Basically a blog full of rubbish, sorry.

Hi there,

I didn’t realise its been nearly a month since my last blog post until today so I thought I better write one now.

Let’s start with 2 weeks ago… I went home for a long weekend for my 21st and it was one of the best weekends of my life! Firstly I was pampered all of Saturday day time (including new hair thanks to the wonderful Ellie!). That night I got ready for what I thought was a quiet night of a few drinks and catch up with some friend, how wrong I was! I got the shock of my life when I arrived at the bar to see all my family and all my dearest friends waiting for me! Everyone who was there I love so much (minus my niece and nephew of course) and even now I have a stupid smile on my face thinking of the night. I think everyone there knew me well enough to expect tears which I did manage to hold off until I saw Emaline. The sneaky bugger had lied and said she couldn’t come down from Newcastle to see. She is one of the best friends I will ever find in life so seeing her there as well as everyone else pushed me over the edge and the tears came pretty quickly. I want to thank everyone once again because that really was an amazing night and an unforgettable memory.

The next day, of course, everyone was nicely hungover. It was remembrance day though so my mum, Anna, Jack, Andrew and I walked down to the war memorial for 11am to watch the service. After this I made a super quick stop off to say hello to Andrew’s parents which was nice but very rushed, I’ll have to make some more time for them over Christmas! And I finished the day by finally being reunited with my beautiful niece and nephew and having a very needed dinner and lazy night.

Monday was yet another amazing day. I had planned a trip to the zoo with Andrew but what I didn’t know is I have another sneaky bugger in my life as he had also planned a surprise, I got to meet the animals! We spent half an hour inside the rainforest exhibit which was full of very very cute Tamarin monkeys, armadillos, turtles, sloths and a cheeky Tamadua who kept trying to climb up our legs. The best part was that we actually got to feed the monkeys, we had to grab handfuls of live mill worms (yuck) and held our arms out to the monkeys who were coming extremely close to our faces and staring at us as they grabbed their lunch out of our hands. I love animals and the zoo and so this was another memory that I’ll cherish forever, thank you Andrew!

My actual birthday was Tuesday which was spent shopping and having lunch with my mum, seeing the kids again and then a lazy night and takeaway with some of my family. I got the greatest presents from everyone, I was well and truly spoiled! It was my favourite birthday to date though.

Wednesday, I came back to reality and from then until now have not been doing much other than attempting to get all my assignments done before Christmas. I did miss Spain whilst I was home, I missed being able to see the beautiful mountains in whatever direction you look. And of course I missed the mild weather- 20’C for the last week in November really isn’t too bad!

Slowly my work is coming together, hopefully I’ll have done enough to be able to relax soon and enjoy myself a bit more! But for now, a few trips out here and there will suffice until my work is done. I finally bought myself a duvet this week as night time is getting a bit cold, this was a bad decision though because it makes it even harder to leave my bed in the mornings.

Despite my worries, Spain is getting quite christmassy! There are decorations in my local mercadona which very tacky and cheap, I love them. I also went to the shopping centre this week which is also covered in decorations. This makes me very happy, as I was worried Spain would not be big on decorations, they might not be the extreme London style but they’re there nonetheless!

I think I’ll leave it here as I do seem to have rambled quite a bit, mainly about my birthday which I can’t help but talk about because it was the best weekend ever. There is only 24 days left of this term which is extremely scary because when I return after Christmas I will be half way through my year abroad! I can already tell I am going to miss Alicante a lot when this is over. Basically, when I’m here I miss home and when I’m home I miss here, I can’t win! So for now I get the best of both worlds by traveling between the two as I please.

I’ll try not to leave it so long until the next blog. But to be honest it’ll probably be even longer because I keep forgetting about this!

Hasta luego!

xxxxxxxxxxx

I swear I am alive.

Hi there,

I realise I haven’t blogged for a while so I thought I should just in case anyone was worrying (Claire and mum, thats you guys!).

