Out to dry

Wintery weather has arrived here in Galicia. It's rainy and humid and cold. Not nearly as cold as it will get, but it is as rainy as ever, and the realities of living in an old apartment that doesn't have central heat or insulation are back to being as uncomfortable as before. I've started to let the dirty clothes pile up, not due to laziness, but because I don't want to have humid clothes hanging around the house for a week. The last laundry we did was wet for about a week until we dedided to turn on the heater and put piles of clothes on the heater...not the safest choice. So, we have decided it's time to buy a clothes dryer. We have the space and we really need it. I am sad that the romantic ideal of the clothes hanging on the line will be lost, but really in the winter the clothes are just hanging in the house. And, I am sad that the eco friendly ideal of not having a dryer will also be lost, but we'll get a eco friendly dryer, and once the rain stops we will go back to hanging the clothes on the line. But, alas, mildewy clothes are gross. A house with clothes hanging all over it is annoying. And soft, warm, dryer fresh clothes are soo nice. We're off to start shopping tomorrow.

And another reality that is setting in...living in Spain isn't all siestas and tapas. Working hours are a bit crazy. Last year I started to see how it was with Diego's late schedules, but now I have the same schedule-coming home everyday at 10:30pm working in the morning and the afternoon...it's a bit pesado/heavy. We do have a long lunch break, but between getting back home, making lunch, eating, and then getting back out by 4 pm, the break winds up being quite rushed and exhausting. What are the options? Well, classes until 10pm are totally normal here. The daily schedule is so different from the Anglo-saxon world, but, not everyone is working mornings and rushing back to work in the afternoon. In order to have a normal 9-5ish (9-3 here) schedule you have to become a funcionario-a public servant. In order to get this job, you must study for a year, pass the oposiciones tests, and then wait for the government to give you a job placement. This is how the public school system works, or any other normal job. We've been thinking about doing oposiciones-Diego would need the time to take a class and study (usually one year to prepare) but I would need to homologar (translate, literally and educationally, all my degrees which can take up to two years to complete) and prepare oposiciones. What are we going to do...not sure just yet, but at least we'll have dry clothes while we work out the details!