The most wonderful time of the year!

It's been a fair few weeks since I last updated my life in blog world. This isn't because I've been too busy, more because nothing amazingly spectacular has happened. I think the 'honeymoon period' of my year abroad has well and truly ended in that life here is just normal and I go about my daily doings quite happily. However, I don't see this as a bad thing, far from it in fact, but it does mean I have well and truly settled into my life out here in Vic.

This is the market as seen from Jade's balcony

Having said that, these last few weeks have been a delight as ever. The highlight of which has to be the annual Medieval Market that comes to Vic each year, bringing THOUSANDS of people from all over Spain with it. I definitely think this is the best market I have ever been to, and I live a minute away from it! The food was to die for (I didn't cook for 3 days!) and the atmosphere was super and very cultural. Therefore, all my indulgences in food and mulled wine counts as being culturally educated as part of my year abroad. This market took over the city for 4 days and, although going anywhere was a bit of a pain, it was a great to see everyone walking around in medieval attire and hearing some traditional Catalan music. We also caught a mini show-thing one night which was...umm...interesting but entertaining nonetheless. I would like to mention that the highlight of this market was the vessel in which the mulled wine was sold...a horn, which made the wine drinking an experience in itself!

Being only an hour and a half from the beautiful city of Barcelona, I've visited a couple of times to do various things. The Christmasness in Barcelona is fabulous, just like any city in the UK, there are lights everywhere, an ice rink in the centre, and a gorgeous Christmas market complete with Christmas songs in English! It's safe to say that I really love the city as it's great to get lost in tourism as opposed to being one of the few foreigners here in Vic and also the fact that the city is just immense. Recently, I went for the weekend to celebrate a friends birthday and to let our hair down which was a truly fabulous getaway. 

This is me, Maria and Josep enjoying our traditional roast dinner.

Having been invited to dinner a few times to my mentor's house to experience some traditional Catalan stuff, I decided that I would attempt to cook a roast dinner for Maria and her husband Josep with the help of my friend Jade. This masterpiece was complete with proper gravy, stuffing, roast potatoes and an apple pie for pudding (yum). It was, I am pleased to say, a great success and I think (and hope) it went down a treat, even though it did take us 4 hours to cook from start to finish!

I took this picture from my balcony, the clouds are pretty impressive

So Christmas has finally arrived in Vic. The lights have only just been turned even though they've been up for about a month, but they were well worth the wait. The main square has a great big tree and all the streets are lined with lights, one even has a very festive red carpet running down it. However, it's just not the same here and I'm super excited about coming back to the land of tacky Christmas decorations and songs, but more importantly, stuffing my face for 2 weeks with Britain's finest Christmas nosh. 

Lyon and stuff...

Sorry for being a little behind with this blogging malarkey, it's been a bit manic recently but I don't seem to have done anything. The last couple of weeks have been relatively normal to be honest. 

My normal week consists of going to school 4 days a week, going to my Catalan class twice a week, dragging myself to my gym class 3 evenings a weeks, drinking in cafes more often than I should be, having Spanish language exchanges (in yet more cafes) and enjoying fun and games on the weekends. All the rest of the time is filled in with tele watching and a lot of eating (hence the gym).

Having said all this, I have done a couple of things for the first time very recently. I paid my rent which meant trying to find the Estate Agents again which was a bit of a challenge. However, the people were very nice and I was referred to as 'the English girl'- could be worse I suppose. I also decided it was time for a hair cut so I braved the trip to the salon to tidy up the birds nest that was, my hair. I also left my keys at school this week which was a tad dumb. It meant I wasn't able to get into my flat for a good few hours before my keys were returned safely to their rightful owner. Nonetheless, I embraced the situation and went for some delicious Tapas to pass the time.

This weekend, however, was a lot more exciting. It started on Friday evening when I went down to Barcelona for the evening to stay in a hostel for the night, before I had to catch a flight the next day...more on that in a mo. I spent the evening wondering around the city, soaking up the hustle and bustle of my favourite city. I went to the fountains near to Placa Espana called las fuentes de Montjuïc, they're gorgeous and mesmerising to watch. After exploring a bit more of the city, I headed back to the hostel for some tea with some Canadians I had met when I arrived. They were good company but a bit weird- never mind eh? 

Saturday morning started too early for my liking- 6am! My flight to Lyon was at half 8 so I needed to get a move on. The reason for visiting, was to see the love of my life Fran and my beautiful friend Abbi, who are also teaching as part of their year abroad, and as flights were ridiculously cheap, I could hardly resist. 

The first day was spent wondering around Lyon and generally catching up. Although, we did find a rather spiffing free zoo in a park which was a nice surprise, good research Abbi! The rest of the day involved walking round in circles in the centre of the city, eating in a restaurant far too posh for us students and travelling back to Fran's house a million miles above sea level. The village I was staying was lush and the scenery was amazing. To be honest it was great to get some genuine fresh air rather than the farmy/pig smell here in Vic. Having said that, there's not a great deal to do there so I'm kinda glad I don't live there. Although, we did find a lovely little crepe place in the village that was extremely French and so we couldn't resist. The rest of my time in the middle of nowhere was spent watching films, cooking and eating traditional French food (pizza and fajitas) and absorbing the wonders of the French countryside. 

The downside to the trip was the fact that I, yet again, had to get up at the unreasonable hour of 6am to get the bus and train back to Lyon for my flight at 8pm. This obviously meant that I had a lot of time to kill so I made the most of this by going to the Fourviere on the big hill, the old town, a couple of cathedrals, some cafés and a shopping centre. After a tram to the airport, the plane back to Barcelona, a bus from the airport to the city centre and a train back home to Vic, I was knackered but was pleased to see my lovely flat and more importantly, my bed. 

So, to sum up, the last couple of weeks have yet again been great and it was great seeing some familiar faces. It's starting to get really cold here in Catalonia and those sparkly lights have been going up which can only mean one thing...CHRISTMAS! I'm very much looking forward to this but I have another month or so of fun and games before heading back to sunny Wales for some Christmas Cheer. 

Zaragoza

Last week, I had a 2 day working week. That was thanks to the Spanish and Catalans and their constant need to celebrate something. 

Anyway, this time it was Castanyada. I'm not really sure what the story behind the whole thing is but the Spanish eat roasted chestnuts and little cake things. My second day of work (Wednesday) which only starts at 11am, was fun and games in the afternoon so I technically only did one day of teaching. This was absolutely fine by me as you can imagine. I didn't let all the free time go to waste though- don't worry.

I was invited to my mentor's house so she could show me what normally goes on at Castanyada. Jade and I went over in the evening bearing nothing but a pumpkin that I carved for Halloween and had a fab evening. We met up with Merce and Tomas (who we already know) and their friends Jan and another woman whose name I can't remember. Jade and I were most impressed by the fact that Jan was an Inuit who could speak 5 languages, play guitar, paint (pretty well), and make amazing Sushi. The night was lush and it felt really family-ish and homelike. 

On Friday morning, Jade, Anna and I went on a little 'holiday' to Zaragoza. We arrived in the city about 5ish and after checking in at the hostel, we went straight to the Palace building, which seems to be the 'image' of Zaragoza. The building is MASSIVE and the area it's in is just lovely. 

We did lots of exciting things over the weekend including visiting an art museum (it was free), going to the future (the futuristic looking buildings of the city), going inside (and up) the palace building, visiting the university, walking around a lush looking park and going to clubs and bars. Arguably the best bit of the trip was the last night when we went to the El Tubo area of the city where all the bars and restaurants are. We had the most incredible Tapas ever and for only 10 euros each. I also had the best xocolata desfeta in a gorgeous place on the main drag through Zaragoza, and it has gone to the top of my list as the best one I've tasted since I've been here.

