Mi casa es tu Casa

As most of you probably know, I've lived in Sevilla for 1.5 years. If I had a nickel for everytime somebody told me mi casa es tu casa I could buy my own darn casa. Well, appearantly I had to hear it just one more time - because through this saying I am now living in Las Arenas. Las Arenas forms part of the township (this is not the correct phrasing but it looks good so I don't care, it's actually 4 towns very close together which have the same local authority) Getxo. Getxo is 15 minutes out of the city of Bilbao by metro and is where all the people in Bilbao move to as soon as they have the financial means to do so. It is a beautiful area, I live 5 minutes from the sea, about 15 minutes from Deusto, and 0 minutes from a loving and kind family. The family consists of Conchita (the mom, name comes from Concepcion, pronounce the ch as tsj), Estibaliz, and Mikel. Conchita is a widow who was looking for an extension of the family and through an advertisement I got her phone number. She is extremely caring and mommy-ish, cooks for me (basque food mind you :)), takes care of me (you have the information session now right? well write down all the questions you have, because if you don't you'll probably not remember everything you want to ask), and is just a gem. Estibaliz is doing her master and working parttime at Iberia and is very helpful (she came to pick me up by car when I got lost in the area..) and Mikel works fulltime and is also extremely helpful (he came to Bilbao and picked up everything to be moved and did not let me come with him because he could carry the things up to the house without any problem and did not need me to help him :)).
As you might notice, I am extremely content with the social situation! Besides that, I now have a bed my feet fit in, a nice big kitchen, a living room, a tv room, my own bathroom, and a safe area to live in. I'm happy. Porque su casa es mi casa. I really feel at home here and everybody is extremely willing to show me around. Conchitas other daughter, Miriam, is going to show me the area by car with her husband this sunday etc. Just genuinly nice people!

Last week was great since Antonio was here! He arrived saturday the 28th and stayed until wednesday the 1st. We visited multiple museums (the Guggenheim again) and OH! I saw art being made! The Anish Kapoor canon artwork was being 'maintained', I filmed it (little rascal that I am) and will post it also. I guess it's not that interesting, since nothing happens until pretty much the last 15 seconds (3:20 min). However, you do see me manouver around some annoying people who were standing up which required amazing skills, and notice the intens sighs around 1:40min.
We visited all the different neighboorhoods of Bilbao, and we decided that Las Arenas was faaaaaar nicer. By the way, I decided to move to Las Arenas when we were visiting the area so he's already seen where I live, and persuaded me to do it :) What a guy, always looking out for me! It was just fun to be together again and do the daily things, drink coffee (we love walking into random cafe's and drinking a coffee), movies, lunch. Everything just seems to make a little more sense when we're together..

Today I had my information session for the university. I will tell you about the great organizational concept called Spanish Universities. First of all it took like 3 tries to enroll by mail, great internal communication, just greeeeeeeeat. Then when I got here I went to Deusto to ask when the introduction week was. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, sweet naive Kayleigh, there IS no introduction week at Deusto. As a matter of fact, there is nothing even close to an information week as I know it from Tilburg University. As the kind helpful lady (note sarcasm) told me after I asked her about the non-existent introduction week: 'To meet people you should take the Spanish course. - Well.. as you can hear I already speak Spanish - Well.. at least you would meet people.' Double-dooshe alert. Then they were going to send me an e-mail stating when the information session would be. It was clear it was going to be today (monday 6 sept) but the time was unclear. Well.. days pass by and 5 days before the so-called information session no word. I pass by the office of international relations (they should call it international break-ups) and I am told it will be at 16.00 but there is still no room reserved. OK. Let's take a time-out here. This is a big university. More or less prestigious. International students are a measure of international acknowledgement. Okay, back in the game. Sunday night I receive an e-mail stating when and where the meeting would be and when I got there I was handed 3 forms, told where I had to go to get the info I thought I would be getting at this exact session, and after half an hour was on my own again. Well.. I'll just have to work a little harder to get the info I need, I guess nobody ever died of working a little harder. However.. I guess if you're already working reeeeeally hard, and than you work a little harder, you might like force your body to much, and then.. OK. You get my drift.

On wednesday classes start. Tomorrow I will go to Deusto to figure out which classes I can take and then I have a test trial of a week and then I officially have to sign up. Here goes nothing!


Thanks for all the reactions:
@ Charlene: muy bien tía! Vas mejorando!
@ Robbie: you never have needed a reason to drink..
@ Fleur: Zoals je leest is het huisje goed gekomen! En helemaal onderaan de blog kun je je abonneren op de 'news feeds'.
@ Dominique: zie reactie op Fleur, én het opgelichte huisje is godzijdank goed gekomen :)
@ Rudy: is het nu een AP'tje? ;)
@ Carine: groetjes zijn doorgegeven, op prijs gesteld, en je krijgt ze terug!
@ Henk: ik zou columns moeten schrijven ;) we skypen snel!!!
@ Pierre: point taken :) geen oude mannen meer voor mij! heb er al één :)


Slog: Beatles - Let it be


The pictures are me in my old bed, the view of the sea from Las Arenas and Antonio and I at the Guggenheim. And then the video of art in the making :)
Next week I will try to upload some pics of the new house!