Afternoon Bloggers,
What to talk about? Where to start?! This last week, although highly expected to be a nothing week, an end to the year, an anti-climax to a great first semester, well it has been surprisingly eventful!! A sensational final week in Cadiz before Christmas filled with Fun, Frolics and Banter!
The first occurance was a disspointing one. As myself and Matty rolled up to the Bar Cuba Christmas Party, not only was it a poor showing, but we were greeted with good drinks, and bad news! Bar Cuba as we knew it was to be no more! *Pause for brief mourning* The plan? To transform the little 'Bar around the corner' into a Cadiz institution, the likes of which they had neve seen outside Tigres in Madrid! A bar where not only will you be able to get great drinks at great prices.... but with each drink you will be given a great plate of Tapas. Indeed not the Cuba we know and love, but perhaps one that will grow on us during the long months after Christmas.
Nights out were kept to a minimum this week, with the holidays coming up we kept the number to one, some say for economic reasons, some say to allow their liver and kidneys time to rest and replenish after a long 3 months! So without the problem of a hangover, (a problem that keeps many an Erasmus student in bed until the latter stages of the day) we were able to awake early and play football at 10 am this week, a time i do not like to see very often if i do say so! And what a game it was, the first hour, the planned hour, flew by and by the time the buzzer sounded to alert us our time was up we were beating the Italians 4-2. This was only the beggining! It was a match for the decades, if Chris Kamara had been there, he most certainly would have been saying Unbelievable Jeff! There were great goals and gaffs everywhere! With a crowd cheering us on the teams lined up as so:
England
Ashley Milns
Michael McPherson
Geoffrey
Matthew Stevens
Max Sturridge
Mathew Clarke (ME)
Italy
Alessio Fabrizi
Alessandro Tiri
Anthony Sica
Lorenzo Daniele
Daniele Di Rocco
Caca
The stage was set, the courts were booked, the passion was there, the game was ready for the greats! With a 4-2 lead we were pretty confident, with myself and Mike and good form in front of goal (at that stage!) we were looking the sharper of the two teams, comfortably stringing passes together and making our way towards their goal. This fete was not to last for much longer, as we fatigued, the atmosphere dropped, and we were under pressure, the Italians pressed and pressed and thanks to the indoor goalkeeping heroics of both Max and Ash we managed to keep them at bay enough to up our moods and start playing football. Before we knew it we were being called outside for the final 45 minutes and we were 7-5 up.
Outside was a whole different entity. We didn't have the space nor the time on ball we had indoors and failed to adapt quickly, but neither did the Italians. Some scrappy football followed and we found ourselves on the right end of a 10-6 scorline, however, the nightmare that followed could only be down to one thing, or then again many one things; My groin ripped to shreds, Mattys blisters the size of moon craters, Mikes bad leg, Ashleys weakening wrists and Max's smokers lungs, oh yes and the ever cursing quote; "10-6... this is a landslide now boys!".
With 20 mins left at the most we took our foot off of the pedal and last all sense of teamwork and football playing, shots were being taken from anywhere, people were not passing but instead running into trouble and a couple of ball misses added to the mix made us look exactly like the England contrast before and during the World Cup. The Italians, sensing our inevitable head dropping, pushed on, upped the tempo and played some lovely confident football. At 10-8 Ashley upped his game and we saw some Banks-esque saves being pulled off, a unit that size in nets thta small isn't easy to beat and as bruised and battered he is now, we were glad to have him there! After Max hit the post from an open goal, a shot of mine from jst over halfway connected agonisingly with the post face and then controversially i was denied a clear goal which was over the line but the Italians were having none of it, and we were left thinking, maybe today just isn't our day?!
But 2 and a half hours later, a knackered knee, awfully painful ankle and greatly deteriorated groin muscle, as well as discovering the new Adny Caroll in Max, the new Neville Southall in Ash and the new flops in myself Mike and Matty, we stood there victorious. A 10-9 final scorline was the show of our efforts, and the only thing that still today i take as comfort for how bad my muscles hurt, i mean yesterday i lay on the sofa, in agonising pain, unable to muster up enough effort to move my legs, and i could literally sense the ball, a mere metre away from me, laughing away at my pain!!!
