Hostellife – part I

I admit my last article is some time ago. The reasons for that differ: on the one hand I work now and not so many interesting things happen and on the other hand I’m stuck in all the daily routines as I now have a place to sleep and I’m part of a well-going social group. I sleep every day till midday and go down into the lobby and have my breakfast served. Everybody who knows me knows that I usually don’t sleep that long but the weather in Valencia, madre mía, never less than 12 hours. Ricci said the same.

We are eight volunteers working in the hostel now of which three leave till the end of September. Despite or maybe because of the cultural diversity it’s a nice squad. There are Ricci from Germany, Ada from Iceland (nobody can pronounce her real name so it’s Ada), Jana and Marina from Slovenia, Nico from France, Cameron from South Canada (aka ‘Murika) and Liz from New Zealand (her accent is reason for some of our jokes).
So far everything’s pretty easy. Except for once I usually work in the bar, really hard of course. But seriously except for the morning shift where you have to serve breakfast to everyone, I really enjoy the work, drafting beer and cash up. Sometimes having one or two beers, why haven’t I done it earlier.
Even funnier are those who speak a little bit of Spanish and frantically try to order their breakfast and are completely surprised when I ask them “Do you want milk and sugar?”.
I mean I don’t look like a Spanish dude, do I? Blonde hair and everything. Idiots.

Like I already mentioned, daily routine takes its place again. You get used to have your own room even if you have to share it with seven other dudes, you pick your favorite supermarket and learn the way to the beach. With the Valenbisi here it takes about 30 minutes. Bad thing is that everyone of the social group I was talking about studies here and live near the university which is between the hostel and the beach so we’ll mostly meet somewhere at the beach or one of the uncountable bars or cafés near them. I don’t want to complain as Lara lives even farther away than me and like this I do even a little bit of exercise … I doubt you can call that what I’m doing exercise.
Lucie got a little bit harder. She’s the only foreigner in the group … well, right now we all are foreigners but she is from France and the rest from good ol’ Germany. Of course we all do our best to keep the conversation in English but from time to time you hear some German sentences coming up.
Actually, I’m here to practice Spanish but this is quite hard when the other don’t speak Spanish that well. So you do the Spanish homework for another dude at half past three after a night at the beach. At least I had fun.

But the life in a hostel is not always like this rainbow pony fairy wishing fountain – ish as you might think. If you ask Thijs (spoken like “ties”) there is not a single thing that’s better.
He arrived two days after me and like the majority he also studies here. Whereas many find a flat for the following six month within a few days Thijs enjoys himself and still lives here. That’s almost three weeks. Considering the money there is not much difference: a room in a flat is on average between € 230 and € 270, a night in the hostel around € 10. The university is close and he goes out every night which is in his words “his end”.
But Thijs is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He even gave me his Erasmus student card with which I already saved some euros for some sights. Additionally it’s nice to see known face within the crowd of travelers.
And sometimes it’s all you need when you hear him laughing loudly in the lobby while you are cleaning beds in the third floor.

Who is now wondering how it’s like to life and work in a hostel I can tell: awesome. It’s reallz neat. Well, experience probably differ from hostel to hostel. For example it’s not so good that we don’t earn a thing but we can sleep here for free and get breakfast every morning. Those who want to earn a little bit is here on the wrong spot. Somebody like me, also Liz, Cameron and Nico, who just tour the world and want to stay for a bit at the same spot it’s a nice thing. Than there are Jana, Marina und Ricci who study in their country and do some internship abroad.
And last but not least Ada where nobody really knows what she’s doing. Probably because she herself doesn’t know it.

