28th January: Moving Forwards

Well, things are looking up. Since Saturday night I’ve met a lot of new people and barely spent any time in the flat. That night, Annalisa and I met up outside the university at 9pm and wandered around for a while before deciding on a bar down one of the side streets nearby, where a jug of sangria cost only four Euros. 

By the time we were nearing the end of our jug, the bar was packed and a group of three guys came and sat with us. We ended up buying another jug and staying out till 3.30 – so much for having a few quiet drinks! The guys, who were two brothers and a friend, were from Murcia and seemed to know the place well. They took our numbers and invited us to a party the next weekend, which could be great, but if we go we’ll have to find out their real names and stop calling them Ashton Kutcher, The Weird One and The Boring One. Despite these nicknames and Ashton Kutcher’s obsession with his ridiculously over-long fringe, they seemed pretty cool.

The next day was Sunday so almost all the shops were closed. Nevertheless, Annalisa, Ali and I spent the afternoon exploring the city, eating frozen yoghurt and drinking wine in the square. At 8 we met some friends of Ali’s who were also on their Year Abroad in Murcia, and went for dinner at an American diner. Afterwards we went for more frozen yoghurt (which seems to be a bit of an obsession around here) before parting ways and agreeing to meet up at the Erasmus social the next day.

Today I woke up even later – it was past midday before I managed to drag myself out of bed. I really don’t know what’s wrong with me; I just can’t stop sleeping! It was quarter to two before I managed to go out on the run I’d had planned for that morning, and the sun was high in the sky. It won’t be long before it gets too hot to go running in the day; it was already hard work and it’s only the end of January! Nonetheless, it was great to get moving after a week of doing nothing, and amazing to feel a bit of sun on my skin. The route I took along the river is the perfect spot for a run.

After getting myself ready and grabbing a bite to eat, I made my way over to Carrefour and Lidl to buy a few bits of food and toiletries. By the time I got back it was nearly 7 and time to cook myself some dinner before heading into town for the Erasmus social.