Today I wanted to record our little Portugalete residence and tell you a little about our amigos- Ana y Alejandro!
When we arrived two days ago, we were all immediately impressed by these guys. I think there are times when you meet certain people and there is something intriguing about them... As soon as we walked into their appartment, we knew that they were both appreciaters of art and as well as being creative in their own right!
In their living room there is an amazing picture mounted on the wall, taken by a photographer in Rome... It's actually in colour however, today's Four O'Clock was shot on B&W... More so to capture the feeling of a quiet afternoon hanging out at home!! Their house is full of interesting pieces of art, craft and other items from around the world... Alejandro was an enthusiastic guide as he showed us the many items they have decorating their funky appartment!
Alejandro was born in Colombia (in San Andrés, an island in the north on the Carribean Sea, in an English speaking provence!) and moved to Spain about 7 years ago... He has had to work extremely hard in Spain, and has worked in many different industries (including at a fruit vendor) and is currently working for a printing company that provides services for both the art community (printing for exhibitions, diplays, etc...) and commercial demand (billboards, advertising, graphics, business identity, etc.)...
It seems as though both the change of currency to the Euro, as well as the economical crisis have hit Spain quite hard- unemployment is apparently quite high. So for these guys, their hard work and passion for what they do for work has obviously paid off...
Ana works for a web- design company. She says she's not very good as a designer... Hmmm, I think that considering she's self taught, her boss allows her to work from home and has just provided her with a much needed update to a swanky new monitor, she's doing pretty well! We were all impressed by her discipline. Working four hours in the morning at home for this web design company and then spending every afternoon doing volunteer work (sometimes by herself) teaching interested people about the Bible... She says there are many Romanian immigrants in her area that have taken an interest and she spends her time and energy both befriending these ones and helping them to understand the beautiful teachings found in the Bible!
Both of these guys know so much about the history and background of the area, they were brilliant tour guides... It made us think we need to hit the books back home and get a little more "clued up" about Australian and local history!
Getting back to the area where we were staying, Portugalete. From Ana's "office" you can see more local appartments and community sports areas (basketball I think?)... Just downstairs there are a few local bars that seem desserted mid- week but are packed out with locals on weekends. There is a community centre up the road with chess tables for the oldies and a playground for the kids... It has a nice vibe about it!
Here's a view from Ana's "office" window, revealing a little slice of the local community...
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