European Exams

With exam period in process there's very little to tell. I am so happy my first term is over and I'm hoping that the second semester will go smoothly as I now know the system (or lack of..).

Today I had my first exam and it was weird. Not only is it weird having exams in January (at Kent we only have them in May/June) the general examination process seems very different to that in England. The exam was in the lecture theatre we usually have the class in, you could sit where you want, coats, bags and phones are all allowed, people were talking, the teacher was helping people (though unfortunately not me) and you could leave whenever you wanted. At UKC there are numerous emails and notices sent out underlining the strict rules and regulations. No mobile phones, no drink but water, no pencil case but a see through one, an invigilator for every 10 people...you get the idea, it's very strict. This exam was just having none of that, we didn't even have to show ID, anyone could have gone and sat my exam (and probably actually passed) and they wouldn't know, how strange. How Spanish.

Anyway, the exam is done and it was was ok...just ok. However, there is definitely nothing worse than seeing a question, mentally being able to visualize the revision notes you made on the topic it was referring to...but not being able to remember anything, then coming home and looking through said notes just to confirm that yes, I did answer incorrectly. What a silly guri. The exam was for my class on the rules and use of Spanish language, and to be honest I think it would have been a piece of piss for a native Spanish person but for a guiri like me, maybe not. I revised really hard and basically bugger all of what we got taught came up - oh well at least now I know my dipthongs from my triphthongs and my palabras llanas from my palabras agudas.That'll definitely come in useful..


That's about it with what's happening over here, I'm excited for Monday - I will be free of exams and off for 2 weeks. 2 weeks which include a trip to Oviedo and my 21st birthday. Last year I was in Spain for my birthday too, I wonder where I'll be spending it next year? Perhaps I'll spend it with my parents as the last time I saw them on my birthday I was turning 18. Time flies.

Here's an image I found which made me laugh. Daily struggles.

P.S. get well soon papa.

January Blues

University was the same old bore this week, thankfully this week is that last week of lessons before exams begin. I only have 2 and the last one is on 3rd February so I'll have about 2 weeks off after that, just in time for my trip to Oviedo and my 21st (!!) birthday. Exciting times ahead. I'm sure you'll all be wanting to send me presents and cards so just ask for my address.

This week despite the boring classes I have also been to an intercambio, the arabic baths, vintage shopping and the cinema.

We went to a different place for intercambio this week as no one was at our usual place last week so it was a bit pointless. This new bar was very full and I spoke to a few different Spanish people, however they were generally all older than us students in our twenties. Nonetheless I had a good chat with some Spanish people, one man told me he knew the best way to piss of an English person, so I asked him to tell me. He said 'the best way to annoy an Englishman is to criticise their monarchy'. I thought, oh bloody hell not this again! I had the same conversation while I was au pairing and it got me rather flustered. Still, this was a lot more harmless and I was able to joke about it and tell them I found it funny due to previous conversations. That said, it did still annoy me a little bit, leave our Queenie alone!

On Thursday I went to the baños árabes in Granada. They are the original arabic baths from when the moors ruled the city. I've wanted to go for a while but just hadn't got round to it until Elaine asked me and for 25euros you can't go wrong. This is a special price for students which gives access to the baths, steam room and hot stone as well as a 15 minute back massage. There are 3 baths, hot medium and cold. The idea is to alternate between the three. The cold one is absolutely freezing, but we went in after being in the hot bath, plunging straight in (head included) is honestly so refreshing it was great. There was also arabic tea you could help yourself too. It was a really tranquil environment and the massage was amazing. You weren't allowed to take photos inside but it was fantastic and authentic, I think I'm going to go back with the girls for my 21st.

Friday I had an interview for a babysitting job. I'll be cangura (babysitter, but literally translated to kangaroo!) to 2 boys for a Spanish family a few hours every Friday (and possibly more in the future). They seem really nice and already know loads of English. It's not a lot of money but it's a little bit extra and something for me to do on a Friday afternoon when I'm bored. I'm interested to see if they behave similarly to the girls I au paired over summer and just generally how different the experience of being a babysitter will be to an au pair. I have to speak English all the time but they seemed quite keen to speak/learn when I met them the other day.

