgot about my knees. They weren't dissapointed, they just laughed and thought that it was another joke I made, or at least that's what they said. But I could noticed they were pistoff, not much. I wasn't really lucky as I missed the Spanish girls and also made the others feel disspointed.
We went home, but at that time going home meant to catch a train from Waterloo to Tonbridge, 45 minutes more or less. So Alice and I did, the other girls catched different trains or just went home on a cab (they were only two girls). Alice talks as much as I do, what is really nice and you don't get bored. The problem is I really talk a lot, in fact I never stop talking, but it's always interesting, believe me. We went on the train and there were two seats available. One of them was just empty, but the other was occupied by a slept girl and Alice didn't dare to awake her to ask for the seat. She asked it for me. So I was sitting beside the sleepy and a bit angry girl. And we talked, and talked, and talked. My voice was quite low, but Alice's was a bit louder than me. After 20 minutes, more or less (don't expect me to remember my life completely) I said "I think I was quite funny today", and actually I really believe I was. The sleeping girl said "No, you're not" and I could guess on her tone that she was really angry. I said something but I don't remember what, I guess it was "fuck off, I wasn't speaking with you". After the next stop, the person in front of Alice left the train leaving a seat beside one big boy. So the girl went there, with the boy, and she also hug him. I guess he was her boyfriend, and we (Alice and I) also guessed she was angry with him, that's why she was in such a bad mood. She could have been seating in front of him if she wanted. When we reached the train there were two seats, and one of them was beside the girl. I just wander why she wasn't seated beside her lover, and we just could bet they had an argument.
She stopped at the same station as us. And I did what I always do, and it's being a gentleman letting her leave the train before me, she said "thanks".
The point is Alice was talking louder than me, and also even more than me. Why the girl made that horrible comentary about me being funny? was it because she hated men at that precise moment? or it was just because I was closer to her and I said the unappropiate thing?
The fact is that it was a really interesting night, I promise. Thanks Alice.
See you all soon, there's more things to tell you and so many few time...
Manoel.
I was becoming an English, so I guess I should speak like one of them.
I must continue with the raffle night. I think I left it with a couple, well more than a couple, of champagne glasses. At that time I was partially drunk and, on my own believings, being quite funny. So finally we left the place. We had to walk, but not much, but on our state we decided, they decided, to catch a cub. So I could enjoy a London cab. the inside was big, really big, and comfortable, with loads of space on the back seats. In fact there was enough space for 5 people and the seats were distributed like 3 on the back and 2 on the front, like a table. The cab driver was good, he didn´t talk that much, compared with Spanish taxi drivers, I mean, and he seem to know were he was going, compared with Spanish taxi drivers, I mean again.
So we went on the cab to another raffle, but this time it wasn't our. It was kind of a country party, I mean country music party, on a disco. Those kind of parties have a name, Alice told me but I just forgot, I'm sorry. There was a band playing country music, and people dressed with american cowboy hats and jeans. We drunk more beer and danced. It was really funny, happy and interesting.
Problems started when the band decided to play Anarchy in the UK on a country style. That anoyyed me a bit, I'm really sorry, and I was also drunk. So I decided not to dance and show my dissapointing. I just considered it ridiculous. How can you be an anarchyst playing country music? I guess Sex Pistols would be angry on their graves if they were dead (that's something I'm not sure about, but I guess they are). But people seemed to enjoy it. I told my friends (my raffle mates) about I was a bit pistoff, and they told me not to worry that much (well, I wasn't really annoyed, I was smiling) and that it's like being an anarchyst playing that song on a country style, I still don't believe it.
They finished playing, and they asked if everybody liked it, I said NO on a loud voice with so such bad luck that when I said it everybody was silent, so I was completly heard. I was a bit ashamed, as I was only joking. But nobody was neither angry nor screaming at the Spanish bastard. In fact, I guess nobody realized about what I did, they were drunk also. So the party was over (and not because of me) and we left the place.
There we were walking for a while on the streets on our ways to the different transports we chose for our back trips. I was a bit tired and also walking behind them, they were walking quite fast and I spent the whole day walking, dancing and drinking. There was a traffic sign and I tried to avoid it with the misfortune that something else was on my way. It was kind of a metal and sharp thing in the middle of the street and my right leg found it, exactly on the corner of it. So the pain was considerable high, and I had to stop just to scratch my leg and try not to think about the pain. Alice knows I have problems with my knees, so after she saw me she thought I was having pain on them and I wasn't able to walk properly, and she told the other girls and they came to help me or at least to feel a bit of sorrow for me. Unfortunatly at the precise time they decided to do it I heard two girl voices speaking in Spanish. I was so happy and drunk that I forgot about my pain and jumped and ran to say hello to the girls. The other girls saw it and they forgot about my knees. They weren't dissapointed, they just laughed and thought that it was another joke I made, or at least that's what they said. But I could noticed they were pistoff, not much. I wasn't really lucky as I missed the Spanish girls and also made the others feel disspointed.
We went home, but at that time going home meant to catch a train from Waterloo to Tonbridge, 45 minutes more or less. So Alice and I did, the other girls catched different trains or just went home on a cab (they were only two girls). Alice talks as much as I do, what is really nice and you don't get bored. The problem is I really talk a lot, in fact I never stop talking, but it's always interesting, believe me. We went on the train and there were two seats available. One of them was just empty, but the other was occupied by a slept girl and Alice didn't dare to awake her to ask for the seat. She asked it for me. So I was sitting beside the sleepy and a bit angry girl. And we talked, and talked, and talked. My voice was quite low, but Alice's was a bit louder than me. After 20 minutes, more or less (don't expect me to remember my life completely) I said "I think I was quite funny today", and actually I really believe I was. The sleeping girl said "No, you're not" and I could guess on her tone that she was really angry. I said something but I don't remember what, I guess it was "fuck off, I wasn't speaking with you". After the next stop, the person in front of Alice left the train leaving a seat beside one big boy. So the girl went there, with the boy, and she also hug him. I guess he was her boyfriend, and we (Alice and I) also guessed she was angry with him, that's why she was in such a bad mood. She could have been seating in front of him if she wanted. When we reached the train there were two seats, and one of them was beside the girl. I just wander why she wasn't seated beside her lover, and we just could bet they had an argument.
She stopped at the same station as us. And I did what I always do, and it's being a gentleman letting her leave the train before me, she said "thanks".
The point is Alice was talking louder than me, and also even more than me. Why the girl made that horrible comentary about me being funny? was it because she hated men at that precise moment? or it was just because I was closer to her and I said the unappropiate thing?
The fact is that it was a really interesting night, I promise. Thanks Alice.
See you all soon, there's more things to tell you and so many few time...
Manoel.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Apologizing
Hi there.
I'm really sorry but I couldn't write these days. The reason was I didn't have an opportunity to use a computer with an internet connection and also I even wasn't at London all the time.
Now I'm too tired to write a lot but I'll do it this week. There's so many things I want to say that I'm sure I'll write many posts.
But I just wanted to tell you fellow readers that soon I'll be here again. But unfortunatly I have bad news for you.
I'll just leave you with the doubt as sometimes I like a bit of mistery.
See you soon.
Manoel.
I'm really sorry but I couldn't write these days. The reason was I didn't have an opportunity to use a computer with an internet connection and also I even wasn't at London all the time.
Now I'm too tired to write a lot but I'll do it this week. There's so many things I want to say that I'm sure I'll write many posts.
But I just wanted to tell you fellow readers that soon I'll be here again. But unfortunatly I have bad news for you.
I'll just leave you with the doubt as sometimes I like a bit of mistery.
See you soon.
Manoel.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Some events
Hi everybody.
The last week I attend some really interesting events. As a matter of fact I spent half the last week being drunk. I'm living for these week and part of the last one with a friend of Faye (and now also mine) in Shipbourn, Kent. I go to London almost everyday from there, what is a 45 minutes Train trip. Thanks to that I don't have to spend my days in the last corner of the world surrounded by birds, green grass and trees, and nothing else. And also I have nothing else, so I'm pleased being there (well if the things went wrong I could go again to Chesire, wich I'd really like in some ways, not for the cows, of course).
Anyway, the fact is that last week I had to wait for hours before I could meet the girl to go back to her house. That meant I had to spend some time reading my book at the first pub I could find. Normally it was 2 or 3 hours. It was a fantastic time, but for not feeling guilty I bought some pints. So I spent that time reading and drinking. When the time to meet her came I was quite drunk all those days, I mean not really drunk, just happy enough. The problem was on thursday and friday that later I had to go to some events.
The first one was a raffle. My friend Alice works for charity (but being paid). Her job is organizing events to get money. I would say she's a begger, but it's not exactly true, she's more polite and the money is not for herself. The event was in the reopening of a very posch bar/restaurant called Brown's. I was amazed because it was really posch and because I saw some nice girls there also. I was really happy, and mostly because of the beer. As I had nothing else to do I decided to go to the event with her and help. I didn't expect Champagne coming all the time as we sold the tickets for the raffle, but it did come. So the fact is that while I was selling the tickets with my friend I was falling slowly in a really good drunken state. We sold a lot, anyway, we were very succesful. They also gave us really nice food, so you can imagine how happy I was.
But as all you know I'm a very good observer. So the raffle in the posch place gave me an opportunity to look closely to posch people. The first thing I realized is they weren't that posch. I mean they were richer than us, but only small executive type. I could see those ugly guys with really pretty girls, that's the power of love.
Selling things to rich people, specially for charity, is a really good thing if you want to see how mean they are. The poorest the generous, the richest the mean. But that's not exactly true. If they were with their pretty tall blondies they gave more money (one of them gave 20£), but if they were alone they only give the minimun. They were very generous, all of them, even the meaniest. I wander if I had done the same thing in Spain we'd colect the same amount.
The prizes were really good, and also the price of the raffle, so we were really succesful, and drunk, and happy. Everybody was happy, specially the guy that won the 1st prize, a nice guy, he really deserved it.
Later that night more things happend, funny things, well, just two, but I'll leave them for the next post as my money runs out on the cyber.
Cheers. See you soon.
Manoel.
The last week I attend some really interesting events. As a matter of fact I spent half the last week being drunk. I'm living for these week and part of the last one with a friend of Faye (and now also mine) in Shipbourn, Kent. I go to London almost everyday from there, what is a 45 minutes Train trip. Thanks to that I don't have to spend my days in the last corner of the world surrounded by birds, green grass and trees, and nothing else. And also I have nothing else, so I'm pleased being there (well if the things went wrong I could go again to Chesire, wich I'd really like in some ways, not for the cows, of course).
Anyway, the fact is that last week I had to wait for hours before I could meet the girl to go back to her house. That meant I had to spend some time reading my book at the first pub I could find. Normally it was 2 or 3 hours. It was a fantastic time, but for not feeling guilty I bought some pints. So I spent that time reading and drinking. When the time to meet her came I was quite drunk all those days, I mean not really drunk, just happy enough. The problem was on thursday and friday that later I had to go to some events.
The first one was a raffle. My friend Alice works for charity (but being paid). Her job is organizing events to get money. I would say she's a begger, but it's not exactly true, she's more polite and the money is not for herself. The event was in the reopening of a very posch bar/restaurant called Brown's. I was amazed because it was really posch and because I saw some nice girls there also. I was really happy, and mostly because of the beer. As I had nothing else to do I decided to go to the event with her and help. I didn't expect Champagne coming all the time as we sold the tickets for the raffle, but it did come. So the fact is that while I was selling the tickets with my friend I was falling slowly in a really good drunken state. We sold a lot, anyway, we were very succesful. They also gave us really nice food, so you can imagine how happy I was.
But as all you know I'm a very good observer. So the raffle in the posch place gave me an opportunity to look closely to posch people. The first thing I realized is they weren't that posch. I mean they were richer than us, but only small executive type. I could see those ugly guys with really pretty girls, that's the power of love.
Selling things to rich people, specially for charity, is a really good thing if you want to see how mean they are. The poorest the generous, the richest the mean. But that's not exactly true. If they were with their pretty tall blondies they gave more money (one of them gave 20£), but if they were alone they only give the minimun. They were very generous, all of them, even the meaniest. I wander if I had done the same thing in Spain we'd colect the same amount.
The prizes were really good, and also the price of the raffle, so we were really succesful, and drunk, and happy. Everybody was happy, specially the guy that won the 1st prize, a nice guy, he really deserved it.
Later that night more things happend, funny things, well, just two, but I'll leave them for the next post as my money runs out on the cyber.
Cheers. See you soon.
Manoel.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
The weirdest City
Hi there.
One of the first things I noticed about London is how weird is it constructed. The fact is you can find any kind of building style on any street or borough. I mean, you just walk on London Bridge and see this horrible factory-type building that belongs to Lloyds TSB, and in front of it a very wonderful and gorgeous classic house. And then if you walk a bit more you find that egg-shape new building. That's something you'll notice on every street, and as I said on other posts it's impossible not to find a gorgeous building to look at. That's why I really love walking on London, better than using the tube (of course I do both). But even when my feet are suffering from horrible pain I keep on walking because if I don't I'm sure I'll miss something really interesting.
And you also have those luxurious hotels, with the guys with the hat and the suit at the door to help you with the luggage. That's something we don't have in my town, where the most approximate to that is an old chap dressed with an old suit who can't really manage to carry your small suitcase and finally you carry everything 'cause you feel guilty. I'll fancy to stay one night on one of those hotels, but I'm sure they are prohibittly expensive (does that expression exists in English?).
There's something I found interesting. Those big white limos with dark windows. I always wonder who is inside them. It might be a famous and/or rich guy or chick, a gorgeous girl, a politician (I won't say anything good about them), or even a group of drunken chav chicks on a stag night (is it spelled like that?). But that's what makes limos with black windows exciting, as Forrest Gump said: "Limos are like a chocolates box, you never know what you are going to find.". I wish one of them stop in front of me, pull down the window and ask me to go in. The problem with that could be either chav chicks, or an old chap (or mis) that wants me, I don't really know what would be worst.
There's something else I find weird. As well with the buildings are people clothings. You can find a guy dressed with an armani suit sitting on the tube beside a punk style mate. Or that old woman with green hair, green skirt, green and red striped long socks, and trainers beside another one dressed entirely by DKNY. I feel I bit weirdo too, as I'm just normally dressed, I don't have a particular style, just normal, so I guess that in fact I'm the less normal here, and that makes me happy.
So if I had to find a short sentence to describe London it might be "the city of contrasts".
