15 September 2017
- Viktoria Dekany
- Sep 15, 2017
- 4 min read
THE DREAM HAS COME TRUE...
The First Steps
By Viktoria Dekany, Interior Architect & Design Teacher
Some of you may know, changing a country is not easy. But how is like changing it twice? Currently, I am living my dreams which made me giving up my life in England and moving to Spain, alone. In my next weekly posts, I would like to offer an insight into the everyday’s issues due complications of communication as well as my solutions for the feeling of loneliness.
The big adventure has started from 2 of September 2017. After the long days of packing and an exhausting flight, I arrived safely to Granada, located in South-Spain. The people who don’t know too much about the city, it might be enough saying that Granada is included in the ‘New seven wonders of the world’. I have to agree with the above, and not just Granada itself but the flat I moved in, looks great too. It’s located in the middle of the city centre, called Gran Capital, just a few minutes walk from the most famous attractions, but the best part is my spacious and light room has even a balcony!
So far, I can’t decide whether the comfortable circumstances, the never ending sunshine and warm weather, the palm trees and the beautiful buildings or my nice flatmates make me feel that I’m at home. It’s like I always lived here!
I shouldn’t really explain that during the six years in England, I wasn’t able to see too much sunshine due the cloudy and rainy weather. If the temperature went above 15 degrees in summer, I celebrated the date in my diary. After these experience, it’s a weird feeling to live in a country where the sunshine is the most ordinary thing!
Like many others, the sun and sunrise represents an indispensable expiration in the preservation of both my physic and my mental health. I am not telling a secret that I experienced the different levels of depression as per the constant darkness. In this reason, I feel it’s important to highlight that I give thanks every single day that I was able to achieve one of my biggest dream, and now I can enjoy the positive effects of sunrise day to day. This helps me to start every day with a positive and energetic mind, which make me more productive achieving my daily goals.
As some of you may know, Spain is not just famous because of sunshine but its palm trees and spectacular, narrow streets. It’s a shock that most of the buildings have built only for four meters from each other but I even saw a meter width between two blocks which was separated by a ‘street’!
As an architect, this is a very interesting phenomenon for me. Aesthetically is a positive spectacle however from the point of orientation is not the best. I would highlight I have a very good orientation skill but I got lost every day so far, even with gps in my hand! It’s not absolutely a negative thing, even, it makes me discover more and more parts of the city. It’s unbelievable how many different ways I can reach my private Spanish tutor’s flat who lives only 15 minutes walking away. No need to say that every day is an adventure to get there!
Parque Garcia Lorca, Granada (Dekany, 2017)
So, there is the first most important thing: the Spanish language study. In the compilation of my job, I am obliged to talk only in English, which means I wasn’t requested being able to speak in Spanish. However, this is indispensable for me, both in my personal as well as professional development. As a result, it wasn’t questionable that I jump into the language learning. Now I have an opportunity to experience what is like being in a country without speaking its language. I have to confess, it’s not the most wonderful feeling. Not only necessary in the everyday’s life as shopping and administration, but in the integration and socialisation too.
I would like to take the opportunity to explain: I am here only thanks to myself, my hard work, my persistence and my patience. I had no one to help and hold my hand. I am absolutely alone. I don’t deny, I had my worst days when I rather went back to home as per I was overwhelmed by loneliness. However, the feeling that I am not able to express myself is even worst! As Spanish people don’t speak English, only one solution left: the night and day learning.
My determination and the compulsion of adequacy motivate me even more for the continuous efforts. Next to the online self-learning, I hired a private Spanish teacher as well, who taught the language for 20 years in a university in England - it’s like she has been sent to me! I love her, she’s a wonderful teacher and a person altogether. Thanks to her, I have improved enormously in the past few days, which means now I am able to understand the conversations around me and I can talk about basic things. Chatting with the servers in the cafes are my best success so far! :)
I also decided to lead a chart to follow my progression over this year. Here is the first two weeks in summary:
Weekly skills development (Dekany, 2017)
Besides these things, there were many more happenings which you can explore from my next post. I will reveal the ways I try to get rid of loneliness and more informations regarding my job. I hope you liked my report and I would love to hear your opinion or tips how to survive the complications of communication as well as in the fighting over solitude!
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