Later in the evening I went for tapas with the girls and then we went to Boogaclub. It's a small live music venue. There was some sort of reggae festival one, I'm not a superfan of reggae but we wanted something different that didn't involve dressing up, drinking and coming home at 6am. I was so surprised about how much I loved this night, the venue was great and we stood really close to the front. The band 'Global Warning' were my favourite. They sang great live and the atmosphere was electric. This venue clearly just forgets all smoking laws though, people were just lighting up a joints of weed in the middle of the dance floor, I suppose what is reggae without marijuana ? (don't worry we weren't the ones smoking!). Another thing I noticed that night were the black people there. In Granada there are a lot of immigrants who sell things on the streets or who beg. I may be stereotyping or jumping to conclusions but I would say that at least 60% of the black people at that concert were these said immigrants. It made me quite happy to see them there, you could see on their faces they were having the time of their lives dancing and singing along to the reggae songs. Maybe because it was music that reminded them of their home countries or their family? Who knows, I could be jumping to conclusions and I suppose be called a racist by saying that, I'm not sure. It was actually nice to see them happy though...until one started trying to dance with me. Too far.

On Saturday I did a spot of shopping and cinema going with the girls. We got some vintage bargains from my favourite shops and then went to the cinema hoping to see El Lobo de Wall Street (The Wolf of Wall Street) however it was all booked up so we ended up seeing the Nelson Mandela film. It was a really good and powerful film, but also very sad.

This week I have my catalan oral but I'm not stressing about that too much as it is only worth 10%. I can't wait to finish my classes for good on Wednesday (well, until 16th February). On Friday I have my first babysitting date and who knows what the weekend will hold. Now I'm here studying/writing a blog/on facebook/watching some tv just how lazy Sundays should be. Only thing I'm missing is a roast dinner ...


P.S. The only 'January Blue' I have is that winter really is here in Granada, it's probably not quite as grim as winter in England though. It's rained quite a lot this week, it is bloody cold and I don't like it. Hopefully it'll clear off soon. Where's the sun?

The Spectacular Now

I've been back in Granada a week now and it's nice how easily I slip back in to my life here. Now that my Spanish language class is over until I start again at the end of February (and say goodbye to another 357€), I only have uni on Mondays and Wednesday giving me a lot more free time for a few weeks, though I am trying to use that time wisely and revise for the exam I am so unquestionably going to fail.

On Sunday I went to the cabalgata which was the procession through the city the day before el día de los reyes. I arranged to meet Becki in town and left with plenty of time  however I soon got caught up in the thousands of people who had come out to see the procession. I had to physically fight my way through the crowds to get to where we were meeting. The procession was a lot different to what I expected, I thought it'd be quite traditional with 3 actual kings (well not real Kings obviously, but dressed up). There were lots of different floats which all had people dressed up. They were throwing sweets, and when I say throwing I actually mean catapulting! Me and Becki had a few hit us in the head and it actually hurt (boiled sweets, you see) I did manage to catch a few, but the Spaniards are just too quick for me. They were picking them all up off the floor too, we'd feel a hand near our legs picking up the ones that we couldn't be bothered to. We couldn't see all the procession because we were a few rows back but what I did see was really cool and it was another great experience. I was more overwhelmed by the amount of people in Granada that night, it was impossible to move but the atmosphere was great.

The rest of the week has been catch-ups and a class here and there. I first met with Adele and Becki on Monday to go for some tapas at Los Diamantes which never fails to disappoint. This was the first time I'd had pimientos de padrón (my absolute favourite) here in Granada and they were delicious. We went up to mirador and I know I go on about it a lot but the views there are just so incredible, I wish I had visitors here now so they could see the view with the snowy Sierra Nevada in the background as it's even more impressive. Speaking of that, my walk in to town is so picturesque at this time of year, I took a photo the other day and I think it's one of my favourite that I've taken so far.

Wednesday, between class, I went for a drink with Hannah in the best little café which is so hidden away, I love it. I'll only be taking special people there (and people who can walk up a lot of steps). We had a nice refreshing smoothie and caught up, it was lovely. That was until two Spanish guys came up to the terrace and once they noticed we were English they wouldn't leave us alone. One thing led to another and the flamenco music was out and we were dragged up to salsa dance (bear in mind that I do not salsa dance) despite protesting that no quiero (I don't want to!). They were a bit weird but harmless.. It was so so funny and as I say 'one for the blog!'.