Anyway, I feel very humorous today as you can notice.
Have a great time.
Manoel.
One of the first things I noticed about London is how weird is it constructed. The fact is you can find any kind of building style on any street or borough. I mean, you just walk on London Bridge and see this horrible factory-type building that belongs to Lloyds TSB, and in front of it a very wonderful and gorgeous classic house. And then if you walk a bit more you find that egg-shape new building. That's something you'll notice on every street, and as I said on other posts it's impossible not to find a gorgeous building to look at. That's why I really love walking on London, better than using the tube (of course I do both). But even when my feet are suffering from horrible pain I keep on walking because if I don't I'm sure I'll miss something really interesting.
And you also have those luxurious hotels, with the guys with the hat and the suit at the door to help you with the luggage. That's something we don't have in my town, where the most approximate to that is an old chap dressed with an old suit who can't really manage to carry your small suitcase and finally you carry everything 'cause you feel guilty. I'll fancy to stay one night on one of those hotels, but I'm sure they are prohibittly expensive (does that expression exists in English?).
There's something I found interesting. Those big white limos with dark windows. I always wonder who is inside them. It might be a famous and/or rich guy or chick, a gorgeous girl, a politician (I won't say anything good about them), or even a group of drunken chav chicks on a stag night (is it spelled like that?). But that's what makes limos with black windows exciting, as Forrest Gump said: "Limos are like a chocolates box, you never know what you are going to find.". I wish one of them stop in front of me, pull down the window and ask me to go in. The problem with that could be either chav chicks, or an old chap (or mis) that wants me, I don't really know what would be worst.
There's something else I find weird. As well with the buildings are people clothings. You can find a guy dressed with an armani suit sitting on the tube beside a punk style mate. Or that old woman with green hair, green skirt, green and red striped long socks, and trainers beside another one dressed entirely by DKNY. I feel I bit weirdo too, as I'm just normally dressed, I don't have a particular style, just normal, so I guess that in fact I'm the less normal here, and that makes me happy.
So if I had to find a short sentence to describe London it might be "the city of contrasts".
Anyway, I feel very humorous today as you can notice.
Have a great time.
Manoel.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
The Capital of Tourism
Hi again.
If there's a city, that I know, in the world with a lot of tourists that's London. I talked in the past about how annoying they can be, especially if they're a crowd of loudy Spaniards or screamy children. Here we have both and also Japanese, Chinese, Americans (even louder than Spaniards), French, and almost every nationality in the entire world. This time I'm not going to talk about Spaniards, in fact they aren't the loudest, this time are Americans (and some times Dutchs). But I'm not also going to talk about Americans, just about tourists.
There's some parts of London where you can find them. Those areas are exactly the ones I wanted to visit. But it's not only tourists what annoyies me, it's also school boys on a visit. If there's some places in wich silent is appreciated those are museums. I wanted to walk either on the British museum, or the Science and Natural History museums, or the National Gallery, anywhere, but sometimes I had to leave the rooms without seeing some of the finest pieces of art/history just because I couldn't stand so many noise. I thought British children were more educated, but they are as uneducated as Spanish children. It must be a question of age, not education, I'm just not sure. But I don't blame them, I blame the teachers who allowed them to run in the mummy hall on the Brit. Mus. Come on! let them rest in peace.
Those mummies where resting in perfectly peace for thousands of years but now they have to bare all those screamings, runnings, playings... I think that's not fair.
On the National Gallery they were quieter, but not as would like them to be. On the science and natural history museums they were even worst than on the British Museum. On those you have science games, so you can imagine them destructivly playing with those poor artifacts designed to entertain and educate but not to encourage violence.
And what about tourists? They weren't that horrible, in fact sometimes I looked like them with my camera. In fact I think I'm the worst of them because I take pictures of almost everything, even on the street, They must believe I'm a Japanese.
Tourists behave better on the museums than Spaniards on their owns, even if they are Spaniards (I mean Spaniards in London). They also have the guided bus sighteen tours in wich they see all London from a Bus (I really preffer walking, you have more time to see things, or not, because on a Bus you have to stop several times as the traffic is not really good here). And they also have a ship on the River Thames, and walking guided tours on the city. I must be a bad guy, but I don't give a shi... about all the info guides gives. I find no interest on knowing that a famous writer I never ever heard about lived in that small horrible house 50 years ago. What I like is walking alone so I can stop to see that building nobody notices but is so pretty, gorgeous. So there I am with my camera to take a picture of it. And also I don't find interesting joking about those poor soldiers at Buckghingham palace, I believe that's a punishment for they bad behaviour in the past, so they have to stand there without moving while a crowd of bloody bastards are telling him jokes in languages he doesn't know. I feel sorry for them, but I took a picture too.
Well. I found something to talk about, and everytime the subject of my posts is different, but it's a question of inspiration.
Kind regards.
Manoel.
If there's a city, that I know, in the world with a lot of tourists that's London. I talked in the past about how annoying they can be, especially if they're a crowd of loudy Spaniards or screamy children. Here we have both and also Japanese, Chinese, Americans (even louder than Spaniards), French, and almost every nationality in the entire world. This time I'm not going to talk about Spaniards, in fact they aren't the loudest, this time are Americans (and some times Dutchs). But I'm not also going to talk about Americans, just about tourists.
There's some parts of London where you can find them. Those areas are exactly the ones I wanted to visit. But it's not only tourists what annoyies me, it's also school boys on a visit. If there's some places in wich silent is appreciated those are museums. I wanted to walk either on the British museum, or the Science and Natural History museums, or the National Gallery, anywhere, but sometimes I had to leave the rooms without seeing some of the finest pieces of art/history just because I couldn't stand so many noise. I thought British children were more educated, but they are as uneducated as Spanish children. It must be a question of age, not education, I'm just not sure. But I don't blame them, I blame the teachers who allowed them to run in the mummy hall on the Brit. Mus. Come on! let them rest in peace.
Those mummies where resting in perfectly peace for thousands of years but now they have to bare all those screamings, runnings, playings... I think that's not fair.
On the National Gallery they were quieter, but not as would like them to be. On the science and natural history museums they were even worst than on the British Museum. On those you have science games, so you can imagine them destructivly playing with those poor artifacts designed to entertain and educate but not to encourage violence.
And what about tourists? They weren't that horrible, in fact sometimes I looked like them with my camera. In fact I think I'm the worst of them because I take pictures of almost everything, even on the street, They must believe I'm a Japanese.
Tourists behave better on the museums than Spaniards on their owns, even if they are Spaniards (I mean Spaniards in London). They also have the guided bus sighteen tours in wich they see all London from a Bus (I really preffer walking, you have more time to see things, or not, because on a Bus you have to stop several times as the traffic is not really good here). And they also have a ship on the River Thames, and walking guided tours on the city. I must be a bad guy, but I don't give a shi... about all the info guides gives. I find no interest on knowing that a famous writer I never ever heard about lived in that small horrible house 50 years ago. What I like is walking alone so I can stop to see that building nobody notices but is so pretty, gorgeous. So there I am with my camera to take a picture of it. And also I don't find interesting joking about those poor soldiers at Buckghingham palace, I believe that's a punishment for they bad behaviour in the past, so they have to stand there without moving while a crowd of bloody bastards are telling him jokes in languages he doesn't know. I feel sorry for them, but I took a picture too.
Well. I found something to talk about, and everytime the subject of my posts is different, but it's a question of inspiration.
Kind regards.
Manoel.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
3d Week
Hi there.
I hope things are going well for all you. I'm having great times and not that great times as well. That's good news, I guess. I tried for the very first time Sushi and just that worths have came here.
As time passes I notice the differences between Spaniards and English. There are some, but I still believe I need more time to notice them all. One of them is coffe. In all the houses I've been it's not very common to have sugar, because they don't have tea with sugar as I do, and because they don't normally drink coffe that much. While in Spain coffe is really common, as common as tea in England. So, as I'm a coffe drinker I had to buy sugar twice. I could have coffe on Starbucks, or in any other shop/bar, but I really like to have my first coffe just after I wake up.
Another thing I want to talk is trash. I know it isn't something you'll like to talk about, but I'm amazed about something. There's only two days a week in wich the trash lorries comes to collect the trash bags, while in my town (and I guess in the whole Spain) it's everyday. That sounds a bit weird for me. I know they have dettached and semidettached houses here, so they can put the bags beside the front door, there's no need for them to leave the bags inside the house. I also know this is quite a cold country, so the bags don't really smell a lot. But I was also told they pay a lot to the council for those services, much more than in Spain. They don't also have a lot of time for cleaning the house, so now I know why Spaniards believe English are dirty. If they go to houses in wich they have trash bags outside the house, on the front door, and they leave them there for days, and also they don't clean the house so often (because of time problems) they'll find them dirty for sure. But I also look at the whys and know the answer of those whys, so I believe they aren't that dirty, it's just they can't be more clean, it's impossible.
There's some other things, small things that makes life in England different. The bed sheets are different and bed sizes as well, and also pillows. They eat those full english breakfasts that are horrible for me, because I can't eat in the morning, it's impossible I promise, I'll vomit just trying. And also the marmite (yeast extract) wich does smell great but taste not that great for me, it's too strong. But they love it. Muffins, a lot of different bread, tea, and something called fruit squash, food is different, especially on breakfast time. Evry shop in England has millions of different things I didn't even know they exist.
Species, prepared oriental (and not oriental) sauces, noodles, pre-cooked oriental meals... But there's something we don't normally have in Spain (except at Colin's house) and it's kettles. I find them useful. If you need to prepare coffe, tea, pasta, just need a few minutes to boil the water. Why on the bloody earth we don't have them in Spain? It's not that I want to preapare tea, but for pasta and coffe they're great.
So food is different, and also food habits and timing. I'm still not used to English timing, and I'm having my lunch at different times everyday so my body is not used to anything. But I still can't have Full English Breakfast.
Well, I'm stoping now, I hope I'll still finding differences so I can continue writing. The language differences aren't valid here, we all know we speak different languages. (But I could tell you about what's rude and what's not rude here, but I think I need more time for that).
Reagards.
Manoel.
I hope things are going well for all you. I'm having great times and not that great times as well. That's good news, I guess. I tried for the very first time Sushi and just that worths have came here.
As time passes I notice the differences between Spaniards and English. There are some, but I still believe I need more time to notice them all. One of them is coffe. In all the houses I've been it's not very common to have sugar, because they don't have tea with sugar as I do, and because they don't normally drink coffe that much. While in Spain coffe is really common, as common as tea in England. So, as I'm a coffe drinker I had to buy sugar twice. I could have coffe on Starbucks, or in any other shop/bar, but I really like to have my first coffe just after I wake up.
Another thing I want to talk is trash. I know it isn't something you'll like to talk about, but I'm amazed about something. There's only two days a week in wich the trash lorries comes to collect the trash bags, while in my town (and I guess in the whole Spain) it's everyday. That sounds a bit weird for me. I know they have dettached and semidettached houses here, so they can put the bags beside the front door, there's no need for them to leave the bags inside the house. I also know this is quite a cold country, so the bags don't really smell a lot. But I was also told they pay a lot to the council for those services, much more than in Spain. They don't also have a lot of time for cleaning the house, so now I know why Spaniards believe English are dirty. If they go to houses in wich they have trash bags outside the house, on the front door, and they leave them there for days, and also they don't clean the house so often (because of time problems) they'll find them dirty for sure. But I also look at the whys and know the answer of those whys, so I believe they aren't that dirty, it's just they can't be more clean, it's impossible.
There's some other things, small things that makes life in England different. The bed sheets are different and bed sizes as well, and also pillows. They eat those full english breakfasts that are horrible for me, because I can't eat in the morning, it's impossible I promise, I'll vomit just trying. And also the marmite (yeast extract) wich does smell great but taste not that great for me, it's too strong. But they love it. Muffins, a lot of different bread, tea, and something called fruit squash, food is different, especially on breakfast time. Evry shop in England has millions of different things I didn't even know they exist.
Species, prepared oriental (and not oriental) sauces, noodles, pre-cooked oriental meals... But there's something we don't normally have in Spain (except at Colin's house) and it's kettles. I find them useful. If you need to prepare coffe, tea, pasta, just need a few minutes to boil the water. Why on the bloody earth we don't have them in Spain? It's not that I want to preapare tea, but for pasta and coffe they're great.
So food is different, and also food habits and timing. I'm still not used to English timing, and I'm having my lunch at different times everyday so my body is not used to anything. But I still can't have Full English Breakfast.
Well, I'm stoping now, I hope I'll still finding differences so I can continue writing. The language differences aren't valid here, we all know we speak different languages. (But I could tell you about what's rude and what's not rude here, but I think I need more time for that).
Reagards.
Manoel.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
From SPEC (Whatever it means)
Hi there.
I'm here again. Just trying to talk about the things that happened to me this last few days. And there are some things I'll like to talk about and so little time.
This was the flat-share-looking-week, which means I spent the last three days looking for a place to stay in. Of course it was infructuous. It's not that I couldn't find anything, it's not it's impossible to find anything. But when you have little time and you don't want to spend too much money, and you can't promise to stay a long time, the search can become "mission impossible" but of course I'm sure with more time it's not impossible, in fact I could have stayed in some houses.
But why didn't I stay on those places? I'll explain to you. The first thing that happened is I went to an agency. I had to pay 59£ for them too call people and give me addresses. I thought at the time I was at the office it was well expended money. That changed when I went to see the first house.
It was a very old house, completely dirty, dark. The room was ridiculously small and the bed... The owner, or something like that, was a pregnant east-european who looked really tired. She was nice, but she told me she was living with another 8 guys from different places. This was 80£ a week. And it's not that I'm too meticulous, but knowing I could stay in better places if I wasn't so shy... Anyway, on the way to that place I saw a group of black people on a car taking a photo from a mobile of... me? That scared me a bit.
The second was the house of an old couple from jugoslavya. The miss wasn't at home neither their son. The guy who attended me was a 70 year old parkinson poor old jugoslavyan. He needed so many time to walk up the stairs that finally he decided to tell me walk in front of me. He was very sweet. But more of the same, a tiny, tiny room, dirty place and 80£ as well. Do the Jugoslavyans stay with their parents 'till they are 50 like in Spain?
The third more of the same, except this time the old woman was english. And also 80£.
