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citizen ben

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shortcut talks to ben curtis, podcaster and spain aficionado.

TRAVEL TALES: Ben has penned a book on his experience of moving to Spain and making himself at home there. Read about house buying, inlaws and the most beautiful street in the world here.

What was your image of Spain before arriving there? Lives punctuated by tortillas, flamenco and siestas?

I used to imagine drunken Brits getting into trouble on the Costa del crime, bullfights, dusty plains and jugs of Sangria! What was the most surprising thing about Spain once you got there? The total lack of immigrants. There were no coloured people in Madrid when I arrived, just Spaniards, and a few western Europeans and South Americans. All that has changed now, but it was quite a shock after the London suburb of Brixton, where as a white Englishman I was in the minority.

Any cultural or other idiosyncracies of the Spanish you are still struggling to understand? Or refuse to understand as a matter of principle?

I'm pretty used to everything now, though the television still drives me mad. 4 or 5 twenty minute ad. breaks in a two hour film is enough to drive you insane. I just refuse to watch Spanish TV any more.

Why did you write a book about Spain, Errant in Iberia? And have your inlaws read it?!

I wrote it after reading a lot of similar escape-abroad type travelogues based in Spain, from Brenan's 'South from Granada' to Chris Stewart's 'Driving over Lemons'. I felt like telling my story too, thinking it might inspire others to make the break as well. The in-laws do have a copy but luckily their English isn't quite up to reading it!

You live in Madrid - what keeps you busy besides your blog, Notes from Spain?

I'm a freelance translator, web designer and occasional guidebook editor. Apart from that most of my time is spent podcasting. My wife and I have just started another on Spanish cooking over at cuisinefromspain.com and we also have a third program in Spanish. I'm not sure where this is all going yet but the feedback we have been getting is really positive and listener numbers are climbing.

Fundamental piece of advice for Spain newcomers?

The more effort you make the quicker you'll learn the language. Obvious I know, but many just expect to absorb Spanish by osmosis and find life really frustrating as a result. Apart from that, stay out of the Irish pubs and check out the down at heel local bars - much more interesting!

Anything the Spanish find very weird about you (as a foreigner living among locals)? That you like Currriii?

Yes, a love for Asian food other than Chinese is still a hard thing to grasp for many Spaniards, and some are still surprised by my desire to travel to countries way beyond the Spanish borders as often as possible. But Madrileños are becoming increasingly cosmopolitan so the differences are disappearing - or maybe I'm just becoming increasingly Spanish...

Are you still errant in Iberia?

Whenever I can be! The podcasts have provided a great excuse to start roaming around Spain again.

Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 07:51AM by Registered Commentershortcut in | CommentsPost a Comment | References108 References

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