Merry Xmas bloggers.
Yes, it´s only days before christmas. For most is a horrible season in wich we reeoncounter with old relatives and/or friends we didn´t really want to see. We eat and drink, and then we eat and drink, and on and on, ....
There´s some differences between spanish christmas and the anglosaxon. We spaniards are of fiesta type, so it´s easy to imagine we have a three weeks christmas. We both celebrate christmas eve and new years eve, but we also have "three orient kings" eve. For us those three weeks, from the 24th ´till the 6th of Jan. are christmas. If you don´t know about the three orient kings those are wich brought little Jesus presents following the christmas star to christ´s birthplace. So our children receive presents on the 6th directly from the three kings. We called them "Los tres reyes magos" and are Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar. They´re supposed to come from far away reigns and if my memory doesn´t fail one of them is jew, the other indian and the last african. They travel using camels and brings gifts and presents. As well as Santa they come at night, but instead going down a chimney they just open a window, wich is far easier and cleaner. I´m just worried about how easy is to open my window from the outside, hopeful the kings doesn´t teach thieves.
On the past few years Spain became a bit anglosaxon in some matters. I mean we copied Americans mostly and their customs. We exchanged our "Belen" (a representation of christs birthplace using small figures) and replaced it with a christmas tree. And also we put Santa Claus in the three kings place. I believe it´s not fair, although is an opportunity to receive two christmas presents instead of one, as most people just celebrate both. There´s something I don´t like about Santa and it´s the fact he comes from Coca-Cola, the jolly red guy.
As I got tired and angry with public transportation I decided to buy a car, and so I did last friday. I talked to a cousin of mine who lives here and also works selling cars and he showed me a good and cheap one, so the very same day I said yes.
This week I´m going to pick it up, I just hope they won´t be too spaniards and let me enjoy my new car as soon as possible. I´ll post a picture of it if you want. That gives me an opportunity to start new stories, this time about traffic jams. I´m sure I´ll have some.
Merry xmas to all of you and happy new year, hope next will be as good as this one for me.
Manoel.
PS: Colin, I hope I won´t find you on the road with my car, ;-)
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
Trains and other stuff.
Hello bloggers.
I know it´s a long time since last post. I must apologize, but there´s no excuse except lack of time and will to write.
It´s been a year since I came to Madrid. A lot of things happened this year and most good ones. My life changed completely, as I promised when I started the blog. I live in my own house (well, shared, but you know what I mean), I have a job and I earn enough money to enjoy living and also the little luxuries I love (Except for the car, but that´ll come soon).
I remind you of that because christmas is coming, and it makes me remind last. I came from Madrid by bus and everything was full of snow, white, glassy, shiny, beautiful snow. My family was glad to see me because they hadn´t saw me in a long while. This time is longer. I would love to see them more often, but I can´t and also in some ways I don´t want to (please notice what I mean). I miss them, but not much because my mom loves me to call her as much as I can. Really I´d preffer to call her once or twice a week, but finally I call her every two days. That´s the Spanish mom´s like. But somehow this xmas is going to be special, because it´s the first time I´m on my own.
As you noticed by the post´s title I´m going to talk about trains. Trains is one of the reasons I want, and going to, buy a car. It´s not only they´re bloody late, but also they´re crowded and unconfortable. But the worst is timings. I can´t rely on trains, and the chedule is awful. If I miss the 7:30 I´ll have to wait at least 15 minutes to catch next one, and that´s only if I´m lucky enough not to have a train´s driver strike, or an electrical problem, or a broken train on the track, or... (there´s always something). Last week they had electrical problems with one of the tracks, it was casual that it only affected people who wanted to go where I wanted, I´m trying to be optimistic, but it did. A man was telling customers on the station speakers who should try alternative transport to go to Chamartin to catch the train from there. That was funny and annyoing, because there is no alternative. The underground to Chamartin is closed due to the construction of a new station and also it´s almost impossible to catch a bus to Plaza Castilla wich would be another option, but they´re full all the time, and also I´ll lose 30 minutes just reaching there. So there were no alternatives except paying a taxi or walking, both options would mean alosing a lot of time.