So at the end of that day I had visited 3 horrible houses in very horrible neighborhuds. I had another meeting at 7pm for the house the guy from the agency said was the best, so I was still hopeful. Then I checked the internet and saw an advert really interested. Then I called the guy, a kiwi, and went to his house. This time I was amazed. It was 90£ pw and on a very posch place. The house was inmense, gorgeous in fact. I talked to the guy, he was either nice, and it wasn't that dirty, just a bit, considering that 9 people lived on that house I believe it's normal, and it's something I can dare with when I'm in such a hurry as I am.
So he told me to wait 'till next day (today) because another couple would come to see the house. He didn't told me but I suspected the couple would pay more, because of something he said. I was dammed right. He has just sent me an email to tell me the share has been taken, dammed couples. Just one question, Why the hell couldn't he tell me the same on the phone, or by sms, I think it could have been nicer.
I forgot to tell you that on Monday I went to see another share, just for 2 weeks and from www.gumtree.com as well and it happended exactly the same thing, he told me I was late. And that's exactly what happened today. I went to see another 2 houses from the agency but I couldn't even describe them, and another from gumtree but I was also late. It seems finding a cheap house in London takes some time. If you have a job it's easier, because you can get a bedsite or a studio, for the same price and clean, without sharing with dirty filthy strangers.
Anyway. I decided to go back to Mig's house, I called him and he told me to go. I'm waiting for him to call me to check again. I'll be there as much as I can while I can't find a job and then a studio.
The other thing that happended to me was at Monday night. Hannah (Faye's sister, Colin's daughter) told me if I wanted to join them for a kind of catholic meeting. Just to have a chat for a couple of hours with other people (catholics) and argue about things. I thought I could lie if I was asked, so I decided to make Hannah happier (she earned points for bringing me to the meeting, whatever points means here). It was interesting at the begining, free food, drinks (water, cofee, milk, tea, no beer) and the opportunity to relax and chat. There I was in the middle of catholics arguing about how much they pray, or someone asked how do they do not to fall asleep when they're praying at night, or if it's good to pester to god on prayers. I just wanted to shout, to scream, to yeel them what I think about praying. One girl said something about praying because she wanted a catholic boyfriend and I thouhgt, "go out, drink something and dance, be sexy and I'm sure you'll find somebody, perhaps not catholic, but religion it's not the most important thing in life". I had a good time, and I really needed to chat with somebody. They were good people, but you know, I can't bare straight catholics for a long time, talking about conversion, talking about the meaning of life and the rules of the catholic church.
I'm sorry if somebody is offended with these, I just ask them to be patient and tolerant because I don't believe in all that ......... (put your own words, please, so it won't be my fault)
Hope you like this new post.
Have a nicer time than I'm having at the moment. Well, that's not exactly true, I had an opportunity to walk a lot and to go to a lot of different places in London, including that gorgeous house on a posch street I'm not going to live in.
Cheers.
Manoel.
I'm here again. Just trying to talk about the things that happened to me this last few days. And there are some things I'll like to talk about and so little time.
This was the flat-share-looking-week, which means I spent the last three days looking for a place to stay in. Of course it was infructuous. It's not that I couldn't find anything, it's not it's impossible to find anything. But when you have little time and you don't want to spend too much money, and you can't promise to stay a long time, the search can become "mission impossible" but of course I'm sure with more time it's not impossible, in fact I could have stayed in some houses.
But why didn't I stay on those places? I'll explain to you. The first thing that happened is I went to an agency. I had to pay 59£ for them too call people and give me addresses. I thought at the time I was at the office it was well expended money. That changed when I went to see the first house.
It was a very old house, completely dirty, dark. The room was ridiculously small and the bed... The owner, or something like that, was a pregnant east-european who looked really tired. She was nice, but she told me she was living with another 8 guys from different places. This was 80£ a week. And it's not that I'm too meticulous, but knowing I could stay in better places if I wasn't so shy... Anyway, on the way to that place I saw a group of black people on a car taking a photo from a mobile of... me? That scared me a bit.
The second was the house of an old couple from jugoslavya. The miss wasn't at home neither their son. The guy who attended me was a 70 year old parkinson poor old jugoslavyan. He needed so many time to walk up the stairs that finally he decided to tell me walk in front of me. He was very sweet. But more of the same, a tiny, tiny room, dirty place and 80£ as well. Do the Jugoslavyans stay with their parents 'till they are 50 like in Spain?
The third more of the same, except this time the old woman was english. And also 80£.
So at the end of that day I had visited 3 horrible houses in very horrible neighborhuds. I had another meeting at 7pm for the house the guy from the agency said was the best, so I was still hopeful. Then I checked the internet and saw an advert really interested. Then I called the guy, a kiwi, and went to his house. This time I was amazed. It was 90£ pw and on a very posch place. The house was inmense, gorgeous in fact. I talked to the guy, he was either nice, and it wasn't that dirty, just a bit, considering that 9 people lived on that house I believe it's normal, and it's something I can dare with when I'm in such a hurry as I am.
So he told me to wait 'till next day (today) because another couple would come to see the house. He didn't told me but I suspected the couple would pay more, because of something he said. I was dammed right. He has just sent me an email to tell me the share has been taken, dammed couples. Just one question, Why the hell couldn't he tell me the same on the phone, or by sms, I think it could have been nicer.
I forgot to tell you that on Monday I went to see another share, just for 2 weeks and from www.gumtree.com as well and it happended exactly the same thing, he told me I was late. And that's exactly what happened today. I went to see another 2 houses from the agency but I couldn't even describe them, and another from gumtree but I was also late. It seems finding a cheap house in London takes some time. If you have a job it's easier, because you can get a bedsite or a studio, for the same price and clean, without sharing with dirty filthy strangers.
Anyway. I decided to go back to Mig's house, I called him and he told me to go. I'm waiting for him to call me to check again. I'll be there as much as I can while I can't find a job and then a studio.
The other thing that happended to me was at Monday night. Hannah (Faye's sister, Colin's daughter) told me if I wanted to join them for a kind of catholic meeting. Just to have a chat for a couple of hours with other people (catholics) and argue about things. I thought I could lie if I was asked, so I decided to make Hannah happier (she earned points for bringing me to the meeting, whatever points means here). It was interesting at the begining, free food, drinks (water, cofee, milk, tea, no beer) and the opportunity to relax and chat. There I was in the middle of catholics arguing about how much they pray, or someone asked how do they do not to fall asleep when they're praying at night, or if it's good to pester to god on prayers. I just wanted to shout, to scream, to yeel them what I think about praying. One girl said something about praying because she wanted a catholic boyfriend and I thouhgt, "go out, drink something and dance, be sexy and I'm sure you'll find somebody, perhaps not catholic, but religion it's not the most important thing in life". I had a good time, and I really needed to chat with somebody. They were good people, but you know, I can't bare straight catholics for a long time, talking about conversion, talking about the meaning of life and the rules of the catholic church.
I'm sorry if somebody is offended with these, I just ask them to be patient and tolerant because I don't believe in all that ......... (put your own words, please, so it won't be my fault)
Hope you like this new post.
Have a nicer time than I'm having at the moment. Well, that's not exactly true, I had an opportunity to walk a lot and to go to a lot of different places in London, including that gorgeous house on a posch street I'm not going to live in.
Cheers.
Manoel.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Writing from McDonalds
Yes, I'm in a bloody McDonalds, writing with this annoying keyboard, but at least it's quite cheap. Anyway, that's something I would never expect.
It's time to talk a bit more about English behaviours, as it's quite difficult to write with this thing I don't know how much I'll write.
I've been on a British motorway, at night and during the day, with and without rain. So I learnt quite a lot about English drivers. The first thing I noticed was the amazing quality of English motorways. They have 3 lanes normally, and sometimes a few more. While in Spain the normal amount it's just to. The second thing I noticed is that they are straight roads, with no curves at all, just one or two in a certain distance so you don't fall asleep. I know the rate of deaths on English roads is with a long distance less than in Spain. I could say that it's because English drivers are better than Spanish, but I think it's only because they have really good roads.
I might say they don't drive really well. There's 3 or even 4 lanes and it's said and written on the sides of the motorway that inner lanes are only for overtaking. But that's just a lie. Everybody overtaes in any of the lanes. On the right, on the left, on the middle lane. There's no visible rule for that. You just drive on the lane you most like. I think that's not only unsafe but annoying, specially for a poor Spaniard used to overtake in only one lane.
The other thing I noticed, and wich most scares me is they don't respect the safety distance at all. It's said you should leave a gap between you and the car in front of you for if he suddenly brakes you'll have enough time to stop your vehicle without crashing with him. I saw they just get as close to the next vehicle as they can. That really scares me.
So I can't believe their statistics, it might be they are better drivers than us, or just they have better roads. But if I have to drive here I'll get crazy.
Changing the subject, I tell you I've been in Congleton, wich is a small town near Manchester. It's really beautiful or I should say gorgeous. It's full of cows, cow shit smell, rain, and farmers. It's peculiar, and I could see my first "boot sale" wich consists on selling all the crap you have at home and you don't want. You put all that stuff in the boot of your car, afterwards you put it on a desk and tell your children to sell it while you go to spend the money you're going to earn in the local Pub.
It was nice, and I'm sure you can find some good bargains in there. But it's also quite weird somebody would like to spend a Sunday morning selling the crap somebody gave you one day, or you bought on a boot sale.
The other thing I want to comment is I saw for the very firt time the real, the only one English typical Pub. Full of local people having beer. I had the opportunity to try local ale's. I'll say I missed the bubbles, but it does taste great. I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to drink ale beer. (I'll still miss the bubbles).
Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying my Blog. I just hope I can continue with it, wich will mean I'm still here. But I promise this is my last time on a McDonalds internet Blody machine.
One question. Would you still be reading my Blog if finally I have to go back to Spain? I promise it would still be funny. It's just a question, I hope I don't have to go back, it's just a question of me being a it lucky.
Cheers everybody.
Manoel.
It's time to talk a bit more about English behaviours, as it's quite difficult to write with this thing I don't know how much I'll write.
I've been on a British motorway, at night and during the day, with and without rain. So I learnt quite a lot about English drivers. The first thing I noticed was the amazing quality of English motorways. They have 3 lanes normally, and sometimes a few more. While in Spain the normal amount it's just to. The second thing I noticed is that they are straight roads, with no curves at all, just one or two in a certain distance so you don't fall asleep. I know the rate of deaths on English roads is with a long distance less than in Spain. I could say that it's because English drivers are better than Spanish, but I think it's only because they have really good roads.
I might say they don't drive really well. There's 3 or even 4 lanes and it's said and written on the sides of the motorway that inner lanes are only for overtaking. But that's just a lie. Everybody overtaes in any of the lanes. On the right, on the left, on the middle lane. There's no visible rule for that. You just drive on the lane you most like. I think that's not only unsafe but annoying, specially for a poor Spaniard used to overtake in only one lane.
The other thing I noticed, and wich most scares me is they don't respect the safety distance at all. It's said you should leave a gap between you and the car in front of you for if he suddenly brakes you'll have enough time to stop your vehicle without crashing with him. I saw they just get as close to the next vehicle as they can. That really scares me.
So I can't believe their statistics, it might be they are better drivers than us, or just they have better roads. But if I have to drive here I'll get crazy.
Changing the subject, I tell you I've been in Congleton, wich is a small town near Manchester. It's really beautiful or I should say gorgeous. It's full of cows, cow shit smell, rain, and farmers. It's peculiar, and I could see my first "boot sale" wich consists on selling all the crap you have at home and you don't want. You put all that stuff in the boot of your car, afterwards you put it on a desk and tell your children to sell it while you go to spend the money you're going to earn in the local Pub.
It was nice, and I'm sure you can find some good bargains in there. But it's also quite weird somebody would like to spend a Sunday morning selling the crap somebody gave you one day, or you bought on a boot sale.
The other thing I want to comment is I saw for the very firt time the real, the only one English typical Pub. Full of local people having beer. I had the opportunity to try local ale's. I'll say I missed the bubbles, but it does taste great. I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to drink ale beer. (I'll still miss the bubbles).
Anyway, I hope you're still enjoying my Blog. I just hope I can continue with it, wich will mean I'm still here. But I promise this is my last time on a McDonalds internet Blody machine.
One question. Would you still be reading my Blog if finally I have to go back to Spain? I promise it would still be funny. It's just a question, I hope I don't have to go back, it's just a question of me being a it lucky.
Cheers everybody.
Manoel.
From Cow-Town
Hi again.
Now I'm in Congleton, where my friend Faye's mum lives. It's such a beutiful countryside place, full of cows. It smells of cow shit, wich reminds me of Galicia and makes me feel at home a bit. Wherever I look I see cows, green and rain, it's such a rainy place.
Well. I thought I could write more these days but finally, even when I had enough time to do it I didn't. It seems I feel better to write when I'm in a rush. I mean it, because now I'm waiting to go back to London and I'm in a hurry.
I hope I'll write soon a new post, this time I think I'll write about English Motorways and the countryside, it's easy. I didn't have too many new experinces but being in a proper English Pub, watching a "boot sale", wich is something I've never seen, and walking in the countryside.
Weel, see you soon.
Manoel.
Now I'm in Congleton, where my friend Faye's mum lives. It's such a beutiful countryside place, full of cows. It smells of cow shit, wich reminds me of Galicia and makes me feel at home a bit. Wherever I look I see cows, green and rain, it's such a rainy place.
Well. I thought I could write more these days but finally, even when I had enough time to do it I didn't. It seems I feel better to write when I'm in a rush. I mean it, because now I'm waiting to go back to London and I'm in a hurry.
I hope I'll write soon a new post, this time I think I'll write about English Motorways and the countryside, it's easy. I didn't have too many new experinces but being in a proper English Pub, watching a "boot sale", wich is something I've never seen, and walking in the countryside.
Weel, see you soon.
Manoel.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Efficiency and Disabled
Hi again.
I'm quite amazed about how efficient a country could be compared to Spain. It seems this is a really efficient country. There must be some clever guys thinking about ridiculous, but usefull, things all the time. How much are they payed?
So lets talk a bit about efficiency in the UK. I see some bizarre (bizarre for a spaniard, I mean) things on the streets and on the tube. For example:
On the mechanical stairs you have signs saying "Please stand on the right" or something like that, I certainly don't remember the exact phrase. That's really clever and efficient. So the fastest people can walk up the stairs while the slower ones can stay on the right.