The reason I haven’t blogged is because I don’t really have anything interesting to say, its amazing how quickly you slip into a routine and it now feels like I’ve been studying here forever. The work load is still crazy, well I’ve realised the amount is not too horrendous but given that its in another language and I have no idea whats due when etc I keep stressing out. Due to this I have been writing myself dozens of lists of what to do and for when which does seem to be helping.

The weather has been so lovely here, I can’t believe that its nearly Halloween and its still the right weather to sit and relax on the beach! I think it is changing soon though- and by changing I mean some clouds and maybe as low as 23’C so still nothing to complain about!

I hate to admit it but I’m struggling to contain my excitement for Christmas. ITS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR EVER. And so my present shopping has begun already. Obviously being in Spain its hard to shop for people in England, however I’ve been doing it all online and getting to delivered to my mum at work which I know she is going to love me for! But oh well! I am home for slightly under 4 weeks at Christmas which is so exciting because it gives me time to see everybody and appreciate all the silly things I’m missing!

Talking of home, I am returning once again in 12 days! Its all going so quick and I can’t believe I’m due another trip home. Although this one is for a very good reason, my birthday! Given that its my 21st I really wanted to be at home to celebrate it with my family and so I’m skipping uni for a few days and flying home. I am so excited but the thought of skipping 3 days of uni is stressful and so I’m having to work extra hard!

Its not too tough living here though, yesterday I was able to reward my day of work with an afternoon swim in the pool in my back garden! That alone makes all the work worthwhile! As well as, obviously, the friends I have made here. I don’t think I’d still be here without them, they’ve been amazing! We all moan a lot about Spain, secretly I love it but I won’t admit that my summer full of dread and first few weeks of nerves were a load of rubbish and that actually Alicante is beautiful. I have been an appalling resident of Alicante though, I still haven’t visited the Castle on the mount which from pictures looks beautiful. I promise I will visit soon! If I can find a friend who hasn’t gone yet either, or one who is willing to walk up the millions of steps again!

I think that fills in everything important. The longer I am here (8 weeks now!) the less frequent my blogs are so I probably won’t do this again for a while but I will try to remember!

Adios

xxxxxxxxxx

Distance.

Hello there.

I wanted to write another blog seeing as I haven’t for a while but I can’t really think of a great deal to say.

I was at home this weekend which was amazing, I spent the weekend with my family and already miss them so much. It feels like 5 days were over in 5 minutes. But its surprising how easy you can slip back into a life here. I’ve been back in lectures for the last 2 days and I’m already having to spend my whole afternoon working, there’s so much to do!

The main thing I wanted to rant about is distance because sometimes homesickness isn’t the root of my problem, sometimes it is simply distance. Being away from people you love is so hard, especially for me because I tend to stick close to everybody I love and this is the longest I’ll ever go without seeing them. Distance can put a great strain on all kinds of relationships and its really hard to try and fix the problem from so far away. Everyone who knows me will know how emotional I am ALL THE TIME and so its not surprise that I’m struggling with the distance between me and some people.

Another problem for me is not realising when someone is taking me for an idiot and its amazing how being in Spain is changing me and making me realise that in some cases I deserve a lot better than what I’m getting. I try my hardest to be a good person and its really upsetting when that isn’t reciprocated to me. Anyway as you can tell that has got me feeling miserable right now but I’m trying my hardest not to dwell on things that are beyond my control. Besides, what goes around comes around eh?

Lets look on the bright side now, I do love Alicante, and especially my new friends. I enjoy being in uni each day and meeting so many new people all the time! Its made me realise how easy going I can be and I feel a lot happier in myself, its given me a lot of confidence. I am proud of myself for doing this because its way out of my comfort zone and was very very scary! But (except for my weekend at home) I’ve been here 6 weeks now and I can’t believe quite a big chunk of my year abroad is done!

I’m hoping to be able to end this year with this new found confidence and be able to take that back to my old life and hopefully sort out all the troubles I left behind! But for now, I’m being selfish by ignoring the problems and focusing on enjoying myself because I only get to be here once and time is already going fast!

