My time in Granada has now ended and I've returned to England which is just as grey, cloudy and rainy as it was when I left 10 months ago (to this very day).
In some respects 10 months seems like so little time and I can't get my head around how fast it has gone. It honestly feels like last week I was sat in bed, as I am now, blogging about how scared I was for the big move. That said, 10 months also feels like a lifetime. They say that Year Abroaders sometimes suffer with 'reverse culture shock' and although I'm sure that is more aimed towards students who have been living somewhere completely different to England, Spain might be a European country but it can be hard to readjust. To go from living in one of the most beautiful cities in Spain and always being out and about embracing the Spanish way of life, to now living back at home in my little town in the East of England ... well it's just a bit sad sometimes. However, I shouldn't be sad that it's over, but instead be grateful for the experience and all the amazing things I did.
My last few weeks in Granada were brilliant, I did have exams (boo) some of which went well and others which didn't (2/10 was an absolutely gutting grade for a class I studied so hard for). However, once the last one was over it was straight on to enjoying the last couple of weeks. The weather was absolutely amazing and I just had a lot of fun. Some highlights were:
-16KM hike with Maddy from a small town over the mountains and hills that surround Granada. It took 4 and a half hours but the views were incredible.
-An impromptu Colombian party. After they won one of their world cup matches, Maddy's Colombian flatmate invited what seemed like every Colombian in Granada to their flat. I was taught how to dance Colombian salsa and reggaeton by a fellow from Ecuador called John and had traditional Colombian spirits forced down me all til 6AM. The dream.
-Discovery of the Piscina Universitaria. 2.50E a time for all day sunbathing and occasional dips in the pool. "I might do a whole length tomorrow". This has actually resulted in me returning home with a TAN. A pretty impressive one when compared with my white bits. I spent my whole last week their every afternoon with Frances.
I left Granada on Sunday morning to go and meet my parents in Murcia, it was a sad bus journey admiring the beautiful landscapes I will miss so much. Even travelling by bus I will miss, I think I could count on one hand the amount of times I've travelled by bus in the UK, it's such a beautiful way of travelling over there. Anyway, luckily I had a 1 day mini holiday to compensate the sadness (or increase it) with my parents and their friends in a town on the coast in Alicante which was really nice.
And then before I knew it, I was on the plane flying home and my Year Abroad was officially over. It has been a year that I will never forget. There are a long list of adjectives I could use to describe it because you feel every emotion possible at some point or another, but sometimes words just aren't enough. Granada is the most captivating city to live in and I am so so lucky to have had that opportunity, and who knows, maybe I'll be back living there once again in my lifetime. If this year has done anything for me it has made my love for Spain (and all Hispanic countries) and the Spanish language grow even stronger, made me want to travel and explore the world even more, and made me realise I can do anything with the independence and courage it's taught me. Maybe that sounds OTT and soppy but I do think it's true.
For now its a few weeks in my home town lounging about and seeing friends and family before I head off to Poland to teach English, and after that it's back to Canterbury to find a job and settle in before I start my final year of university in September. Scary. I hope you have all enjoyed my blogs, both whilst au pairing and studying in Granada, I will miss writing them but what a great way to have all these memories on record instead of just photos.
Besos,
Ellie
Here's a selection of my favourite photos/memories from this year
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