Anywhere you have tube maps, and more specific ones that indicates almost perfectly how to reach your destination. You have also somebody speaking telling you wich trains is coming, and also where is that train going to, and also he reminds you to mind the gap, the gap between the train and the station. You have also signs saying "mind the gap" and more tube maps inside the trains. It's quite difficult ti get lost at the train if you're clever enough and don't mind on asking somebody.
On the streets there's this painting I told you saying from wich direction are the cars coming. So even if you're a blody foreigner you don't have to be worried when you cross the road. When you want to cross you just have to take a look at the ground and read, meanwhile you'll be pushed by some Spaniards that just want to cross the road without looking because they're really clever, well, they aren't that clever, is always better to look I think, but in fact I preffer them not to look, so they can be kill....., ups!, I'm sorry, I was just letting my murderous instincs to fly.
But there's always a bad side on that kind of efficiency. It seems those clever guys aren't disabled or don't know any disable people. They forgot completely that some people can't read, they can't ever see. As not all the traffic lights have acoustic signals for the blinds, and as not all the cross roads have even traffic lights for pedestrians, I wonder if they can really live in this city. Somehow I haven't seen any blind yet. And it's quite hard even for non blinds to cross the roads as not all of them have traffic lights for pedestrians, just only for cars.
And about the wheel chair guys, I believe they have to "walk" (sorry, I don't know a proper word fot that) the whole city if they want to go anywhere. The tube doesn't have a lot of lifts. And, what's most strange, some of them have lifts but then they have stairs to reach the platforms. Of course it's impossible to "walk" on a mechanical stairway with a wheelchair. And on the streets, not all the crossroads have any kind of help for them as well.
So I see this is a country of efficency, but really unpolite with poor disableds. Somebody has to speak with Mr. Blair, or with the major, or with those blody clever guys that decided to put a sign saying "LOOK LEFT" instead of an acoustic signal for blinds.
It's strange that Spain is better in that sense than England. I'm amazed to see we do something more efficiently than English. At least our traffic lights have acoustic signals and paths for wheelchairs even in my little small town Pontevedra.
I hope you like it this time and also that I could stay as long here as I can really tell you all the differences between you and me.
Cheers.
Manoel.
I'm quite amazed about how efficient a country could be compared to Spain. It seems this is a really efficient country. There must be some clever guys thinking about ridiculous, but usefull, things all the time. How much are they payed?
So lets talk a bit about efficiency in the UK. I see some bizarre (bizarre for a spaniard, I mean) things on the streets and on the tube. For example:
On the mechanical stairs you have signs saying "Please stand on the right" or something like that, I certainly don't remember the exact phrase. That's really clever and efficient. So the fastest people can walk up the stairs while the slower ones can stay on the right.
Anywhere you have tube maps, and more specific ones that indicates almost perfectly how to reach your destination. You have also somebody speaking telling you wich trains is coming, and also where is that train going to, and also he reminds you to mind the gap, the gap between the train and the station. You have also signs saying "mind the gap" and more tube maps inside the trains. It's quite difficult ti get lost at the train if you're clever enough and don't mind on asking somebody.
On the streets there's this painting I told you saying from wich direction are the cars coming. So even if you're a blody foreigner you don't have to be worried when you cross the road. When you want to cross you just have to take a look at the ground and read, meanwhile you'll be pushed by some Spaniards that just want to cross the road without looking because they're really clever, well, they aren't that clever, is always better to look I think, but in fact I preffer them not to look, so they can be kill....., ups!, I'm sorry, I was just letting my murderous instincs to fly.
But there's always a bad side on that kind of efficiency. It seems those clever guys aren't disabled or don't know any disable people. They forgot completely that some people can't read, they can't ever see. As not all the traffic lights have acoustic signals for the blinds, and as not all the cross roads have even traffic lights for pedestrians, I wonder if they can really live in this city. Somehow I haven't seen any blind yet. And it's quite hard even for non blinds to cross the roads as not all of them have traffic lights for pedestrians, just only for cars.
And about the wheel chair guys, I believe they have to "walk" (sorry, I don't know a proper word fot that) the whole city if they want to go anywhere. The tube doesn't have a lot of lifts. And, what's most strange, some of them have lifts but then they have stairs to reach the platforms. Of course it's impossible to "walk" on a mechanical stairway with a wheelchair. And on the streets, not all the crossroads have any kind of help for them as well.
So I see this is a country of efficency, but really unpolite with poor disableds. Somebody has to speak with Mr. Blair, or with the major, or with those blody clever guys that decided to put a sign saying "LOOK LEFT" instead of an acoustic signal for blinds.
It's strange that Spain is better in that sense than England. I'm amazed to see we do something more efficiently than English. At least our traffic lights have acoustic signals and paths for wheelchairs even in my little small town Pontevedra.
I hope you like it this time and also that I could stay as long here as I can really tell you all the differences between you and me.
Cheers.
Manoel.
From outer space
Hi again.
Living on a different country is not quite easy. Almost everything is different. Things are slower than in Spain if that's possible. Before coming here I had wonderful dreams about it being so different from Spain as it would be a wonderful place to live. I was wrong. As it's really different from Spain, the differences go exactly on the same direction, althoug with different manners.
In Spain is not rude to tell somebody "you are rejected", in fact that's what we expect from them (unless you are a relative of any kind of boss in the office). But here they really polite, so they don't doubt on telling you "the IT market has been stopped for a long time, there's no jobs on IT" either if it's true or not. I don't really know the answer of that question, but I really know I sent hundreds of CVs with no answer. After calling them to ask if they had recieved my CV the answer was always the same "NO, send it again". As my especiality is IT I know that's not true. It might have been they deleted accidentaly (or on purpose) my CV, or they just don't have enough time to look at all the CVs they receive everyday.
So the fact is that I haven't received any nice answer from them, just only bad news. That's not funny, I believe.
So now I'm here, with not only no job but with the idea of being impossible to find a job. And if that's not enough I still don't have a house. But that's something I could fix.
So I'm a bit annoyed about English behaviours. I'm sorry not to be funny this time, but it seems life is not as easy as we normally believe.
Anyway, I'll try to stay here 'till my bank account says "empty" or 'till my mind and/or my body says "STOP". There's some things I really like from being here. Especially the loooong walks I'm having.
Next weekend I'll be in Manchester. I hope people is different there, warmer and nicer. And I also hope I can find a job there, a house, or even a life (Could I say a girlfriend too???, joking, more or less).
Ok then, cheers from London.
Manoel.
PS: I hope next time I'll be funnier.
Living on a different country is not quite easy. Almost everything is different. Things are slower than in Spain if that's possible. Before coming here I had wonderful dreams about it being so different from Spain as it would be a wonderful place to live. I was wrong. As it's really different from Spain, the differences go exactly on the same direction, althoug with different manners.
In Spain is not rude to tell somebody "you are rejected", in fact that's what we expect from them (unless you are a relative of any kind of boss in the office). But here they really polite, so they don't doubt on telling you "the IT market has been stopped for a long time, there's no jobs on IT" either if it's true or not. I don't really know the answer of that question, but I really know I sent hundreds of CVs with no answer. After calling them to ask if they had recieved my CV the answer was always the same "NO, send it again". As my especiality is IT I know that's not true. It might have been they deleted accidentaly (or on purpose) my CV, or they just don't have enough time to look at all the CVs they receive everyday.
So the fact is that I haven't received any nice answer from them, just only bad news. That's not funny, I believe.
So now I'm here, with not only no job but with the idea of being impossible to find a job. And if that's not enough I still don't have a house. But that's something I could fix.
So I'm a bit annoyed about English behaviours. I'm sorry not to be funny this time, but it seems life is not as easy as we normally believe.
Anyway, I'll try to stay here 'till my bank account says "empty" or 'till my mind and/or my body says "STOP". There's some things I really like from being here. Especially the loooong walks I'm having.
Next weekend I'll be in Manchester. I hope people is different there, warmer and nicer. And I also hope I can find a job there, a house, or even a life (Could I say a girlfriend too???, joking, more or less).
Ok then, cheers from London.
Manoel.
PS: I hope next time I'll be funnier.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
More than a Week
Well, the time has passed. It seems I'll stay here as long as I can. But the money is running out and I still don't have found a job. Apart from that I really need to find somewhere to live, so things are getting worse in some ways but in some others they're getting better.
I'm getting used to the English standards and also I miss less my family. I really like to walk in the city and watch all those marvellous buildings and enjoying the Brits.
It's just you can find almost everything you need.
There's something I forgot to mention on my last post and is that I received my first English smile on a street on Sunday. But I may say it wasn't in London. Althoug today I recieved as well my first London smile. That was nice because I thought Londoniers didn't smile at all, but at least there's one who does smile.
Anyway, I'm just here siting on "my bedroom" thinking about all that. I really like this bloody place.
This week I'm using my sight to look at what the people do on the tube. Some read newspapers, some just stare at nothing, some talk with their fellows and some just sleep. How can you sleep on a washing machine?, I mean the tubes moves like a washing machine, you go up and down, and then left and up and right and it does never stop. Apart from all the noise and the movement, how can anyone could feel safe sleeping on the tube? I'm glad to say tube should be really safe, with no crime at all, if not I know some guys who just had lefted their wallets, suitcases and even clothes.
About newspapers I should say they spoke a lot about Beckham this week and the fact he is playing well again. I might say it was just ONE match but it doesn't really matter for the press so they have their hero back again. That's more or less what they do with Raul in Spain so I'm not really surprised.
I'm still scared of the roads. Althoug I got used to look first to the right instead to the left as it is in my country (I might be wrong, it could be right in England but it's dark and I'm too tired), but if I wasn't used it doesn't really matter because it's painted on the road. So if you don't know wich side to look first you just take a look of the ground to see wich one is it. That's brilliant.
Well, I'm going to sleep now. Cheers for everybody.
Manoel.
PS: Does anybody now how to get a job on IT in this blody city? And does anybody have a cheap spare room to share?
I'm getting used to the English standards and also I miss less my family. I really like to walk in the city and watch all those marvellous buildings and enjoying the Brits.
It's just you can find almost everything you need.
There's something I forgot to mention on my last post and is that I received my first English smile on a street on Sunday. But I may say it wasn't in London. Althoug today I recieved as well my first London smile. That was nice because I thought Londoniers didn't smile at all, but at least there's one who does smile.
Anyway, I'm just here siting on "my bedroom" thinking about all that. I really like this bloody place.
This week I'm using my sight to look at what the people do on the tube. Some read newspapers, some just stare at nothing, some talk with their fellows and some just sleep. How can you sleep on a washing machine?, I mean the tubes moves like a washing machine, you go up and down, and then left and up and right and it does never stop. Apart from all the noise and the movement, how can anyone could feel safe sleeping on the tube? I'm glad to say tube should be really safe, with no crime at all, if not I know some guys who just had lefted their wallets, suitcases and even clothes.
About newspapers I should say they spoke a lot about Beckham this week and the fact he is playing well again. I might say it was just ONE match but it doesn't really matter for the press so they have their hero back again. That's more or less what they do with Raul in Spain so I'm not really surprised.
I'm still scared of the roads. Althoug I got used to look first to the right instead to the left as it is in my country (I might be wrong, it could be right in England but it's dark and I'm too tired), but if I wasn't used it doesn't really matter because it's painted on the road. So if you don't know wich side to look first you just take a look of the ground to see wich one is it. That's brilliant.
Well, I'm going to sleep now. Cheers for everybody.
Manoel.
PS: Does anybody now how to get a job on IT in this blody city? And does anybody have a cheap spare room to share?
Sunday, October 10, 2004
English nightclubs and some apologizes
I received a comment on the last post from an English chav that sounded just a bit offended. I'm really sorry if I offend anybody. I know I can be quite rude an offensive sometimes but my idea is to laugh about ourselves. So what's the point on only telling the good things with really nice words and not telling the not so good things with an ironic tone.
So I'm really sorry if I offended somebody. I'm quite tolerant with everything (well, I have some exceptions of course) and every kind of people, colour, style, religion, ...
Anyway. I had my first English night, well, they were 2 nights in fact. What could I say? The first thing that impresses me is the time. Everybody goes back at home at 1,2 more or less (sometimes more, sometimes less) and they start partying at 19:00. So it's said as they don't have so many time they drink as fast as possible to get drunk. My English friends are really proud of that, they said English drink a lot, and it could be true, but I'm sure it's comparable with Spaniards. As I noticed the quantity of alcohol in the drinks is 3 times less than in Spain. They drinked over 6 or 7 drinks during the night. My friends in Spain drink 10 drinks a night and with three times more alcohol in them. So I bet English don't really drink that much. Of course it was my first weekend and I can't really bet at 100%.
In same ways I felt at home in the disco, except for the music that it seem to be a bit better than in Spain. Of course I need more experience to verify that. And basicaly they do exactly the same as in Spain, drink, dance, talk and pull girls (or boys, of course). That's why I felt at home.
Yesterday we went to Bristol to go out. It's quite a nice town, really beautiful. I could have had a wonderful night but finally it wasn't that good, but that's a story I can't tell, I'm sorry. Anyway, the disco's staff were annoying. They asked everybody for a photo ID but they said it wasn't for aging purposes. What for? that's what I'm asking, I can't really understand what other purposes they could have. Do they really want to check if I'm not Osama Ben Laden? Later I wanted to go and buy some cigarettes outside the pub (of course the machine inside it didn't work) but they didn't aloow me to get in again if I leaved the disco (sorry, it was a disco, not a pub), so if I wanted to get back again I'll have to pay another 4£ to get in. Finally I decided to go and buy them and stay out of the place, what caused me some problems.
Another thing happend at the pub. It was something like one out one in, that literaly means one person leaves the disco, one person enter the disco, but of course that person wasn't any of us althoug we were the very firsts at the queue, VIP I guess. So that made me feel at home as well.
Anyway, I'm stoping now, I think I told you quite a lot of things again. I hope I'll stay here a long time, I don't want to leave my readers without my experiences.
Cheers, and apologizes for the chav.
Manoel.
So I'm really sorry if I offended somebody. I'm quite tolerant with everything (well, I have some exceptions of course) and every kind of people, colour, style, religion, ...
Anyway. I had my first English night, well, they were 2 nights in fact. What could I say? The first thing that impresses me is the time. Everybody goes back at home at 1,2 more or less (sometimes more, sometimes less) and they start partying at 19:00. So it's said as they don't have so many time they drink as fast as possible to get drunk. My English friends are really proud of that, they said English drink a lot, and it could be true, but I'm sure it's comparable with Spaniards. As I noticed the quantity of alcohol in the drinks is 3 times less than in Spain. They drinked over 6 or 7 drinks during the night. My friends in Spain drink 10 drinks a night and with three times more alcohol in them. So I bet English don't really drink that much. Of course it was my first weekend and I can't really bet at 100%.