Once again, had an enjoyable weekend away discovering another part of Spain. I would definitely go back and recommend it to friend. Definitely falling for this travelling malarkey! 

It has turned.

I can't believe how fast time is passing. The saying 'time flies when you're having fun' is certainly applicable here. Nothing amazing has occurred really this week but it's been a great one yet again. As usual, however, it's been a busy one!

I decided that, to avoid boredom and eating to many goodies, I should join the gym, so I did. It's so much fun and the people are fab. The three gym workers are a variety of characters. There's a beautifully built man who sadly doesn't take any of the classes I go to, a 3 foot nothing woman who is a bit lazy but she speaks English to us (as we're few and far between here, when we crop up people like to show off their language, or at least attempt to) and lastly a seven foot Samoan looking guy, Berto. He is hilarious and so enthusiastic but sadly his English stretches to counting to 10, I don't he's the brightest knife in the shed, if you know what I mean. Nonetheless, I've been 3 times this week and hopefully I'll be able to keep that up!

As I'm spending my days speaking English at school and meeting up with other English speakers, I thought it would be a good idea to set up some foreign language exchanges. I met a lovely guy, Eduard, who wants to perfect his English so he can work in Santander in Britain. He's a friend of my friends partner so I met him through them on a night out. I've also met up with Andrea who is the daughter of Maria's friend Merce, who we went to Costa Brava with. She was lovely and we just spoke Spanish the entire time and it turns out I can waffle in Spanish too as she even asked me if I like talking... I met a lovely French lady at my Catalan class and so I thought it would worth it meeting with her to make sure I don't forget how to speak the lingo. Incidentally, she is how I met Eduard as he is friends with her partner, Sergi. It turns out my French still exists but with the odd Spanish word thrown in and that's exactly why I want to practice with her!

Anna, Jade and I decided we would visit somewhere else earlier in the week and so we hopped on the train and visited Ripoll. It's a lovely little town close to the French border in the mountains. I wouldn't say I loved it but it was a very nice place and the scenery is amazing. I know I keep saying that but it truly is!

On Saturday, we visited Barcelona again because I really really needed to buy a coat before the cold really sets in. The cold Gods were obviously watching over me as the queue in Primark was minimalistic and, literally, as soon as we touched back down in Vic, IT WAS FREEZING! And it has been ever since. It almost feels like we had a week of Autumn and then went straight to winter. This doesn't bother me in the slightest anymore as I know have a lovely new coat. Barcelona didn't disappoint, yet again, which made Saturday a great day out and we topped it off by going out on Saturday night for some fun times. Needless to say that Sunday was quite a relaxing day after a pretty busy week.

Colonies.

This week has been exhausting in more than one way! I was invited on my first activity holiday with the kids and teachers and let's just say it was an experience. Spending 3 days with a hundred 8 and 9 year olds was a challenge and I really feel for all my primary school teachers that had to put up with me when I was that age.

We left on Wednesday morning and immediately went on an excursion. We were staying in a place in the mountains not far from here but it took nearly 2 hours to get there due to the mountainous terrain. The coach took us up to 1800m and on the way we saw vultures looking scary on the side of the road like they were sizing us up for their next meal, deer running down the side of the mountain and snow. I know right...SNOW!! It was crazy- only a week and a half ago I was sunburnt on a beach in nearly 30 degree heat. We walked down the mountain side back to the village of Castellar de n'Hug. On the way down we went into a cave which was fab. I know this sounds daft but it was so dark and quiet! I haven't heard silence for a while so it was nice to have a few minutes of peace. 

The village itself is beautiful. There are only 83 people who live there, 4 of which are children as there is no school within about an hour of the place. It seemed to me that as a substitute for kids, the habitants all had dogs instead which roamed the village at will like a back garden. There are 4 bakeries, each claiming to be the only one in the village which made me chuckle. These bakeries do giant croissants which were HUGE and costed 8 euros! I would also like to point out that it was absolutely freezing up there, but the views of the landscape most definitely made up for this. It is nothing like Britain; it's harsh, dangerous and very rocky. 

On Thursday morning, I went down to the river with the headmistress and another young teacher which I really enjoyed as it was some good teacher bonding time. In fact, I bonded with all the teachers during the stay which I've really appreciated. I felt as part of the team and although they were happily nattering away in Catalan, I did pick up some more language but had plenty of one on one conversations in Spanish. I also really enjoy spending more time with the kids as there are some real gems at the school, but there are also some absolute brats but as I 'can't understand Spanish or Catalan' I didn't have to put with them much.

After the disco on the last night which, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed and made a complete full of myself with me awesome dancing, the kids were knackered so they fell asleep pretty quickly. This was a massive relief because the previous night they were so hyper that out of all the teachers, I got the most sleep- a whole 5 hours. Once they'd fallen asleep, me and the other teachers painted the nails of the naughty boys and drew on the faces of the cocky girls. Apparently, it is normal for the teachers to play practical jokes on the kids so I just went along with it and it was hilarious!

Come homing on Friday was such a relief as I was fed up of all the children and really wanted some peace and quiet. The weekend was just as fun but slightly more relaxing as the week. I went to the market for the first time and although it was great to finally go there, it wasn't anything special but I did enjoy the hustle and bustle of the town. 

Saturday was the first time that we all available to go to a nightclub in town. It was a great night and we met the family of my French pregnant lady friend and they were brilliant. It was fun to let our hair down after a busy week. After a night of drinking and dancing, Sunday was most definitely a relaxing day. Anna and I went for some fresh air and bumped into a dance demonstration in the placa major to raise money for dogs or something. We just chilled in a cafe with Jade for a couple of hours and discussed last nights antics! 

Overall, I've an eye opening week and it's been a lot of laughs but quite tiring. I know I keep saying that I'm tired, which is the truth, but it's a good tired so I'm not moaning about it. But let's just say that this week will be a little less full on!

More Spain Shenanigans

Firstly, this week has been truly fabulous- as usual!! This blog entry is a weeks worth of 'stuff' so I'll try and keep it to the point and a sensible length. 

I had a day off on Monday as normal and I was still shattered from the weekend before but it was relaxing and pleasant nonetheless. I had my Catalan class in the evening where I made friends with a very heavily pregnant French lady with whom I'm going to be meeting up with now and again to do a French-English language exchange. We went for a drink after the lesson (non-alcoholic obviously) and as there was no common language between the 4 of us, we spoke a mixture of French, Spanish and English which got very confusing but funny at the same time!

Tuesday is my 'full' day. By this I mean I work from 10am until 4.30pm with a 2 hour gap in the middle- hard life eh? The day was good as normal I was told to make a presentation about British film and television which was great fun to make!! I was feeling very nostalgic about and decided to watch a bit of Wallace and Gromit on youtube. Later on in the evening, (young) Maria and I went to the gym to try out tonestep which was great fun and hilarious! I'll definitely be joining this gym after this week as it's about 2 minutes from my flat and not bad value for money.

Sadly, on Wednesday, nothing spectacular happened. School until half 4 and then out to play with my friend Jade. We've found a cafe called L'Occita which serves xocolata defreta which is basically a melted chocolate bar in a cup. Oh my god it's amazing but it's probably not something one should divulge in everyday! Had the Catalan class in the evening again and had my first assessment which I most definitely aced as I'm 1 or 2 classes to low. The reason for this is that I've already studied Catalan at uni but there are no spaces in the classes above me so I have to go at a snails pace until January when I can change. You may ask: Why bother? Well I'll tell you- the classes are free and if I didn't go I wouldn't be speaking much Catalan plus I get to spend more time with my amigas so it's no bother.

