Life in Marbella

I haven't written in a while because I have been waiting to get settled, with an apartment and a job. Now we have both!

The apartment is great. It's a fully furnished (unfortunately with little old lady decor and aroma) studio apartment located 1 block from the ocean. After a lot of cleaning, throwing out old stuff that we didn't want, and some rearranging, we did our best to create a home. We have a beautiful terrace where we dine every night and morning, that has views of the ocean. Also, there is a rooftop terrace that has a pool (not filled with water yet until the summer), a grassy area to lay out, exercise, or whatever, and panoramic views of the city. We can see the mountains, the ocean, the marina, and the paseo marítimo.

The job hunt has been a little more difficult for me than it was for Cesar. He got lucky on the first try, and got a job at a little chiringuito (a little beachside restaurant) working as a host/waiter. He has been working for a week now. I didn't get that lucky right away. I probably handed out about 30 CVs, and still no luck.

Then one day, Cesar and I were walking around and passed by this incredibly luxurious italian restaurant (look up www.villatiberio.com) with beautiful gardens, etc. When we entered, we saw the parking lot filled with porsches, bentleys, aston martins, and many others. The restaurant is SO nice. I didn't leave my resume that day, but went back the next day by myself during the day and talked to a girl named Melanie. She told me that the owner Sandro wasn't there, and that it was better to come back and talk to him in person. She said, "Who knows, he might give u a chance. He's a really nice guy."

So I went back the next day when she told me he would be there, and he welcomed me with kisses and hugs, sat down with me on the terrace, and started asking about me and my life. He didn't want to know anything about my CV and didn't even ask for it until the very end. He started making phone calls, and asking his managers if there was room for me. Then he said, "Let's try u out in the bar area. Come on Saturday at 5pm." Then he handed me 50 € which is about $80 and told me to go buy a black shirt and pants.

So I went on saturday to my first day of work. I was so excited. It has been forever since I have worked in a restaurant, and this one is the nicest one I could imagine. So my job description is cocktail waitress and assisting in the bar. Nothing reputable like DPT, but it's something. The work was exhausting. From 5-6 we set up, which isn't too hard, then we all eat together (everyone there is SO warm and welcoming). At 7:30 the madness begins. The restaurant is open from 7:30-12:30 mon-sat and literally on the dot, the people start coming. It's WWIII no joke! At the end of the night, my whole body hurt. It even hurt me to type yesterday on the computer because my arms were so tired. At the end of the night we split tips and then they paid me my pay for the evening as well because I am an extra. So I made 105€ last night...not too bad! Evidently for now I am only working Friday and Saturday nights until things get busier and the summer season begins, which fortunateyl is plenty to pay for rent, food, and have about 300€ extra a month. Not bad for working 2 days a week :)

One of the guys I work with in the terrace (the area they call the bar) told me that Sandro must've really liked me because there is a huge pile of CVs in the office that go untouched and he hasn't hired anyone in 3 years. A majority of the people that work there have been there for 18-20 years! Maybe it was the manner in which I approached asking for the job, maybe it was luck. Whatever it was, I am very grateful!

So that's the update. No salsa scene yet. Still on the hunt for that. There is an organization out here called Marbella Baila, but it seems like a majority of their students are beginners. Plus, they go out dancing in cities that are outside of Marbella. That poses a problem because we can get there by bus, but wouldn't be able to get home! So for now, I am still on the hunt for salsa.

Check out my pics of our apartment. Go to the collections page and click on Marbella