I know all of my posts have mentioned food so far, but food is such a big part of the Spanish lifestyle. It's slightly different during the workweek, but sometimes I've had 5 meals in a single day with the family. Spaniards certainly live to eat!
My first task this morning was to get an administrative seal from the bank confirming my account details for the school. Luckily, there was a branch only two blocks from my house, so I walked over at 10 in the morning and found myself face-to-face with a residential apartment building...I walked around a little bit, but no Santander (my bank). I scrolled down to the Google reviews and found one from 5 months ago: 'por aqui no hay ningun santander' (there is no Santander here). Great. So, I got on the bike and headed up to the other branch in Vélez-Málaga. I remembered to ask for my BIC (bank identification code) because until now, I hadn't been able to transfer any money from my Australian account so the 200€ my grandma gave me in cash has been my lifesaver.
Afterwards, I changed my SIM plan to a monthly one and then bought a basket and light for the bike. Although there is a bike path along the main road, there aren't any in the towns and you're not supposed to ride on the footpaths, even though the roads here are too narrow for cars to overtake, so it's always a struggle navigating the local streets. I also get a lot of stares. It could be the dirty blonde hair...or the pale skin...or the birks and socks, but all I can do is smile back (through my mask).
I finally managed to change my App Store country to Spain. I have tried many times on the phone but it never works. For future reference, go through the App Store website on the computer and update your payment details with a bank account from your country of choice.
For lunch, we had Arroz a la Cubana (Cuban rice). Probably my favourite meal so far. (The sausages had cheese in them!)
Notes:
- They LOVE my Vegemite. I'll have to get the fam to send over more jars!
- Remember to upload your bank account details to Profex - I just did mine today.
- One of the girls taught me that the word for period here is 'Andres' (as in Adrew). There is a rhyme: Andres, el que te visita cada mes (Andrew, the one who visits you every month). I'm used to Aunt Flo, not a man.
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