This Saturday me and the girls took a trip to the countryside for a walk/hike. We got a bus (after running through Granada like crazy people so with 2 minutes to spare) to Monachil for 3€ return.  The walk took us about 3 hours in total and it was fantastic. The views of the Sierra Nevada were incredible (the Sierra is huge and doesn't just cover the snowy mountains). The walk we did is called Los Cahorros and it's most popular because of the puentes colgantes (hanging bridges - that is what it translates to but I can't remember if that is what we call them in English?!). It was so beautiful and luckily we appeared to be the only ones out walking at that time so we had it all to ourselves which really meant we could stand posing for pictures as long as we wanted. After passing the first bridge the rest of the route was quite hard because the path was like a continuous long bit of stone/curb on the edge of a gorge, sometimes I had to crawl along it because the mountain edge came out so far that it was impossible to get past, luckily there are metal handles in the mountains to help you get across. The views were incredible and my photos don't express how amazing it was. After walking past the river and gorges we made our way back to the town centre but tt was so much more hard work as the  route back was basically climbing over a bloody mountain. We just kept climbing and climbing and eventually reached the summit (rather sweaty). It was so steep. On the way down we walked through what I really think of as 'Spanish Spain'. It was very rural but there were quite a few farming houses, we saw lots of olive trees and even men picking the olives (I took a picture of them doing it, naturally). We were absolutely shattered by the time we were done so we went and had a few drinks in a lovely traditional Spanish bar. It actually could have been an English country pub because they had a lovely log fire going and it just had that warm feel to it. We got some really good (free) tapas there (patatas a lo pobre - my favourite) and head back into town to catch the bus home. It was such a nice morning and we were home by 2:30 with a cuppa. Overall we did about 8km and I'm definitely feeling it today!

The fun didn't stop there though, we somehow managed to muster up the energy to go for tapas and go clubbing the same day. I had a really good night, we went to the chupitería which is a shot bar, all shots are 1 €. There are 3 different types, strong, medium or soft and in each category there are about 45 different flavours. I went with the intention of only having 1 soft shot as I'm generally not a shot person, but about 5 or 6 fuertes later, we finally left to go to the club. With entry and 2 copas for 10 € you can't really go wrong, especially with the amount of vodka they put in a glass here. 3/4 of the glass is always the spirit, the rest is just mixer. When I first came I found it so hard to drink as it's so strong but I've clearly adapted to Spanish life now as it just tastes normal to me with that amount these days! It'll be hard going back to going out in England when they give you the tiniest amount of spirit in a drink. That said, it'll be my final year so I'll be way too busy studying to have any social life...

After my 2 exams in January I have booked myself a little trip t'north! I'm off to Oviedo for a few days to stay with some family friends who I haven't seen for over 3 years now. I can almost taste the delicious food I'll get to eat and the clear Spanish accent  that I'll actually understand. The only downside is that it's an 11.5 hour bus journey each way. I am travelling from one end of the country to another, though - spose I'd better take a book or two...


P.S. Title explanation...
So, this is actually the title of a film I watched a few weeks ago but I just think it's quite relevant. I was talking with my friend the other day (in depth) about final year at uni and how much we're looking forward to it. I felt quite annoyed with myself though, I am looking forward to it don't get me wrong, but right now I'm living in bloody Spain! The best year of my life, the once in a lifetime opportunity and all that jazz. Time to live in the 'spectacular now' and enjoy it all while I can because although I'm looking forward to going back to Canterbury, I doubt it'll be long till I start complaining about it and wish I was back living in Spain again.

Inglaterra i el any nou

This blog is going to be long so I apologise in advance.

Since I last wrote a lot has happened. I went home for Christmas on 20th December, me and Adele flew back together. Unfortunately we had the worst plane journey ever but being greeted by my Dad in arrivals with sausage rolls from Greggs made it a whole lot better. I couldn't have asked for a better time at home this Christmas. 

I got to see all my family in Devon as it was my baby cousin's christening the weekend I got back. It was so nice to see him and the rest of my family, it's just a shame it was a flying visit. Back in Sleaford I spent time catching up with my friends and spending time with my parents and brother (and my dog). I loved it all but I wish I could have stayed for longer. My Christmas dinner was amazing, however my eyes were bigger than my belly and I was defeated and couldn't eat it all but it was exactly how I had hoped for so well done mother! It was nice to relax at home and watch all the xmas tv with my family. Definitely ate way too much though but it's Christmas so it's allowed, right? Anyway before I knew it my time was up and the 31st had arrived which meant I had to travel to Gatwick to fly to Barcelona. Although I was really excited for Barcelona I was a little bit sad about leaving, nothing beats going home. After lugging all my stuff round and finally getting to Gatwick on the train (and getting drenched in the process) I was on my way to Barcelona with a G&T (cheers BA). 

Baby William at his christening

Me and my cousin, Chris

My favourite little guy

My beautiful Mum and I

Christmas Dinner at the Laings

me and my oldest friend, Amy

New Years Eve was spent at a Spanish flat party. Arriving just in the nick of time (11:56) we did the traditional Spanish grape eating, You eat 1 grape for every chime at midnight. Sounds easy right? It's not. There was something that sounded like a chime before the actual chimes started so I began my first grape only to be shouted at by the Spaniards saying that wasn't it, too late! I feel this ruined my rhythm and after about 8 I gave up. It doesn't help that Spanish grapes have seeds in either. We had a good night though all in all. You can imagine that the following day was very unproductive following some serious hangovers. 

