Niamh Lynch has progressed into her second translation job and her own rented flat in Madrid. Early starts  Well, it has been a while since I have written a blog, but that is only because there is only so much description of mundane everyday life a girl can impose on innocent bystanders! Unfortunately, things haven't suddenly gotten any more interesting, but I thought I would check back into blogland to keep you up to date.
Work in the office is busy and fun, as usual. There has been some very big news involving a company that will remain nameless (the whole office was given a very serious talk on the need for absolute silence, to the extent that even the relevant folders on our computer systems have a codename!!). That means the big cheeses have been coming into the office even earlier than me (for those of you who missed it, I start work at 7am, a full two hours before the others normally begin), which means that Monday's slightly loose interpretation of 7am meant that I walked straight into a boardroom full of bosses! I claimed bus problems and kept my head down for the rest of the day. Other than that, things are good. The summer's subprime crisis (my new best friend, but perhaps slightly more obscure for the rest of you – it's the problem that caused all the drama at Northern Rock) is still causing chaos, and chaos keeps me in translation. Improved MadridI met a friend from my MA the other day. She was visiting Madrid from Luxembourg, where she works as a financial translator, and we met up for a drink. She is one of the handful of people from the course who actually work in translation now, and it was really interesting to compare notes with someone who was doing something similar to me. She doesn’t consider Luxembourg to be a long-term option (the word ‘quiet’ was mentioned several times!) but like me, thinks the experience is invaluable and would not be easily matched at home. She also made some interesting comments about Madrid. She and a friend had paid a visit about eight years ago, and they were seriously underwhelmed. I have heard lots of comments from Madrid residents that this square or that neighbourhood had been ‘cleaned up’ in recent times, but since I had never been to Madrid before 2002, I wasn’t really aware of what ‘before’ was like. They were much more impressed this time, and said it had really changed for the better; it was vibrant and alive and everybody seemed in really good form. It was obviously the week for revised Madrid opinions, because my other friend (who recently came to live in Madrid) has also decided that it's not so bad after all! She wasn't too happy with Madrid when she came to visit me about a year ago, so I was surprised when she chose to come and live here. During her first few weeks she wasn't very happy either, but in the last week or so, she has admitted that it is growing on her. That's the thing about Madrid – it’s not really a ‘tourist trail’ city. There are a few special monuments and must-sees, but they are not on the scale of Paris or Barcelona's attractions. There are some great museums for art lovers, but the real attraction here is the atmosphere. It’s a place that you need to wander around, go shopping, have coffee and cake, or wine and tapas. There are beautiful parks, great night-life and almost unlimited free entertainment. The public transport is amazing and the cost of living is low. These attractions aren’t really something you can fully appreciate on a weekend break, however, and I think people really need either several holidays here, or an extended stay to get the most from the city. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody went away with lukewarm feelings after coming for a weekend, staying on Gran Via, getting pick pocketed in Puerta del Sol and waiting in line for three hours to get into the Prado, possibly the most badly-planned gallery in the world, but I’m glad that people who have taken the time to get to know it have come to realise its charms. Lessons in nostalgiaAs I mentioned in my previous blog, I’ve had to go back to the dreaded English teaching. I actually thought it would be easy enough to pick up a second ‘proper’ job in an office, but that hasn't materialised as quickly as thought. I might have more luck after Christmas, although I admit that I am a job snob, and immediately rule out anything with food, drink, children or sales! That said, the English class I have now is by far the most enjoyable I have ever had to endure. The man, a business executive in his 60s, has the class as part of a company-wide initiative. He just wants to practise the English he has with the most basic correction of pronunciation and grammar, and is enchanted with my Irish accent, which is mild by anyone’s standard. I kind of feel like I should ham it up for him, and do a bit of ‘Sure, begorrah’s’ for him, but I would end up sounding more like Tom Cruise in ‘Far and Away’ (universally recognised as the worst Irish accent in the history of cinematography, equalled only by pretty much any Irish person in East Enders). He actually paid a visit to Ireland during the summer and, as he is a bit of a photo enthusiast, took at least 1,000 photos while he was there. We go through them in the class, and I get him to describe the photo. It is an interesting thing, to see your country through the eyes of someone else. He was blown away by the colours, suggesting that as it rains so much, we make sure to use bright colours whenever possible. It’s certainly possible to believe that from looking at his photos. Whatever the truth is, his photos make me very homesick, and after the class last week, I scuttled off home (in the pouring rain, ironically) to listen to Irish music and ring my mum. If the nostalgia keeps up, I might end up talking like Tom after all! Read Niamh's previous blogs |