I apologise for that fact that this makes no sense but its nice to mindlessly type out my thoughts.

Adios!

A lovely little rant for you all.

Good afternoon!

I really can’t believe I’ve been here over a month, 5 weeks tomorrow to be exact! That time has gone crazily fast yet at the same time it feels like I have done so much and been here forever. My tiny little bedroom, kitchen and bathroom are finally starting to feel like a home that I can’t wait to get to after a long day at uni. And the days at uni are indeed long! Physically, I have a great timetable, I am finished by 3 everyday which leaves me the afternoons to myself however each day is exhausting! Every night I am so eager to get into bed and every morning I’m not so eager to leave it. The work load I am given here is pretty hectic, way more work than I’m used to and it is quite time consuming however I was able to pick from a wide variety of modules and therefore I am enjoying everything I learn.

The main reason I wanted to blog today was to rant over the topic of homesickness and feeling sad. This is because many people go on and on about how your year abroad will be the best and most crazy year of your life and so we all arrive expecting it to be automatically bloody amazing and for the majority of people this has not been the case. It took at least 2 weeks for me to even accept that I am now living in Spain and won’t be returning home whenever I feel like it. Not once in these 5 weeks have I wanted to leave Spain, leave my year abroad, and just come home, but this doesn’t mean it hasn’t been difficult. I am loving living here right now, I could think of a hundred reasons why I love it here but at the end of the day I also love my family, friends and home and so of course I am going to be homesick. I am going home for a few days this weekend and I can’t wait to see everybody but at the same time I am aware it is only for a weekend and I will be returning back to my life in Spain, a fact I am okay with! I guess what I’m trying to say is feeling homesick or missing people from home doesn’t stop you from enjoying yourself, it is possible to live with both emotions and it certainly does not ruin your time here.

One more point to this rant is that feeling sad or homesick does not make you weak. A few people have expressed shock or even bemusement that I am going home for a weekend in October, despite the fact that many other of my friends are doing the exact same thing. It is not a bad thing to visit home, if it helps you to feel happy and relaxed during your year abroad then why not? There is no point spending it being miserable. In fact, feeling homesick whilst on your year abroad means you’re stronger than most, not weaker. The fact that someone who is missing so much at home is still here and trying and coping well makes them a strong and inspiring person. Besides, if you don’t miss your home even a tiny bit after a month of not seeing your friends and family then maybe you should question your home life. I know mine is worth missing.

I don’t want anyone to worry about me because of this post, I promise I’m not a miserable mess! I am loving it here, I love my campus and lectures, I love my new friends, I love my surroundings (who wouldn’t when I’m 20 minutes from the beach and getting 27’c days in October!). I simply wanted to make people realise homesickness is not a bad thing, its normal! And, if none of you guys missed me at all while I’m here I’d be a little offended!

Apologies for the rant, there’s nothing too interesting to tell though. Uni has kept me busy this week and the rain has kept me inside today so I have no choice but to catch up with all this work. I’m not complaining though, in 3 days I’ll be back in England and seeing all my family again! But even more importantly, I’ll be able to sleep in a duvet, walk on carpets, drink from the tap and eat normal food! Spain is great but nothing beats my home!

I hope I haven’t worried you all too much, I swear I’m okay!

Until next time.

xxxxxxxxxxx

The end of my first month!

I can’t believe that its been 4 weeks today since I started this scare adventure! The beginning of October, this week, will mark my second month here and its really starting to feel like a second home. This is partly to do with the weather, highs of about 25’c, clouds and rain is nothing like the weather when I first arrived; summer is well and truly over which means I can put the sun cream away at least!

Uni is incredibly hard work, way more hours and a much bigger workload than I am used to but I’m getting my head around it. I’ve become one of those super geeky people who types up their notes in lectures then goes home and rewrites them which is very time consuming but has to be done because Spanish talk so bloody fast and I can’t write my notes in time. Campus is still as beautiful as ever, even in the rain so its a shame I can’t sit on the grass much anymore without getting a wet bum!