But football was not the only highlight of a great final week of the first semester. The guys went Ice Skating the other day and as i watched on (unable to skate with my painful legs) i was left to ponder the semester gone by.
As i look back at the great times i have had this semster, the places i have been, the drunken antics, the sober adventures, trips to Portugal and the surrounding Andalucia, the Uni banter (topped today by our English class in which we saw 20 spanish students singing to Jingle Bells without a care in the world) and the amazing people i have met, i am left saddened that half the journey is over. Not half the time, Second semester is a longer one, but half the people, half the fun, and half the adventure is over. People will leave either this week or in February, people we have gotten close to, people i have spent great days and great nights with, and i will be sad. I will never forget the likes of Max, of Tash, of Stephan, Melli and Nico and any other people who are set to return to their home countries or other countries around the world for Semester 2. However new people will come, new bonds will be formed, and new adventures will be enjoyed, Semester 2 i challenge you to better semester 1!
The one thing i was surprised it is the fact that how well we all gelled. People from countries not only around Europe but the world, thrown together in a small but beautiful city, in a busy University, with a strange culture and a strange language, and i can stand (well sit with these bad legs!!!) and safely say, we have all gelled wonderfully. Matt Cardle was right you know!!... When we collide, we come together. As we were thrown together from different parts of the world we connected, we befriended each other and made freindships and relationships that will never be forgotten.
Oe thing i am not saddened by, one key part of this time, is the fact that in less than 48 hours, less than 2 days, i will (weather permitting) be stepping foot off of the plane, back onto English soil, and i will be a very, very happy guy!
The christmas season is one i look forward to every year, but this year means so much more to me, as im sure it does to every Erasmus student heading home for the holiday season. A chance, THE FIRST CHANCE in 3 months in which i will have the chance to see my family and best friends back home. Christmas with the family, sat around the table and being thankful for the opportunity i have been given, and then New Year and nights out in between with my mates, dinner at the grandparents the sunday i return for my first sunday dinner in over 3 months!!!!! and days spent at Zest working with some of the best people i have ever worked with fun and laughter. I shall enjoy every minute of the 3 and a half weeks i will be back for. It shall fly by, this i know, but i shall cherish every moment i spend at home, because semester 2 will give me very few opportunities to return home
Brace yourself Donny. Mattys coming home!!!
So here's to Christmas and thew New Year. Will i blog whilst in England? Well you shall just have to wait and see, keep checking Facebook, keep checking the site and who knows, maybe i'll keep you up to date with all the donny frolics... that is of course is Santa lets me know you're all on the nice list.
I thank you all for reading my blog in Semester 1, you have filled me with so much happiness, seeing the Blog View counter soar to close to the 2,500 mark has been one of the happiest moments of my life! And i hope that i have not dissapointed you at all along the way.
So what now? Well i am about to go get dressed, Persigueme is calling, 10 euro entry for all you can drink ermmmm YES PLEASE and after that? Fight the hangover tomorrow to pack and head to Malaga before boarding my 3.25pm flight on Saturday to Leeds Bradford.
Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Happy Blogging :)
Thursday 16 December 2010
Friday 10 December 2010
When Life Gives You Lemons.... Trade Them For Some Chocolate!!
Afternoon Bloggers,
So its been a strange week here in Cadiz. The Puente (Bridge) has been almost a week long stretching from Saturday to Wednesday so no Uni until Thursdsay! Also with the Puente comes the inevitable shutting down of Cadiz! Shops do not open, people dissapear and the place goes from wintery dullness to unbelievabley wintery boredom!
How can one battle such boredom? Well the return of one Matty Stevens helped! Football Manager season was back up and running after our brief but ever-painful Autumn break! The discovery of Pokemon online literally was too sweet for words!!! But the real ace in the deck was the brainwave to hire a car and hit the roadtrip baby!!!
What a great, cheap and cheerful way to discover the Iberian Peninsula and beat the boredom! Portugal was our desired destination.... The journey would be a treacherous and hilarious one...:
After picking up the beauty that was our white Ford Focus on the Tuesday we headed out to Puerto Santa Maria for a few ours exploring the local beauty. We saw the Plaza de Toros (Bull-Ring), had lovely Tapas and a nice experience of Katie's first time driving the european way, not hitting the curb would have been preferred, but hey, why not start as you mean to go on!!