So I called my boss and warned him I was going to be late, blame renfe (the spanish railroad company, yes we only have one and it´s gubernamental, more or less). I waited for another train that was going to Chamartin, although didn´t to the place I wanted to go, but at least I could try Chamartin. The I had to wait for another 30 minutes but finally I could catch the right train to go to my job. I was lucky at the end, but for a trip that should take 45 minutes I needed 2 hours. I forgot to mention that the train was bloody crowded and stinky.
That´s why I want a car. I know it doesn´t mean the trip would take less time (well, actually it could), because traffic jams. And also I know you can never rely on the traffic. I could also be late, but at least I´ll be on my own car, seated and listening to the radio. I also love driving (I have no experience on big traffic jams, just only on small ones, but I`m not afraid).
There´s something else related to trains, my colleague at work. He´s not a bad guy, but he´s not what I consider as a funny guy. We go back togheter on the train often. So as I´m seated beside him I can´t listen to music or read my book, I don´t want to be rude. That wouldn´t be bad if he had a good conversation. I try hard, I speak, I ask him things, but he only answers and shut. So I spend half the trip silent. For the people who knows me in person, they know I can´t be quiet for a long time and I love talking, so it´s kind of a punishment.
Farewell and if I can´t write again soon Merry Xmas.
Manoel
I know it´s a long time since last post. I must apologize, but there´s no excuse except lack of time and will to write.
It´s been a year since I came to Madrid. A lot of things happened this year and most good ones. My life changed completely, as I promised when I started the blog. I live in my own house (well, shared, but you know what I mean), I have a job and I earn enough money to enjoy living and also the little luxuries I love (Except for the car, but that´ll come soon).
I remind you of that because christmas is coming, and it makes me remind last. I came from Madrid by bus and everything was full of snow, white, glassy, shiny, beautiful snow. My family was glad to see me because they hadn´t saw me in a long while. This time is longer. I would love to see them more often, but I can´t and also in some ways I don´t want to (please notice what I mean). I miss them, but not much because my mom loves me to call her as much as I can. Really I´d preffer to call her once or twice a week, but finally I call her every two days. That´s the Spanish mom´s like. But somehow this xmas is going to be special, because it´s the first time I´m on my own.
As you noticed by the post´s title I´m going to talk about trains. Trains is one of the reasons I want, and going to, buy a car. It´s not only they´re bloody late, but also they´re crowded and unconfortable. But the worst is timings. I can´t rely on trains, and the chedule is awful. If I miss the 7:30 I´ll have to wait at least 15 minutes to catch next one, and that´s only if I´m lucky enough not to have a train´s driver strike, or an electrical problem, or a broken train on the track, or... (there´s always something). Last week they had electrical problems with one of the tracks, it was casual that it only affected people who wanted to go where I wanted, I´m trying to be optimistic, but it did. A man was telling customers on the station speakers who should try alternative transport to go to Chamartin to catch the train from there. That was funny and annyoing, because there is no alternative. The underground to Chamartin is closed due to the construction of a new station and also it´s almost impossible to catch a bus to Plaza Castilla wich would be another option, but they´re full all the time, and also I´ll lose 30 minutes just reaching there. So there were no alternatives except paying a taxi or walking, both options would mean alosing a lot of time.
So I called my boss and warned him I was going to be late, blame renfe (the spanish railroad company, yes we only have one and it´s gubernamental, more or less). I waited for another train that was going to Chamartin, although didn´t to the place I wanted to go, but at least I could try Chamartin. The I had to wait for another 30 minutes but finally I could catch the right train to go to my job. I was lucky at the end, but for a trip that should take 45 minutes I needed 2 hours. I forgot to mention that the train was bloody crowded and stinky.
That´s why I want a car. I know it doesn´t mean the trip would take less time (well, actually it could), because traffic jams. And also I know you can never rely on the traffic. I could also be late, but at least I´ll be on my own car, seated and listening to the radio. I also love driving (I have no experience on big traffic jams, just only on small ones, but I`m not afraid).
There´s something else related to trains, my colleague at work. He´s not a bad guy, but he´s not what I consider as a funny guy. We go back togheter on the train often. So as I´m seated beside him I can´t listen to music or read my book, I don´t want to be rude. That wouldn´t be bad if he had a good conversation. I try hard, I speak, I ask him things, but he only answers and shut. So I spend half the trip silent. For the people who knows me in person, they know I can´t be quiet for a long time and I love talking, so it´s kind of a punishment.
Farewell and if I can´t write again soon Merry Xmas.
Manoel
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