26th April: Ready for the Weekend

Well, it’s been a pretty quiet week to be honest, but it’s been exactly what I needed to be able to catch up from my last visit and prepare for my next one.

Now it’s Friday evening and Lou is arriving in less than twenty-four hours. I’ve slogged away at my work all week so I feel I deserve these next few days off. The problem is that all my deadlines are beginning to creep up, so I’ve had to work every waking hour to get my end-of-term projects done on time. The biggest problem is the linguistics project I have to have done for a couple of weeks’ time. I’ve had to read two dense books on non-verbal communication (in Spanish), note down quotations and devise not only a written project but a Powerpoint presentation about it. Luckily it’s a group project, so I’m hoping the others will do their share next week when I’m busy.

About the only slightly interesting event of the entire week was the languages department party yesterday - but even that was a flop. It just so happened that it poured down with rain on that day, making the outdoor party pretty unpleasant. We were a depleted group already, Lina and Alicia being with their parents, but we arrived with some girls from our translation group. It could have been a good day but the rain just made it cold and miserable, so we didn’t end up staying long. There was meant to be another party in the evening, also outside but at the Merced campus, but we didn’t feel like braving it and we’re pretty sure it got rained off anyway.

So now, after another long day of note-taking and translation and an hour-long run to stop me going completely stir-crazy, I’m ready for Lou to come and for the weekend to begin.

23rd April: Botellon at the Georges’ Flat

Friday was another crazily busy day. I’d planned to get in at least a bit of sleep at some point but I just didn’t have the time. My linguistics lecture had been moved to 9am, meaning yet another early start. I then had a few hours to reorganise my life before my lecture at 4 - which turned out to be fairly pointless anyway.

When I got back from class I called in at the flat to fetch Giorgos, and we went to Mercadona together to buy supplies for my party that evening. We came back laden with alcohol and nibbles, and then set about trying to get the place in an acceptable state to present to visitors. I did the kitchen whilst Giorgos dusted every available surface; I don’t think the flat has ever been so clean.

A couple of hours later, the flat was sparkling, we’d had our dinner and I was just doing the finishing touches to my hair when Fernando arrived. I still hadn’t done my nails or put all the food out, but luckily he was happy to help (with the food, not the nails - I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have done a very good job of those).

Not long afterwards the other guests started to arrive and soon our little flat was full of people, music and conversation. At one point I noticed that my friends were behaving slightly oddly but I’m quite used to odd behaviour so decided to leave them to it. When they dimmed the lights and came in with a massive chocolate bear cake, all was explained. Giorgos was following, bizarrely, with an incense stick, looking disappointed and confused. “I’d been saving this for ages!” he said, “I thought it was a sparkler, I was really excited!” 

The cake, which was clearly meant for small children but was probably more exciting to me, had two giant ‘21’ candles on it (apparently the check-out lady had assumed it was meant to say ‘12’ instead). And not only did I get another cake and another rendition of Happy Birthday, but I got yet another present too - one which had been deemed ‘inappropriate’ to be opened in front of the family...

Without going into too much detail, we left at around 1.30 and ended up at Badulake. Suffice it to say, much fun was had by all and we went home in the early hours of the morning. Reader, you may notice that my blog entries are becoming more and more abridged; please don’t question this, it’s for your own good.

The next morning we woke up to a scene of devastation in my flat reminiscent of some kind of natural disaster. Thankfully, the guys were astonishingly helpful; I think Giorgos has some kind of penchant for cleaning. I should maybe mention that Giorgos is one of those lovable characters with lots of little quirks. To name the most recent example: we were just chatting when he suddenly asked me to have a look at his toe, which has a lump on it he’s been slightly concerned about for around a month. Bearing in mind I have no medical experience, whereas he is a medic and has been having practicals in a hospital for the past two months, this question took me slightly by surprise. I said, “Have you tried asking at the pharmacy?” “Hmm, good idea,” he agreed pensively. There is, in fact, usually a “George of the day”, a funny one-liner he’s come out with, intentionally or inadvertently, that’s made me giggle; at any rate, his foibles are endearing and definitely keep me amused. 

Anyway, between the three of us (Giorgos, Fernando and me), we got the flat cleaned up in no time and with minimal stress. The trauma came around an hour later with a Facebook message from Annalisa saying she had lost her keys, iPod and camera and had no idea what to do. After several phone conversations with Alicia, who is always the most level-headed one in these situations, we agreed to meet at Alicia’s house and make a plan of action.

Poor Annalisa just seems to attract bad luck. All her flatmates had gone home for the weekend, as usual, meaning that unless she found her keys, she would have no way of getting into the flat until the following evening. I suggested sending her out onto the street with one of those signs like the homeless people have: “Soy Murciana, tengo tres hijos, ayudame” (I’m Murcian, I have three children, help me)... Except maybe instead: “Soy inglesa, no tengo llaves, ayudame” (I’m English, I don’t have any keys, help me).

After she’d showered and changed into some of Alicia’s clothes, she phoned her landlady only to find out that she lives in Alicante and has no connections in Murcia who could help. We’d already phoned Badulake, who said they hadn’t found anything. All we could do now was wait and go to the club ourselves to double check.