In same ways I felt at home in the disco, except for the music that it seem to be a bit better than in Spain. Of course I need more experience to verify that. And basicaly they do exactly the same as in Spain, drink, dance, talk and pull girls (or boys, of course). That's why I felt at home.
Yesterday we went to Bristol to go out. It's quite a nice town, really beautiful. I could have had a wonderful night but finally it wasn't that good, but that's a story I can't tell, I'm sorry. Anyway, the disco's staff were annoying. They asked everybody for a photo ID but they said it wasn't for aging purposes. What for? that's what I'm asking, I can't really understand what other purposes they could have. Do they really want to check if I'm not Osama Ben Laden? Later I wanted to go and buy some cigarettes outside the pub (of course the machine inside it didn't work) but they didn't aloow me to get in again if I leaved the disco (sorry, it was a disco, not a pub), so if I wanted to get back again I'll have to pay another 4£ to get in. Finally I decided to go and buy them and stay out of the place, what caused me some problems.
Another thing happend at the pub. It was something like one out one in, that literaly means one person leaves the disco, one person enter the disco, but of course that person wasn't any of us althoug we were the very firsts at the queue, VIP I guess. So that made me feel at home as well.
Anyway, I'm stoping now, I think I told you quite a lot of things again. I hope I'll stay here a long time, I don't want to leave my readers without my experiences.
Cheers, and apologizes for the chav.
Manoel.
Friday, October 08, 2004
Such a wonderful place
How can anybody describe what London is? Just a big city? The answer of last question is NO.
I don't think New York is like London. You just walk around the city and everything is amazing. The people, the buildings, the food, everything. For a poor little boy from Pontevedra it's such a big new world to discover. Of course I feel a bit overwhelmed sometimes, but I think it's just a question of time to feel better and to estabilish.
And what about the museums, I don't have enough words to describe them. But I'll just say English stole a lot of things from other cultures and countries in the past, so you can see all of them distributed in more than 4 big buildings. And I also could see a mummie!!
I said Londoniers are cold, and they really are cold in the tube and the streets, they just walk as fast as they can so they don't miss next train, and then they sit without smiling at all, looking to nowhere, reading a newspaper. It's said it's rude to look at people in the tube, and it might be, but I can't do it, you know I love to look at people.
I saw my first chavs this week and I can only say OHOHOOHGGGGG!!!. They're even worst than spanish chavs. And I also went shopping (the thing I most hate) and I could see more chavs and chavs clothes. Clothing, that's something I could talk a lot. I saw English clothes at shops, and I can only say they're chavier (I believe I have just invented a word) than anything in Spain. So the believe of English being not really stylish might be true. I'll check later.
I'm also having my first English night. I was amazed to hear we'll be back at home at 12 or 1 more or less. They say you have to drink as fast as you can so you can enjoy the rest of the night, so you start drinking at 7PM and you only have 5 hours to dance, talk and find girls. I hope it'll be enough for a poor Spaniard.
Ok, let's finish it. I'll talk more and more later because there's so many things to say I won't ever finish.
Hope you're having such a nice time as I'm.
Cheers to everybody.
Manoel.
I don't think New York is like London. You just walk around the city and everything is amazing. The people, the buildings, the food, everything. For a poor little boy from Pontevedra it's such a big new world to discover. Of course I feel a bit overwhelmed sometimes, but I think it's just a question of time to feel better and to estabilish.
And what about the museums, I don't have enough words to describe them. But I'll just say English stole a lot of things from other cultures and countries in the past, so you can see all of them distributed in more than 4 big buildings. And I also could see a mummie!!
I said Londoniers are cold, and they really are cold in the tube and the streets, they just walk as fast as they can so they don't miss next train, and then they sit without smiling at all, looking to nowhere, reading a newspaper. It's said it's rude to look at people in the tube, and it might be, but I can't do it, you know I love to look at people.
I saw my first chavs this week and I can only say OHOHOOHGGGGG!!!. They're even worst than spanish chavs. And I also went shopping (the thing I most hate) and I could see more chavs and chavs clothes. Clothing, that's something I could talk a lot. I saw English clothes at shops, and I can only say they're chavier (I believe I have just invented a word) than anything in Spain. So the believe of English being not really stylish might be true. I'll check later.
I'm also having my first English night. I was amazed to hear we'll be back at home at 12 or 1 more or less. They say you have to drink as fast as you can so you can enjoy the rest of the night, so you start drinking at 7PM and you only have 5 hours to dance, talk and find girls. I hope it'll be enough for a poor Spaniard.
Ok, let's finish it. I'll talk more and more later because there's so many things to say I won't ever finish.
Hope you're having such a nice time as I'm.
Cheers to everybody.
Manoel.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Here I am
Hi, I'm finally in London.
It's more or less what I expected but much more than less. Everything is so different...
I still find hard to deal with all those changes but I hope soon I'll feel better. I can't still forget my own country and there's so many things to miss... I try not to think about it.
Anyway. It's too early to speak about English but I can tell you how marvellous is the city, and so big. I came from a little town so you can imagine the shock when I found myself walking in the city for a whole day, I think I walked 40Km and my legs went down at night. There's so many coulours, so many different people, but so cold (I mean the people). I know that it's because I'm in the city and everybody is either a tourist or too in a hurry to smile, that everything seems so busy.
But just walking you can see so many different places to eat. Wich bloody Spaniard said that in England they eat really badly? How can they eat badly when there's so many choices.
Well. Hope I'll write something else soon, meanwhile I'll continue seeking a job. I'll tell you later.
Manoel.
It's more or less what I expected but much more than less. Everything is so different...
I still find hard to deal with all those changes but I hope soon I'll feel better. I can't still forget my own country and there's so many things to miss... I try not to think about it.
Anyway. It's too early to speak about English but I can tell you how marvellous is the city, and so big. I came from a little town so you can imagine the shock when I found myself walking in the city for a whole day, I think I walked 40Km and my legs went down at night. There's so many coulours, so many different people, but so cold (I mean the people). I know that it's because I'm in the city and everybody is either a tourist or too in a hurry to smile, that everything seems so busy.
But just walking you can see so many different places to eat. Wich bloody Spaniard said that in England they eat really badly? How can they eat badly when there's so many choices.
Well. Hope I'll write something else soon, meanwhile I'll continue seeking a job. I'll tell you later.
Manoel.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
Some Goodbyes and Some Hellos
Well, in about 3 hours I'll be at the airport walking to the plane. It's time to say goodbye, but later I'll be time to say hello.
I had never flighted and today I'm going to do it twice. But that's not the only excitement I'll have today. At night I'll have my first impressions about England. Also I'll see the difference between spanish and English airports and it's something might be significative. So I guess as soon as I can use a computer with internet I'll write a post.
So this is my last post from Spain (in some time, I'll come back to visit my family).
I'm very busy so I'm going to stop writing.
Goodbye Spain, hello UK.
Manoel
I had never flighted and today I'm going to do it twice. But that's not the only excitement I'll have today. At night I'll have my first impressions about England. Also I'll see the difference between spanish and English airports and it's something might be significative. So I guess as soon as I can use a computer with internet I'll write a post.
So this is my last post from Spain (in some time, I'll come back to visit my family).
I'm very busy so I'm going to stop writing.
Goodbye Spain, hello UK.
Manoel
Friday, September 24, 2004
Something about English
I know I could be a bit boring sometimes (there is an Spanish expression that is better to use here instead of boring, but it had no translation into English, it's "pesado"). But in a week it'll be my last complete day in Spain.
My fellow blogger and friend Colin received a visit from England. So I had another opportunity to check some of my feelings about Englishman. So as I expected they were really nice. I really like them so I'm very glad. But I had a chance to probe something that was in my mind but I couldn't check before.
Let's be a bit critic about Englishman for the first time. As this blog is over all dedicated to English people, that's why I write in English, I have to be cautious being critic, but I don't really want. I just expect my English friends continue being my friends after this.
The point I want to talk about is clothing. I realized what kind of clothes Englishman wear. I'm sure it's perfectly normal in England, but here... English "old" man dress exactly the same kind of clothes, and they're far away from Spanish standards. As I saw Colin dressing really well sometimes, others it wasn't really of my own taste. But I couldn't say a word about that subject without a bigger population to compare (that's statistics).
English wear really strange shirts and trousers. From a Spanish point of view I could say they're horrible, I'm sure for them they aren't. And all Spaniards could see from a really long distance the coming of an English couple. As Spaniards link English clothes with nice tweed jackets and coats when they see those bright brown trousers shorter than Spanish's, I mean you can see the socks, grey socks, they get horrified. And sometimes they even wear square decorated trousers with the same grey socks. So for a Spaniard it's not fashionable to be able to see the socks, and specially when they're white or grey.
Of course it's not only a question of clothes. I don't know any Spaniard with white hair. There's some with grey hair but not white, specially in women. So if we put togheter clothes and hair, and red-white skin, English look completely different than Spaniards.
My question is, as I have seen some more English, but younger, I they didn't wear that kind of clothes, what would happen to them in the future?, would they change their jeans for square decorated trousers, their black executive socks for grey cotton socks, their t-shirts for coloured, pictured, shirts?, would they become red and white?
I hope I hadn't hurt anybody, and if I did just please smile, because it's my first attempt to critizise English people and I'm not really sure about their sense of humour, but I guess it'll be funny to them.
Manoel
My fellow blogger and friend Colin received a visit from England. So I had another opportunity to check some of my feelings about Englishman. So as I expected they were really nice. I really like them so I'm very glad. But I had a chance to probe something that was in my mind but I couldn't check before.
Let's be a bit critic about Englishman for the first time. As this blog is over all dedicated to English people, that's why I write in English, I have to be cautious being critic, but I don't really want. I just expect my English friends continue being my friends after this.
The point I want to talk about is clothing. I realized what kind of clothes Englishman wear. I'm sure it's perfectly normal in England, but here... English "old" man dress exactly the same kind of clothes, and they're far away from Spanish standards. As I saw Colin dressing really well sometimes, others it wasn't really of my own taste. But I couldn't say a word about that subject without a bigger population to compare (that's statistics).
English wear really strange shirts and trousers. From a Spanish point of view I could say they're horrible, I'm sure for them they aren't. And all Spaniards could see from a really long distance the coming of an English couple. As Spaniards link English clothes with nice tweed jackets and coats when they see those bright brown trousers shorter than Spanish's, I mean you can see the socks, grey socks, they get horrified. And sometimes they even wear square decorated trousers with the same grey socks. So for a Spaniard it's not fashionable to be able to see the socks, and specially when they're white or grey.
Of course it's not only a question of clothes. I don't know any Spaniard with white hair. There's some with grey hair but not white, specially in women. So if we put togheter clothes and hair, and red-white skin, English look completely different than Spaniards.
My question is, as I have seen some more English, but younger, I they didn't wear that kind of clothes, what would happen to them in the future?, would they change their jeans for square decorated trousers, their black executive socks for grey cotton socks, their t-shirts for coloured, pictured, shirts?, would they become red and white?
I hope I hadn't hurt anybody, and if I did just please smile, because it's my first attempt to critizise English people and I'm not really sure about their sense of humour, but I guess it'll be funny to them.
Manoel
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Some Corrections
Well, I have really good news, specially for myself. As a consequence of those good news I should make some corrections or, at least, say something good about my university.
Yesterday I received the mark of my last exam and I passed it!!! So now I have a degree!!
As you guess if you've read my last post the corrections I have to make are related to what I said. It's not that UNED is not bad but it's just to say that the departament of maths in UNED do work properly. The teacher was very, very nice with me, and they corrected the exams in just one day. So they aren't really lazy clerks. Apart from that they had corrected my exam and making me pass it, so I'm happy about them. I still say UNED is full of lazy bastards but not those from maths.
Anyway, is just one week and some days for the DAY. I'm excited and nervous. Everything is almost prepared except my suitcase that is waiting for me (and my mum) to fill it with clothes and some other stuff. Of course it'll be full of warm clothes as I've been said England is quite cold and wet. Galicia is almost the same but only in winter. I'll also bring some computer stuff (my portable HD) and music CDs (MP3 mostly). I'm a bit afraid of what is waiting for me there in the City. I'm sure I'll love it, at least for some time but I can still move again in the future to a less big place (I was told Dublin is really good for IT employment).
From recent conversations with Spaniards, they all said they don't really like English people, I guess they have a wrong idea of them. But if you ask them about any other nacionalities they'll always answer the same thing, they don't like them. So as everybody who is not a Spaniard is dirty, without any taste for food, strange, grumpy and without any taste for almost anything. So I believe Spain should be considered as the best country to live in. As I know some English, Americans, Kiwis, Irish, Scotish, French, etc.. I should say I don't agree with my fellow Spaniards. I like them (except for some exceptions) and I just think the world is full of bad, dirty and grumpy people and with nice, clean and good humoured as well, it doesn't depend on the country you're from the fact that you're a good or bad person. It's true that we are all different but only in habits and as I've known really nice English I believe I'll like them, but of course I'm prepared to meet some bastards, as I did here. I don't like to generalize except when I'm joking.
My fellow blogger Colin and some other people who read this brief story of myself are impatient to read what I'll said about England. They're afraid I'll be softer with them but of course they are wrong. I promise I'll be as cinic, bad, critic as ever. That's one side of my brain that I really enjoy, to be critic. And of course I'll find some things to be bad comenting them. The only thing I'm afraid of is not to write as much as here, and it's because I don't really know the availability of internet connection I'll have. So just be pacient.
Well, thanks for your interest in this first posts of my blog about Spain. I hope the second part will be as interesting and funny as the first. I'll write another post the day before unless I lose my internet connection. Just to say goodbye, you know.
Have a wonderful day, week, or year.
Manoel, or better to say Graduated Manoel, or even better Technical Engineer in IT Manoel.
Yesterday I received the mark of my last exam and I passed it!!! So now I have a degree!!
As you guess if you've read my last post the corrections I have to make are related to what I said. It's not that UNED is not bad but it's just to say that the departament of maths in UNED do work properly. The teacher was very, very nice with me, and they corrected the exams in just one day. So they aren't really lazy clerks. Apart from that they had corrected my exam and making me pass it, so I'm happy about them. I still say UNED is full of lazy bastards but not those from maths.