However, there are still some issues: my biggest one ist that I don’t have a place for being by myself. You’re either in your room, with all the others, or you work. You are only alone when you strive through the city.
I also don’t like that I don’t have a couch or a bed ro relax and listen to my beloved rock music. You are silent to don’t disturb the others otherwise your next nightshift will not be nicely …

It is like it is always: it’s the small things that you miss. Having to do your groceries every day as there is now staff fridge and you don’t want to put your stuff into the regular fridge because it is really disgusting or something went “missing”. Admittingly I’m not that kean to cook something in this kitchen, at least we got some new cutlery and glasses and plates this week so you don’t have to eat out of the pan anymore.
Or the fact, that you only have a small box underneath your bed in which all your belongings are. In our room are only trustworthy people so I don’t mind leaving my tablett PC on my bed. And, like I said, that you can’t watch TV or listen to music. Sure there are headphones but it’s not the same.

But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t make the best out of this situation. Out of need I upgraded my bed a little bit so my hat from Barcelona became a drawer where I store tooth brush and such things.

Such things you need every day and you’re too lazy to open the stupid box every time and don’t want to leave your stuff everywhere.
BTW when you pull the box out you can use it as a nice desk and avoid the annoying people in the lobby or at the bar. Ugh, so many people all the time.

And of course the thing I’m really proud of. Story time: Once upon a time I woke up after being out the night before and watched my favorite morning show Good Mythical Morning (thanks to Chris who showed it to me). As a real lazy fuck that I am, it was too exhausting holding that heavy phone in my hand all the time. Lying on your side with headphones is not really comfortable as well. A solution was sought.

So I started crafting. A holder out of paper reinforced with tape and laces in which I can put my phone and watch TV. It works perfectly. The resources here are very scarce. One dude even said that you should produce these professionally and sell them. I doubt people will buy it but every day an idiot stands up. So world, rob another of my ideas and get rich with it.

This guy even told me how German I am. As, he’s Italian, no other nation would make the effort to build something like that. Some don’t even think about such a thing, some complain about having to hold your phone and then there are nations like the USA which discover such things, take and claim it as their own. Shots fired. He asked me why I didn’t craft it out of cardboard but paper and I answered that this was just a prototype to see if it even works. He just said: “You’re so German.” Well, I can’t deny my roots, buddy.
“And isn’t it incredibly cool to get to know so many people every day?”
Yes and no. The thing is how do you clarify “know”? Do you know somebody because you met him once and know his name? I’m not sure. To be honest if I weren’t be friends with the other volunteers and the students group I probably wouldn’t find it that cool.
It is cool to meet people from all over the world and everybody tells his own interesting story.
Here I just have to say something about Perry, a around 40 years old guy who is in Valencia for a job interview which he had to deny in the end. However, so far he was my favorite so far.
In the three nights he stayed at the hostel we had lots of fun at the bar. That days before were quite quiet. Of course you can’t have party every night but even for the weekends that was not typically. And then BAM, Monday evening Perry enters. Within only a few hours he gathered some guys and they all played a very amusing drinking game. And like this were the following three nights. I don’t even mind having slept only three hours Tuesday night before starting work again. Cheers Agent P.

When somebody leaves, you always say “I hope we see each other again. I got you on Facebook, so we’ll text.” Yeah, fuck off. To 99 % you know this won’t happen. But with Perry I deeply hope to see him again in England in his nobody-drives-that-far-into-the-countryside-village.

I mentioned it already earlier Thijs is here almost as long as I am and we get along quite well. We make jokes about him staying longer in this hostel than me but it seems he ought to extend his stay her and has to move now. Good luck man.
And by this the very last one, who was here for a longer period, leaves. I have to think of the article my friend Jake wrote recently about the seven stages of the traveler’s social cycle.
That’s also the reason why Natalie, a Russian client, went to Barcelona last night as Lorenz and his friend (both from Munich) and Natalie spent the last few days together. While Lorenz and the other guy continue their trip where Barcelona is the next stop, Natalie booked for the whole week before she flies back from Valencia. Now she decided to go after them to Barcelona by Bus. She said it’s not because she fell in love with one of them. Your decision why somebody would do that.

Stories like these or the mental breakdown of a woman who was so homesick make you think. That’s also the reason why it’s not cool to meet so many people. If you, however, want to find 1,000 new facebook friends this will be your thing. Otherwise you need a thick polster.

To each his own.