Thursday didn't get very exciting until the end of the day when I decided to trek to the outskirts of town to where all the big shops are, to find a Decathlon. I spent a fair bit of money to be fair but it was all practical purchases. After this little trip, I embraced my new stuff and went for a jog around the city (that sounds impressive but it really isn't huge!). Jade came round for the evening but at about 9 we remembered that there was the demonstration for independence whereby 8000 candles are lit in the main square and all the patriots chant stuff about how awesome Catalonia is and how much they don't want to be a part of Spain. It was really great and the atmosphere was fabulous. The reason for this is that on the 12th October (the next day), Spain has a national holiday and whatsmore, some companies and schools will open for a few hours on the bank holiday in protest where the employees/children can make flags and anti-Spanish stuff. 

This is where the week gets more exciting...we went to Valencia!! The trip got off to a false start as we looked up the wrong train times due to the bank holiday so we didn't actually leave Barcelona until half past 2, having arrived there at 10.30. Either way, we hopped onto the super, awesome, cool, fast train down the coast to rainy Valencia. The day was quite long and stressful but we eventually arrived at the hostel and immediately went out for tea at an Italian restaurant. Valencia wasn't doing much for me at this point as it was dark, raining and full of annoying tourists (probably like myself). Once we were back at the hostel we prepped ourselves for a well deserved night out. We most definitely let our hair down and had a super night (from what I recall!)

Fortunately, the sun was well and truly shining on Saturday so, after a morning and a good hearty breakfast, we ventured to the city and decided where to take it from there. As we were pretty tired (hungover) we thought the best way to see the city would be by tour bus! This was a brilliant idea as we saw everything for 15 euros and met some absolutely hilarious Italian people. The city is lovely and really full of history and culture- the scientific zone, especially, is really magnificent. We took our time over these two tours, as they were an hour and a half each anyway, and we stopped for lunch in between them as well. This took us up to dinner time, so we went on the hunt for somewhere that did Tapas or Paella at a reasonable price. This proved more difficult than expected but we eventually found somewhere Tapas-y and it was lush but definitely did not fill me up! The plan was to go back out on Saturday evening but this did not follow through...we were far too tired from the night before and the day of Valencia-ing and our train on Sunday was at half past 8 leaving us not much time to sleep. It was certainly the right decision to make as we were still shattered on Sunday morning! we caught the train back up to Barcelona and then across to Vic to an awaiting shower and bed! It was a great week and a super weekend and very much looking forward to next weeks shenanigans too.

Ok, I said it was going to be a decent length but never mind. Also, I apologise for the amount and variety of adjectives but seen as the bus tour-guide only knew the word 'interesting' I am trying to be as diverse as possible to make up for her uselessness. 

One Amazing Weekend.

This weekend has been truly fantastic! It's Monday now and I'm absolutely shattered but it was all totally worth it. I don't work on Mondays so today is most definitely going to be a lazy day. I have finally managed to sort out a lot of stuff too so life is good all round.

I now have a bank account, social security number and a residence permit so I can now be paid- yippee! Friday was a half day for me so in the afternoon, my mentor Maria took me to a view point to see Vic from above- it was breathtaking, I wish I had my camera! Afterwards, I met up with the other Maria and we went on an exciting trip to Carrefour where I found Heinz Baked Beans!! Once I'd cooked my first awesome meal in Spain (bolognese) and Skyped home, Jade and I went on the hunt for some bars etc. We were a little bit successful but nonetheless we had some good cocktails and a great night. 

Saturday was Barcelona day! I was very excited for this as I'd never been and it was set to be an awesome day. And it was. We had a McDonalds for lunch (not very cultural), but we wanted to treat ourselves to something familiar as we'd had a hectic week. We walked down La Rambla, went to the Port and the commercial centre, walked along the beach and then headed to another shopping centre to go to Primark. I know it wasn't a very productive day but it was really enjoyable and we'll definitely be going back another day!

Sunday was an early start but for good reason. My mentor was taking me and Jade to the beach on Costa Brava. It was awesome. The place was incredible and I had so much fun. The views were super and the sea was very refreshing and crystal clear. The day was just perfect and it has definitely gone down in one of my best Sundays to date. In the evening, we met up at The Nog Inn to watch Barca play Madrid. That was very exciting and we met up with Priya to discuss next weekends antics....watch this space!!

A Life Update...

This entry is a couple of days worth as I’ve had no internet for reasons I shall explain imminently.

On Friday, I decided to go to Girona to visit Anna as she’s staying there for a bit due to meeting on Monday. I went across by bus as there are no direct trains in that direction. It only took an hour and the scenery we had to go past to get there was absolutely breathtaking. Seriously, it’s not like anything back at home- the land isn’t farmed as it’s so mountainous and I’ve never seen so many trees in all my life! And that’s coming from someone who lives in the Welsh countryside.

Once I arrived we went straight for lunch and we swapped nightmare stories from our document and flat sorting. We then went to the medieval town which is extremely hilly. We visited the art museum, mainly because entry was 1 euro 50. It was good but not very informative so we just looked at the pretty pictures. We also went round the old Arabian Baths and the Botanical Gardens which were both lovely. It was then time for a spot of window shopping before I headed back to Vic at 4pm.

That evening, Maria had arranged a meeting with 2 other assistants in the area and their teachers. They were all lovely and they’re going to be living just down the road for me in Vic. We drank in a bar for a couple of hours and I can already tell I’m going to get along well with these girls. Maria and I left about 9 and went home for tea which was salad and toasted sandwiches. Toasted sandwiches in Spanish are called bikinis- weird I know, and I’m not entirely sure why. I chatted to my Dad on the phone afterwards and I spent a while nattering away to Maria and Josep in Spanish as it was my last night in her house.

Saturday was a relatively exciting day. I moved into my new flat in town in the morning and it was chucking it down with rain- great. Anyway, once I’d unpacked and sorted all my stuff out I decided I really needed to buy food so I trekked the whole 10 minutes to the supermarket in the pouring rain. However, I stumbled across an AMAZING shop next door to the supermarket that sells EVERYTHING. I loved it. It was running by a young Chinese man and you could buy anything that a home may need really cheaply so firstly I just bought an umbrella and headed on to the supermarket. I felt like a lost puppy at first having to buy food for myself to keep me alive again but once I got into the swing of things- I was in my element. Unfortunately, home comforts were far too tempting. For example, I bought Isle of Man cheddar, Red Leicester, PG Tips, semi-skimmed fresh milk, Helmanns mayo, you get the idea. 40 euros and 3 very heavy bags later, I arrived home soaked a indulged in a good old cuppa before heading out again to get some air freshener, tissues, a lamp, a kettle and a money box from the cool shop. The two Spanish girls that I’m living with aren’t here on weekends so I’ve spent the day in the flat alone which is okay because then I can find my feet etc. I attempted to do some washing but I fell out with the washing machine and now it won’t let me have my clothes back – not really sure what to do about that one!