Feliz Año Nuevo! Happy New Year!

looking a bit drunk

On Thursday we took a trip to Montserrat, a mountain about an hour away from Barcelona.We got our hiking boots on and off we went. The information centre wasn't very informative so we weren't too sure which route we were taking but we thought we'd just follow the path and see where we end up. The route we took took about 50 minutes and it was tough. At the time some parts were just horrendous and so steep I thought I might collapse. The views were absolutely stunning though, pictures just don't express how amazing it was, we could even see the Pyrenees mountains all snowy in the distance. The highest point we got to was 1030 meters (impressive!) and I could definitely feel it. I pulled my hamstring towards the end so I was a bit of a moaner on the walk back down because I was in a lot of pain but it was so nice to get some fresh air and do some exercise. There was also a monastery there which we had a look around. It was incredibly beautiful, I even touched the Virgin Mary!

very high up

bit windy

living life on the edge..

favourite picture I took with the pyrenees at the back

mountain selfie

The next day we went to Casa Mila which is one of the houses thatGaudi designed. I wanted to go when I was au pairing but never got round to it. It was 14 euros to get in and I guess it was worth the money. It is amazing and the architecture is fantastic but there wasn't much to it. The terrace was full of his strange mosaic statues but I felt a bit disappointed as they weren't very colourful like Parc Guell. That said, it was still very impressive and the views of Barcelona were incredible, it was worth the money just for the views. After the house we headed to Parc de la Ciutadella ( which is probably Barcelona's equivalent of Parque del Retiro in Madrid) via Arc de Triomf. I never even knew there was an Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, it is absolutely massive and I think I may actually prefer it to the one in Paris. Of course it was all beautiful, in the park there's a huge fountain with gold figures around it, and a life size woolly mammoth statue. OK, it sounds a bit weird but it really is beautiful and it was somewhere I'd wanted to go for a while. There's a lot more to the park like gardens, a zoo etc but we didn't look round it all. It was surprisingly warm on Friday, around 16 degrees, I got so hot I was walking round in a t shirt. This is why I like Spain... We headed back up to the hostel Tara and I stayed in when we went out for my birthday last year to have some of our favourite food, and it didn't disappoint. That night we went to Font Magica at Montjuic. This was the main thing I wanted to see in Barcelona. In front of the art museum there is a huge fountain, every night it does a sort of show with music. The formations of the water changes and coloured lights make it look incredible. It sounds pretty naff while describing it but it was truly amazing and I LOVED it, it was so beautiful. Once again, the photos I took just didn't capture how fantastic it was. Later on we went out for some final drinks before it was time for me to leave. We went to a really cool bar that lets you pour your own drink. I paid for a G&T and she handed me the bottle of gin, I figured as I may as well fill half the glass with gin seeing as there were no rules. Plus it was Friday..The women behind the bar laughed at me, it was rather strong but still enjoyable. You also get free popcorn (random) with your drinks so we helped ourselves and stayed for a nice evening. 

fountain selfie

terrace of Casa Mila

Parc de la Ciutadella

Parc de la Ciutadella

font magica

font magica

amazing

at the top of Casa Mila

Love this photo. I love how long and wide the streets are in Barcelona

My time in Barcelona went so quickly but I had the most amazing few days and really enjoyed myself with Tara and Briony. I think I would say that Barcelona is currently my favourite city in Spain. Don't get me wrong I love Granada so much, but there's something about Barcelona that I can't describe. It's just a great city. I'm  now back in Granada after a rather bumpy plane journey and I'm looking forward to relaxing for a few days and checking out the processions in Granada. Monday is El día de los Reyes Magos. It's a really important day in Spain (just as important as Christmas day) as the three Kings bring presents. There'll be processions tomorrow throughout Spain and the children will get their presents from 'The Kings' on Monday. It'll be really interesting to see what it's all about. I'm not sure if any of my friends are back, if not I'll be going on my own with my camera at the ready.

Going home made me appreciate a thousand times more the amazing experience I get this year. I am so lucky to have this year as part of my degree and want to embrace it as much as I can. Although I do sometimes I think maybe I should have gone to Latin America and had more of an adventure, Spain is only 3 hours away by plane and still in my home continent, but nonetheless I am loving my year abroad so much and can't wait to carry on with my travelling, exploring and delicious tapas eating. 

Hasta la próxima,

Ellie