I had a very lovely weekend with Andrew, his plane was delayed getting here (it wouldn’t feel right if he wasn’t late) so Friday was quite a lazy day; we explored campus and squeezed in a nap before I took him into town for some dinner and cocktails. The following day we explored the shopping centre and in the evening had a very stereotypical Spanish meal of paella and Sangria overlooking the port in a beautiful restaurant. I can tell its going to become a regular for me! Yesterday we spent the afternoon on the beach paddling and generally being nosy at other people’s lives and had an early dinner and headed back home seeing as Andrew’s flight was first thing this morning. I had missed Andrew very much the past 3/4 weeks so the weekend was very needed by both of us and I now feel so refreshed and ready to tackle everything again. It now feels very weird being alone in my room again but uni is keeping me busy as expected and I didn’t get a chance to see my friends over the weekend so it’ll be nice to spend some time with them! Its now 9 days until I fly home for a long weekend and I can’t wait. I miss carpets and duvets so will fully indulge whilst I’m in rainy England as well as eating everything in my sight that is not paella or potatoes or pasta because I’ve seen more than enough of that.

I think thats enough rambling for now, basically I am loving it here; its so relaxing and exciting to have a new experience. I think its been really good for me and I can already see a difference in my myself.

Thank you for listening, until next time!

Week 3 and finally beginning some work!

It may be very hard for you all to believe that I’ve actually been doing a lot of work today!

A morning 2 hour long lecture meant I had the rest of the day free and so I decided to get productive. After some food shopping and laundry, I was stuck in my room because there was finally some rain in Spain! (Which I was very happy to see.) Seeing as (the majority of) my lectures have been in Spanish my notes were a complete mess that I could barely understand and therefore I spent 3 hours this afternoon rewriting them into a much neater mess. By this time the rain had cleared up and so I went for a swim which was actually quite scary because I was alone and managed to convince myself someone had let a shark into the water and so I stayed in the shallow end. Silly, I know.

This morning I was woken up, once again, by the primary school behind my room which plays music at 9am for the arrival of the kids. Their music choices are rather bizarre, last week I had Michael Jackson’s You Are Not Alone and this morning was Disturbia by Rihanna. So depending on the song choice it can be a very nice start to the morning.

Yesterday was a ‘no car’ day in Spain and therefore all public transport was free which was odd! Obviously not everyone complied with the rule but there was definitely a lack of cars on the road which made the roads quiet and rather peaceful. Although of course the public transport will be free after I’ve bought a tram card worth of 30 journeys.. typical!

Spain feels a lot more homey after 3 weeks here and a cooler temperature. Although I never thought I’d look up the weather, see 26’c and decide to wear jeans! I’m pretty sure I’ve not tanned though which is disappointing, I may have to load up on fake tan so that I’m not laughed at on my return.

On Thursday, I’m getting a visitor! Andrew is coming to visit for the weekend and I’m very excited because being away from him for so long has been really tough! I’m also excited to show him around my new town. I bet he can’t wait for all my tours! BBC Weather has forecast storms though so I’ve asked him to bring my Harry Potter DVDs as plan B. I’ve also asked for some English magazines as I feel very out of touch with the world. The perks of having a boyfriend coming to visit!

Anyway, I think I’ve rambled on for long enough.

Hasta luego!

Day number 16!

I cannot believe I’ve been here 16 days already. It has gone so quick yet at the same time it feels like I have done so much. Lectures are in full swing now and two hours long which is a struggle in this heat! The registration process for these modules is unbearable, it makes no sense and I really have no idea where to begin. So I’ve done what I always do in this situation and emailed everyone possible asking for help- hopefully someone will give me a clue where to begin! I also have a police interview next Thursday in order to get my NIE which is needed if you plan to live in Spain for longer than 3 months. So the paperwork is still ongoing!

