First month in Mallorca

It’s been already a month since I came to Mallorca and that’s why I decided to write this post, just to point out some things about the life here.

Language barriers

The beginning here was a bit difficult. I was used to working in Greece where I could understand what people say and I could have a nice conversation with locals in Greek. Four weeks ago I came to Mallorca, to the hotel where I wasn’t even supposed to be placed in (that’s another story) and to the country where I couldn’t understand much. Because I forgot most of my Spanish, it was really difficult to communicate with staff in the hotel where most of them don’t speak English. I felt a bit lost.

Even now I feel a bit lost sometimes, especially when I go out just with Spanish people. It is, let’s say, quite amusing. After some time I stop concentrating on trying to catch particular words (with their speed of talking that’s almost impossible anyway) and to understand at least the main topic of conversation, and I just listen to the sound of the Spanish and watch people. Usually they talk very loudly, sometimes more people talk at the same time. They also gesture so much that sometimes I’m afraid they will hit me by mistake.

Anyway, Spanish language is not the only barrier here. Cala Ratjada, the village where I work, is actually more German than Spanish. People here immediately start to talk to you in German without asking where you come from, and most of the signs are in German, too. There are so many Germans that locals actually don’t need to speak English and that’s sometimes quite complicated for me.

Coffee

Another complication or rather a sad thing for me is the coffee. After spending so much time in Greece – “coffee paradise” – I’m quite dissappointed that they have no idea what “freddo espresso” or “freddo cappuccino” is. The only thing I can do here is to order espresso and a glass of ice separately or simply ice coffee (coffee with ice cream).

Anyway, these “stupid” things cannot destroy nice moments that I spend here, I always find a way to be happy, I want to enjoy it as much as I can. I should also mention something about the island.

Mallorca

I cannot say anything bad about Mallorca. It is really beautiful here. I haven’t seen much till now, but I went for three short trips and it was always very nice. The first trip was to the lighthouse  – you can check the amazing view from there on the photo – and the beach Cala Gat. My second trip was to Capdepera, I went there on foot and it took me one hour to get there (it was pretty crazy idea in such hot weather) but it was worth seeing the huge castle there and drinking such an amazing ice coffee 🙂

The last trip I made was to the town Arta that preserves its character and where I visited some museums, church and a sanctuary. There are many beautiful places to visit in Mallorca and I still have a lot of time for travelling around. This is just beginning! I’ll keep informing you about my adventures 🙂