5 days, 2 people, 20 euros (Part 1)

A few of my friends signed up to do the Live Below The Line challenge and after hearing about their experiences, plus about a couple who lived a month on $1 a day in the USA, Beza and I decided to try for 5 days. Each person has a food budget of $2 (2 euros in our case) for the day. This has to include everything you put in your mouth- drinks, ingredients, oil, spices, salt, chewing gum.

Admittedly, we cheated a bit because if you take the exchange rate into account, the $2 AUD a day allowance should only be 1.35 euros. We did this because a) we wanted to see how it would be to live on so little a day and b) now that I'm not working, my bank account is going steadily towards zero.

I've learnt a few things:

If you planned in too little food for the day, you'll get hungry and hunger makes people cranky. Also, no matter how big a salad is, it gets digested within an hour.

We spend a lot of money out just on beers, the odd pincho and snacks without thinking. Spanish culture is so dependent on bars and meeting up with people in cafes and bars- on the 2 minute walk between the gym and our flat there are at least five different bars. Our social life was non-existent that week because you can't afford to spend the day's allowance on one beer.

We didn't budget beer into our food planning and this was a BIG mistake. (OK, this may sound flippant but there were times when I would have gladly exchanged something on the menu for a small can of cheap supermarket beer, 23 cents)

Still, I'm thinking about making this a permanent part of my meal planning. It really makes you think- we have so much but give it so little thought. We consume so unconsciously. One pincho and small wine or beer in Calle Laurel costs 2 euros- there goes your food budget for the day.

Hen's night

My friends took me out for my hen's night party on Saturday. It was awesome fun and probably the last time I'll be able to go out with them (minus boyfriends etc.) before heading back to Australia.

I'd told them no costumes or disguises or anything, so I was expecting just a dinner and then hitting the bars afterwards. However, they turned up wearing Spain t-shirts and short shorts and dressed me up in a t-shirt as well. I thought, OK, this isn't too bad. Then the stuff kept coming. First... a red garter. A referee whistle. A beach ball with Spanish images (ie. bulls and flags) plastered all over it. A pink massaging octopus named Paul. A money can with the Spanish flag. And last of all, a hideous Chinese headpiece with garish flowers and red tassles (totally random).

Apparently what I had to do was go around asking people for money for our 'national football team' and if they gave me some, I had to give them a massage with the pink octopus.

We had dinner in a fabulous place, where I ordered quail drumsticks covered in mushroom sauce (so cute! They have such tiny little legs!) and I had some baby squid that the other girls couldn't finish. NB. It's always good to dine out with girls because they leave stuff on their plates. With guys there usually aren't leftovers. Then we went to the bars. In one place we met a group of guys who were also celebrating a buck's night and we talked to them a while.

A few of the girls left just after 5 am, but the rest of us ended the night at 6 am, and arranged to meet up for a quick drink the next day. I brought along my money can and we opened it and counted the money inside. 17.35 euros! Just from randomly shaking the can in people's faces and telling them we were collecting for the Spanish football team.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos and my friend who took photos is away on holidays. But when she comes back I'll post a couple up.

A rant about weddings

It's time to rant about something that's been pissing me off for quite a while. I read this article in the SMH, about how feminism has taken a step back when it comes to modern weddings. As someone who's getting married in the next eight or nine months (no specific date yet), it's a topic that's quite relevant and one that's been on my mind for some time.

The article is written by a woman whose daughter is getting married and wants everything perfectly traditional, from the virginal white dress to being given away by the father. The author herself can't understand it- if women have spent decades fighting for equality, why throw it all away on this day?

While I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a step backwards in feminism, I will say I consider most of it unnecessary packaging. And it's all very clever marketing by the bridal industry.

Tossing out phrases like 'your dream wedding come true' and 'a perfect wedding for a perfect bride', they lure you into thinking that a $300 dress will make you look like a hag while a $3000 dress will make you into a princess. And oh no, what if you don't hire a photographer that charges through the nose to capture that perfect photo of the perfect couple at that perfect moment so you have proof that it ever happened? And why do you even want to look like a princess anyway?

If you tell a restaurant/caterer that you're planning a wedding reception, expect to pay extra per guest for mentioning the 'W' word. Apparently anything that comes with that word attached has the right to have the price jacked up.

Even churches are cashing in on this desire to have a traditional wedding. After making enquiries, I was shocked to discover you pay upwards of a thousand bucks for the privilege of getting married 'in God's house' with an organ, minister and bell ringer at your service (double the price on Sundays, but that's understandable). Yes, I understand the church has to pay liability insurance, you need to pay people for their time, you need to help pay for the upkeep of the church etc. etc. but a thousand dollars? And that's just the cheapest.

But of course, there's no money to be made in telling people not to buy the most expensive dress available. Or that they don't need a 2-hour photo shoot plus photos of all the preparations, the reception, a video, an album...

I'm not going to comment on what happens in the ceremony because I genuinely believe that's personal choice. If you want to be given away by your father, that's great. If you want to have eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen, good luck finding dresses and suits everyone's happy with.

Here's my view of weddings: If you're a religious person, regardless of religion, your wedding is a formal/legally recognised declaration and celebration of your union and commitment before your God, family and friends. You're also stating to everyone that your God is a vital part of your life and will continue to be a vital part of your marriage. If you're not a religious person, omit the parts about God.