An early night was planned, but didn't quite come to fruition! Up till 2am watching Bad Santa with Matty in order to help me doze off before the 7am setting off time!
Half 6 rolled around and out of bed i stagggered, Ash already up and almost ready. The shower managed to awaken me slightly more but being up at half past 6 in the bloody morning for the first time in what must be over a year was difficult to comprehend, and my head was definitely not in the game!
However the walk to the car park did indeed wake me up, the cool breeze down Sagasta and the moist air on the sea front as the early morning waves crashed against the rocks below once again awoke me not only to the early morning, but to how much i have to appreciate where i am and the opportunity i have been given!
So the journey began, the plan was to hit a McDonalds on the way for breakfast, drive through Huelva after Sevilla, before crossing the border into Portugal and the Algarve, stopping off at Tavira before reaching Faro where we would explore until we set off home. Plans never remain the same do they?!
The McDonald's breakfast ended up being a half past 9 chicken nugget meal with chocolate sauce and Crunch balls McFluffy to help it on down. McDonald's breakfast, it would appear, does not exist over here. Dissapointment Number 1! Huelva however pleased me, if not only for the McDonald's, but for the maze that we chose to drive round! A confusing city to drive around, although the architecture there was pleasing to the eyes. Spanish gaff number one.... Early mornings are not my thing, i am a morning person, but they usually happen to be mornings that look alot like midday!! So asking where the exito was instead of the salida (success instead of exit) was just a speed bump in me awakening to the road trip experience!
After Huelva it was a long road to Portugal, what was in tow? One of the best Storms i have ever seen!! With my manly naturally awesome navigation skills we easily made it across the border, and as we did, not only we were greeted by a sudden decline in road quality (no wonder these guys are about to be bailed out!) but also by a roar of thunder. The rain began to hammer down on the body of the car, the roads became increasingly covered in a sheet of Portugese rain and Katie's (actually good driving skills) became all the more under the microscope as we hoped to make it to Tavira in one piece!
Making it to Tavira in one piece ended up not being the problem at all, but in fact only the start of the adventure to come, as we drove through the picturesque Portugese countryside, mountains either side of us, lush greenery to match, we were greeted with a huge flash of lightning and the subsequent glorious roar of thunder, sparks were definitley flying, and we? Well we were loving it!! We reached Tavira at around half 10 portugese time, half 11 Cadiz time. We parked up on a hill outside a church as we allowed the storm to die down around us.... well that was what we hoped. After 20 minutes of sitting there playing the Categories game we decided to just head to Faro, who knew we'd be going half the way on a boat?!? To get out of Tavira was a difficult task! The key problem? The fact the whole of the lower village was flooded, up to 3-4 feet of water at seemingly every turning. The first mini-lake formed on a road we decided to avoid, deeming it a little too deep, the pirtugese man urging us through seemed to have a different viewpoint!! The next newly formed river along the way we had no choice but to brave! Rental car or not this bad boy was crossing the sea in true Moses style! We did part the sea, but only by creating waves that flooded shops either side of us, to see the dismay on the faces of the Taviran people could only be topped at that point by hearing Tash freaking out in the back of the car as she urged us not to go through the ocean in front of us, the fact that we didn't have a choice just wouldn't quite click with her!! So we picked up a steady pace and braved the waters, 3 and a half foot of it just seemed like an obstacle and challenge we'd get by on the way to having a great day!
After the few rivers to cross in Tavira we were back on the road to Faro, happily away from all bodies of water, and greeted by some more beautiful scenery as the lucious green landscape of the Algarve wowed us!
We managed to reac Faro in good time and parked up next to a little shop called Sandwich Greggs, i think they still need time to really discover the catchy name that will make them some money! I am not saying that walking around Faro was like being dragged back 50 years, no actually i am! We hit a wonderful little museum before heading to the harbour for a drink a relaxation as we planned the rest of the day. Faro was dead, one upside was everyone spoke English, but as we walked through the streets we could count the amount of people we saw on our fingers! The only interesting thing in the streets was a dog that decided we would be its owners from that moment on!... A little nibble of my bum and scaring Ash were its greatest accomplishments before ditching us to explore the harbour as we sat down and made our action plan.