On a happier note, I had a lovely weekend! Friday, a friend and I discovered just how cheap the wine is here (a lovely bottle or rosé for 10euros with our dinner) and therefore took full advantage of that. I did some shopping on Saturday but did manage to limit myself to necessities only as our grants are yet to come in as there was a delay somewhere along the line. And Sunday was my favourite day because- and despite the fact that my family were all celebrating my brother’s birthday together at home which made me insanely jealous- I spent the afternoon with some lovely friends lazing around the beach again and swimming in the sea. Its such an amazing way to end each week and also to really take advantage of living in Spain!

On that note. it felt quite a bit chillier today than what we’ve been used to so I checked the temperature and it was 29’c which just goes to show how hot it has been! It was also very cloudy and some rain attempted to fall at various times and there were a few huge bouts of thunder which I really did not like!

Anyway, I think I’m finally starting to feel settled here now that lectures have begun and I’m too tired to much else thanks to the heat! However, I have a day off of uni in October and it seemed too much of a coincidence that it is also the weekend that the whole of family are going to be doing a charity walk in memory of my charming grandad and therefore I am flying home in a little over 3 weeks to join them. I am so excited at the prospect of home comforts for a short few days however I am already dreading the weather! But nonetheless the thought of seeing my loved ones is making me very happy indeed! The distance has proved hard for some of my home relationships however I keep telling myself that if a relationship is worth anything then it will be able to survive this. This trip is proving to be a true test but I believe as long as I remain a good person then good things should happen to me and not bad!

Hasta luego amigos!

First day at my new school!

Hello there!

I had my very first day of lectures today which was very nerve wracking! However, seeing as I’m in Spain it makes perfect sense that my day didn’t exactly go to plan!

It begun very early- my 8am lecture meant waking up at 7am and I couldn’t help but moan over the fact that this is 6am English time! Way too early! Despite the time, it was easily 25’c+ on my way to the lecture. This very first lecture was made a little easier by the fact that I have a friend in the same module and also that the lecturer was named John and taught everything in English! Before coming here I did not realise that any modules would be taught in English but it turns out this is the case for 3 of my modules which I am not so secretly delighted with! The lecture was about an hour and a half long and ran through the ins and outs of what the course would entail, including ten films to watch and four books to read so I guess the work starts here!

My second and final lecture of the day was supposed to be from 10am until 12pm so I made sure I was eagerly standing outside my classroom my quarter to. Here is where the stereotype of Spanish begins! My lecturer did not turn up for the lecture and it turns out the only people waiting outside the classroom (we waited for an hour to be extra sure) were the Erasmus students. We later found out that this session was the seminar and seeing as we hadn’t had a lecture yet the lecturer nor any other students bothered to come. So I am yet to have a lecture in Spanish!

As well as this, I finally admitted to myself that I’m going to be in Spain for quite a while and therefore I did some laundry and went to the shop to buy pillows to make my room more homely! I have been loving my first 10 days in Spain however as soon I sit down and I miss home again! So I’m looking at flights to fly home for a long weekend in October as I have some days off of uni and would love to say hello and give my family some big hugs!

Other than that, nothing exciting to report! Sunshine and temperatures of 30’c everyday, plenty of Spanish food to eat, plenty of pool to swim in and plenty of beautiful campus to explore, same old, same old!

Hopefully next time I’ll have some more exciting adventures to report as today as been full of the little jobs I’ve been putting off for a while and therefore not too thrilling!

Adios amigos.

My first week!

Hello again!

I am now on day 7 of my year abroad although it feels like I’ve been here for weeks already!

The weather is so beautiful, hitting 34’c this week (just as lectures start) but hopefully after his it will begin to drop a little to a temperature where I can wear my hair down and not continuously sweat all day. I’ve not been a pretty sight! I managed to find the shopping centre (with a few directions from others) and was very happy to see a h&m and a Zara, finally something I recognise from home! As well as many shops there is also a cinema which I cannot wait to visit and many restaurants so it looks set to make a good day out.

