Amusing Madrid
Today, I came out of a dormant sort of state that I was lying in for a couple of months now, caring only for food,heavy sleep and avoiding work. And if you have no intention of avoiding work, I wouldn't advise you to continue. Anyway, so my alert mind noticed quite a couple of things that were going on or lying around myself. And I realised how I had missed a plethora of feelings all these days; funny,ironic,stupid...the list goes on.
It's now just past 9AM, the earliest I have reached my office in months. It's also the earliest the Spanish reach their workplace, but none of the colleagues are witness to my early arrival, for they aren't yet here. :(
From taking a stroll in a park near my flat every weekend, I decided yesterday that I should be more active physically right from the morning, a decision also influenced by back-pain and slight breathing difficulties, which my mother had been warning about all this while but which I have been confidently assuming won't get me for a victim. I got up rather early (7am) and after a brush, started to jog towards the park, though it was around 10 degrees Celsius, somewhat cold by Madrid standards. On the way itself, a couple of people already gawked at my jogging and I smelt some fish. I wondered for a moment if I should end my mission and return back, but decided otherwise. And then, for a park that had so many people strolling, strolling their micro-tiny pet-dogs, jogging and romancing in the evenings, there was abolutely none today. There were only a few care-takers, but for my consolation another jogging man appeared finally. I didn't mind that he was in his 60s or so.
By the time I was back home, my Mexican flat-mate was up and getting ready to go to the University. And while she was witness to my waking up 'early', none of my many ways of explaining 'I went for a jog' reached her. 'What did you do?...'You went for yoga class...?'...'hogging?'... Finally she was so fed up she said "You and your English!". It's funny how 'Indian English' we are so proud of and so take for granted back in India is not understood in most other parts of the world. I finally ended the matter with "...anyway...". In some cases, it's the pronunciation, but mostly, it's a lack of vocabulary or effort in guessing on the listener's part. I know that because, many times, when the speaker's pronunciation is too alien for me, I just let them continue, while I just let out what I hear in one ear through the other.
And then I was at the bus stop where people were all standing directed at the oncoming traffic, eagerly waiting for their bus. Here in Madrid, there isn't such a thing as a time-table. Quite a contrast from Germany where things go by the minute. The low-floor,back-engine bus had an awkward interior design too. The engine was a big tall box at the very end, stretched between both the sides. And a single row of seats on top of it from which one had to literally jump to get down, whereas all the other seats were almost ground level. And the driver's seat is so ahead of the front wheel, they have a harrowing time maneuvering circles (or traffic-islands/junctions) which even have a parking lane! I don't know if it is legal or not, but Madrid people do exploit the legal option of momentary parking 'on the road' (with both the indicators ON) to the hilt. You can find a car right in the middle of the road almost every hundred meters.
And now, after almost an hour of writing this blog, as I open my bag to get my books and a file related to my work, I realise I have forgotten to bring the file. I was planning to meet my prof with that. Perhaps I am still dormant. Back in Mysore a couple of years ago, when I was in 12th grade, I had done the same: forgotten the laboratory manual. Only it was not a normal day, but the final examination! How I just buzzed my brother and he came rushing with my book and probably missing his own class!
It's now just past 9AM, the earliest I have reached my office in months. It's also the earliest the Spanish reach their workplace, but none of the colleagues are witness to my early arrival, for they aren't yet here. :(
From taking a stroll in a park near my flat every weekend, I decided yesterday that I should be more active physically right from the morning, a decision also influenced by back-pain and slight breathing difficulties, which my mother had been warning about all this while but which I have been confidently assuming won't get me for a victim. I got up rather early (7am) and after a brush, started to jog towards the park, though it was around 10 degrees Celsius, somewhat cold by Madrid standards. On the way itself, a couple of people already gawked at my jogging and I smelt some fish. I wondered for a moment if I should end my mission and return back, but decided otherwise. And then, for a park that had so many people strolling, strolling their micro-tiny pet-dogs, jogging and romancing in the evenings, there was abolutely none today. There were only a few care-takers, but for my consolation another jogging man appeared finally. I didn't mind that he was in his 60s or so.
By the time I was back home, my Mexican flat-mate was up and getting ready to go to the University. And while she was witness to my waking up 'early', none of my many ways of explaining 'I went for a jog' reached her. 'What did you do?...'You went for yoga class...?'...'hogging?'... Finally she was so fed up she said "You and your English!". It's funny how 'Indian English' we are so proud of and so take for granted back in India is not understood in most other parts of the world. I finally ended the matter with "...anyway...". In some cases, it's the pronunciation, but mostly, it's a lack of vocabulary or effort in guessing on the listener's part. I know that because, many times, when the speaker's pronunciation is too alien for me, I just let them continue, while I just let out what I hear in one ear through the other.
And then I was at the bus stop where people were all standing directed at the oncoming traffic, eagerly waiting for their bus. Here in Madrid, there isn't such a thing as a time-table. Quite a contrast from Germany where things go by the minute. The low-floor,back-engine bus had an awkward interior design too. The engine was a big tall box at the very end, stretched between both the sides. And a single row of seats on top of it from which one had to literally jump to get down, whereas all the other seats were almost ground level. And the driver's seat is so ahead of the front wheel, they have a harrowing time maneuvering circles (or traffic-islands/junctions) which even have a parking lane! I don't know if it is legal or not, but Madrid people do exploit the legal option of momentary parking 'on the road' (with both the indicators ON) to the hilt. You can find a car right in the middle of the road almost every hundred meters.
And now, after almost an hour of writing this blog, as I open my bag to get my books and a file related to my work, I realise I have forgotten to bring the file. I was planning to meet my prof with that. Perhaps I am still dormant. Back in Mysore a couple of years ago, when I was in 12th grade, I had done the same: forgotten the laboratory manual. Only it was not a normal day, but the final examination! How I just buzzed my brother and he came rushing with my book and probably missing his own class!
posted by Aditya K @ 10:19 am
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