Finding a Place to Live
Soooo….
It’s been a little while, I know – and a lot has happened since my last post. Por ejemplo, I now live in Granada city and I have my very own address and everything!! (For those of you who may have read my last post, my flight went well)
While I haven’t been keeping up with this blog (my self motivation is lacking), I have been keeping a sort-of journal for my thoughts as I’ve been here… but it’s a bit sparse too. Here’s my longest excerpt:
September 17, 2009,
Wow. I’m actually here, and I saw my first Barcelona jersey in the actual city of Barcelona. All summer I kept thinking about going to Spain and being there, but now I’m here and I can’t explain this feeling.
Also, I ordered my first drink in Spanish. It was an orange Fanta.
_______________________
So, since I haven’t written any practical information yet that is either interesting, entertaining, or useful, I think that I will start now.
Finding a place to live is not hard… but you can’t be shy. Yes, it’s hard to talk on the phone in Spanish. No, you will not understand everything. Yes, you have to do it.
For me, the hardest part was making the first call. After finding hundreds of posters advertising pisos compartidos it was hard to know where to start. I started almost every phone call by explaining that it was incredibly difficult for me to understand spanish on the phone, and after a little laughter they were happy to speak more slowly. Remember that you probably aren’t calling 40 year old business executives. More than likely, the person on the other end of your call is a student just looking for a roommate who they can get along with – you don’t need to speak perfect Spanish to be friendly and personable.
The other major piece of advice I would give is to really look into what it is that you want to gain from this experience. Do you want to live with a family? Do you want to live with other Americans? Do you want to live in the city? Figuring out ahead of time a basic idea of what you’re looking for is a great way to start. It doesn’t mean that you are definitely going to have the situation you thought you wanted, but it’s a great way to get the process started. For example, I was 98% sure that I wanted to live with a family in my small town Guadix. Now I live in an apartment with college aged students in the heart of Granada. For me, as soon as I stepped off the bus from Guadix to Granada for a day trip, I knew that I was going to have to change my plans.
I would highly encourage you to ask yourself what it is you think you may want from this experience, figure out what sort of living situation would best suit that goal, and finally stay flexible enough to change your mind if your instincts tell you otherwise. Live somewhere that makes you happy.
Andrew
