"It's the final countdown"

It's been 12 weeks - 3 months!! - since I've been living in Spain now, and although at times it has dragged a little bit, I cannot believe there is only 3 weeks left before Part 1 of my European adventure is over! (I'm not counting January as I'll only be here for exams, eurgh)

If you'd have told me before coming that we'd have a 15 week semester, no half term (sorry, 'reading week') AND not be breaking up until the 19th of December (only 6 DAYS before Christmas!!), I think I might have cried. But I have to say, it hasn't been that bad at all. OK OK, I only have a 3 and a half day week - not exactly hardcore, I know. But more than that is that there's always been something fun to do, whether it's a trip away, a night out or a coffee and cake at my favourite cafe EVER (take a look at:

 https://www.facebook.com/TostaETostina)

[You know you go somewhere too often when as soon as you walk in, the waitress knows your coffee order!]

As much as I love it here, I am definitely ready to come home for Christmas now - After 3 months of talking through Skype, I want to be able to actually see my family and friends. I have so many plans for Christmas, I can't wait!

But to think how fast these 12 weeks have gone scares me - it feels like I've spent so long thinking about my year abroad, what with all the planning and decisions to be made, and suddenly here I am, my time in Spain almost at an end! It's CRAZY to think how much has happened in what is, really, a short space of time. The people I've met, the friends I've made ... It's incredible how an experience such as Erasmus can open your eyes to so many things and give you the most amazing opportunities. Before leaving Wales, I didn't know how I was going to cope living in another country - like most people, I thought: "Oh it's only Spain, only a couple of hours away, it's not like I'm going to America or something!" Of course, Spain is completely different to America as for one thing, there's just the tiny issue of having to speak Spanish everyday - there's no getting away with speaking English out here!

But now I know that I CAN DO IT. So time to make the most of these last 3 weeks and prepare myself for Part 2 - Verona. Bring on 2014!

Children in Need

I always knew that living in Spain would be different to living in Wales, but never knew just how different it would be until I actually arrived here!

Aside from the obvious things that have no doubt been mentioned somewhere before in this blog, there are some occasions which I definitely take for granted while in the UK, which don't happen here. For example:

• Bonfire Night* - No fireworks, none, not a single sparkler! *sniff*
• Remembrance Day* - Not a single poppy in sight; No 2 minute silence at 11am
• THE FAIR!! - Something which is currently happening in Aber, don't think I've missed one in over 15 years! 
• Children in Need* - No fancy dress, no silly Pudsey Bear ears, no charity cupcakes etc 

(*Note - Of course, I am completely aware that these are all British events, which Spain has no reason to celebrate).

It was just a little strange, as they weren't things I necessarily thought about when considering the culture change when moving to Santiago. I mean, a 5th November without fireworks?! (And no, we couldn't find any in the shops)

Luckily for us for Remembrance Day, my friend Ellie was well-prepared with poppies so we were actually able to wear them that week; We also managed a 2 minute silence, even if we were the only ones to do so!

When it came to Children in Need, we couldn't just sit there and do nothing! After successfully managing to stream it on the laptop (there felt something quite ... I don't know, naughty about doing it - illegally streaming a charity programme?!) we were able to sit and watch it as if we were at home. And it felt so nice, just to hear the British accent and watch people we'd actually heard of, and also to see just how generous the British public really are. More than once we were close to, if not in, tears.

We also thought it would be fun to do some baking, so what better way than to make Pudsey Bear cakes! (see below). As much as I do love it here and am interested in what Santiago has to offer, it was nice to have a 'night off' and pretend to be back in the UK. 

As for the fair, well that's something I'll just have to get over ... Next year I'll definitely be going twice to make up for it!

                                                       Our Pudsey Bear cupcakes!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Ok so as many of you will know, I BLOODY LOVE CHRISTMAS!!

(This is not referring to me, obviously)

I'm more excited than ever this year, as it'll be the first time I've been home/seen my family & friends in four months! For some reason, I don't seem to have ever 'outgrown' Christmas - in fact, I think every year I get more excited than the last. Now, I know it's only November but the thought of being at home to celebrate Christmas has put me in a very festive mood, very early. Here is my list of reasons why I love Christmas - enjoy!