Sunday was a lot more exciting than Saturday. In the morning I did a bit of housework as the kitchen was a bit grubby and the cooker needed cleaning. Also, you’ll be glad to hear that I won the battle with the washing machine and it finally let me open the door and give me my clothes back. However, it was all still dripping wet as there’s an issue with the filter and the spin setting so we’ll be seeing to that at some point this week. In the afternoon, I met up with the 2 other assistants in the area and we went back to their new flat in Vic. I helped them move stuff around and we spruced it up a bit. Sundays are a bit boring in Europe as 99% of the shops are shut so there’s not much to do so we just entertained ourselves in a bar for a couple of hours and went for a walk. In the evening, one of the girls went back to her mentor’s house as she’s spending her last night there whist I went out for tea with Maria (the other assistant- not to be confused with my mentor Maria). We went to The Nogg Inn (see what they did there) for a bonding session. The pub has clearly attempted to replicate a traditional English pub and they’ve done a decent job but it’s no match to the Royal Oak or Dry Dock! When I arrived back chez moi, Tania my flatmate was here and I chatted with her for a while which was great as I had a good opportunity to practise my Spanish after a relatively English day.

Monday brought about the official start of my year abroad. We set off for the British Council meeting for all the assistants in the area and their mentors. I went with my mentor, Maria, Priya, the other assistant in Vic and her mentor Mar who is lovely. I know I’ve mentioned this before but the scenery on the way to Manresa was absolutely stunning! We went around the famous Montserrat to get there and the valley had the appearance that they were inside a pond of cloud- so beautiful. Anyway, the meeting was a tad tedious as it didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know so it was a bit pointless to everyone that had already got themselves sorted, which was all 6 of us. Afterwards we grabbed some lunch in a café nearby and left for Vic. I hung around with Athena for a couple of hours, aka, we went to a bar! 

After which I met up with Maria to go to the adjuntament to get a social security number and a residence permit so that I can obtain an NIE number from the police so I can open a bank account! Fortunately, that was successful so getting the number should be easy in theory now. I then plucked up the courage and went to get a Spanish phone from The Phone House. I asked for the cheapest phone and that’s exactly what I got- 19euros: bargain. In the evening I had my first Catalan class which was a bit boring because I can already speak a bit and we literally only went over the basics. Never mind, I’m going to persevere with it. It fell like a very productive day, long may the theme continue.

First day of school!! I was really looking forward to today- my first day of assisting. The school day starts at 9 but we didn’t have any classes until 10 so I was introduced around the school and honestly, I felt like a celebrity. Everyone was so nice and the kids seem to have taken an instant liking to me, which is always a bonus. For each class, I introduced myself in slow English and generally talked with the kids about stuff. I am mainly going to be in years 5 and 6, so nine to eleven year olds but on Tuesdays I am on breakfast duty with the really little ones which are 3 and 4. They are so cute! It was a great first day at primary school and I’m thoroughly looking forward to spending my year there. The hardest thing was, though, I wasn’t allowed to speak any Catalan or Spanish because if the children find out I can understand them then they will be reluctant to speak to me in English. Oddly, I found it hard playing dumb to the kids. In the evening I popped to the shops to buy a few cleaning products as the flat needs a bit of a scrub and then went out for drinks with 2 of the other assistants.

Day 2 was just as good as day 1. I am currently typing this whilst on hold with O2 listening to easy like a Sunday morning. Trying to cancel my contract abroad has been a hell of a kerfuffle! Anyway, back to today’s doings. This morning Maria and I went to the police station so that I could finally get my NIE number to open a bank account. It was successful in the sense that I have the number but not in the sense that we ran out of time before I had to go to school. My first 3 half an hour lessons of the day were with the little ones from ages 4 to 6. We just sang songs and played a couple of games in English. These lessons are with the head mistress so I’m always on my best behaviour with her. At half 12 it was lunch time until half 2 but the teachers have meetings etc until half 1 so I was just kind of left in the classroom with nothing to do for an hour. Then when I was finally let loose, I had a roast chicken dish with potatoes and chickpeas which was pleasant. After lunch I had a class with Maria with the year sixes and I was very impressed with their level of English but they were a nuisance and really quite hyper. The last lesson of the day was with the year 3’s and their English was awful so I just read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt with them (which I love) and sung a few English songs.

After school, Maria gave me a life home but we went via an amazing view point just outside of Vic. The mountains and plain were so impressive and it gave me a sense of how vast Spain really is. I went out to the Chinese shop with Jade to get some bits and bobs and as usual spent way too much time in there. I had my Catalan lesson until half 9 with Priya and Maria, who came round to see my humble abode. Another tiring day but thoroughly enjoyable as normal nonetheless.

One Stressful Day.

Where to begin? It had been one big stress-fest today. Today was supposed to be the day when everything was sorted out so that I could start getting ready to move into the flat. However, after paying my deposit, first months rent and agency fee, we went over to the policia so that I could get an NIE but I couldn't do that until I had an official address, which I technically had but I didn't have the landlords signature or my passport. So we went back to the agency to sort this out but the woman, being the drama queen she is decided to make a mount Everest out of next to nothing. By this time we had to go back to the house as everything in Spain shuts for lunch- no wonder no one has any money. 

After lunch, as in 4pm, we set of for another office where I could get approved by the local authority. All was going swimmingly after we'd hunted down the woman we wanted to speak to, until she told us that I couldn't get what I wanted because my contract for the apartment doesn't start until Monday and so I don't technically have an address yet. 

My god we were annoyed and I think the woman was a tad scared of Maria Dolors who was clearly very stressed at this point. Anyway, to drown out sorrows we went to Carrefour (the supermarket) and I bought some nice things to go in my new room- a Lightning McQueen poster, a mug and a duvet set. All the most important things of course. I also had a run in with a supermarket worker who shouted at me for going out the exit when I hadn't bought anything. In Spain, apparently, if you don't buy anything, you have to go out the entrance. She then proceeded to tell me how annoying the foreigners were in Catalan, obviously not realising that I can actually understand what she was blathering on about. Needless to say when she saw me a few minutes later still in her beloved supermarket she was uber polite and asked if I needed help with anything- kiss arse.

This evening we didn't do anything strenuous because we were knackered from running around town all day- it's not as small as you think! I have to mention the news here. My god it's so depressing. The Spanish news is about how no one has any money and yet somehow everyone has to pay a load of money just to keep the country going, and the Catalonian news is about how Madrid won't let them be independent and so they've thrown their teddy in the corner and moan about it to the poor Spanish public. 

This feels like quite a depressing entry so I do apologise, but hey if you've read this far then it must be half decent. Hopefully the next few we be slightly more uplifting!

Somewhere to live.

The last couple of days have been a bit hectic in terms of sorting stuff out. We've been to see loads of apartments and I was starting to loose the will to live as most of them were dumps. One that we went to see this morning had a shower in the kitchen which I couldn't even stand up in and the toilet was outside. No thank you. And then yesterday we saw one which was lovely and modern except the tenant that was already living there seemed stoned and so we quickly decided that that one was not for me!!

However, after a fair few weirdos and a lot of walking later, we have found a 4th floor apartment in the city centre with 2 Spanish students. They seem really nice, as does the apartment which actually has light coming in! I'll be moving in there on Saturday and I'm going to sort out all my legal documents tomorrow with Maria Dolors. I was supposed to do all that stuff (bank account, mobile phone etc) today but being the dipstick that I am, I forgot my passport. Never mind eh? 

Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Barcelona for some exploring and a spot of shopping. Very much looking forward to that. Hasta luego people!

My First day in Vic.

Today is my first full day in the lovely city of Vic. I love it! This morning I slept until 10 as I was still shattered from my stupid journey the day before. I took my time in sorting myself out this morning as I don't really have much to do in the house. But, I decided that I shouldn't be a bum and I went for a walk around the fields and houses here. 