After assessing what there was to do in Faro, we discovered, in all honesty, it wasn't very much! Off season obviously wasn't a great time for this little part of the Algarve! So we decided to wing it! Head down to the coast to take a look at the beach and then perhaps follow the coastal road around to the airport, Montenegro and find somewhere to spend the day.
The beach was strangely beautiful as the choppy waves soaked the fishermen and made a beautiful sight for us to look upon before Ash belted up and took over the driving.... girls in the back, men up front, and we finally had the control, not like we didnt before i mean come on i was co-pilot all the way! But we knew with us up top, the day was definitley going to be a success!
Back on the motorway we took account of the signs and decided that Albufeira was to be the destination was the rest of our adventure. On the way the rain picked back up and so did the scenery, out of the sea side villages and built up tourist traps we were back on the open road and as we passed the Algarve Football Stadium, (a sight to see for any football enthusiasts indeed!) we found ourselves ever closer to the beautiful town of Albufeira.
As the signs said welcome to Albufeira we said hello to the rest of our adventure! The marina was the first destination, erm nothing was there :-/ but glad we went down to it because the road back up led us through a sea of colourful houses like a scene out of Robin Williams' 'Toys'. The houses were incredible, every colour of the rainbow splashed upon the walls of the lake-side apartments.
We parked up by the roadside and headed to to the beach. Greeted by roaring waves and gentle winds and stary cats we looked for somewhere to eat. As we wondered the lovely but once again ghost town, (just one more phantom village along the Algarve!) we were greeted by yet again another dog looking at us as potential masters! We eventually chose a little restaurant with ables out front on a back street as our place to eat, however we were unsuccessful.. After ordering drinks and only being given one menu, and then after moving inside, lighting the candles and attempting to catch the eye of the waiter, some 50 minutes after sitting down the waiter decided Ash's attempt to order as the sign for our bill. Fate had blessed us! As we left, angry and dissapointed, we headed across the street, through the mini monsoon to a quaint little restaurant where we sat next to a log fire and got comfortable as the dream was realised..... no not the dream of Yorkshire Puddings, but the dream of both Nandos-esque Portugese Piri Piri chicken, with... wait for it.... Magners to wash it down!!!!
The meal went down a treat, easily the spiciest thing i had ever ate, my lips tingling beyond comparison and mouthing burning like a house on fire, it was without a doubt spicy, but without a doubt lovely! As we sat there, in the warmth, avoiding the downpour outside, we looked back on a very nice day, and a road-trip to remember!
It was definitley a day to remember, only marred by the lack of people, as only Tash, Katie, Ash and I went, leaving Kate, Kike, Matty, Bee, Max and Maisie behind with Sarah still in England :(. However it did not dampen our day, we had a sensational time and one that we will never forget. With only 8 days before setting off back to England for Christmas, there are few of the days left! 2 Cadiz Christmases approaching, and our final week of Uni before returning to blighty, where has this semester gone?
There will be lots to remember over Christmas, lotsa to do, but it is a totally different experience. I will go home looking thoroughly forward to seeing friends and family, returning to work and having a brilliant Christmas and New Year with the people i have missed so much! But on the other hand i will miss the amazing days spent in Cadiz, take for example the 9th December 2010, yesterday for those reading this on release day, a normal day? No, a mere 16 days before christmas we were greeted by 24 degree weather and a beautiful day on the beach before Uni in the evening! Sensational just doesn't cover it. Memories are dear to all, but memories of this year are ones i am glad i have stored in here, a place i will never lose :)
Special Mention : Mare of the week.
You may or may not have heard the story, a tale of a brave but clueless warrior, small on the outside but big on the headside :P One Sam Maloney, congratualtions buddy, not only is this the Mare of the Week but perhaps Mare of the Year!!!
