Martina is the main character of today’s story. She is a Stripey Spanish student who is about to fulfil her dream of living in Cadiz.
Why buy an apartment in Cadiz?
My first question was simply Why Cadiz? To answer, Martina took her phone and told me "The temperature in Cadiz is 26ºC right now. My favourite part of Cadiz is the sea and its beaches, some are huge, km and km of beach. I love it".
"My desire is to live in Cadiz, not all the time. I like London too but I would like to spend winters in Cadiz. My dream is to move there, that’s why we bought an apartment. On my favourite beach there is a maritime archaeology institute, and I’m very interested on it, my dream is to work in that institute! Maybe a day in the future. It’s my favourite place, it’s very interesting".
Apart from the good weather and the sea, Martina has been in love with Cadiz since she visited the city many years ago to take a course in a language academy. From that visit she kept some friends, such as the director of that academy.
How was the adventure of finding the apartment and doing renovation works in Spanish?
With the idea of living in Cadiz in her head for many years, Martina threw herself, together with her partner, into the adventure and bought a flat in Spain while in London.
"We decided to buy a flat and we saw many, many flats; some new and some needed renovations, so we asked my friend, the director of the academy, and he told me that he had an architect friend who could help us with the renovation works. Everything was perfect. We found the apartment in March 2018, we bought it in June and the works started in August".
When I asked how the renovation process went, Martina put her hands on her head and told me endless anecdotes of how she and her partner managed to deal with all the problems from the UK. "My husband has been in contact all the time with the workers and spending time in Spain but he does not speak Spanish and the workers do not speak English, so they have been communicating by gestures and with the Google translator, and I have been talking on the phone with them from England. Every time there was a problem my partner called me - Martina, talk to them!! -. It was very complicated but it was good practice for me".
But even with all the stress of the renovation, Martina is very happy with how the apartment is looking and has already chosen her favourite place. "There are so many rooms, it’s so big, so much bigger than our London apartment. We have a small patio on the rooftop, it’s my garden to put my plants, a chair, etc. It is my favourite place".
Spanish culture vs German culture
Martina is German and her partner is from the UK, so it was an obligation to ask her if the Spanish culture is very different from her German culture or the British culture.
"Yes, it is very different from Germany, of course. There is a different opinion about what things are needed in Spain and Germany, for example, I was told that one very important thing I had to do was register with the city council, so I went and asked for the documents to do it." And she laughed and told me... "At the town hall they told me that it is not necessary! That it is possible to do it if I want to but that is not totally necessary. That never happens in Germany, they are stricter”.
Putting Spanish into Practice
Besides laughing with the workers, Martina has learned a lot of new vocabulary in Spanish... "I’ve learned a lot of new vocabulary about renovations, like 'tile'. The problem for me is the dialect and the accent of the south, especially of Cadiz, I don’t understand much of what they say. It was a problem while visiting the flats, I didn’t understand what the estate agent was saying. I was saying to my partner - I think he said... but... I’m not sure!! - In the process of buying, with the notary and lawyers, there were 10 people at the table and a translator to make sure that everything was clear and that I was understanding everything because they were very important things. Then they repeated everything many times and I even had to do a written document in English saying that I understood everything perfectly and give it signed to the lawyer!"
When I finally asked her what her favourite phrase was in Spanish, she told me that it was "There is a lot of wind! In Cadiz there is always a lot of wind".
From Stripey Spanish we wish Martina the best of luck in her new stage to successfully finish the flat renovations and hopefully get the job of her dreams in the institute of maritime archaeology. Best of luck, Martina!
Vocabulary and expressions
Right now – Ahora mismo
Renovation works - Reformas
The works – Las obras
She put her hands on her head – Se echaba las manos a la cabeza
To deal with all the problems – Lidiar con todos los problemas
Rooftop – Azotea
The town house – El ayuntamiento
To laugh (laughing) – Echarse unas risas
A written document (formal) – Un escrito
Lawyer – Abogado
Check out the Spanish version of the story here
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