flights caught: 1, trains taken: 3, attempts it takes me to get back into the front door every time I go out: 52
I made it here! After basically taking the longest and DUMBEST journey ever I’ve arrived in Andújar. Before I left I’d joined a couple of groups for auxiliares de conversación specific to my region and loads of them had said the easiest way to get to where I am is to fly to Málaga and then take the train. Like an idiot I didn’t realise that all of these people were American and that I, unlike them, was able to fly from London to Seville and then take just one train, but when I found that out it was Officially Too Late.
Having said that, the trip here was actually pretty easy and stress-free. The Spanish know how to make train journeys comfortable and that includes air conditioning (!!) and every train I’ve been on makes a really funny sound when it makes a stop, like the sound your phone would’ve made when you got a text in like 2009.
So far I’ve had varying levels of success with interacting in Spanish. My flat mate seems to understand me fine and told me my Spanish is really good (but she might’ve just been being nice cos I’d had 2 hours sleep and had been crying all day). The taxi driver at the station, however, took one look at me after I mumbled my new address and said ‘English?’, so clearly my accent needs some work. Oh AND everyone told me Andalusians have really strong accents and I was like, I’m sure I’ll understand them.. plot twist: they were right. An old lady spoke to me for a good 10 minutes at Cordoba station and all I could make out is that she thinks Andújar is a ‘really boring town, where everyone’s waiting for heaven’ (I think?) but then she got off the train here and clearly lives here so I dunno. And today in the supermarket a man said something to me and I just laughed and nodded and I’d accidentally bought a packet of pineapple, which, incidentally, I do not like.
¿Dónde está daisy? 