When I arrived back, Maria was home and we made lunch together and ate rather quickly as she needed to get back to school. When she left I received a message from another student here to go and meet up for a drink and get to know each other. She was really nice and she is also looking for somewhere to live in Vic. I spent most of the afternoon with her and I'd like to say we explored the cultural side of the city, embracing the Spanish way of life but instead we sat outside in the 27 degree heat and drank beers. It's a hard life. 

When I came back to the house at about 6pm, Maria and I went straight out to her friends to drop off a present. She was very nice too and I'll be seeing her again next weekend apparently when we go on an excursion to the Pyrenees. Afterwards we went to the university to see if there was anybody that had put up posters for room-mates. We found a couple that I'll be attempting to ring tomorrow (wish me luck) and I also found a Spanish friend! (Gold star for me!!) Her name is Alena and we're going to get together to practise her English and my Spanish at some point. 

Once we were done at the uni, which is lovely and modern, we rushed across town to the flat viewing that we had lined up. It was a weird place. Jesus crosses everywhere and the mother and daughter were strange to say the least. The flat smelt funny and I don't think they were all there, if you know what I mean. The daughter was 19 but she acted and looked like a 12 year old. We kept asking the woman to speak Spanish but she kept merging back to Catalan. She must have had the attention span of a sieve. It was a good thing to see what kind of thing was out there and the price range but I don't think that was for me. I have decided that I want to live with other students so that I am with other people of the same age and intellect. 

Tea was super again but I am shattered again now as I've done a fair bit of Spanish speaking, All in all, today has been a fab day and I already love the city and I'm glad that after only a couple of days I have some people to go out and play with, so to speak.

20 hour journey and very little sleep.

So I've finally made it to Spain, after what feels like a life time of travelling. I left home on Saturday morning at 11am for my train down to London. Nothing went wrong throughout the journey, it was just mega long. After I'd got off the Eurostar I needed to navigate across the city to Paris Austerlitz to catch my overnight train. My luggage, by this time, felt like it had doubled in weight so I bit the bullet and hopped in a taxi. Well that was an experience in itself. Paris taxi drivers are maniacs and I have no idea how we arrived in one piece! 

Once I was at the station I thought the brunt of my journey was over. I was wrong. Jut getting to my cabin was a massive effort as the corridor was jest narrower than the width of my suitcase so I had to carry EVERYTHING in my poor hands. I was sharing with a French granny, a Chilean woman and a Chinese student who were all pleasant enough. But the beds were a bit too small and it was a very tight squeeze. I don't think I slept much but hey, it was an adventure. An adventure I won't be doing again any time soon- that's for sure

When I arrived in Barcelona I had to hop on 2 trains up to Vic which is the city I'll be living and teaching in. Maria picked me up from the station and I went back to hers for some breakfast.The rest of the day was  comprised of a quick tour of the area, an amazing nap, a birthday dinner for Josep (the husband) and then a nice walk around the local area. 

I am really happy to be here but nonetheless, I am looking forward to my flat hunting which starts- tomorrow at 7pm! And, after 20 hours of trains and lugging my stuff across Europe, this is about the best I could manage, blog-wise. Viva Espana!

Goodbye all!

Well, this is it. Tomorrow morning I set off down to London from Chester to start my mammoth of a journey down to Barcelona. I've (just about) packed apart from a few bits and bobs that need to wait until tomorrow morning- toothbrush, shampoo etc. I have a sufficient amount of PG Tips tucked away for those home comforts, as any other Spanish variety will not suffice. 

I'm a tad nervous but mainly just excited to start a new adventure in a new place. The prospect of making a 20 hour train journey is a bit daunting but I'm not bothered to be honest as I'll have a bed on the 12 hour leg from Paris to Barcelona. It all gets a bit blurry when I arrive in Barcelona as I'll have to cross the city on the metro and then find the station and catch the train to Vic. Then, Maria will be picking me up from the station and then I'll take it from there. 

All that aside, after a lovely summer it's time to get back to work and actually make something of my life whilst (hopefully) improving on my Spanish and Catalan. The next blog will be from the land of tapas and paella, ciao for now!!

The Waiting Game

I have just over a week left in sunny North Wales before I set off for Barcelona. I absolutely cannot wait to get out there and start my Spanish year! I have been talking on Skype with Maria and she is so lovely and has made me feel a lot less stressed about coming over alone. We talked about what I was going to be doing at the school and general Spanish doings. 

I am leaving on 22nd September and I am going by TRAIN, yes, by TRAIN! It takes 20 hours to get there but it's the same price for me and I won't have any baggage restraints. Travelling doesn't bother me so I thought, why not?! Also, flying seemed to be a logistical nightmare and so we decided that I'd go through Paris and then down to Vic by train where Maria will pick me up. 

I'll be primarily working with Maria on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 4 hours each day and I will not be working on Mondays or Thursdays- what a hard life eh? I will be teaching 4, 5 and 6 year olds and we're going to be doing a project about the ugly duckling which should be fun. 

As for my accommodation, I have been in contact with the Erasmus coordinator for Vic University and I have asked her if there is a possibility that I could live with Spanish students. It was a  long shot but she seemed very keen and she will be passing on my details to Spanish/Catalan students (who studying English) that may want an English student to live with so they we can help each other with language. I love this idea. 

I have my Euros ready and all my relevant documents so all that there is to do now is actually get there! Eeekk.

Prep...for the big adventure!

I've been a bit absent since my blogging days en France, in that, I haven't blogged at all. Mainly because their hasn't been a great deal to blog about. I've have been to Bournemouth, London and France (again) for some little breaks before this adventure really kicks off. 

So this is the update so far on my progress. I'll be teaching English in a Spanish/Catalan primary school in a village called Gurb. (Which I think sounds like something you say when you throw up- but that's just my opinion!) The village is on the outskirts of a town called Vic which is 80km or so outside of Barcelona. I'll be starting on October 1st and stay there through until the end of May next year. 

I have been in contact with a teacher from my school- Maria, who will be my 'mentor' and colleague for when I'm at the school. She has been a great help to me and I'll be staying with her for the first week whilst I sort out accommodation, bank accounts etc as it's easier to do that kind of stuff when I'm actually there.

In terms of my 'Spanish', I'm a tad apprehensive as I have been in French mode all summer and I can't seem to switch to Spanish as proved the other day when I struggled to remember the word for 'dog' (which is 'perro' by the way). 

I'm feeling slightly nervous but nonetheless excited to get my Spanish adventure under way in 3 weeks time!!

My last full day!

Firstly, I want to say sorry for that lengthy last post! I'm sure you've all missed my waffle. Anyway, on Friday Lucas, Oscar and I went to a theme park and I use that term loosely as it wasn't like Alton Towers etc, it was more aimed at younger kids and the rides were more tame. There was still a roller-coaster but it was a runaway train, tea cups, toboggan, bumper boats, aqua park, log flume, you get the idea. It was a super last day out and even better as it was all paid for by Isabelle! In the evening, we went to a dinner party at a very rich persons house. It was sooo nice, I could live there tomorrow (I won't don't worry). The family were really nice too but I wasn't really in the mood for socialising as I've come to the end of 6 long weeks now and I'm certainly ready to go home now. That's ok though as my flight...is TODAY! Yippee, really looking forward to getting back on English/Welsh soil and then watching the opening ceremony on catch up. Next time I'll blog will be from GB- bye folks!

2 weeks in 1 post- sorry!

Sorry about all this that you're about to encounter but this is what I've been up to in the last 2 weeks or so- enjoy!