• The build up: Pretty much the best part! The music, the adverts, the decorations, the countdown on the advent calendar ... What's NOT to love about December?! A time where having a sherry before 12pm is perfectly normal and eating your weight in mince pies seems inevitable
• The atmosphere: I don't know what it is, but you can always tell when it's nearly Christmas. I personally love going into town on Christmas Eve as you can just feel the Christmas-y atmosphere in the air! Aside from the usual stress (making sure all the presents are wrapped, that the turkey's bought etc) everybody seems to be in such a good mood - as far as I can tell anyway!
• The music: Although already mentioned, I feel this just has to have a point of it's own. Possibly one of, if not THE, best parts of Christmas is most definitely the music - the same songs every year, but I love it!! Stick a bit of Mariah or Slade on and I'm instantly cheered up. And when those first few bars of "Fairytale of New York" start to play well, that's me well and truly in the Christmas mood! (Possibly my favourite song EVER). But not just pop music - even the traditional Christmas carols are important. Nothing beats the memory of warbling alternative versions of 'Good King Wenceslas' or 'O Come All Ye Faithful' at school Christmas carol concerts ...
• For my last point I could say presents (after all, what could ever be more exciting than going downstairs and seeing that SANTA'S BEEN?!?! Seriously, if you could bottle that excitement and sell it, you'd make a fortune) but really, I think what makes Christmas special is spending it with your family. I couldn't imagine a Christmas without some of our own family traditions, for example, having my mum read me 'The Night Before Christmas', two times, every Christmas Eve - yes, yes, even at 20!! And still leaving out milk and a mince pie for Santa (because how else will he have the energy to deliver all the presents?) And waking up at the crack of dawn, just because I'm too excited to sleep; having my nana over for Christmas dinner, watching the Queen's speech on the telly, having a few drinks with the neighbours ... Presents or not, without these things Christmas just wouldn't be the same!

So although I don't want to wish these next 5 weeks away, I can't blummin' wait until I get on that flight and touch down in the UK - Christmas, come at me!

Merry Christmas from me!!

A picture paints a thousand words

I've been in Santiago for just under 10 weeks now, and in that short space of time I've met some amazing people as well as made some incredible memories, both of which will stay with me for life I'm sure. So this is a blog post dedicated to photos - photos of friends, of places I've visited, of the city I'm living in and more than anything, of the first part of the best year of my life.

Trying the local drink 'quemada' - 2nd night

Rooftop tour of the cathedral

View from my kitchen window

My friends <3

Brazilian fiesta!

Santiago de Compostela cathedral

Visitng Salamanca, October 2013

Another of Santiago cathedral

Porto, Portugal, September 2013

Best cupcakes in the world!!

Portugal, September 2013

Jose and Nico, my au-pair boys from last summer, reunited in Lugo!

The faaaabulous Niki's birthday bash!

Copas Rotas, Niki's birthday, October 2013

Plaza Mayor, Salamanca

Dana & I, Salamanca, October 2013

"Dia de la Hispanidad", Salamanca

Salamanca - such a beautiful city

Halloween 2013

It's fun to stay at the ...

Chilling in a rooftop bar, as you do! Madrid, October 2013

Getting involved in the strikes, Madrid 

Theater trip, Madrid

Madrid

Madrid

Just curious ...

Last week as we sat down to have our lunch, me and a friend were asked, quite directly in fact, "why haven't you got used to Spanish traditions yet?" Looking pityingly down at our bowls of pasta bolognese, I think what she meant was that in Spain, you don't tend to have lunch until around 3pm (this was about 12:30). We replied that it was cold, we were hungry and wanted food, but it seemed to me to be met with a 'huh, typical Brit's' kind of response.

But it got me thinking, the "why haven't you got used to Spanish traditions" question. Because I really do think I've tried my hardest to 'fit in'. As easy as it would be for me to moan that 'oh they don't have this' or ' oh they don't have that'; 'oh we have to do everything ourselves' and 'god, why do they speak so fast', I've tried to keep calm and carry on, as the saying goes. Don't get me wrong, we've all had a little grumble - of course, it was always going to be difficult getting used to the Spanish way of life, but I'd like to think I've done it without whining or complaining (too much!)