So last Friday we were sat in hollywood, dining away ribbing Sam about his immenent flight home to England where he would spend El Punte. There was hilrious talk of Funeral arrangements, brace positions and air masks as he counted down the hours to his 7am bus to Malaga to board his Ryanair flight home. To add to his troubles was the ongoing adverse weather conditions back ion England, the most snow they had seen in a long time, surely the flight cpuld beat the weather? Correct, however, on arriving at Malaga airport he was greeted by another foe, Spanish Air Traffic Controllers. Ever the spontaeous kind, they had decided, (like seemingly alot of Spanish), that they in fact did not want to work that day, and poor old Sam just couldn't win. After being sick on the bus-ride to Malaga after overcoming his bowel trouble of the night before, his flight was cancelled due to the Strike! That surely was to be the worst thing? Naaahhhh! After finding out there wouldn't be a flight the next day he re-arranged for this weekend and headed to the bus station to return to Cadiz.... missing his bus by a mere half hour... ouch!! A lovely 4 hour wait for the next bus ensued and Sam finally returned to Cadiz sullen mood and droopy bottom lip in tow.
Sam, you truly are somehting special!
Also a special mention to the boss.... Uncle Rich turned the glorious age of 60 on Wednesday guys ;)
Happy Blogging :)
So its been a strange week here in Cadiz. The Puente (Bridge) has been almost a week long stretching from Saturday to Wednesday so no Uni until Thursdsay! Also with the Puente comes the inevitable shutting down of Cadiz! Shops do not open, people dissapear and the place goes from wintery dullness to unbelievabley wintery boredom!
How can one battle such boredom? Well the return of one Matty Stevens helped! Football Manager season was back up and running after our brief but ever-painful Autumn break! The discovery of Pokemon online literally was too sweet for words!!! But the real ace in the deck was the brainwave to hire a car and hit the roadtrip baby!!!
What a great, cheap and cheerful way to discover the Iberian Peninsula and beat the boredom! Portugal was our desired destination.... The journey would be a treacherous and hilarious one...:
After picking up the beauty that was our white Ford Focus on the Tuesday we headed out to Puerto Santa Maria for a few ours exploring the local beauty. We saw the Plaza de Toros (Bull-Ring), had lovely Tapas and a nice experience of Katie's first time driving the european way, not hitting the curb would have been preferred, but hey, why not start as you mean to go on!!
An early night was planned, but didn't quite come to fruition! Up till 2am watching Bad Santa with Matty in order to help me doze off before the 7am setting off time!
Half 6 rolled around and out of bed i stagggered, Ash already up and almost ready. The shower managed to awaken me slightly more but being up at half past 6 in the bloody morning for the first time in what must be over a year was difficult to comprehend, and my head was definitely not in the game!
However the walk to the car park did indeed wake me up, the cool breeze down Sagasta and the moist air on the sea front as the early morning waves crashed against the rocks below once again awoke me not only to the early morning, but to how much i have to appreciate where i am and the opportunity i have been given!
So the journey began, the plan was to hit a McDonalds on the way for breakfast, drive through Huelva after Sevilla, before crossing the border into Portugal and the Algarve, stopping off at Tavira before reaching Faro where we would explore until we set off home. Plans never remain the same do they?!
The McDonald's breakfast ended up being a half past 9 chicken nugget meal with chocolate sauce and Crunch balls McFluffy to help it on down. McDonald's breakfast, it would appear, does not exist over here. Dissapointment Number 1! Huelva however pleased me, if not only for the McDonald's, but for the maze that we chose to drive round! A confusing city to drive around, although the architecture there was pleasing to the eyes. Spanish gaff number one.... Early mornings are not my thing, i am a morning person, but they usually happen to be mornings that look alot like midday!! So asking where the exito was instead of the salida (success instead of exit) was just a speed bump in me awakening to the road trip experience!
After Huelva it was a long road to Portugal, what was in tow? One of the best Storms i have ever seen!! With my manly naturally awesome navigation skills we easily made it across the border, and as we did, not only we were greeted by a sudden decline in road quality (no wonder these guys are about to be bailed out!) but also by a roar of thunder. The rain began to hammer down on the body of the car, the roads became increasingly covered in a sheet of Portugese rain and Katie's (actually good driving skills) became all the more under the microscope as we hoped to make it to Tavira in one piece!