It is not imperative to get married in a church, to have flower girls and photographers, to have a white cake covered in sugary flowers, to go hysterical because you couldn't get the perfect shade of ribbon to match your groom's tie. And it's not imperative to spend $50,000 on your 'dream day'.

Far be it for me to say I don't like weddings. They're aesthetically pleasing and I appreciate the effort and planning that go into them. They're also usually quite fun- you get to hang out with people and eat. But a wedding is only one day, a celebration of something that will hopefully last (pleasantly) the rest of your life.

I was looking up reception venues, potential churches and wedding dresses online and getting really depressed. Why was everything so... maudlin? I have never dreamed about my wedding day, with clear blue skies, me in a flowing white dress and a floating veil, couldn't tell you where/when/how I would like to get married. The more I browsed, the more I knew what I didn't want. I'm not saying it's wrong to get married in a church with a beautiful dress and lovely blooming flowers, but it's just not me. And some people love organising things and are good at it, and can whip up their wedding with not too much fuss, just the way they've always dreamed of.

Just don't expect me to buy into the consumerism of my 'big day'. No bridesmaids, photographers or expensive dress for me thanks. And please stop telling me that my 'big day' isn't a big day if I don't spend x amount.

World champions!

The Spanish team, receiving the Cup

My Spanish boy, decked in red and yellow

Tearing down the flag to drag into the street

Celebrating at the Fuente de Murrieta (a fountain where people from Logroño traditionally go to celebrate when there's a massive soccer win)

Drinking in the street

Summer activities

Since I have so much free time on my hands now, I'm trying to get my act together and send a package to Australia via seamail, so it arrives more or less when we do. Unfortunately, I hate packing so my days are spent procrastinating.

Here are some things I've done to date:

La Hoguera, las fiestas de San Juan: To celebrate the summer solstice, some friends and I went and burned things near the Plaza de Toros. You have to bring an old item of clothing, a list of ten things you want for the coming year and a list of ten things you want to disappear in the coming year and then you throw them into the massive bonfire. It's a tradition that harks from witch-burning days (in the past they used to burn witches instead of clothes and pieces of paper).

Monasterio de Santa María de Toloño: Last Saturday, a few friends, Beza and I climbed to the top of a small mountain to see the ruins of a monastery built in the 9th Century. My arse was sore the next day from the uphill climb but it was worth it. We had morning tea at the top but it was pretty chilly so we soon came down. There's a well the monks dug that used to serve as a fridge. In Winter it would fill up with snow and they'd bury food in the snow to keep it from going off. Because it's so high up, the snow wouldn't melt until well after Spring.

Muñeca: A friend of ours went to another city to work for a few days and left his dog with us. We had lots of fun together, the dog and I. We went for three walks a day, we went to have morning tea with Beza and we sunbaked and had many a siesta together on the sofa in our patio. When she went home I felt very empty and alone.

Jewellery and yoga classes: I signed up for three-week courses in jewellery making and yoga. I'm into my second week and I'm quite enjoying it. Yesterday in the jewellery class, we made brooches using Chinese knots. Since I'd already learnt Chinese knotting, it was pretty easy for me but the teacher ran around from one student to another screaming 'Undo that knot! No, you knot with the left string, not the right! What have you done? It's so basic- you knot from the left to the right, and now, the right to the left, and now a half knot!' I thought she was going to weep with frustration.

(I told my dad I was doing jewellery classes and he laughed and asked 'Why do you want to be a jury?')

Nephew's birthday party: Beza's nephew turned four and to celebrate, his parents threw together a gathering. I had more fun than expected- it wasn't like a birthday party in Australia, with organised games, a cake and the parents watching their kids with eagle eyes and complimenting each others' brats while secretly thinking 'my child has better developed motor skills than yours.' Basically, there was a table with food, where the adults congregated and the kids were thrown in a pile together and left to their own devices. That's the kind of kiddy party I like.

End of school, start of holidays

My last day of paid work was on the 3rd June and on the 7th June we flew out to London.

It was rainy but luckily with foresight, we packed raincoats. I did all the stuff I wanted to do in the three days we were there- eat a muffin, drink a takeaway soy coffee, visit Camden Markets, see a show (we saw Wicked) and hang out with Vanessa and my cousin. Three days is not a lot to do everything in London but I think we managed our time very efficiently.

On the Friday, we got up at 4 am to catch a plane from London to Santiago. Our kindly friends offered to come pick us up in Santiago but by the time they arrived I was almost snoring in the bar.

On Saturday, we had the wedding, the first of our friends in Spain to get married. It was a traditional church wedding, and I don't know why, but I never understand Catholic priests when they speak. I don't know if it's because they're speaking Latin, if it's a prerequisite for priests to mumble or the acoustics in a church just aren't conducive to understanding. Anyway, so I sat there for more than an hour smiling and pretending I agreed. A woman gave a very moving speech and some people even cried, so maybe my smiling wasn't quite appropriate.

After the ceremony, we went to a place outside the village for the reception. We had the best pulpo gallego (see photo) I've ever tasted in my life. Who knew those slimy pale octopuses could taste so good? There was an open bar and the party lasted till around 3 am. On the Sunday, we headed back to Logrono, hung over and incredibly exhausted.

Oh, the things that amuse me

1. Anthropomorphising food
2. Watching children cry (not because I like to see them in pain but because they seem so devastated)
3. Sending my 4 year old students to the 'Corner of Boredom' (el rincón del aburrimiento) when they misbehave
4. Mullets
5. Owners that look like their dogs