And then I thought - here we are getting condemned (possibly too strong a word) for not 'fitting in' with Spanish traditions, when all I've had when I've said I'm from Wales is 'oh that's just a part of England' (as many of my facebook friends and twitter followers will know, this annoys me greatly).

I know her question was meant as tongue-in-cheek, but still. I then asked why it was that so many Spanish people just presumed that Wales was a part of England and she simply replied: "Because we're lazy. Because we're taught in school that the UK is split into different parts but after school it all just becomes England".

Now I'm sorry, but that's not good enough! Although everybody I've met here has been nice and friendly, I just cannot get over such a, dare I say it, ignorant opinion. And I'm sorry, but it is ignorance - I wouldn't dream of saying to a Galician/Catalan person "well, you're a part of Spain therefore that makes you just Spanish", or even to a Galician person "well, you're attached to Portugal so you must be Portuguese", especially after it's been pointed out to me that they're different!

I just can't get my head around it and at times it is upsetting, especially when I'm missing home and am in a 'Welsh' mood, so to speak. Constantly being referred to as something which I'm not can really get you down, even more so because I'm here, in Galicia, a place which I honestly thought would understand more than another autonomous community, perhaps. I don't want to get a reputation and become known as 'the angry little Welsh girl' but I just don't understand how hard it is to realize that in the UK, there are DIFFERENT PLACES.

I think the icing on the cake for me was being asked by someone if I spoke Welsh, to which I replied that I did, fluently, before being TOLD, not asked, that it's a dying language and "what's the point as you can only speak it in Wales". *Newsflash* YOU CAN ONLY SPEAK GALICIAN IN GALICIA. (I didn't want to have to stoop to that level but ...)

As much as I really do love it here in Santiago, this will always be a 'black mark' against the whole experience, especially as I expected more.

I'm going to stop writing now as I could be here for hours, but I hope this has made people realize that I'm not some crazy lunatic who just likes to moan, or is going 'over the top' on the whole nationality thing. I guess for some people, it wouldn't be a problem but this actually upsets me, especially as I miss home enough already anyway. I know I was brought up to be considerate of other nationalities and I can only hope that in the future, the Spanish will also have a bit of consideration when it comes to what countries make up the UK.

Hey, who knows, maybe in years to come my ghost will be found wandering around the corridors of the uni, screaming "WALES IS NOT IN ENGLAND!!!" at students ... You never know ...

"'J'appy 'J'alloween" and a whiff of Eurovision

(said in that throaty 'ch' sound that any Welsh speakers out there will be all too familiar with)

Halloween this year was different, but fun! (It was also the first Halloween in 3 years where I haven't drunk myself stupid - Carys 1, alcohol nil). I guess being in Spain I didn't really know what to expect from it; was it going to be the same as back home, do they really celebrate it at all etc, but it's pretty much the same as in Britain i.e loads of Halloween stuff in the shops, fancy dress, that kind of thing.

Fancy dress!

We started the night in our lovely friend Dana's house, who so kindly made us some pumpkin soup and chestnuts! Both were delicious, although the only way I can describe the taste of a chestnut is somewhere between a nut and a potato - strange, I know. Afterwards, we went out for a few drinks and to meet up with the others, before I headed back to get some much needed sleep!

All dressed up and ready for food!

The Saturday after Halloween was the night of the erasmus 'International Dinner'. Each group had to make a dish from their home country and bring it to the dinner, where it would be tried and judged by the others. Me being the patriotic Welsh girl that I am made some welshcakes, along with some help from my friend Lucy. Feeling pretty confident, we made our way to the competition, found our stall and began setting up.

However, it soon became clear that our poor welshcakes didn't stand a chance, not amongst the curries/cakes/breads/numerous other dishes from other countries. It didn't help that they looked quite burnt and nobody seemed to be listening to our cries of "but they're supposed to look like that!" Oh well, it still meant we got try the food of other places. There was the usual - croissants from France, lasagne from Italy (all of it delicious may I add) and also some really exotic foods as well, like my personal favourite, which was a curry from a country whose flag I'd never seen before in my life. Having to go around asking "does anybody know what flag is green with a big red dot on it?!" wasn't my finest moment, but I soon found out it was Bangladesh ... so Bangladesh, well done.