As it was nearing dinner-time by this stage, I popped home to grab something to eat and wait for news from the other two. I was exhausted and decided to snuggle up to the traditional post-night-out Harry Potter - but was so worn out I actually fell asleep mid-film and didn’t wake up until the next morning. Thankfully, the news I woke up to was that, although there was no sign of the iPod, both the keys and camera had been found and Annalisa was safely back in her own flat.

That day was taken up with the mountain of work I had to catch up with since having my family there all week. The only respite I had was meeting the girls for drinks in the evening, which didn’t last long either as we were all similarly snowed-under with work and had early starts the next day. When I got back I settled down in bed and turned on an episode of the OC in Spanish, just what I was in the mood for. It was the start of season three and it opened with a chaotic scene at the hospital, but even so, the dialogue seemed incredibly fast - I couldn’t get a word of it. It was only after a few minutes that I suddenly realised the reason it was so difficult to understand was that it wasn’t actually dubbed in Spanish at all - unfortunately, my Italian isn’t so great.

On Monday morning it was a struggle to drag myself out of bed at 8.45 but I had so much to do, I couldn’t afford to sleep in any longer. After breakfast I started researching some topics for my English classes that day, and at 10.30 I went for my run. I spent the rest of the day gathering resources for my English classes and working on my linguistics presentation, which is turning into a bit of a nightmare. As it’s a third-year module, we’re expected to do a thirty-minute presentation as well as a substantial written booklet - all in Spanish. This, on top of the several books-worth of research to find the relevant quotations to support our arguments. Not only that, but our names got missed off the presentations list so we have to be ready to present any time a lesson finishes early, starting from 2nd May. Needless to say, I’m going to have my work cut out this week.

In the afternoon I went for my usual teaching session, this time with all three pupils present. Even with all my resources, it was tricky to keep each of them occupied for an hour this week, as none of them had any extra work to do and sticking to any one topic for an hour would lose their concentration. Guille was particularly difficult to handle; I ended up bribing him with stickers. It was a relief when it was over. 

On the way back to the flat it began to rain and I decided to cheer myself up by going into Bershka to spend my birthday money on replacing my brown jacket which had been so heavily criticised by my family (to be fair, it was falling apart). By the time I got back to the flat it was gone 8.30 - just time to have some dinner and get ready before going out again to meet the girls.

We only stayed for a few drinks again, just because everyone is so busy. Lina is going to La Manga as from today to stay with her mum and stepdad, so won’t have any time for university work until next week.

When I got back, I was just settling down to an episode of Сверхъестественное (Supernatural in Russian, my usual go-to programme these days) when my childhood friend Lou popped up on Facebook; half an hour later, she’d booked flights to see me that weekend! And just like that, I felt much better.

19th April: The Family Visit

After much deliberation, on Wednesday we decided to take a day trip to Caravaca, which is just over an hour-and-a-half away on the coach. By the time we got there it was lunchtime, and by the time we'd walked into the town centre, gone to the Tourist Information Centre and found a restaurant we were starving. When the waiter gave me the menu, which consisted only of a series of Menus del Día, none of us had the energy to go through the rigmarole of translating everything, so I ordered just three menus between the seven of us made up of whatever the waiter could recommend.

It turned out that the three menus were more than sufficient; they comprised five courses each, including: Russian salad; a sort of barbecued chicken; muscles; rabbit (yes, rabbit) and chips; and a trio of desserts - as well as bread and olives. Even being restricted to the non-meat options I was full, so the others must have been full to burst.

After lunch, to make us feel a little more lively, Ste, my dad and I walked to the Fuentes de Marqués, the natural springs in a park half-an-hour's walk outside the town centre, whilst the others took a taxi there. By this time it was really warm even in my shorts and vest top, and it was a relief when we finally reached the shady springs. In all honesty, the springs were a bit of an anti-climax, but the surrounding park was a lovely place to do a bit of reading in the sun.

At 6.30 I called us some taxis (finding, in the meantime, a ten Euro note on the ground, which paid for them) and we made our way back to the bus station. There was just time for a couple of drinks before getting on the coach home. I sat next to my mum again and we shared the headphones to my iPod, as we had on the way there, so I could show her what I'm listening to these days. The bizarre thing is that my mother, who has failed to get to grips with the simple pronunciation of El Corte Inglés all week, somehow managed to pronounce, on first sight and with no prompting from me, the Russian word Кино when it came up on the screen - apparently, "it just looks like that". I know this woman inside out but sometimes she is still a mystery to me.

It was 8.30 when we got back to Murcia so I just had time to go back to my flat, have a quick shower and put some make-up on before meeting my family back at El Bosque Animado, where they are already becoming regulars. We had a round of drinks before moving on to La Cuba, which was still empty but had been recommended by Ali and looked nice inside.

We ordered three paellas for the table - one mixed, one vegetable and one seafood with squid ink. I'd wanted to try a seafood paella since coming to Spain, not having tried seafood before, and now seemed like the perfect time to try it. I'd gone from never having eaten muscles to eating two lots in one day! I was glad I'd taken the risk and everyone came away having thoroughly enjoyed their meals once again.