Making it to Tavira in one piece ended up not being the problem at all, but in fact only the start of the adventure to come, as we drove through the picturesque Portugese countryside, mountains either side of us, lush greenery to match, we were greeted with a huge flash of lightning and the subsequent glorious roar of thunder, sparks were definitley flying, and we? Well we were loving it!! We reached Tavira at around half 10 portugese time, half 11 Cadiz time. We parked up on a hill outside a church as we allowed the storm to die down around us.... well that was what we hoped. After 20 minutes of sitting there playing the Categories game we decided to just head to Faro, who knew we'd be going half the way on a boat?!? To get out of Tavira was a difficult task! The key problem? The fact the whole of the lower village was flooded, up to 3-4 feet of water at seemingly every turning. The first mini-lake formed on a road we decided to avoid, deeming it a little too deep, the pirtugese man urging us through seemed to have a different viewpoint!! The next newly formed river along the way we had no choice but to brave! Rental car or not this bad boy was crossing the sea in true Moses style! We did part the sea, but only by creating waves that flooded shops either side of us, to see the dismay on the faces of the Taviran people could only be topped at that point by hearing Tash freaking out in the back of the car as she urged us not to go through the ocean in front of us, the fact that we didn't have a choice just wouldn't quite click with her!! So we picked up a steady pace and braved the waters, 3 and a half foot of it just seemed like an obstacle and challenge we'd get by on the way to having a great day!
After the few rivers to cross in Tavira we were back on the road to Faro, happily away from all bodies of water, and greeted by some more beautiful scenery as the lucious green landscape of the Algarve wowed us!
We managed to reac Faro in good time and parked up next to a little shop called Sandwich Greggs, i think they still need time to really discover the catchy name that will make them some money! I am not saying that walking around Faro was like being dragged back 50 years, no actually i am! We hit a wonderful little museum before heading to the harbour for a drink a relaxation as we planned the rest of the day. Faro was dead, one upside was everyone spoke English, but as we walked through the streets we could count the amount of people we saw on our fingers! The only interesting thing in the streets was a dog that decided we would be its owners from that moment on!... A little nibble of my bum and scaring Ash were its greatest accomplishments before ditching us to explore the harbour as we sat down and made our action plan.
After assessing what there was to do in Faro, we discovered, in all honesty, it wasn't very much! Off season obviously wasn't a great time for this little part of the Algarve! So we decided to wing it! Head down to the coast to take a look at the beach and then perhaps follow the coastal road around to the airport, Montenegro and find somewhere to spend the day.
The beach was strangely beautiful as the choppy waves soaked the fishermen and made a beautiful sight for us to look upon before Ash belted up and took over the driving.... girls in the back, men up front, and we finally had the control, not like we didnt before i mean come on i was co-pilot all the way! But we knew with us up top, the day was definitley going to be a success!
Back on the motorway we took account of the signs and decided that Albufeira was to be the destination was the rest of our adventure. On the way the rain picked back up and so did the scenery, out of the sea side villages and built up tourist traps we were back on the open road and as we passed the Algarve Football Stadium, (a sight to see for any football enthusiasts indeed!) we found ourselves ever closer to the beautiful town of Albufeira.
As the signs said welcome to Albufeira we said hello to the rest of our adventure! The marina was the first destination, erm nothing was there :-/ but glad we went down to it because the road back up led us through a sea of colourful houses like a scene out of Robin Williams' 'Toys'. The houses were incredible, every colour of the rainbow splashed upon the walls of the lake-side apartments.
We parked up by the roadside and headed to to the beach. Greeted by roaring waves and gentle winds and stary cats we looked for somewhere to eat. As we wondered the lovely but once again ghost town, (just one more phantom village along the Algarve!) we were greeted by yet again another dog looking at us as potential masters! We eventually chose a little restaurant with ables out front on a back street as our place to eat, however we were unsuccessful.. After ordering drinks and only being given one menu, and then after moving inside, lighting the candles and attempting to catch the eye of the waiter, some 50 minutes after sitting down the waiter decided Ash's attempt to order as the sign for our bill. Fate had blessed us! As we left, angry and dissapointed, we headed across the street, through the mini monsoon to a quaint little restaurant where we sat next to a log fire and got comfortable as the dream was realised..... no not the dream of Yorkshire Puddings, but the dream of both Nandos-esque Portugese Piri Piri chicken, with... wait for it.... Magners to wash it down!!!!