Thursday was difficult. I had 4 kids (Lucas, Oscar, Ewen and Iola) and Oscar was being a little brat. In the morning we just went to the market as usual and picked up some bits and bobs. Once the tide was at a sufficient height, we went down to the beach and chilled out there until about 2 o'clock ish. Afterwards we had planned to go razor collecting on the beach but couldn't do it until the tide went out so I put the kids in front of the tele and sorted some stuff out around the house. Fortunately, grandma and grandad showed up just and we were about to leave to go down to the beach so they came with us and it definitely made my life a lot easier. It was really fun getting the razor shells up through the sand but it was safe to say that all the kids were quite tired. When we arrived home, Isabelle was already there packing the house up to go back to Landerneau, which we did. I'm glad to be back here as it means that there is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm home on Saturday! See you all very soon.

On Sunday, we basically had a very lazy morning as we got back to the house at gone 1am. I was fine with this as I had a lot of internet catch up to do. We had steak burgers and green beans for lunch which was weird but still surprisingly quite nice. After lunch, Isa and I went over the next weeks doings and there is a lot occurring and stuff to remember. Once we were done, I trekked down into town to see what was going on as it was the Kaan al Loar festival. It was really sweet actually, a load of crazy Bretons doing traditional songs and dances- not too dissimilar from Welsh folk dancing. Apparently, there was a Pwllheli troop there but I didn’t see them. When I was bored, I wandered home for tea which was a Spinach lasagne. As Isabelle was working at Brest 2012, Yvon was left to deal with the 2 boys and they’re friend. My god, he did not succeed at all, it was embarrassing on his part to be honest. We left for the Beach House at about half 9 and dropped Leo (the friend) off on the way. Oscar was being his usual disobedient, bratty self which was exhausting. I was so relieved to reach the house where I could go and get some fresh air, in silence!

The sun actually came out to play on Monday, thank god. In the morning, we wandered into town to buy a couple of bits and bobs. Afterwards, we had lunch which was left over burgers and pasta. Then we went TO THE BEACH! It was full of people down there and the atmosphere was lush. There was  a bit of a breeze which kept picking up the sand which was a tad annoying but it didn’t bother us too much. Oscar and I swam in the freezing sea. I promised myself I would whilst I was here so I took my chance as there might not be another one! We spent about 4 hours down at the beach and it was really nice. Oscar wasn’t a brat and we got on really well, he even told me he wanted me to come back next summer. I’ll have to think about that one I think! In the evening, Yvon came home and he made Galettes which I’ve come to love, will be brining some home for definite. Oscar began to get difficult with his Dad this evening and it was embarrassing to watch as he’d been fine with me throughout the day. Once we’d finished tea, I escaped up to my room and put a bit of Lee Evans on for a giggle.

I was dreading Tuesday as Oscar was due to have a friend come and stay for 3 nights. The day didn’t get off to a very good start. We moaned at each other in the morning because I was being demanding and Oscar wasn’t doing naff all. Either way, I managed to get him to his stress golf lesson at 10 and I made a lovely phone call with the grandmother. After lunch, we popped to the boulangerie to buy a few goodies for the relatives, plus we were out of bread. Oscar keeps trying to get his own way with me by being stubborn and blackmailing me but it doesn’t work as I have the password to the pc, the tele is in my room, and I’ve hidden all the goodies so he’s ran out of stuff to blackmail me with. Once we were back, the grandma, Mael and Lois arrived (these are the kids from the previous family- the cousins). The sun actually came out again today so we took the little ones down to the beach. It took Lois and Mael a few minutes before they warmed to me again, but after a while it was lovely to see them again. It was a bit embarrassing when they had to leave as they wanted to stay with me instead of going with grandma. I’ll hopefully see them again at the weekend though. Then, Mael (Oscar’s friend) arrived, and I realised I already know this little chap. He’s very polite and not as brutal as Oscar so hopefully it won’t be too tricky with them two. We had a barbeque and played a few games. All in all, it was another good day but as usual, I’m knackered!

Wednesday was my first day of looking after the two boys (Oscar Mael). In the morning, we had breakfast together and they played a few games whilst I got washed and dressed. We then headed into town to the supermarket to get some bits and bobs for the picnic. Obviously, afterwards we came home and I prepared the picnic for lunch and we then headed down to the beach for the morning and the first part of the afternoon. The boys ran off pretty much as soon as we got there to go and dig holes and find stuff whilst I was quite content in sunbathing and reading. Once we had eaten the picnic, we came home as they had an activity in the afternoon at the sports centre. I made a friend too. Well sort of, a grandma was dropping of her granddaughter and we got talking and we talked for quite a while, she was very nice and I’m pretty sure I understood everything she said, it was a bit smalltalky but it was still an in depth conversation with a new French person. Whilst they were elsewhere, I took the opportunity to clean/ tidy up a bit and then chilled in some peace and quiet for a bit. Once I’d picked them up, it had started to rain which was rubbish as it meant that we could really do anything outside. Instead, I introduced them to the webcam on my laptop and they made funny videos and took funny pictures for an hour or so. Then, Isabelle came home (YAY!). She’d been in Paris since Sunday and it was really nice to see her again as Yvon was getting tired of handling Oscar himself, I think. Tea was lasagne and quiche (leftovers) and a really yummy strawberry cream pudding thing that Yvon made. Hoping for some better weather for tomorrow!

As Isabelle came home from working in Paris on Wednesday night, she decided to take the morning off work for Thursday. This meant that I could do what I wanted in the morning. She got the boys ready whilst I slept in a little and took my time in getting washed and dressed. It was market day so I wandered leisurely towards the town centre. In turns out that I bumped into Isabelle there anyway and we went back together and nattered until it was time to collect the boys (which she did, again). For lunch we had a roast chicken from the market and a courgette dish that Isabelle made. For pudding, we had koign amaan (I’m not sure how to spell it but they’re basically little cakes from Brittany that are lush.)

Once we were done I gathered all the stuff together for an afternoon at the beach as it wasn’t raining and it was relatively warm. We dug holes, swam in the sea, lounged around and generally had a pleasant afternoon. When we arrived home, the parents were doing the same and I was back to no responsibility which I wasn’t complaining about. Some relatives of Isabelle’s came over for a barbeque which was really nice except we stayed up chatting until midnight or so. Either way, another pleasant day but I was knackered.

The sun showed itself again on Friday, thank goodness! In the morning, we chilled in the house whilst I prepared the picnic. We couldn’t go to where we were going too early as we could online get there when the tide is out, this place was Ile Callot. It’s a really cute little island just off the coast, walking distance from the house, inaccessible at high tide. We trekked off about half 11 via the boulangerie (to pick up some bread) and headed towards the little ‘port’ in Carantec. We walked along the path out to the Island and set up the picnic. The boys ran off and played with rocks and seaweed and other interesting things. We picnicked and whatnot and then we had to leave because of the tide. We stopped by the house to pick up the swimming gear and then headed down to Kelenn (the usual beach). We stayed there until about 5 when we had to go back as Mael’s mum was coming to pick him up. After that, it was clear that Oscar was very tired so I let him watch some tele for an hour or so, until his Dad came home from work. When that moment came, I took the opportunity to go for a walk in the evening sunshine and talk to my daddy. When I came back (an hour later) we had pasta for tea and then the most amazing cheeses for afters. I LOVE French cheeses, I could eat them all day. Needless to say, I’ll be having some very strange dreams tonight, god help me!