Thursday was everyone's last day in Spain so we decided to stay in Murcia. In the morning I had a meeting with my Methodology group at 8.30 to translate the clip I'd transcribed, so it was around 11.30 when I got to my family at El Corte Inglés. My mum and Auntie Debbie were shopping for my mum's birthday present, so my dad and I went to look for a hard drive for my Mac and then a new brown jacket (since mine is wrecked) before going for a coffee and meeting back with the others for lunch in the cathedral square.

Before we knew it, it was time Debbie and Marc had to go, so we walked them back to the hotel and gave them some of my things to take back before waving them off in the taxi. Then it was time for the remaining five of us to go for a much-delayed Smöoy, which we sat and ate in the hot sun. As we were sitting there, who should turn up but Ali and Annalisa, and at 4pm we went into university together. It turned out to be quite a pointless Methodology lecture, but I didn't feel I could miss another one.

After my lecture I went straight to teaching, arriving a little early. When no one answered the bell I almost gave up, having forgotten my Spanish SIM card and having no way of contacting Marie Carmen. I decided to wait until the time we were officially meant to start and was glad I did - as at 6.15 I heard my name being called; they were walking down the street towards me and the lesson was on after all.

When I came out an hour later, I popped home to get ready and to grab my old laptop to give to my parents to take home with them. From the hotel the five of us went for our usual pre-dinner drinks before deciding on a local Italian restaurant, since we were all too tired to walk far to find somewhere. The meal turned out to be really nice, with the added bonus of having an Italian menu which I couldn't be asked to translate! 

After dinner we went back up to the hotel to exchange a few more things for me to take back with me and for my parents to take back with them, before saying our goodbyes. I couldn't believe it was all over so fast.

My parents walked me back to my flat and I tried to list all the good things my mum had waiting for her when she got home - although I'm not sure she was convinced. I don't think we realise how much we miss each other until we're together again.

When we got back to my flat, we realised the hallway lightbulb had gone and my dad, who always makes sure I'm looked after with things like this, ran straight to the chino shop to get me a new bulb, which he changed straight away. I know I'm officially an adult now but I'm going to miss having them around to look after me and make sure everything's ok. They really will always be there for me no matter what, and this week has just made me realise that even more.

When we finally said goodbye to each other, I waved them down the stairs and waited to hear the outside door bang before coming out onto the balcony to wave them off again, exchanging "goodbyes" and "love you"s as they walked down the street. This has been an amazing week and a birthday I will never forget. 

19th April: Never Been 21 Before

My parents arrived late on Sunday evening so the following morning I was going to meet them. I should mention, however, that on Sunday evening, two days before my twenty-first birthday, I, in my great wisdom, decided to dye my hair - and somehow ended up turning it jet black. Devastated doesn't even begin to cover it. Why is it that all my major birthdays have to involve some kind of disaster? On my eighteenth we were stranded in Berlin by the volcanic ash cloud, and now, on my twenty-first, I'd accidentally turned myself into an emo. Fortunately, the reactions I've had from the change have actually been surprisingly positive. Five days later, I'm just about getting used to it.

Anyway, on Monday morning, I quickly got some work done before going to meet my parents in a cafe out the cathedral. After my mum and I had run into each others arms, I looked up just as she said, "Look who's here!" And there, sitting next to my dad and smiling enthusiastically at me, were my aunt and uncle, who had come all the way from Germany to surprise me! I couldn't believe my eyes.

A happy reunion and a cup of coffee later, we set off on a little tour of Murcia which ended, naturally, at Gran Vía. Not to be slowed down in our serious shopping session, my mum, my auntie and I sent my dad and uncle to a nearby cafe while we got some retail therapy (I say 'we' but it was actually just everyone picking out clothes for me). By the time we went to meet the men at 3.30, I was laden with shopping bags filled with pretty new things.

For lunch we went to a little outdoor cafe in the park near to El Corte Inglés, since it was warm enough and the others were keen to make the most of the weather. The menu was pretty basic but I managed to order my mum and me mixed salads of my own invention which weren't actually on the list. My dad, who is dubious of cultural differences at the best of times, was less than impressed with the Russian salad he'd ordered, but was eventually convinced when he got past its appearance.

During lunch I received a message from Mariluz asking me to come to teach a bit later that day, giving us another hour's shopping time. We couldn't believe it when 5.15 came along and  I had to run off to avoid being late.

After giving two lessons (as Sergio couldn't have a class again that day) I dashed back to my flat and changed into some evening clothes. Since my family was keen to meet him, I brought Giorgos along and we met them at El Bosque Animado, a bar next to their hotel, which was itself only five minutes' walk from my flat. By the time we'd had a round of drinks it was 9.30 and we were getting hungry. However, when we got to the tapas bar we'd had in mind, it was closed so we decided on El Principe de Gales instead. Unfortunately, it being Monday, everywhere was quiet and there wasn't much of an atmosphere, but we were happy enough the six of us. At around 11pm Giorgos and I excused ourselves and went to tandem to meet Fernando and the others. When midnight came everyone wished me a happy birthday and I realised what an unusual way this was to bring in my twenty-first birthday - in a little bar in a Spanish town, surrounded by foreign friends.

It wasn't long before I had to make my way back to the flat to get some work done, since my Methodology group needed me to transcribe a video before Wednesday, and I didn't want to have to do it the next day. By 2.30am I had it finished and collapsed into bed, exhausted.