Anyway, is just one week and some days for the DAY. I'm excited and nervous. Everything is almost prepared except my suitcase that is waiting for me (and my mum) to fill it with clothes and some other stuff. Of course it'll be full of warm clothes as I've been said England is quite cold and wet. Galicia is almost the same but only in winter. I'll also bring some computer stuff (my portable HD) and music CDs (MP3 mostly). I'm a bit afraid of what is waiting for me there in the City. I'm sure I'll love it, at least for some time but I can still move again in the future to a less big place (I was told Dublin is really good for IT employment).
From recent conversations with Spaniards, they all said they don't really like English people, I guess they have a wrong idea of them. But if you ask them about any other nacionalities they'll always answer the same thing, they don't like them. So as everybody who is not a Spaniard is dirty, without any taste for food, strange, grumpy and without any taste for almost anything. So I believe Spain should be considered as the best country to live in. As I know some English, Americans, Kiwis, Irish, Scotish, French, etc.. I should say I don't agree with my fellow Spaniards. I like them (except for some exceptions) and I just think the world is full of bad, dirty and grumpy people and with nice, clean and good humoured as well, it doesn't depend on the country you're from the fact that you're a good or bad person. It's true that we are all different but only in habits and as I've known really nice English I believe I'll like them, but of course I'm prepared to meet some bastards, as I did here. I don't like to generalize except when I'm joking.
My fellow blogger Colin and some other people who read this brief story of myself are impatient to read what I'll said about England. They're afraid I'll be softer with them but of course they are wrong. I promise I'll be as cinic, bad, critic as ever. That's one side of my brain that I really enjoy, to be critic. And of course I'll find some things to be bad comenting them. The only thing I'm afraid of is not to write as much as here, and it's because I don't really know the availability of internet connection I'll have. So just be pacient.
Well, thanks for your interest in this first posts of my blog about Spain. I hope the second part will be as interesting and funny as the first. I'll write another post the day before unless I lose my internet connection. Just to say goodbye, you know.
Have a wonderful day, week, or year.
Manoel, or better to say Graduated Manoel, or even better Technical Engineer in IT Manoel.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Lazyness
I'm lazy, I recognize it. The fact that I'm a spaniard won't help me to be forgiven by you. But I'm a Spaniard and I believe thats something inherited because my mother and my father were spaniards, so that's not my fault.
Anyway, I was asked to continue posting. So I had to do it and also because it's only two weeks left for me in Spain.
I told you I'll speak about my exam, so I find it really interesting to tell you how it was. But as all in this country even exams are weird and speciall.
My exam was about mathematics, complex mathematics, partial differentials, third grade integrals, differential equations, and horrible stuff like that. It's something I really don't like and something I found useless, but i had to study it. I just want you to see that it isn't something easy. So I studied a lot, I was really well prepared and also I found 13 exams from other years and I made them. I hoped I'll be like them but I was wrong. After making the exam I realized in my university they make September exams more difficult than february and June's exams I guess the idea is to punish those lazy bastards who didn't pass the first, but that wasn't my case I just made it in September because I'm an organized person who believes in that mathematical sentence that says "divide and win".
The exam was the same type as wich I did at home to prepare but much more difficult. It wouldn't be that bad if the type of exam we have in this subject wasn't so stupid and horrible and unfair. We have 8 exercises, the first 7 exercises have a value of 1 poin each, and the last is 3 points so you can get a maximum of 10 and a minimun of 0, to pass the exam you need 5 points. The problem here is they only look at the solution, in fact, they can't see the whole proccess of finding it what's the real important. They only give us a paper with the questions and 8 small places to put the solution of each exercise. I believed in maths the really important thing is to learn how to solve an exercise us the sollution could be wrong because of a very, very small mistake as changing a sign on an equation. But here that's not important. So in the worst case you can be a real genius with maths and know everything about the subject and still fail the exam if you're not too meticulous to check every small detail on the proccess to get the solution. On other hand you could have no idea of neither maths nor the subject and pass the exam because you were lucky enough to solve or copy 5 problems with no mistakes.
The second thing here is realeted only to my university. My university is called UNED and I'll translate it into "National University of Distance Education" what means that I don't have any neither class or teacher to learn, so you have to learn everything by yourself. Well, we really have teachers, but on the phone. It wouldn't be a problem if they were there when you need help, but they only have one afternoon a week to be available and they're normally not there when you call. So I could say we don't have any help. They're payed the same as any other university teacher but they don't teach anybody. So I coud say they're the worst class of clerks, even for spanish standards.
Sometimes I did talk to them but with no result, it was helpless, how can you ask something about maths, or physics, or programming with them not being here to show the equations, programs, or anything. We can use email, but I believe it's even worst.
So the recipe of UNED could be:
Pick the most lazy clerks from universities, the most stupid clerks from administration, build a website, take a lot of money from the government and the pupils and mix all togheter in a building in Madrid with a telephone line that doesn't work built by the worst telephone company in Spain, but not the cheapest (Telefonica), and you have a perfect excuse to earn money and not to work.
The idea could be great, it could be perfect for those guys who don't like to go to classrooms or who don't have the time to go because they have a job. But the problem is this is Spain and nothing works here. As everybody's idea of a perfect job is to be a clerk is understandable.
Another interesting fact, we have some test type exams in wich you have an optical page, that means you have squares to tick and they'll put the exam on a machine that will correct automaticaly the exam and give the right mark. So you can think it's very easy to correct all those exams (sometimes they can be thousands) and fast. You think it won't take more than days and only with the effort of being there to feed more paper to the machine. Bullshit, that's too much work for them, and they can't be there to feed the machine because they have more important things to do, as having a coffe or being drunk in the morning. So an exam that could be corrected in a week takes two months and a half.
Now I'm waiting for my exam's correction. I need it to be fast 'cause as you know I'm leaving. I tried to call the teachers (I have two for the same subject) but, of course, they weren't there. I send them a useless email on the hope they'll see it next monday, and I can only wait, but I have no time really.
Hope everything will be ok. But I can't avoid to be angry with my hhkjgsyfg university, it's 4 years since I started studying in UNED and it's long enough.
Anyway, I was asked to continue posting. So I had to do it and also because it's only two weeks left for me in Spain.
I told you I'll speak about my exam, so I find it really interesting to tell you how it was. But as all in this country even exams are weird and speciall.
My exam was about mathematics, complex mathematics, partial differentials, third grade integrals, differential equations, and horrible stuff like that. It's something I really don't like and something I found useless, but i had to study it. I just want you to see that it isn't something easy. So I studied a lot, I was really well prepared and also I found 13 exams from other years and I made them. I hoped I'll be like them but I was wrong. After making the exam I realized in my university they make September exams more difficult than february and June's exams I guess the idea is to punish those lazy bastards who didn't pass the first, but that wasn't my case I just made it in September because I'm an organized person who believes in that mathematical sentence that says "divide and win".
The exam was the same type as wich I did at home to prepare but much more difficult. It wouldn't be that bad if the type of exam we have in this subject wasn't so stupid and horrible and unfair. We have 8 exercises, the first 7 exercises have a value of 1 poin each, and the last is 3 points so you can get a maximum of 10 and a minimun of 0, to pass the exam you need 5 points. The problem here is they only look at the solution, in fact, they can't see the whole proccess of finding it what's the real important. They only give us a paper with the questions and 8 small places to put the solution of each exercise. I believed in maths the really important thing is to learn how to solve an exercise us the sollution could be wrong because of a very, very small mistake as changing a sign on an equation. But here that's not important. So in the worst case you can be a real genius with maths and know everything about the subject and still fail the exam if you're not too meticulous to check every small detail on the proccess to get the solution. On other hand you could have no idea of neither maths nor the subject and pass the exam because you were lucky enough to solve or copy 5 problems with no mistakes.
The second thing here is realeted only to my university. My university is called UNED and I'll translate it into "National University of Distance Education" what means that I don't have any neither class or teacher to learn, so you have to learn everything by yourself. Well, we really have teachers, but on the phone. It wouldn't be a problem if they were there when you need help, but they only have one afternoon a week to be available and they're normally not there when you call. So I could say we don't have any help. They're payed the same as any other university teacher but they don't teach anybody. So I coud say they're the worst class of clerks, even for spanish standards.
Sometimes I did talk to them but with no result, it was helpless, how can you ask something about maths, or physics, or programming with them not being here to show the equations, programs, or anything. We can use email, but I believe it's even worst.
So the recipe of UNED could be:
Pick the most lazy clerks from universities, the most stupid clerks from administration, build a website, take a lot of money from the government and the pupils and mix all togheter in a building in Madrid with a telephone line that doesn't work built by the worst telephone company in Spain, but not the cheapest (Telefonica), and you have a perfect excuse to earn money and not to work.
The idea could be great, it could be perfect for those guys who don't like to go to classrooms or who don't have the time to go because they have a job. But the problem is this is Spain and nothing works here. As everybody's idea of a perfect job is to be a clerk is understandable.
Another interesting fact, we have some test type exams in wich you have an optical page, that means you have squares to tick and they'll put the exam on a machine that will correct automaticaly the exam and give the right mark. So you can think it's very easy to correct all those exams (sometimes they can be thousands) and fast. You think it won't take more than days and only with the effort of being there to feed more paper to the machine. Bullshit, that's too much work for them, and they can't be there to feed the machine because they have more important things to do, as having a coffe or being drunk in the morning. So an exam that could be corrected in a week takes two months and a half.
Now I'm waiting for my exam's correction. I need it to be fast 'cause as you know I'm leaving. I tried to call the teachers (I have two for the same subject) but, of course, they weren't there. I send them a useless email on the hope they'll see it next monday, and I can only wait, but I have no time really.
Hope everything will be ok. But I can't avoid to be angry with my hhkjgsyfg university, it's 4 years since I started studying in UNED and it's long enough.
Friday, September 03, 2004
The last month
Sorry for being late. But I have an exam next Monday and it might be the LAST one. I'm studying a lot and I don't really have time to even relax.
Yesterday was the 2nd oc September, and for those who don't know what that means I'll tell you that I leave on the 2nd of October. So that means yesterday started my last month in Spain.
As I was walking on the street, in one of my little walks with wich I award myself for a long studying day, and I was wondering and dreaming about my last month here. I found it really interesting to say goodbye to the "marulos". So I started to see things with a different point of views, more like if I was a tourist. I walked on the same streets I've been walking for 27 years but, this time, with a different sight. I found it really nice and I enjoyed a lot those little walks. I saw all the tourist, this town is really crowded with tourists, walking on the main street, shouting if they were Spaniards or just wondering if they were foreigners.
I tell you it's easy to differenciate what kind of tourists they are, and not only because of the clothes they're wearing. If they are Spaniards they look at everything like if they weren't from the same country, but of course it's really easy to see they're. They came from a different town not really far away from here, but as they see we speak with a different accent and our shops are slightly different they believe we are just yokels and they're sofisticated city fashion people. So they have this kind of sight of "look at those poor little rustics". They look at all the old buildings and talk, and talk, and talk. There's always a guide telling them about the buildings, but don't trust them to listen really. They just walk in big groups not letting anybody to pass throug them. If you find them better to walk to the next street and never try to pass through.
I'll speak about something interesting my friend Faye noticed. When you walk on the street and somebody comes opposite in front on you, he'll never move a finger to let you pass, so you have to move not to crash on him. After she told me that, and after she made some experiments like not moving when she finds herself on that kind of situation, she realized (as she told me) that they'll preffer to crash than to be moved from their way and, of course, there's no "sorry" from them (neither from Faye). So I had to check myself this and I did. It's absolutely true. As I said before, don't expect big groups of Spanish tourist to move.
Anyway. It's less than a month (a day) and I'm really excited and happy to leave this country. I love it, I won't say I don't, but I'm really bored of the same thing day after day. My critic eye is impaciently waiting to be trained in new cultures. So after critizising Spaniards I can't wait to do the same with you English. Don't expect me to be really good, unless you're so, so good I can't do it (I don't believe that could happen, anyway).
I'll write later telling you how it was my exam. In fact I might tell you about Spanish universities.
Have a really nice time.
Yesterday was the 2nd oc September, and for those who don't know what that means I'll tell you that I leave on the 2nd of October. So that means yesterday started my last month in Spain.
As I was walking on the street, in one of my little walks with wich I award myself for a long studying day, and I was wondering and dreaming about my last month here. I found it really interesting to say goodbye to the "marulos". So I started to see things with a different point of views, more like if I was a tourist. I walked on the same streets I've been walking for 27 years but, this time, with a different sight. I found it really nice and I enjoyed a lot those little walks. I saw all the tourist, this town is really crowded with tourists, walking on the main street, shouting if they were Spaniards or just wondering if they were foreigners.
I tell you it's easy to differenciate what kind of tourists they are, and not only because of the clothes they're wearing. If they are Spaniards they look at everything like if they weren't from the same country, but of course it's really easy to see they're. They came from a different town not really far away from here, but as they see we speak with a different accent and our shops are slightly different they believe we are just yokels and they're sofisticated city fashion people. So they have this kind of sight of "look at those poor little rustics". They look at all the old buildings and talk, and talk, and talk. There's always a guide telling them about the buildings, but don't trust them to listen really. They just walk in big groups not letting anybody to pass throug them. If you find them better to walk to the next street and never try to pass through.
I'll speak about something interesting my friend Faye noticed. When you walk on the street and somebody comes opposite in front on you, he'll never move a finger to let you pass, so you have to move not to crash on him. After she told me that, and after she made some experiments like not moving when she finds herself on that kind of situation, she realized (as she told me) that they'll preffer to crash than to be moved from their way and, of course, there's no "sorry" from them (neither from Faye). So I had to check myself this and I did. It's absolutely true. As I said before, don't expect big groups of Spanish tourist to move.
Anyway. It's less than a month (a day) and I'm really excited and happy to leave this country. I love it, I won't say I don't, but I'm really bored of the same thing day after day. My critic eye is impaciently waiting to be trained in new cultures. So after critizising Spaniards I can't wait to do the same with you English. Don't expect me to be really good, unless you're so, so good I can't do it (I don't believe that could happen, anyway).
I'll write later telling you how it was my exam. In fact I might tell you about Spanish universities.