The meal went down a treat, easily the spiciest thing i had ever ate, my lips tingling beyond comparison and mouthing burning like a house on fire, it was without a doubt spicy, but without a doubt lovely! As we sat there, in the warmth, avoiding the downpour outside, we looked back on a very nice day, and a road-trip to remember!
It was definitley a day to remember, only marred by the lack of people, as only Tash, Katie, Ash and I went, leaving Kate, Kike, Matty, Bee, Max and Maisie behind with Sarah still in England :(. However it did not dampen our day, we had a sensational time and one that we will never forget. With only 8 days before setting off back to England for Christmas, there are few of the days left! 2 Cadiz Christmases approaching, and our final week of Uni before returning to blighty, where has this semester gone?
There will be lots to remember over Christmas, lotsa to do, but it is a totally different experience. I will go home looking thoroughly forward to seeing friends and family, returning to work and having a brilliant Christmas and New Year with the people i have missed so much! But on the other hand i will miss the amazing days spent in Cadiz, take for example the 9th December 2010, yesterday for those reading this on release day, a normal day? No, a mere 16 days before christmas we were greeted by 24 degree weather and a beautiful day on the beach before Uni in the evening! Sensational just doesn't cover it. Memories are dear to all, but memories of this year are ones i am glad i have stored in here, a place i will never lose :)
Special Mention : Mare of the week.
You may or may not have heard the story, a tale of a brave but clueless warrior, small on the outside but big on the headside :P One Sam Maloney, congratualtions buddy, not only is this the Mare of the Week but perhaps Mare of the Year!!!
So last Friday we were sat in hollywood, dining away ribbing Sam about his immenent flight home to England where he would spend El Punte. There was hilrious talk of Funeral arrangements, brace positions and air masks as he counted down the hours to his 7am bus to Malaga to board his Ryanair flight home. To add to his troubles was the ongoing adverse weather conditions back ion England, the most snow they had seen in a long time, surely the flight cpuld beat the weather? Correct, however, on arriving at Malaga airport he was greeted by another foe, Spanish Air Traffic Controllers. Ever the spontaeous kind, they had decided, (like seemingly alot of Spanish), that they in fact did not want to work that day, and poor old Sam just couldn't win. After being sick on the bus-ride to Malaga after overcoming his bowel trouble of the night before, his flight was cancelled due to the Strike! That surely was to be the worst thing? Naaahhhh! After finding out there wouldn't be a flight the next day he re-arranged for this weekend and headed to the bus station to return to Cadiz.... missing his bus by a mere half hour... ouch!! A lovely 4 hour wait for the next bus ensued and Sam finally returned to Cadiz sullen mood and droopy bottom lip in tow.
Sam, you truly are somehting special!
Also a special mention to the boss.... Uncle Rich turned the glorious age of 60 on Wednesday guys ;)
Happy Blogging :)
Sunday 5 December 2010
13 days to go.....
Afternoon Bloggers,
How time has flown! Just 3 months ago i was sat at home in Doncaster looking at a list of things i still needed to get for Cadiz; holiday insurance, a suitcase and more surf shorts seemed to be all my troubles in the world! Now, a meer 13 days before i return to the shores of blighty for the festive season, i am stunned at how fast time has flown. I could sit here, close my eyes and recall memory after memory, highlight after highlight of this seemingly brief 3 months. I thank the powers at Northumbria Uni for allowing me to be here for a whole year, whereas some people i have met, and some that i have become close to, the likes of Stefan, Mel, Max, Mollie and Tash, will be gone by January, if not by before Christmas. Gone to other parts of Europe, even, in Max's case, other parts of the world.