Five hours later I woke up to go to my German lecture, which I couldn't afford to miss. Typically, for once, it ended late and I couldn't get to my family until nearly midday. By this time they'd finished their coffee and were waiting in the cafe to go to my flat, huge red suitcase full of goodies in tow.

I couldn't believe how much they'd brought me; my clothes for the summer, my post and, most of all, dozens of cards and presents. As we were sorting everything out and making drinks, Giorgos emerged from his bedroom and came to sit with us while I opened my cards and presents. I felt so lucky that everyone had gone to so much trouble even with me living on the other side of the world. Everyone had been so thoughtful; my childhood friend Louise had got me a 'Fabulous Sister' card; my other childhood friend Rachel had found an old photo of me and made it into a card; and I'd had separate cards from my cousins, one of which was a collage of photos of me taken from all over Facebook. To mention just a few things, I had a Pandora ring, photo vouchers for my year abroad, a dress and even a watch and Spanish fan from Giorgos. My mum had made me a "21" photo album with photos of me growing up, as well as got me cute little things like a dalmatian Beanie Baby as a reminder of my childhood obsession with dalmatians and Beanie Babies. Of course, the real treat was my MacBook Air, which is just perfect. I've never felt so spoilt and lucky.

After I'd opened all my presents and cards, my mum, Steve and Judy went into town whilst my dad and I configured my new laptop. When they hadn't reappeared over an hour later I was beginning to wonder if they'd got lost - until we got a phone call asking us to meet them by the hotel. We packed up and set off, and then, as we were walking down the road, I had my second huge surprise in two days - as who should be running towards me but my Auntie Debbie and my Uncle Marc! I had absolutely no idea about this second huge surprise - just when I'd thought my birthday couldn't get any more special!

So, reunited and ecstatic to be there together, we headed to the sunny cathedral square to have some lunch. No one could believe how lovely the weather was and how pretty the town, and I was glad to be able to share it with them.

After lunch I took everyone to see my university and to see other parts of the town, stopping of at El Corte Inglés to buy a protective case for my new Mac - choosing one which was polka dot with a pink furry lining on the inside. When we next looked at our watches it was almost 6 o'clock, so we decided to go our separate ways to get ready for dinner. I changed into the outfit my nan had bought me when she came in March, on the condition that I wore it that day. I felt amazing in it - white tailored trousers with embroidered blue flowers; a loose navy silk shirt and a navy military jacket with silver zips and beading and silver buttons. It actually looked really nice with my new accident (the black hair). 

At 8pm I met everyone at El Bosque Animado, where we sat outside and had cocktails. By 9pm I'd finally made up my mind about where to eat - deciding on the chic-looking Murcian restaurant nearby instead of the paella restaurant I'd originally had planned. The others, despite my conviction that we didn't need to, were certain that we needed to make a reservation at this place, so my dad and my Auntie Judy disappeared for a while to sort it out.

It was lucky they did; by the time we got to the restaurant at 9.45, ours was the only free table; I've never seen a restaurant so busy the whole time I've been here. Rather than have the confusion of translating everything for everyone, I ordered us a few entrees for the table and helped everyone out with their main courses. The waiter, who was around my age and was good-naturedly making attempts at speaking English, was brilliant and the food was to die for. We were meant to be meeting my friends for drinks at 10.30 but it was nearly 11 when I ordered the bill. I was just getting ready to leave when I spotted the friendly waiter emerging with a huge chocolate birthday cake and two giant candles: "21". He launched into a very high-pitched and foreign-sounding rendition of Happy Birthday, and before I knew it the entire restaurant had joined in and I had no choice but to helplessly smile along. It felt incredibly awkward but incredibly special at the same time; it's a moment I'll never forget.

As we were leaving the restaurant a group of Germans congratulated me on my birthday and I was able to whip out a bit of German. Then we made our way to the bar on the corner (which is actually called La Colmena, as I've finally managed to remember), where Alicia, Lina, Annalisa and Ali were already waiting. They'd already set out the right number of seats and, after the obligatory introductions we ordered in some drinks. As we were drinking and chatting, the girls handed a huge package to me and told me to open it. Inside was an absolute treasure chest of gifts: a big beach bag; a beautiful little notebook; a pair of earrings; a bracelet; a clutch bag and a set of nail varnishes.  It was so thoughtful of them; I know it sounds clichéd but I just can't believe how lucky I am to have so many kind, generous people in my life.

We stayed out until just before 2am, when my dad and my Uncle Ste walked me back to my flat. I thanked them again for such an incredible, unforgettable day before saying goodnight.

19th April: Benidorm!

I am currently sitting in my living room contemplating, once again, where the past week has gone. I'm going to write three separate entries this time because this week couldn't have been more different from the previous weekend, and all the events deserve their own chapter.