Homemade Welshcakes

When it came to voting, each country was asked to go on stage and give the name of the country they thought deserved to win. Now I'm not a sore loser or anything, but voting seemed to be exactly like the Eurovision song contest! In as much that nobody voted for the UK/Wales :( oh Europe.

Afterwards it was on to Apolo, one of the nightclubs, before finally rolling in at like 6am. Sign of a good night!

Madrid Mayhem - Erasmus is NOT a holiday ...

Ok so it seems that my blog has been a little neglected recently, but on this cold, wet and wintry Sunday, it's time to cwtsh in bed with a 'relaxing cup of cafe con leche' and tell you more about my year abroad adventures, starting with MADRID!

A couple of weeks back, I went to Madrid for the 'National Erasmus Event', once again with the ESN. Despite the 7am start and and an 8 hour bus journey, we arrived in Madrid in good spirits, ready to take on the Spanish capital. First stop was the 'Museo Reina Sofia' - Spain's national museum of 20th century art, named after the current queen. While it was interesting to see the works of artists such as Picasso and Salvador Dali, after a couple of hours it was definitely time to head back to the 'hotel' - sorry, I mean hostel - to get ready for the UV Paint Party that night; but not before a quick stop at KFC! (I know, I know)

In all fairness, the paint party wasn't too bad. In the beginning the music was good, though I think if I ever hear the songs 'I love it' and 'don't wake me up' again I'll ... sigh, forever reminders of my Santiago erasmus <3 By 4am they'd started to play all dubstep, so that was me well and truly off the dancefloor - how you're supposed to dance to that kind of music God only knows, give me Steps or S Club 7 any day!

Highlight of the night though, was bumping into two people who study at Cardiff who are on their year's abroad as well - definitely a small world!

After stumbling back to to the hostel at 6.15, it was time for a couple of hours kip before the tour scheduled for Saturday morning. I'm ashamed to say I missed it, as my bed was keeping me prisoner - not my fault, I swear! I caught up with the others at midday and still managed to see some pretty cool things though, like the Plaza Mayor ... Que bonitaaa!

Us at Madrid's 'Plaza Mayor'

After having a look around another museum of Madrid, the 'Museo del Prado', we decided that we weren't really feeling a 6am finish again that night (only time our bus would leave) and so decided to try something different - the ballet!

I'd never been before and so didn't know what to expect but I have to say, I was amazed by the standard of dancing. We watched 'la Opera de Perm' (I think it was called that!) and it just blew me away! I did feel kind of posh too; the theater was incredible and we even had a cheeky glass of Champagne at half time ... Ok, maybe it was just Cava, but still.

Dana, Marion & I at the ballet

By the time Sunday rolled around, it's safe to say we were knackered, so what better way to relax than in a VIP rooftop bar overlooking the center of Madrid?! I could have sat there for hours - the sofa bed thingy's were so comfy and the views were insane! It helped that it was sunny too; coming from Santiago, I'd almost forgotten what the sun looked like!

At the top of the 'Circulo de Bellas Artes'

To top off the weekend there was one last Erasmus event - a picnic in the park, yay! Unfortunately, the 'picnic' consisted of an apple and a ham baguette - not great if you're a vegetarian as many of our group were, so we headed off to find somewhere else to eat. After a DISASTROUS first attempt at ordering food (so bad I won't even go into it), we finally found ourselves an Irish pub - warm, cosy and had some great food, even apple crumble!!

Afterwards, it was time to head back to catch the bus to Santiago. A stressful journey, as due to my exams that were the following day, meant I had to spend it cramming in vocab and catching up on reading - all my fault of course, for not doing it before hand!

So there we have it, my weekend in Madrid. I have to admit, I didn't really know what to expect of it as I'd never been there before, but it really was a beautiful place. I don't think I could live there full time - it's just a bit too big for me! - but I would definitely consider going there again. Out of all the Erasmus trips I've been on, this was definitely the best!