The weekend finally arrived! In the morning, I popped to the supermarket to top up on suncream as we’d gone through a lot in recent days. Once I was ready, Yvon took me to Roscoff on the North coast. There are a lot of English and Irish people there as the Ferry from Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cork goes there. As soon as I arrived, I caught the boat out to Isle Batz about half an hour away. I hired a bike when I got off the boat, bought a couple of picnicky stuffs and then took myself off along the beaches on my bright blue bike. The Island was lovely but very secluded. It was nice enough to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there. At about 3ish, I caught the boat back to the mainland and hopped on the tourist train- as you do. It was nice to see the town but it wasn’t very big so once I’d been to the souvenir shops to buy some tat I came home with Isabelle. The family went off to a barbeque at a friend’s house, but I didn’t really fancy it so I decided to stay home and cook for myself. It was nice and oeaceful for a change except the stupid dog was here annoying me. Once I’d finished, I took a walk down to the beach in the sunset and phoned home as it was my little brother’s 18^th birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!!

Sunday was a pretty busy day. We started the day by gathering all of Oscar’s things so he could go and spend the weekend with grandma and granddad. At about 11 we set off and met up with the other family who were visiting and swapping the children over. It was really nice to see them again, even grumpy Dad wasn’t very grumpy and he even spoke to me a little. Once we’d eaten and I’d been shown around the farm a million times by the children, Isa and I set off for a music festival called Vieilles Charrues. I think it’s the 3^rd biggest music festival in Europe or something and it was super-duper. We saw Garbage, Bob Dylan (who was a bit rubbish and the papers gave him awful reviews- he was just a bit boring really), Gossip and most importantly: Kasabian. I didn’t realise Kasabian were going to be there until that morning so that made the day 10 times better. They aren’t very well known here so the family went and watched a French band who were quite good whilst I made a drunk French friend and we watched Kasabian- they were awesome. We didn’t leave until about 2am and we were all absolutely knackered- home and bed at 3am! It was all totally worth it though.

On Monday, I didn’t do a great deal as most of us were absolutely shattered. It was just Isabelle, Lucas and I in the morning so we just mooched around in the sun and sorted out some bits and bobs. Lucas and I ate lunch in the sun, which was a bit awkward as I don’t know him as well as Oscar and he’s at ‘that’ age. In the afternoon, grandma arrived with Oscar, Ewen, Iola and the dog. We went straight to the beach and went swimming- the sea was lush! The only downside is that the tide goes out about 10 miles and we went just at low tide so we walked for hours on the beach before we actually reached the sea. Either way, we had a fab time down at Kelenn in the sunshine. We came back together, just as Oscar and Lucas were about start World War III and thankfully, the parents were already home to take over from peacemaking. We had dinner outside in the sunset (wow that sounds cheesy) but it was lovely anyway! I went to bed early as I’d clearly had too much fresh air in recent days.

On Tuesday morning, Lucas, Oscar and I went down to the beach relatively early as we wanted to go down for high tide so that we could go swimming and Lucas could go on the diving board. The sea was super, very ‘refreshing’- that’s Oscar’s new favourite word. We stayed there for a good few hours, in and out of the water but had to go back and let the plumber in. We were having toilet problems in that my en suite was the only one that actually worked. I made a salad thingy for lunch and we decided that we would go cockle fishing this afternoon to get some food for the barbeque, we came back with loads of cockles, a few limpets and one mussel found by yours truly. It was really good finding the cockles down on the sand but once we’d found more than our fair share of seafood, we trekked home to find that we had 2 fully functioning toilets. Isabelle arrived home not long after us and suggested we went down to the seafront to eat in the one of the restaurants which was fine by me. I had an Italian pasta dish which was lovely and then we had icecream on the sand. That night, there was a big, outdoor, inflatable screen on one of the playing fields by the beach so we went home and got some warmer clothes and went back down around 10pm to watch The Princess Bride in the sunset. It was really fun as we were all huddled up in blankets watching a giant film on an inflatable screen with an old fashioned projector and it was all free! Was very tired once again so went straight back home, to bed.

Wednesday, we had a relatively easy day as we’d been busy the day before. I got up early thinking Oscar’s activity was in the morning but it turns out it was an afternoon jobby- never mind. We were generally relaxed in the morning, we popped down to the beach for a quick dunk before headed back for a spot of lunch before I took Oscar to Kin ball (whatever that is). During my child free time, I tidied up the house and vacuumed my room- it needed it! I then went chilled a little before going to collect the little devil, passing by the pharmacy it was apparently 30 degrees today. Once we were back we gathered the beach stuff up again and headed down to Kelenn and stayed there for about 3 hours or so when Isabelle came and met us with Iola and Ewen. We had a barbeque for tea with the cockles that we gathered from yesterday and it felt good to eat something that I found myself!

A lot of waffle. Sorry.

As we moved to the beach, there was no internet so I was writing these blogs in a word document as I went and then popping it onto the blog this weekend when we got back to the normal house. On Saturday it seemed to rain ALL day. I went into town (Landerneau)  in the afternoon to get a few bits and bobs and to actually wonder round. I got soaked through, even though I was wearing a waterproof. It didn’t really bother me as it was my last day there and I wanted to make the most of it. I then went to a creperie on the bridge (which I think I’ve already mentioned has houses and shops on it). The pancake was lush and I even had a cheeky English cuppa to go with it as I was cold and wet. When I got back, we packed up the things, left Landerneau and headed for the drier, warmer Carantec on the north coast.

The house is really lovely. It’s really cute and beachy. I have my own bathroom and staircase and wing of the house basically as I’m in the extension bit. Last night before tea, we popped down to the beach front and for a wonder and quick aperitif before dinner. Dinner was salad, ham and cheese which was nice but I kinda fancied a hot meal after my very wet day.

On Sunday, the weather was lush. I think it even crept into the 20s. In the morning, we finished getting the house back to living standards- unpacking, cleaning etc. Then, I walked into the village/town centre for a quick gander and then popped down to the beach to see what was occurring. It was particularly warm at the time, but it was pleasant enough to paddle. When I got back, the friends (a couple with 2 kids) had arrived and they were lovely. We went back down to where I had just come from to eat in one of the restaurants. I had mussels and chips and, oh my god, it was sooo nice. Once we were finished, we went down onto the sand for a quick see at what was going on, and ended up staying for 3 or 4 more hours. It was really lovely down there, the water was nice enough to go in (I wasn’t equipped for swimming sadly- but deffo would have if I had my bikini). We mainly sunbathed and caught the sun but Isabelle and Veronique and I did go for a walk around the beach, up to the castle thing and then back down through the village.

This evening, us 4 came back to the house and I’ve been briefed on this week’s doings and what I have to do each day. If the weather is good then find activities for me and Oscar to do together won’t be an issue but of it’s not then I’ll have to be creative! We had courgette pasta for dinner which was lovely and we’re all going for an early night as we have a relatively busy week ahead of us.