So, Friday was taken up by a run in the morning, a meeting with my linguistics group at 2 and a lecture at 4. In the evening the girls and I went out for a few drinks, which ended in  a trip to the children's playground opposite - who says I have to grow up just because I'm nearly twenty-one? The next morning we met at the bus station at 11 ready for our bus at half-past. We'd decided to go for the earlier bus that took longer but would still get us there earlier - little did we know that the reason for the longer journey time was not just a slight detour. Around twenty minutes into the journey, the coach pulled over at a service station and we were all instructed to leave the vehicle. As we were standing around deciding what to do for the next forty-five minutes, we noticed a large group of foreign-looking passengers being lined up on the curb in front of us with their belongings. Before we knew what was happening, we saw the police arrive with a huge German Shepherd dog, searching the foreigners' baggage. We still don't know whether this scheduled stop was meant to involve a drugs raid or whether the passengers had been considered suspect and given a spontaneous spot check for this reason…

Either way, the event did provide some amusement in the form of an amazingly dim-witted Mancunian, who came up with some statements we could hardly believe were genuine. The best way to illustrate this is probably with his explanation of why he was on his way to Benidorm: he'd wanted to have an unusual holiday and had planned to go from Malaga to Istanbul - but it "looked well closer on Google Earth". He'd been two weeks getting from Malaga to here and had already run out of money, and to make matters worse, no one speaks any English here, which is clearly "well weird".

Anyway, it wasn't long before we were on our way again, and at 2.30 we were pulling into Benidorm bus station. Emerging into the sun, we were immediately enveloped into a concrete jungle of high-rise hotels and apartments stretching all the way to the distant sea. On the positive side, the streets were clean and well-kept and the sea looked amazing. The horrific thing was that there seemed to be more people there from northern England than southern Spain, and more English pubs than Spanish tapas bars. Walking down the high street felt like going down Queen's Street in Wolverhampton. 

The walk to the apartment was longer than expected and we had to stop at Tourist Information to get a map and directions, but twenty minutes later we were there. It seemed really nice for the money - all light stone tiles and airy spaces. We had two twin bedrooms, a sofa bed and a kitchen-lounge-diner. 

After a quick freshening-up and a change of clothes, we made our way straight down to the beach, which was a five-minute walk down the high street. It being April, the beach wasn't yet filled with the horrific hordes of people like you see in the pictures, and we were able to find ourselves a nice spot for the afternoon.

When it started to get chilly we found a Mercadona to buy some drinks for the evening. After popping back to the flat we went in pursuit of dinner - which, in true Benidorm style, had to be curry. It didn't take us long to find the only Indian-owned curry house in Benidorm, where we stuffed ourselves for ten Euros each. The funny thing (or tragic thing, depending on how you look at it) was that the staff hadn't even bothered to learn Spanish since all their customers were British.

After our amazing dinner we headed back to the apartment to get ready to go out. We stayed there until around 2am when we made our way to the sea front, where all the bars and clubs are. We spent the rest of the night going into practically every club and bar on the strip (insisting, of course, that we receive free shots every time). At the end of the night (or morning, as it was around 6am) we bought cheesy chips and shared pizza with some fellow Brits. 

The next day we had to be out of the apartment at 10am, which was painful to say the least. We dragged ourselves to breakfast at a local English pub, where luckily it was already warm enough to sit out on the terrace and soak up a bit of vitamin D. Then we went straight to the beach, where we stayed until lunchtime. After scouring what felt like the whole town, we finally found a cafe serving traditional English Sunday lunch, which was what the others were craving. 

By the time we'd found somewhere for lunch (a little cafe owned by a kind English lady of retirement age) and everyone had eaten their three courses, it was nearly time to catch the bus. Stopping off at a seaside shop along the way to buy the obligatory bracelets, we made our way back to the apartments, picked up our bags and began the long trek to the station. Our coach left on schedule and, although it stopped at the same service station as the previous day, it stopped for only twenty minutes this time, getting us back to Murcia for 8pm. By this stage the exhaustion was beginning to hit and we all gladly went our separate ways for food and bed. Benidorm had been tacky and tasteless, like some kind of embarrassing caricature of Britain in the middle of the Spanish coast,  but we'd taken the experience for what it was and had an amazing time.

11th April: Back to normal

There’s not much to report from this week so far as everyone seems to have done the same thing and is frantically catching up with work after the Easter break. However, since the weekend and following week are bound to be busy with the Benidorm trip, my birthday and my parents’ visits, I’ve decided to write a short blog entry now before things get too hectic.

After writing my entry on Tuesday, I stayed in the flat chatting to Giorgos for a while before going out to do some reading in the sun. That evening, after teaching, my friends and I went for a few casual drinks because the weather was too nice to be cooped up inside. For the first time, we were able to sit outside without heaters and feel completely warm; it was bliss.

The next day I woke up at a reasonable time again to finish off the remaining translations I had to do for my Methodology class. At 2.30 I met Ali at the library in a vain attempt to find books on non-verbal communication in Britain for our linguistics presentation. After ascertaining that the library had nothing even vaguely related to what we needed, we sat in the sun waiting to meet people at 3.

I was meant to be meeting my Methodology group to do some work on an upcoming presentation, but since there was no sign of them, I went to sit with Giorgos and a friend of his, who had just walked past. When 3.30 came and went I decided to go on a quest for my group, eventually finding them in our classroom, not at the library entrance as agreed. It was then that I found out that we were doing our presentation that day. Naturally, I’d assumed that we were meeting up to work on the presentation a lot earlier than half an hour before we had to perform it, so only had half-finished answers which weren’t in Powerpoint form. Not only this, but my group had allocated the questions wrong, meaning that if we had to present the first set of questions, I wouldn’t have anything to say at all. So, ten minutes before we had to stand up in front of the whole class, we were frantically translating one of the other girls’ translations into Spanish (since they have to answer in English, and I in Spanish).