I had a few meetings at the university at the end of last week and the list of things I need to do is endless. For example, they want us to create our own timetables which has proven very difficult because there are so many clashes and class can begin at 8am and go on until 9pm – of course I’ve avoided both of these times when making mine! I haven’t been able to give myself a day of this term which is a shame but looking at next term’s times I think I can have a Friday off which will make my weekends a whole lot better! In addition to this, we also have to register with the police and will each be given an appointment to go and see them with numerous amounts of paperwork and forms to fill in. Its all very daunting!

Having been here for almost a full week has allowed me to develop some new friendships with some very lovely people which is helping a lot with missing home. I’ve been doing a lot to distract myself but naturally I do miss my home and family, of course I would! On this note, I have just booked my flight home for Christmas which has got me very excited! I’m also planning on flying home for my birthday mainly because I want birthday cake and presents! However I am going to wait to book this flight just in case something from uni stops me from going, but if this does happen I will not be very happy at all!

Uni starts on Wednesday so I’m trying to make the most of my free time before the hard works starts because I’ve heard that uni here is nothing like the UK, homework is given in every lecture and I have a lot of literature modules which means a lot of reading!

I’m off to the beach today, not until late afternoon though because it is way too hot to be out during the middle of the day. I’m very lucky that the beach is a 20 min tram ride away and therefore I can pop there whenever I like, a great advantage to living near the cost in this lovely weather! And then from tomorrow all the admin and work in preparation for uni starts! As well as a trip to see the tiny turtles again and some Spanish cinema in the evening.

So for now farewell and I’m sure I’ll be back in a few days time with hopefully more exciting stories to tell you!

xxxxxxxxxxx

My Alicante Adventures so far.

Hello again!

I am now on day 7 of my year abroad although it feels like I’ve been here for weeks already!

The weather is so beautiful, hitting 34’c this week (just as lectures start) but hopefully after his it will begin to drop a little to a temperature where I can wear my hair down and not continuously sweat all day. I’ve not been a pretty sight! I managed to find the shopping centre (with a few directions from others) and was very happy to see a h&m and a Zara, finally something I recognise from home! As well as many shops there is also a cinema which I cannot wait to visit and many restaurants so it looks set to make a good day out. I’ve attached some photos of the lovely view of mountains and see from the shopping centre, it was so strange to see such views from the window of a shop!

I had a few meetings at the university at the end of last week and the list of things I need to do is endless. For example, they want us to create our own timetables which has proven very difficult because there are so many clashes and class can begin at 8am and go on until 9pm – of course I’ve avoided both of these times when making mine! I haven’t been able to give myself a day of this term which is a shame but looking at next term’s times I think I can have a Friday off which will make my weekends a whole lot better! In addition to this, we also have to register with the police and will each be given an appointment to go and see them with numerous amounts of paperwork and forms to fill in. Its all very daunting!

Having been here for almost a full week has allowed me to develop some new friendships with some very lovely people which is helping a lot with missing home. I’ve been doing a lot to distract myself but naturally I do miss my home and family, of course I would! On this note, I have just booked my flight home for Christmas which has got me very excited! I’m also planning on flying home for my birthday mainly because I want birthday cake and presents! However I am going to wait to book this flight just in case something from uni stops me from going, but if this does happen I will not be very happy at all!

Uni starts on Wednesday so I’m trying to make the most of my free time before the hard works starts because I’ve heard that uni here is nothing like the UK, homework is given in every lecture and I have a lot of literature modules which means a lot of reading!

I’m off to the beach today, not until late afternoon though because it is way too hot to be out during the middle of the day. I’m very lucky that the beach is a 20 min tram ride away and therefore I can pop there whenever I like, a great advantage to living near the cost in this lovely weather! And then from tomorrow all the admin and work in preparation for uni starts! As well as a trip to see the tiny turtles again and some Spanish cinema in the evening.

So for now farewell and I’m sure I’ll be back in a few days time with hopefully more exciting stories to tell you!

xxxxxxxxxxx