Have a really nice time.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Dangerous Statistics
Statistics: branch of mathematics that deals with the collection and interpretation of numerical information
In the last ten years it has been an increasing interest in statistics in this country. So, as it's something new to Spaniards, it can be dangerous. Stats give a new chance to them to say again "There's no better place than Spain". The problem is Spaniards don't generally know the meaning of all those numbers and their meaning. It's really easy to see on a newspaper "Mediterranean diet is good for the hearth" so then they assume Mediterranean Diet is the best, I'll analize this particular case:
It can be true that the mediterranean diet is good for the hearth, I won't argue about that, but of course it's not the best and, of course there's some others in the world and not all of them are so bad. Anyway and just as an example I'll say to you that the places in wich it's general to have that kind of diet are those in South Spain. And it's true that the hearth diseases are fewer there. But, if we look at another stat, it's also true that South Spain is the place where most women are killed by their husbands. So interpollating both stats I could say that Mediterranean Diet causes your husband to kill you.
The meaning of that is Stats could be dangerous sometimes, they depend on the chosed popullation, the place, and all the backgrounds. And also it depends on the meaning the analizer gives to all those data. But most spaniards don't know anything about that. And the newspapers contribute to make a mess of all that.
Another example, but this time with another country, and a bit rude in fact. Those really interesting stats about penises sizes all the Condom manufacturers like to show sometimes. It's said in USA they have really big penises. The real fact is that the number of Afro-Americans there is much longer than in Spain and the fact that most statistics say they have really big ones makes the USA medium size quite long. So I'm sure most Americans believe their penises are big, but if they're white skin I bet they don't have a bigger one than me. (I'm sorry for the rudeness).
And continuing, about Spain, politics and stats I should say the polls made the day before elections are never rigth, amazingly wrong in fact.
Another point is, as we all know now Spaniards never tell the truth, it's easy to see stats aren't never rigth here. But when there's nothing else to do, to expend the public money in, just let's do some nonsense stats to make the people happier as they see Spain is the best country in the world in spite of the sizes of our penises , they aren't that big (we hope the arriving of moroccans would solve that).
There's one group of people that loves stats, and it's the middle aged bored males, clerks and retired. They not only love to read them but also makes their owns.
Have a nice time. Hope I'll write again.
Manoel.
PS: Now it's 1 moth and 2 weeks before I leave.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Chaspotting
I am the eggman, they're the eggman, I am the walrus, goo, goo, goo job...I am the Walrus - Beatles, Magical Mistery Tour 1967 John Lennon
In my last post I spoke a bit about "Marulos" (Chavs, in the future I'll refer them as "marulos"). That was just to explain in a few words what a chav is. But if we speak about Spain and more especificly about my town Pontevedra I'll have to describe them better 'cause they're different from the UK chavs.
The back of a marulo car
Everybody in certain stages of their lives had been a marulo. When we're teenagers we want to dress as famous music stars (and some TV of course) do. But that maked us look terrible as they looked terrible (specially if we look backwards to the eighties, it's awful). But now we're old, or at least older and when we see them dressing with that huge trainers or boots, small t-shirts that don't cover the bellies, tight trousers or loose trousers (actually it happens it could be both tight and loose at the same time), or showing us their tangas or underwear (boys do the same putting their trousers lower than normal so we can see their underwear), or whatever they dress, we think they look horrible and even that it can be dangerous to our minds. So I migth say, for those teenagers wearing those clothes, stay wearing them, I won't bother you. The problem is when we see a guy (or a bird) of our own age (or older) dressing like them, that's what we call chav (and some of the youth as well).
Anyway, here we have a special kind of them. The marulo dress like I said before but he's more than 20 years old. They want to make as much noise as possible. For that purpose they'll buy either a marulo car or a marulo motorbike (I guess the poorest have motorbikes). If you're a girl you don't need that, you only need to find a boyfriend with it, but you can still shout. It doesn't matter if the moto or the car is good or not, the really important thing is that it makes noise. So, if your motorbike is not really noisy you'll remove the exhaust so it can be noisier. Of course some stickers would help the motorbike to be faster, or at least that's what they believe. Speaking about cars it's almost the same thing but they have more add-ons. You can remove the exhaust as with motos, but you can add neon lights, more stickers (as there's more space on a car to put them), spoilers, and everything you want to make it look like a really bad copy of a 24Hrs Lemans car, of course all those would make the car faster, or at least that's what they believe. I forgot to mention an add-on you can put on a car to make it noisier and perhaps faster, who knows, in a car you can install huge good looking speakers, an amplifier and a stolen car-radio system to play Techno music at the highest volume.
For a marulo is really important to look and sound like the best marulo ever. I live on the first floor in a street where the marulos pass with their motorbikes and cars at nigth. My walls are crap and I don't have double glass windows. So you can imagine what a Sunday nigth is (they go out on sundays as I guess they don't really have a job). And as you would know if you read Colin's blogspot police doesn't really care about such noises, they only care about parking fines. I forgot to tell you that helmets aren't suitable for marulos, and of course the police don't stop them for not wearing one.
I can't wait to see British chavs, I'm so excited...
Manoel.
Monday, August 09, 2004
Chav and Fiesta
The second Sunday of August local Fiesta starts in Pontevedra (more info about this in Colin's Website). If you're planning to come here it migth not be a good idea to come at that time. The city gets full of people, parking is almost impossible and driving as well. Walking in certain streets can be awful and sometimes painful (psychologically, I mean). But, if you're interested in human beings and like to be an anthropologist, it migth be wonderful. I started this year a new hobby I call "chavspotting" and it consists on having a coffee in a terrace on a crowdy street and oberve the people that cross the street. It's really funny, I enjoy it a lot. Of course it's better to be with somebody else that likes the same hobby so you can comment the different dresses, attitudes, etc...
I migth explain what a chav is for anybody that don't know what a chav is. In my town we call them "marulos" and the origins of that name escapes my knoledge, anyway I'll try to find out. I have stolen a definition from the Babylon Online Glossary, here it is:
Now, that you know what a chav is I'll tell you about the recent talks I had with my english friends. They're always saying that youth dresses really badly in England (marulo style) and I can't wait to practice my favourite hobby there, but I had a lot of practice here 'cause I guess we're having the same marulo stylished youth. My friend Faye was saying her sister told her about the increasing bad taste in Pontevedra's youth dressing, and as for me the change must be slow 'cause I didn't realize it yet. But now I see, it's true. They have those new fashionable jeans with short t-shirts allowing the rest of the mortals to see what we shouldn't see. All that fat, bellies, tatoos, tangas, ... Completed with the most horrible trainers. Colors that my mum never allowed me to wear (she's sensible).
All these makes me think about women liberation. All those feminists fought to allow our daughters to dress like whores (actually the whores don't dress like that). I know it sounds really hard, but it's true, just try and practice CHAVSPOTTING.
I promise I'll speak about London chavs.
Anyway, more info about chavs in http://www.chavscum.co.uk
I migth explain what a chav is for anybody that don't know what a chav is. In my town we call them "marulos" and the origins of that name escapes my knoledge, anyway I'll try to find out. I have stolen a definition from the Babylon Online Glossary, here it is:
chav:
So-called peasant underclass.
History, etymology, synonyms:
The press in Britain has recently been having fun mocking a group called "non-educated delinquents" and "the burgeoning peasant underclass". The subjects of these derogatory descriptions are said to be set apart by ignorance, fecklessness, mindless violence and bad taste. Thus, critics point to their style of dress: a love of flashy gold jewellery; the wearing of white trainers; clothes in fashionable brands with very prominent logos; and baseball caps, frequently in Burberry check, a favourite style. The women, the Daily Mail wrote, "pull their shoddily dyed hair back in that ultra-tight bun known as a 'council-house facelift', wear skirts too short for their mottled blue thighs, and expose too much of their distressingly flabby midriffs".
Much of the attention is due to the experience of a Web site http://www.chavscum.co.uk. There is the wide variety of local names given to the type. Scots call them "neds" (an acronym of "non-educated delinquents", as folk etymology suppose; but it is probably from a nickname for "Edward", linked to yobbish youths through a previous generation of young louts, the teddy boys, "teddy" being an abbreviated form of "Edwardian"). Liverpudlians prefer "scallies" (a term of long-standing for a boisterous, disruptive or irresponsible young man); "Kev" is common around London (presumably from Kevin, popularised through the portrayal on his television show by the comedian Harry Enfield of an idiotic teenager with that name). Other terms are "janners" (from Plymouth), "smicks", "spides", "moakes" and "steeks" (all from Belfast), plus "bazzas", "scuffheads", "stigs", "stangers", "yarcos", and "kappa slappers" (girls who wear Kappa brand tracksuits, "slapper" being British slang for a promiscuous or vulgar woman). The term that has become especially widely known is borrowed for the name of the Web site, "chav". Maybe, it derived from the name of the town of Chatham in Kent. But it seems that the word is from a much older underclass, the gypsies, many of whom have lived in that area for generations.
"Chav" is almost certainly from the Romany word for a child, "chavi", recorded from the middle of the nineteenth century. It was being used as a term of address to an adult man a little later in the century, but it hasn't often been recorded in print since and its derivative "chav" is quite new to most people. Other terms for the class also have Romany connections; another is "charver", Romany for prostitute. Yet another is the deeply insulting "pikey", presumably from the Kentish dialect term for gypsy that was borrowed from "turnpike", so a person who travels the roads. And so, a term that has been in active but low-level use for the last 150 years suddenly bursting out into wider popular use in a new sense through circumstances we don't fully understand.
Now, that you know what a chav is I'll tell you about the recent talks I had with my english friends. They're always saying that youth dresses really badly in England (marulo style) and I can't wait to practice my favourite hobby there, but I had a lot of practice here 'cause I guess we're having the same marulo stylished youth. My friend Faye was saying her sister told her about the increasing bad taste in Pontevedra's youth dressing, and as for me the change must be slow 'cause I didn't realize it yet. But now I see, it's true. They have those new fashionable jeans with short t-shirts allowing the rest of the mortals to see what we shouldn't see. All that fat, bellies, tatoos, tangas, ... Completed with the most horrible trainers. Colors that my mum never allowed me to wear (she's sensible).
All these makes me think about women liberation. All those feminists fought to allow our daughters to dress like whores (actually the whores don't dress like that). I know it sounds really hard, but it's true, just try and practice CHAVSPOTTING.
I promise I'll speak about London chavs.
Anyway, more info about chavs in http://www.chavscum.co.uk
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
A Foreigner in your own Country
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York, I'm an alien I'm a legal alien, I'm an Englishman in New York...Sting
One of the main reasons why I leave (I have so many...) it's the feeling of being an Alien in my own Planet. I spoke a bit (I'll say more about that in the future) about Spaniards. In fact I made my own definition about them, but I'm sure I miss some more verbs. I should and will say that we are unpunctual, not really reliable, incompetents (that's something I'll explain in the future), lazy, arrogant, and even dangerous to ourselves sometimes (you'll have to read Colin's Blog to know more about that), and I could continue If my knowledge of English verbs was enough. I don't want to say we're the most horrible people in the entire human kind, of course other countries are mostly the same but, at least, those are more concentrated in some social nucleos (precisely the most powerfull and richest), but I won't speak about social classes and the human beings, that belong to philosophy.
But we, Spaniards, have something special that makes us special compared to other countries. We truly believe our behaviour is the right one, we understand each others behaviours so we don't give a shit when somebody is lying or misbehaving upon us because we'll do the same. I believe that's our most remarkable characteristic. As I said in latest posts "We know the rules".
I have really good reasons to move to another country and, in fact, England is just one of the countries I thought about, but the easiest to be moved in. Some personal reasons, some professional, some psicological, and so on. But the last two years in Spanish history made my decision stronger. For those who read the news (and not only the local ones) you should know we had the "Prestige" catastrofe, the terrorist attack on 11-M, the Iraquian conflict, and our last elections. I was horrified to see how malleable is the human kind.
I guess every country is the same shit, but speaking about Spain I have to explain. In all those problems nobody gave a bloody shit about what was going on. Everybody said something different the day before the event happened but, the next day, after speaking with somebody, or just hearing the news (controlled by political parties) changed completely their minds about what was really happening. I will just give some examples about any of the events:
1.- The Prestige: The ship was broken. Sailing the sea going nowhere. What to do with it? It's full of petrol. I heard everybody saing "just take it away from here", they really said that I promise. So the government said "take it away from the coast" and everybody agreed. I promise I'm not inventing anything, the TV, the radio, the people on the street they all agreed it was the right thing to do. The ship collapsed and the oil slick was just started. Some days of suspense, some days of hard work. And, suddenly, as we heard the radio again, the opposite partie, the TV, the newspaper (all media controlled by the opposite partie) said the governemt taked the wrong deccision. Some lies from the governemt made it worst and then began the demonstrations (controlled by the opposite parties), and everybody changed their minds. I've been in the beaches and the islands affected by the fuel trying to do my best, but I couldn't stand hearing the same political shit again and again while we should be cleaning the fuel from them. There's something very interesting about this event. The citizens of the most affected towns voted the actual governemt on local elections, the answer of the question "Why?" is really simple, the government paid them good salaries while they couldn't work on the sea, fishing.
After some months everybody in this country forgot anything about what happened, now it was just another old news.
2.- Iraquian conflict, terrorist attack in Madrid and elections: The same shit. Everybody in this country was perfectly quiet about Irak, Sadam Hussein and Al-Quaeda before the 11 of March. They were going to vote the same government we had for last 8 years, the polls were clear (even after the Prestige event) giving a clear victory to the PP (the conservative party). But then 200 people died because of an Al-Quaeda attack in Madrid. It was a repetition of the Prestige thing. We were 3 days before general elections. And, as it happened before, some days after the horrifying attack everything started again. Demonstrations (controlled again by the opposition parties). That wasn't that bad, at least the reason was good. But just before the election, in the reflexion day (as we call here the day before elections in wich any kind of political show is strictly forbidden) new demonstrations, and not nice and quiet ones, started in any city and town of Spain (I guess, and I mean guess, they were controlled by the opposition parties). So, as it happened before, the Spaniards changed their minds and voted in a different direction. As a result of this Spain was divided and we had a new socialist governemt.
I won't say anything about politics, personally I don't agree with any of the parties we have here. Some are too conservative and the others too "trying to be modern". What I don't agree is the malleable attitude of the Spaniards. So, when they're in a group and the most of them thinks "yes" the rest would say "yes" even if they don't agree with that, but just because they don't want to "quedar mal" (I'll translate this into "lose face", but I'm not sure if it's the right expresion).