When my turn came up I was surprisingly together and managed to read off my crumpled bit off paper with only a few hesitations. At least I could be confident that the Spanish was perfect – the problem was that the content of the answer wasn’t all that comprehensive, and the lecturer picked up on it. I was a bit annoyed about the time I’d wasted preparing full answers and translating them all into Spanish, but I’d survived it and that was the main thing.

After Methodology I had General Translation, which really dragged that day. Unusually, the class lasted the full two hours and I didn’t get back to the flat until almost 8.30 – just time to grab something to eat, have a quick shower and get ready before heading out again to meet the girls for drinks. Again, we all had early starts the next day so only stayed out till just gone midnight, but it was nice to have a few quiet drinks in the warm.

Today has been the longest day my week so far. I started with linguistics at 10, which consisted of two hours of constant note-taking. After that I had an hour to kill before meeting Isabel from my German group, which I spent reading Cincuenta sombras de Grey (my latest attempt at learning everyday vocabulary – although admittedly, I don’t expect a lot of it will come up in polite chitchat.) When Isabel arrived, we did the usual Spanish greeting of a kiss on both cheeks, which has already become second nature, before making our way to a bustling bar just off Plaza Santo Domingo. We had a lovely chat for an hour before I had to dash back home, grab some lunch and my teaching materials and go back out again.

Today’s Methodology lecture was a bit strange as half of it was spent in the corridor waiting for our tutor group session to begin. When we eventually got to see the teacher, all we had to do was tell her our plans for the final presentation before she let us go. From there, I made my way to teaching, which started a bit strangely too. Marie Carmen and Carmen were at the dentist when I arrived so I had to call Marie Carmen for her to come out of the dentist (which was, helpfully, just opposite) and give me the key to the flat. I couldn’t quite believe that she trusted me enough to do this but was glad she did. When she and her daughter returned, I even had to let her in. She’s obviously happy with my teaching because at the end of the hour she told me she’d recommended me to a friend of hers. It’s all going very well.

It was around 7.30 when I returned to the flat. I’ve just finished my dinner and completed some writing in German (which feels scarily rusty already) and now I have the rest of the evening to do a bit of work and relax before my long day tomorrow.

9th April: The Sardine is Coming!

I genuinely don’t know where these holidays have gone. I can’t believe it was six days ago that I last had time to write this blog, and I can barely think back to what we’ve done.

Well, on Thursday there weren’t any major events on for the Fiestas so we decided to meet up in the morning to finally book our Benidorm trip, which is happening over the 13^th and 14^th April – next weekend. We’ve booked a five-bed apartment in the centre of the city which is only costing us ten Euros each – bargain! It may turn out to be a tacky English microcosm in the middle of Spain but we just have to see it for ourselves. It’s also an amazing chance to get our hands on a traditional English breakfast and Sunday dinner, an opportunity not to be missed.

After returning from the bus station at around midday, I read a while in the sun before returning to the flat to get some work done. By lucky chance, Fernando was there and offered to help me with my translations, which definitely made things a lot easier. In the evening I met my friends to watch the first major parade for the Entierro de la sardina, which was passing along Gran Vía. I have to say, of all the odd things I’ve seen and experienced in Spain so far, this was by far the most bizarre. Don’t get me wrong, it was an amazing spectacle, exactly as described in the tourist brochures – with dance troops in elaborate costumes, people on stilts, huge floats and – la pièce de résistance – a giant multi-coloured sardine sculpture. I never thought I’d say the phrase “The sardine is coming!” with such joy and excitement. We’d read up on this and could understand its significance, but what we don’t understand to this day are the costumes of the sardinero groups, who were wearing what is best described as sandman outfits – striped pyjamas and long pointed hats.

Everyone in the city seemed to have turned out for the parade and the atmosphere was alive with the excitement of children and adults alike. Many people had brought plastic bags in anticipation of the grand finale of the parade, when the sardineros would throw out endless amounts of toys into the crowd. The street was so busy that we couldn’t get close enough to the front, but we were happy just to watch.

After the parade we went out for drinks, but I couldn’t stay out late as I knew I had to collect my friend Emma from Alicante airport the next morning, and had to get up at 6.30. The next morning seemed to come around far too quickly, and it was all I could do to stay awake while I waited the hour-and-a-half in arrivals for her plane to come in.

As she came through the gate, I held up the name card I’d jokingly promised to make and we ran towards each other. It had been so long since we’d seen each other; I couldn’t believe she was actually here. A few hours later we were in Murcia and I was showing her the ropes, including the wonders of Mercadona, which didn’t fail to impress. After she’d had a quick nap we tried to walk into town, only to be stopped short by the weather, which took a turn for the worse. We abandoned our trip and instead decided on watching a film in bed, waiting for the rain to pass.

