The Season!

It was another busy night for me at Dunbar's, last night, and it looks like the season has kicked off here in Spain. The seasonal nature of working life, has always been a source of concern for me.  One of the things I have always been bad at, is saving money, all of my life.  The one thing you have to do in Spain, is save money.

​The season is approximately twenty weeks long.  There is this small window, to save as much money as you can, to survive over the winter months.  Most establishments do close down over the winter.  There is absolutely no reason to keep restaurants, and bars open during a time, when there is no demand for it.  To pay for staff and running costs, when income is low, is foolish.

When we initially arrived in Spain, it was January and although the temperature was good, compared to Britain, the nights were relatively cold and for all intense and purposes, we were in the middle of winter.  I remember taking a taxi from The GA Centre, to our new house, thinking how empty the roads were, and how 'closed' everything felt.  It was extremely quiet and there were few people about.  We obviously spent the next few weeks, out and about, meeting new people and travelling the length and breadth of the area.  There was very little open and very few places to choose from.  The places that were open, were fairly busy, but they were catering for those that lived here all year round.

I was lucky enough to find a job, at Dunbar's relatively quickly.  After starting work at the horse charity, within a few weeks of being here, I then was offered a job in the restaurant, when it opened in March, at the beginning of an early Easter.  It was sad to leave the charity, so soon after starting, but I had to think about my future and earning as much money as I could in such a short space of time.  I have to say so far, since I started at Dunbar's on March 16, I have been doing pretty well, having managed to save a sum of money, even while it has been quiet and the hours have been limited.  I am literally having to adjust my way of thinking and doing things.  

Spain is a great place to grow and learn.  When you move from one culture to another, you really do have to change, the way you live and work, as The Spanish do.  I am not adverse to working this way.  By the middle of October, after working solidly through the summer months, I will be able to sit back and relax.  I want to travel, not only around Spain, but also go back to Italy and possibly Egypt.  Of course all the time you are working over the summer, you are not spending money, so your ability to save more and more, is that much better than it would be.  This should enable me to have enough money to not only travel, but also survive through the winter.  Personally, I could not be happier with this form of arrangement.

So yesterday was the beginning of the busy season in Spain.  I will be in work everyday at the moment, until other staff members come on board.  I am enjoying working in a restaurant, something I have not done in over ten years and am looking forward to continue working with my bosses, Mandy and Bill, over the next five months. These will be hard, long hours and demanding, but the rewards at the end of it are second to none.

Peace and Love, Always!