On Monday, my Aupairing really began. In the morning, Yvon drove Oscar and I down to the beach where we met for Oscar’s kayak training for this week. I lounged on the beach and spoke to my dear Welsh friend! I popped back to the house as well- just to tidy up and do a bit of vacuuming as the sand literally gets everywhere. Then I went and collected Oscar from the beach and we came home for lunch. Oscar was reluctant to do anything I asked which was a bit problematic but I eventually managed to get him to eat a something. Afterwards, I needed to sort some bits and bobs out and Oscar wanted to watch Tangled, which was good as there was no French option so we watched it in English. I’m not sure Oscar understood very much of it but he’s seen it before and he seemed to enjoy it. I was definitely not complaining as I’d been missing a bit of Englishness recently. Once then film had finished, we trekked back down to the beach as Oscar wanted to go to Club Disney. I wasn’t really sure what it was and he told me there was a small fee but I just went along with it anyway. When we arrived, it said that to spend the afternoon there, it was 10€ which I was not best pleased about as it came out of my own money. He kind of guilted me into doing it and as we were at the till waiting to pay I couldn’t really say no. I will not be doing that again. Anyway, whilst he was there, I chilled on the beach again and read my book. Although I love the beach I’m getting hacked off with all the sand that finds its way into all my things- especially my hair and clothes. Once we were back from the beach, Oscar took himself off to watch tele, I think he was quite tired which is understandable and I just mooched around and entertained myself until the parents arrived home to cook us tea. Speaking of tea, we had barbecued ribs, sautéed potatoes and salad for tea. Although, Isabelle wasn’t here for the evening (which I didn’t know was happening until about 8 o’clock). The evening was still good though but Oscar was being a bit disobedient which was frustrating as Yvon wasn’t doing a very good job at getting him to do what he was told. Never mind- he’s not my child!

Tuesday was an exhausting day to be honest. In the morning, Oscar and I had a bit of a lie in and then I prepared a picnic for us to take down to the before the kayaking lesson begun. When we got down to the beach, Oscar found a friend and took himself off to dig holes or something so I was left to do the strenuous task of lounging on the beach and sunbathing. We then picnicked in the sun and I dropped him off for his kayaking. I came back to the house to drop off all the picnic stuff: buckets, spades, blankets etc. Afterwards, I went back down to the beach and walk along the coastline around Carantec. It really is gorgeous round there. There’s a little fort/castle thing on one of the little Islands (looks a bit like a mini fort boyard) which I hope to visit at some point as it’s meant to be quite good. This is where it gets frustrating. Firstly, the little devil took an absolute age to come out of the changing rooms- he was last as usual and then when he came out, he’d lost a wetsuit shoe but refused to go and find it.

 On the way home, he wanted some artisan marshmallows so I agreed to go and look. They looked pretty cool to be fair but they were really dear for the amount there was and he wouldn’t settle for normal Haribo marshmallows. He then told me he hated me. I didn’t take it to heart as we don’t really know each other very well. When we got home, he went straight to watch tele and sulked a fair bit.  He was there until his Dad came home from work late but by that time we were talking again and I think he had forgiven me for being such an evil human being. He was in a really really bad mood with his Dad though and would not do anything he was asked, wash his hands, have a shower, pick his rubbish up, stop watching the tele. It was like this until half way through tea time. He was basically being an absolute brat and was doing things to deliberately annoy everyone. Nevertheless, we all had a lovely tea and it wasn’t so bad in the end once he’d calmed down.

Wednesday, we had kayaking again in the morning and Isabelle and I spent the day walking and signing Oscar, his brother and his friend up for some activities in the next few weeks. I was relieved to find this out as it’s nice to have some time during the days to myself. She then left for work and I tried to find the supermarket as I’ve run out of my secret stash of food. However, I could not find it and I got a bit lost. I’ll try again on Thursday. When I got back Isabelle was just leaving for work so I gathered up Oscars stuff for after kayaking and made my way back down to the beach. We picked up some crisps and I got Oscar a lolly on the way home. We made lunch together and he was being surprisingly helpful- I think he’s a bit exhausted from the last couple of days and his emotions have run out. It was suggested that we have a chill afternoon as Thursday is set to be a busy day. We watched Monsters Inc. in French which was just as good as the correct version but still good. After the film we played games together until the parents came home and we generally had a really lovely afternoon. For tea we had leftovers. Leftovers are fine by me but only if there is enough to go round, which there wasn’t and I was still starving after tea. Never mind, I survived.

Thursday is market day in Carantec so in the morning, Oscar and I went up to the market to get some stuff for the house and for us. We bought 3 types of yummy French cheese, some butter, roasted chicken, a cheese potato dish thing which was yummy, postcards and for us I bought a couple of souvenirs and  a bracelet each for me and Oscar. As it was raining, we hurried home for lunch. Oscar played on my laptop for a bit and I tidied up the downstairs as it was a bit of a mess. For lunch we had the roasted chicken and the potato dish, I finally felt full so I was very relieved afterwards. Oscar was being a bit difficult after lunch- I’m glad he can’t understand me in English, but sometimes it’s nice to say (quietly) what you think to someone’s face- especially when they’re being an annoying little brat. Nevertheless, I managed to get him to act like a human being so that we could make our way down to the kayaks. After I’d dropped him off, I went to the café to use the computer for a bit of much needed internet, I also had a cuppa tea so that I was a ‘paying’ customer. Once I’d done all the necessary things (facebook) on the computer, I waded home and sat and read in some peace and quiet before the Oscar-ness would start up again.

Once he was back, we played board games and card games. Then I taught Oscar a few things on the piano which was good as he was actually listening and learning something. It was generally easy with him in the evening. We were supposed to go to the show in the centre of the town for the kids but it was raining so Oscar wasn’t going to step one foot out of the house. I was a bit annoyed when Yvon rang and asked me to cook tea too. I just whacked a load of stuff together and made do because Oscar never really appreciates anything anyway. When Yvon got back we kind of just talked for a while and I was given my money!!

Friday meant it was the last day of kayaking for Oscar and the last day of moaning at Oscar for me. I was so relieved! He was being a little so and so throughout the day, I think it was boredom. It rained pretty much all day so that meant we could really do anything outside which was annoying. I just tried to keep him entertained and me sane, which was difficult on both parts. I’ve come up with a nickname for Oscar which I can’t put on here. In the evening, Lucas (Oscar’s brother) came back from New York and had a friend round for tea. It was a really nice evening; I think it was the change of company that helped. My god can the friend talk though. My ears couldn’t keep up half the time, I want to apologise to anyone who’s ever been affected by this from me. I now know how you feel! Having said that, he was really nice company and wasn’t shy or awkward. We played card games and Dobble in the evening which was also fun. I had to make an excuse to leave after a while as the boys were going a bit mad and saying silly things that I didn’t understand so I was falling behind with the jokes. I was feeling quite tired and worn out as Oscar is a lot of work- very disobedient and, at times, rude. Nevertheless, I now have 2 days to myself which I will definitely be making the most of!

On Saturday (yesterday), I went to Morlaix alone for the day and it was really nice to have a change of scenery to be honest. The town was nice but not amazing, there wasn't really much to do. As soon as I got there, I went to the market to but some lunch and I treated myself to a good old Fish and Chips. Oosh, it was immense. Not as good and Welsh/English fish and chips but still yummy nonetheless. I also treated myself to yet another crepe. I cannot get enough of those bad boys. Yvon came and picked me up at 5ish and we went back to the land of technology in Landerneau.

As soon as we were back we had to get ready for Brest 2012, I wasn't really sure what it was t be honest, all I knew was there were a lot of boats. And there was. Boats of all shapes and sizes. We got in for free as we were also on a boat, it was a diving boat so it wasn't that amazing to look at but it was really useful for us cos we could go around on the water instead of walking everywhere. When we set off on the boar, we could here a load of people cheering which was a bit odd but we couldn't see what cos there was a big military boat in the way. When we got round the corner, we saw a posh white boat with a few men in suits and camera men taking pictures of one man. Turns out, it was the president himself, Francois Hollande, and we didn't realise who it was until he waved at us!! The evening ended with a super fireworks display and we didn't get home until gone 1am so we were all mega tired as we'd been out in the sea air for most of the evening. Hope you're all well at home! (Pictures to follow, there's too many to put on this one blog!)