By the evening the rain had actually stopped and we met my other friends on Gran Vía for the parade, only to find it had been cancelled. Not to be defeated, we decided to console ourselves with a Smoöy and some drinks. By the time we’d had our Smoöy, we noticed that the square was filling up with people, and ten minutes later it was clear that the parade hadn’t been cancelled but rescheduled, and we were in the perfect place to see it. This one was even better than the day before, and we even managed to come away with our bags full of little toys and bits of stationary. After a couple of drinks we decided to call it a night; Emma was exhausted from her long day and we had another long day to come.

The next day, after a much-needed lie-in, we met the girls for lunch in a barraca outside the university. It was actually really good, and not too expensive either – a good way for Emma to try some of the local food. Whilst the sun was still warm, we bought some sangria and sat in the sun, and when it began to get chilly we went to Alicia and Lina’s to watch some We Can Be Heroes before going our separate ways.

After dinner we met up on Gran Vía again to watch the final parade of the week. This was the most spectacular of all, with all of the features of the other parade as well as huge, elaborate floats and more toys than I’ve ever seen in my life. This time, the parade went on until 1am, when we decided it was about time to make our way to Badulake. Emma loved it there and we stayed until her feet couldn’t take any more dancing.

We barely did anything but sleep the following day, which was Sunday. We went out for a kind of lunch at around 4pm and went back to watch several episodes of Misfits before getting ourselves ready and going for a nice meal in a restaurant in Plaza San Domingo – followed, naturally, by more Smoöy. By the time we got back it was gone 11, just time for a couple more episodes before going back to bed.

Since yesterday was Emma’s last day in Murcia, we decided to make the most of it and get up a bit earlier. We spent the morning browsing the shops before having some lunch in El Corte Ingles (it felt a bit like being back in the Wolverhampton Marks & Sparks cafe, which somehow seemed an appropriate place to go with the girl I grew with.) Then there was just time for one last Smoöy visit before accompanying Emma to the station, waving her off and going back to the flat. Typically, it was just getting really warm as Emma was leaving, but she assured me that the weather she’d had was far better than the snow they’re still having in England.

That evening I started to get back into my pre-holiday routine of teaching and Tandem, Skyping my parents in between. It’s only a week until they come now and I’m really excited. My birthday is a week today! The only bad news is that my brother, who’s just got a really important new job in Rhodes, now won’t be able to come as he has to learn over a hundred songs before May. I’m pretty disappointed as I was looking forward to introducing him to everyone, but I’m so glad he’s got this fantastic opportunity.

None of the girls was keen on going to Tandem that evening so I went with Giorgos and Fernando instead, which was actually a much better way of practicing Spanish as their friendship group is from all over the world and uses Spanish as its lingua franca, as it were. I would have stayed longer were it not for a panicky message from my Translation Group who, despite my reminders, had left our translation until then and needed my help. It was past 2am before I suggested I do the rest of the work the next day before my lecture. The problem was that they hadn’t yet finished composing the Spanish version, so I needed to wait until this was done before I could translate it and send it back to them.

My plan seems to have worked as I was able to translate the remainder of the text at 8am this morning before rushing off to my German lecture at 9. Inevitably, it was cancelled yet again due to poor organisation and is now postponed until Friday. On the plus side, it gave me a chance to see Isabel, the Spanish girl in the group, and arrange to go for coffee with her this week. Not only that, but when I got back to the flat, Giorgos was ready to go on the run we’d arranged – which was lucky, since it was already getting hot outside.

It was nice to have some company on my run, especially as Giorgos and I have agreed, as from today, to speak as much Spanish as possible for practice. Admittedly, he didn’t manage to keep pace and we eventually had to split up, but it had been nice to have someone to talk to and run alongside for the first half. I just had time for a quick shower before letting him into the flat. Now I have the rest of the day to sort my life out a bit before going to teach at 6.

3rd April: La banda de la huerta

We’d planned to go to a club area called Mariano Roja that Saturday night, not realising that things don’t get going there until around 4am – slightly problematic when we wanted to be at the Cathedral for the Easter Sunday procession at 11. In fairness, we did attempt to find the place at around 3.30 (or 4.30, as the clocks had just gone forwards), but we didn’t look very hard before giving up and ending up, as usual, at Badulake.

Getting up the next morning was not the most fun in the world, particularly when I arrived at the Cathedral to discover that the procession was only ten minutes long and that we had missed most of it. Only Ali and I had made it there so far, so we told the others not to bother. What we did get to see was quite cool – a silent procession carrying Jesus on the cross, with the sculpture-bearers all dressed in white with their faces covered. However, I’m not sure it was worth the immense amount of effort it had taken to drag ourselves out of bed.

After a quick nap to make myself feel more human, I spent the rest of the day catching up on translations that I won’t have chance to do over the next couple of weeks whilst my friend Emma and my parents are here. That evening I stayed in and got some much-needed rest.

On Monday I’d set my alarm with every intention of getting up and going for a run, but when it went off at 8.30 it was more than I could take, and I eventually got up over an hour later. By this time the sun was already hot and it no longer seemed like such a good idea. I’d just sat down to get started on some work when I had a message from Fernando, telling me he was in the spare room of my flat – and that was the end of my well-intended work blitz.