I didn't change my mind about what was happening. I just saw it was a horrible catastrophe. All those killings, all those beaches and sea destroyed, everything was just bad news. I was concerned about what was happening, I went to clean the beaches, I went to the demonstrations when they were just to show how angry we were (not controlled by anybody). And, if I would believed in god, I would prayed for all those lives. But I didn't change my mind. So I guess I'm a monster here, an Alien in a strange country were I was born and in wich I'm not sure to believe in.
I apologize to be so horrible this time, but I felt quite angry today, it migth say it's the horrible weather we're having this summer what makes me so angry (global warming???).
I hope next time I'd be more funny.
Manoel
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Just some news
I found out I could have a 1Gb email Account with 100Mb of Free Webspace and 250Mb of photos. So I decided that it could be a good idea if I just started a new photo Gallery for my Blog. I love to add contents to my websites so I belived it's going to be great. I'll include any photo related to my travel, so as it's still 2 months to my departure I guess I have no photo to put in.
So, if you like my blog and wants to know more about my adventure I tell you to look after 2 months (and some days) to see my new Photo Gallery Stuff. I planed to bring my digital camera with me, so I guess I'll take some photos from the airports (Vigo, Madrid in Spain, and Gattwick in London).
If you're a bit interested in that just look at the links section to see if I had added a "Photo Gallery" section in it (in the future I'll add a link to it in a different part of the Blog, more clear and easy to be seen). However I guess I'll publish some photos from Galicia and myself before I leave. Just look at the links section sometimes and you might see.
The future Londoner.
So, if you like my blog and wants to know more about my adventure I tell you to look after 2 months (and some days) to see my new Photo Gallery Stuff. I planed to bring my digital camera with me, so I guess I'll take some photos from the airports (Vigo, Madrid in Spain, and Gattwick in London).
If you're a bit interested in that just look at the links section to see if I had added a "Photo Gallery" section in it (in the future I'll add a link to it in a different part of the Blog, more clear and easy to be seen). However I guess I'll publish some photos from Galicia and myself before I leave. Just look at the links section sometimes and you might see.
The future Londoner.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Cheating 2
As a result of a comment I decided to explain the reason why I had included "cheating" in my own definition of a Spaniard. But I believe he's still not convinced. I'll give you some more examples of Spanish cheating, so I guess it'll be clearer.
My friend Colin (he's the unbeliever) had just reciently posted one good example but it seems he doesn't really believe lying is that serious. It was this "importers of German cars were found to have been turning the clocks back by many thousands of kilometres" you can read it better in his blog. So that's a good one.
But now I have some more for all of you. One of the most common cheats in Spain is when the time to pay taxes comes. A Spaniard will do the best they can to pay less. So they will say they have nothing, or they probably have put the name of their wives for expensive houses, cars, bussiness, so they can pay less. That's only for the richests, but the rest of us would just lie a bit. It's really common for the companies to put less money in the contract than the real salary and pay the rest of it in "black money" so they'll pay less taxes as well as the employee, the bad side of this is that it also means they would pay less money to the social security, this won't be bad if you work there forever, but if finally they fire you you will receive less money from the government.
Talking about subsidies, it's completely normal that some people would receive money from the government and work at the same time without a contract. As a result our desemplyment numbers are a complete fake. And even some of them won't accept a job just because it's more comfortable to receive money for watching TV and sleeping. In fact, in this subject I would say that I guess we are the only country in wich we have a large number of desemployees and a lack of employees for some kind of jobs (the same ones the third world inmigrants accepts).
Talking about jobs, I heard recently on TV that 80% of the youngs were lying in their CVs. They said they can speak a language (most of the cases English) when thay can't say more than "jelo" (that's how Spaniards spell it), or just write a really large list of software they can use when they never had touched a computer, they invented courses they've never been, and so on. The interviewed interviewer said "that's just normal, we all now that, so we wait for the interview to check it".
I can't speak about governemnt lies because I would never stop, and I guess that's inherited to all governments.
Repeating the same sentence with a different object "I can't speak about women lies,...".
And to finish this time. Something my friend Colin knows. Recently the number of parcially disableds had been increased noticeably. That's just because the Spaniards had just realized they'll pay much less taxes if they have more than a 35% of it. I had two examples at home. I won't say they don't really deserve to pay less taxes, but, on the other side, I believe this is just unfair. That money could be used to change the streets so they would be less dangerous to disableds.
Anyway, I hope I would find more examples about it.
My friend Colin (he's the unbeliever) had just reciently posted one good example but it seems he doesn't really believe lying is that serious. It was this "importers of German cars were found to have been turning the clocks back by many thousands of kilometres" you can read it better in his blog. So that's a good one.
But now I have some more for all of you. One of the most common cheats in Spain is when the time to pay taxes comes. A Spaniard will do the best they can to pay less. So they will say they have nothing, or they probably have put the name of their wives for expensive houses, cars, bussiness, so they can pay less. That's only for the richests, but the rest of us would just lie a bit. It's really common for the companies to put less money in the contract than the real salary and pay the rest of it in "black money" so they'll pay less taxes as well as the employee, the bad side of this is that it also means they would pay less money to the social security, this won't be bad if you work there forever, but if finally they fire you you will receive less money from the government.
Talking about subsidies, it's completely normal that some people would receive money from the government and work at the same time without a contract. As a result our desemplyment numbers are a complete fake. And even some of them won't accept a job just because it's more comfortable to receive money for watching TV and sleeping. In fact, in this subject I would say that I guess we are the only country in wich we have a large number of desemployees and a lack of employees for some kind of jobs (the same ones the third world inmigrants accepts).
Talking about jobs, I heard recently on TV that 80% of the youngs were lying in their CVs. They said they can speak a language (most of the cases English) when thay can't say more than "jelo" (that's how Spaniards spell it), or just write a really large list of software they can use when they never had touched a computer, they invented courses they've never been, and so on. The interviewed interviewer said "that's just normal, we all now that, so we wait for the interview to check it".
I can't speak about governemnt lies because I would never stop, and I guess that's inherited to all governments.
Repeating the same sentence with a different object "I can't speak about women lies,...".
And to finish this time. Something my friend Colin knows. Recently the number of parcially disableds had been increased noticeably. That's just because the Spaniards had just realized they'll pay much less taxes if they have more than a 35% of it. I had two examples at home. I won't say they don't really deserve to pay less taxes, but, on the other side, I believe this is just unfair. That money could be used to change the streets so they would be less dangerous to disableds.
Anyway, I hope I would find more examples about it.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
The Meaning of Cheating, or Spaniards 1.2
It's such a wonderful day that's sure somebody will come to make it horrible.
Anonymous. A normal day in Spain.
Preparing for lying
I had a question about my own definition of a Spaniard. I should tell you that I thought I was well explained, but I was wrong. I really meant cheating, but I wasn't speaking about love. So, I think the best is to explain it with some examples as well with words.
I realized that for non Spaniards lying is such an unpolite way of doing things. But that's not true for Spaniards. If you want to complain about anything they always have an excuse, even if it's true or not (it could be a half truth). In Spain how the people think we are is even more important than how we really are. I mean, if somebody fails, they'll try to show that it wasn't their fault, so their image won't be damaged. The most common is, when you are complaining about something, to say that "it's not my fault, my ... told me to do it like this" (you can say "boss", "company" or whatever you want) so they'll still be nice to the complainer. I saw that and even practise it when I worked in CARREFOUR hypermarket, but in my defence I would say it was true.
Guilties could be bosses, companies, wheather, another company, traffic, or in case of being late somebody's fault.
That's another subject in Spaniards, punctuality. Never trust a Spaniard. As you should know by now, Spaniards love chatting and, as I said, cheating, so, if a Spaniard is late (99% of the times) be sure they will say "I received a call from ... and I couldn't stop him talking", that could be true, but it's hardly to believe they couldn't stop him for more than half an hour. But chatting is really important to Spaniards. We'll speak more about that subject in the future, especially when I can compare Spain with other cultures.
Returning to our main Subject I would say that we are lyiers, more than that, experts in lying. I have to add another common prhase "mañana, mañana..." that means something like "tomorrow, tomorrow, ...". Literally it really means "tomorrow" but really it doesn't. The real meaning of that sentence is "I might do it some day", or "it migth happen some day" or "I'll finish some day". That's a really important thing to now if you want to be here for in a long term. Foreigners would tend to believe the real meaning of the sentence so, the next day, they would quietly come there to ask again, in the believe it would be finished, just to receive the same answer "mañana, mañana". This has to do both with cheating and punctuallity. They would really want to finish it before tomorrow, but I'm sure they will receive a calling from somebody or just find something more fun to do.
So we really cheat, but only to foreigners, because we know the rules. For us that's not lying, we know the code, we know the rules. If somebody tells me "sorry for being late, my mom called me..." I know they're lying but I don't really care, because I would do the same thing. And if somebody tells me "Mañana, mañana" I know they mean in a far future. And so on.
At this point I hope you got the core of Spanish cheating. We really don't want you to think we are as horrible as we appear to be.
I hope I made it clear for you. I'm living here since I was born, and that means 27 years and a half, so I guess I know ourselves enough to tell you how we are. And I'm not a real Spaniard so I can really say that being a bit objective. Perhaps I'm being too negative. But in our defence I would say again that "there's no better place in the whole world than Spain".
Friday, July 23, 2004
Spaniards
spaniard: resident of Spain (country in southwestern Europe)
That's the definition from a dictionary. But, of course, that's uncomplete. If we follow the literal words my friend Colin could be a Spaniard, but of course he isn't (and I'm pretty sure he would never want to be one). A Spaniard it's a person who lives in Spain and like a Spaniard. So, before, I'll post my own definition:
spaniard: Human being who has a lot of important friends, who loves chatting, cheating, partying and Spain. And lives in Spain.
One of the most common sentences you will hear from a Spaniard it's "No se vive mejor en ningún sitio como en España" that I translate into "There's no place as comfortable as Spain". You can change the verb "vive" that literally means "live" and change it into "come" (eat) or any other expression like "lo pasa uno tan bien" (funny, to have fun) and it would be the second and third and so on favourite Spanish sentences. For a Spaniard there's no place better than home and they'll say horrible things about any other countries, specially when they speak about food and fun. But the problem is that 90% of the Spaniards had never gone out Spain. So, you will hear something like "The food in England is disgusting" and if you dare in asking if they had been there they will say "Of course not, but a friend of mine...". As Spaniards love chatting, and chatting, and chatting and so on to the infinite, they tend to speak about almost everthing even when they don't know a word on the subject. Well, sometimes I don't think I'm really a Spaniard, and about food I don't think our food is the best, I like it, but I love other non Spanish food. But I still like chatting.
The real wish of any Spaniard it's to be a "funcionario" (clerk). That gives them a chance to spend their lives chatting and having fun. Spanish burocracy is one of the worst in the whole world, and not because our government is really bad (well, actually it is, but not the worst), but because if you want something, all the clerks will be doing something better than working. It's not really difficult to find a clerk having coffe while you need a paper to be signed, or whatever. And, of course, the chance of coming close to a clerk's desk and finding him reading the news, or chatting with anybody on the phone, or just at home, it's something like perfectly possible. They get high salaries, and some discounts in education, and a good health insurance. So it's perfecly understanding that wish.
About government, well this year I had a perfect example on what a government shouldn't be. I'm sure you know we had our own 11S in the shape of 11M. If the terrorist had an idea of how to damage a country I'm sure they did, but not on purpose. Do I believe in Democracy? not in this country. You know we had it since 1976 (more or less) and that should give an idea of how trained are we in this. Well, the point I want to speak about is that we are having a kind of an investigation like in the US about what happen. What a lie. If you read Spanish newspapers you'll realise that the newspapers, radio, TV knows more than even the investigators about it. You'll realise that SECRET documents are being shown, confidents and almost everything. That's a shame, in my own opinion. What's the point on having a secret agency if you can know all just reading the news. What's the value of a confindent when the terrorist know their names?
Something else about government, specially about the new government. Today, as a special report in the news, they said that our last governemt had a contract with a "lobby" in the US. That contract was about promoting Spain in the US, something like developing relations in business, diplomatics, ... And also it had a mention about a medal the US parliament was giving to our old president Aznar. So, the new socialist Spanish governemt was really fast to speak about it, and not with nice words. They said that it's a peculation of public funds. But I'm thinking about something, if they are the new government, shoudln't they have access to all the bills? And if they have why they didn't found out about that contract and that monthly bill? It's something like If I'm the president of Spain I can make any contract, even in my own benefit, because the new government will never know. It's just an excuse to say again, and again, how bad was our last governemt.
Well, as I'm not already in England I think I can only speak about Spaniards. And I think that even When I'll be there I'll still speak about Spaniards. We are so wierd...
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Visions from the Future
Now it's just a 2 & 1/2 months for my leaving.
I wonder what I'll find, but there's something I'm sure of it, I'll met people, interesting people, not the same old spanish rubbish (I don't mean they are rubbish really). Am I excited? Yes, of course. Am I anxious? how can I tell you. Dreams came to me, really nice dreams, but reality is always better than fantasy.
Anyway. I got my Mobile Phone Card today (it's a "Pay as you Go" card), so I can be called from England now. Why did I ask for it? I thought it would be good if I can make some calls from there without looking for a Telephone cabinet and be called by my mom when I reach there (I love my mom, and my other relatives too). Apart from that I thought I could include my English Mobile Number on my CV so, as I'm going to send my CV before I leave, I can be called even from my first day in England from Job Agencies or whatever they're called. At first I was amazed that it's juice was only 1 pound and I even thought it was mean. But, after comparing to spanish standards, I realized that although in Spain they offer 6€(+/- 4 pounds) we have to pay more for the card, and it's not that easy to get one.I mean I paid 15 pounds for the card while in Spain I would have paid +/- 22. So finally I realized it's not that expensive, in fact, it's more expensive here although you get more juice.
Anyway. I'm really happy to have my card, but I have to put some money on it, I guess 1 pound it's not enough (even when my spanish mobile card has just 15p, but I don't normally call anybody with the mobile).
I want to add, just to finish this post, that I made it for my friends and actually for anybody that want's to read some nonsense in a strange language (even for the English Speakers), so my hope is that this stupid blog could be interesting to somebody and I wish I could put a smile on somebodies face).
P.S: Mr. Colin Davies told me that the title was incorrect and, of course it is, But that's just another joke so, as "an" Spaniard, my knowledge of the English language should be limited. I hope anybody else can get the joke ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)