Salamanca through the eyes of others: Interview with a Brazilian

Since I have quite a specific situation living in Salamanca, I was thinking that it would be a good idea to ask some of my friends to talk about their own experience, in order to get a more complete picture of the life here, of prices, food and places to visit. Therefore, with this post I am starting a new series of posts called “Salamanca through the eyes of others”.

My first interviewee was Kellen, my best friend from the language school. She is a Brazilian, 20-year-old girl.

Why did you decide to come to Salamanca?

I decided to come to Salamanca, because I didn’t succeed in getting in to the university in my city, it is very complicated and difficult. I have tried it twice but I couldn’t get in. So one day I was sitting in my room, very sad, and my mum came and simply asked me the question: do you want to go to Spain? And since I was very sad – because I had just received my results and found out that again I didn’t succeed – I said sure! It was like a way to escape from my reality, my life, to get to know something new… So I said yes, of course, how can I do it? And it was a really good decision, I am very happy.

How much could you speak Spanish?

Barely anything. I had never studied Spanish before. Ok, my boss gave me a Spanish book, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t read it. She also showed me an online course. I completed the course and it did help me a little, but with very few things: basic words, pronunciation. So as I have said, I didn’t know much of Spanish.

Where do you live and how did you find the place?

I am staying with a Brazilian family: the parents and two kids. When we arrived, it was summer, so we stayed in a temporary house. We were in that house for one week and afterwards, we contacted a couple of estate agencies who showed us different flats close to the centre. And this is how we found the flat we are currently living in.

Are you related to this family that you are talking about?

No, I am working for this family. I have been working for them for a year now, I started it in Brazil. But they are very nice to me, they are kind of like my own family, but primarily they are my bosses.

And what is your job?

My job is kind of like an au pair job. In general, I have to keep the house clean, I don’t have to cook but I also have to look after the children… and everything else. The only exception is that I don’t have to cook.

Can you tell me about an average day in Salamanca?

Basically I have to be at home when I don’t have the Spanish classes. I wake up about 7:30, I prepare the breakfast for the family, set the table, help the kids to get ready… When the mom takes the kids to school, I stay at home to arrange the things a little bit; clean the kitchen, mop the floor and hang out the clothes… such things. And later, when the kids get back from school, we have lunch. Then, we have dinner at 7 o’clock, then I have to help them to take a shower. Around 8 o’clock, the children go to sleep.

And when you don’t have to work?

When I don’t have to work, I wake up much later, I go out with my friends, have a stroll in the city and sometimes I go to party. And if I don’t go out, I stay at home watching movies.

How much does a month cost for you in Salamanca?

For me, it costs only around 20€, because I don’t pay for the room, for the flat, I don’t pay for the food, either. My bosses pay everything for me, and what I have to spend is between 20-50 euros per month, it depends. Because I have to buy some basic things for myself, you know. Or when I go out for example, I have to pay for myself. But nothing more than this.

What are the most important differences between your country and Spain?

Well, there are so many things, where to start? It’s very difficult.

What are the most salient differences?

First of all the siesta, which is very weird for me, because I would consider this period of time useful, when a lot of things could be done and arranged, go out and things like that. And here, this time cannot be spent usefully, we are missing these couple of hours, because everything is closed. So for me, this is very strange. Then the other thing is that the people here smoke a lot. This disturbs me very much because in Brazil it is forbidden to smoke on the streets. So in Brazil there are no cigarette butts on the floor, here you can find a bunch of them. The city [Salamanca] is very clean in general, but you cannot tell the same regarding cigarettes. There are always dirt on the floor and the people smoke a lot. This is something that I don’t like, either. But otherwise I think Salamanca is incredible, it’s a very calm and quiet city, and there is no violence. However the people are a little bit too honest, and they always say what they think, what they want and when they want it, and they don’t really care about your feelings… But I’m lucky, because when I talk to Spanish people, they are always very friendly and sympathetic, but there are some others who are just like I have described it above.

What is your favourite place in Salamanca?

Well, I love the Cathedral – the old and the new one as well – because it is beautiful, fantastic! The Plaza Mayor is without doubt one of the most beautiful places I have seen here. I also like going to the cinema, but the place where people have to go is definitely the Plaza Mayor. It is simply incredible! So yes, I think this is my favourite place in Salamanca.

And what is your favourite place to have something?

I don’t know. For example the place where we are right now [Granier]. It is a very nice place and cheap as well.

What is your favourite Spanish dish?

Well, I like chocolate con churros. Seriously! I love chocolate con churros here, because it is very different from the one we have at home, in Brazil, but it is one of my favourite sweet food from here. But what else?

Have you tried a lot of typical Spanish food?

No, the truth is that I haven’t tried so many typical food from here, but I like the tapas, pinchos in general. I like the jamón [ham] serrano very much… Oh, and the wine, omg! I love sangria, tinto de verano… and I like the sandwiches as well. All of these are amazing! And now I remember a place where I like to go to eat: the 100 Montaditos! It’s a very nice place!

What places have you visited so far? Why?

I have visited Burgos, because my bosses were travelling to the north and they invited me to this trip to Burgos. I loved it because I was impressed by the Gothic Cathedral, it was stunning! I have also travelled to Lisbon, because I wanted to visit places outside of Spain as well, you know, to make the most of my stay in Europe. And what an incredible place! I was amazed by it and the people, too! And everything was just great! Let me think…. I also visited Avila, Béjar… and I have visited places close to Béjar, but I don’t remember the names right now.

And what are the places you would like to visit in the future and why?

I want to travel to Madrid, I want to get to know the historical centre of Madrid and the touristic destinations there, because I think it is an important part of Spain, it is the capital of the country, and it would be important for me to learn a little bit about the history. Well, I would also like to go to Barcelona, because I think it can be a really nice and beautiful place. Then, I would love to visit Bilbao or Andalusia, but I’m afraid these trips would cost a little bit more… or maybe A Coruña. I want to visit a lot of different cities that are not that expensive. The maximum I can travel, I am going to do it for sure!

What do you miss the most from home?

I miss my family, of course and I miss the food made by my mom. Because even though I can buy here such things as rice, pasta or beans – which are things we eat a lot – but still, they are not exactly the same. So this is something I miss very much: the food of my mother. And now I have to do everything by myself, because I don’t have my mom here. I miss my friends as well, but not as much as my mother and the food.

Would you recommend coming to Salamanca?

Without question Salamanca is a spectacular city, so I would recommend it to anyone. The night life is incredible here, you can meet a lot of nice people during the night and the party places are cool. I am sure that anyone who is considering to visit Salamanca, will like it a lot, because it is a beautiful and calm place. And that’s it!

Thank you Kellen for the interview!

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