We chatted for a while before I realised I really needed to get into town and print some documents for teaching before the copy shop closed for siesta at 2. So we both set off and ran my errands together, including a trip to the supermarket which felt bizarrely like being an old married couple. After going back to the flat for some lunch, by which time Giorgos had finally emerged from his deep slumber, we all went to meet the rest of their friends in town. I was far too thrilled when not only did we decide to have a Smoöy, but Vicky and her boyfriend didn’t have loyalty cards so I could use their points. Then I just had time to stay for a coffee before heading off to teach.

I only had to teach for two hours that day since Sergio had football training, so I was free by just after seven. It should have been earlier but Guille had a new game on his iPad he was desperate to show me, which felt like quite a compliment I couldn’t ignore. When I came out I rang Alicia and went to meet the girls in Plaza Circular, where a barraca (bamboo cabin) had been set up for the Fiesta, selling food and drinks. We stayed for a couple of drinks and snacks before going our separate ways for the evening.

The next day we met at Lina and Alicia’s at 9.30 to put flowers in our hair. They had gone to a florist’s the day before to buy each of us three real flowers to clip in like real Murcianas. Then at 10 we walked down to the Cathedral, where we knew there was something going on; what we didn’t know was that it was going to be a Catholic mass. It wasn’t something we’d have gone to on purpose but I was really glad we got to see it. The entire square was filled with people, most of them in Murcian dress, coming to hear the ceremony. There was a huge risen stage directly in front of the Cathedral, where the Bishop and priests were sitting in front of a life-size sculpture of the Virgin Mary. To the side of the stage was a group of singers, also in Murcian dress. The crowd listened in silence for the whole hour, interrupted only by long prayer recitations in unison and the occasional song by the musicians. At the end, everyone turned to their neighbours and kissed them or shook their hands, wishing them peace – even us, who couldn’t have stood out more as non-believers in our shorts and crop tops.

After popping back to Lina and Alicia’s flat to grab supplies, we made our way to Plaza Romea, where there was a free concert going on. Then we decided to move to the park by the university, which was apparently where the best botellon took place. It was good advice; the place was so heaving with people, we struggled to find anywhere to sit. On our way over there we chanced upon the procession carrying the Virgin across the city, which was a surreal experience. One part of the procession, in the main square, consisted of girls in traditional dress dancing, whilst the street beyond was so crowded you could barely move a step in front of you. The Spanish people’s reaction to the Virgin sculpture was amazing; they were throwing blossoms from balconies and crying out “Guapa! Guapa! Viva la Virgen!” It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

When we eventually managed to make our way through the crowds, we sat and had lunch and a few drinks before heading to Plaza Circular for the fireworks display – which was short and not all that spectacular given that most of the colours were lost in the daylight. When it was over we met one of Alicia’s friends and went back to the university. By this time the sun was blazing down and it was gorgeous just to sit, drink and chat for the afternoon. At 5pm we made our way to Gran Vía, which had been pedestrianized for the parade.

It turned out the parade didn’t start for another hour and a half, so Annalisa and I decided to go and sit in the sun while we waited. After getting evicted from the parade seating one too many times, we gave up and went to stand on the corner of the street. It wasn’t long before we got bored of standing and it seemed like a good idea to lie down and do some sunbathing – which was great until people started coming up to us to ask if we were ok, check if we had sun cream on and even to have their photos taken with us. Later on, we met a woman who told us everyone had been taking pictures of us the whole time we were there. Fame at last!

After the parade we went to Plaza Santo Domingo for some tapas and an obligatory Smoöy before watching another set of fireworks and going back to the park opposite the university. The place was almost deserted already, a complete wasteland of plastic bags and bottles, like some kind of disaster film. Luckily, it wasn’t long before we started meeting a lot of interesting people – even someone from Russia, who thought I was from there – and managed to forget that we were essentially getting drunk in a rubbish dump.

At some time in the early hours of the morning we decided to move on to Badulake, where we stayed until it closed. More to the point, Alicia somehow managed to get a huge chunk of glass in her foot, which looked like it should be attended to straight away. We went outside and, after convincing the bouncers that this was not actually funny (“No es una broma!!!”) we sterilised it with vodka – just another of its amazing qualities – and, making sure there was no glass inside the cut, decided to call it a night.

When I woke up today I had every intention of being productive, but once again it didn’t quite happen. By the time I’d showered, got ready and skyped my family, almost half the day was gone. As I was eating lunch, Giorgos and Fernando appeared and I got chatting to them. I did manage to make slight progress with my translations whilst Fernando was helping me, but before I knew it, it was time to go and meet my friends.

We checked out the barracas on the river front before sitting down for a drink in Plaza de las flores. Then we made our way to Santo Domingo for yet another Smoöy (I think this is becoming some sort of addiction) and stayed to watch the big parade at 6. This one was much more impressive than the one of the day before, which had consisted of endless numbers of people in funny costumes riding bikes and horse-drawn carts. This one had dancers in elaborate costumes and beautiful floats made from real flowers whose smell pervaded the square. The floats had different themes like pirates, artists and Pinocchio, and on top of them were girls in costumes throwing out fresh flowers to the crowd.

As the parade finished it began to rain so my friends and I decided to go our separate ways, agreeing to meet up the next morning. It was disappointing that the weather had changed so suddenly after we’d had such a burst of summer the day before. It didn’t matter, though; we’d had the best weather for the Banda de la huerta.