To coin an overly used term, 'How time flies when you're having fun'! If i had a week sat here in front of my laptop, purely dedicated to writing a blog full of the memories i have of this year, from the first time i set foot on the beach, to the first time i saw the christmas lights on, but a week would simply not be enough time! There has been so many ups, even plenty of downs, but the downs make the ups seem that much better, and well even the downs, when you are studying in Spain, seem very much like ups! To date I have written 15 entries to this blog. A blog which i feel has kept me grounded here in Spain. I could very easily have gone mad this year, the money was there, the opportunity was there, the people have been by my side all the way, but something about writing it all down, writing most things we do, the big things anyway, something about it manages to bring things into perspective.
I have done so many amazing things, and met so many amazing people. To talk about it all wouldn't bore me, but would surely bore you! So for you guys i would like to summarise things a bit. On football manager we call this a season review, like looking at your accounts at the end of the financial year, but for us, just a brief look back over the highlights of my first 3 months in Cadiz!
The People..... The Family
Sarah Bailey: I shall never forget the words "You'll change your opinion of me Matty"! At first i took Sarah as your average RAH-ish university lass, pretty, up for a laugh and on it student style. It took time for me to get past the (at some times lairy) facade of her. It took some serious film session abuse, late night Prison break sessions, lots and lots of chocolate and at times some lovely drunk heart to hearts to finally whittle her down and break through to find the real Sarah. I'll never admit it to her face though, but she's definitley one of my closest friends here, and someone i'll never forget! She is very much like a Sister to me, especially now as we have gotten closer and can actually be nice to each other whilst maintaining the same banterish torment of each other!
Matty Stevens: A lads lad, no doubting that, the pint sized geordie adds plenty to the group, and takes as much with him when he is away. My Football Manager nemisis, but more-over a brother from another mother! Cadiz would surely be a much duller place without our very own Hobbit! Although oldest by far out of us all, simply has to be regarded as a Son in this family and my brother no doubt.
Kike: A whirlwind romance still in full blow. The Kike-able force is unstoppable, its like a unmanned freight train. Utterly and truly swept off their little feet, the two of them are inseperable, its touching to watch, sickly at some times, but guys, its the love of the ages, forget Romeo and Juliet, them guys have nothing on our very own Kike! But do not fear for them, they are more like the Premiership than European football, because no Winter break is planned. The meer hours drive in freezing conditions seperating them at christmas is nothing compared to the feelings they share! Awwwwww :) Definite candidates for Mum and Dad of the group, after Granada incidents with Michael and Kellie's proneness to the odd bout of sickness post-night out, they are definitely shoe ins for embarassing Aunt and Uncle!
Kate Newman and Katie Bilton: The troublesome twosome from darrrn saaarrrffff. The London girls in Cadiz, taking full advantage of the experience they have been presented with this year! The term 'Taking the bull by the horns' springs to mind! Loving every moment, even on down days these two have enough bubblyness and fun in them to fill a LOLcano. It looked like they were to be two we would lose after Christmas, but as their passions for Portugese fizzled out and love for all things Gadetan grew, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that, if they secured jobs in the area, they were to stay for the whole year, very good news :). The two of them are sisters from different misters, on the basis of the last 3 months i think its safe to say they were seperated at birth! Kate is the crazy Aunty to the group, bubbly, fun, enjoys a drink and a bit ditzy. Katie however is the mother, cooks for us, organises things, and keeps us in tow whilst being someone to talk to whenever, but she's a cool mum and is always up for a laugh!
Ash Milns and Sam Maloney: The two of them seem so opposite (as i have said before) but as i have also said before, are so similar. Each has there brilliant moments, and moments of stupidity. Each find it easy to gel with people, and equally as easy to get themselves into spots of bother. Both love to booze it up but back it up with looking disgusting as the hang from their backsides the day after! You could definitely say these two are like odler and younger brother, Sam is definitely a smaller version of Ash! But they are not quite like Brothers, more like cousins, or maybe even Step Brothers.
Tash Pitt: Undoubtadly one of the family, a key component to our happy family! Tash loves to party, but equally to sit with her feet up with a film and chat amongst friends. If anyone has seen 'The Kids Are Alright' then they could contemplate the family set up we have, appitimised i feel by the fact that Tash could possibly also be the Mother of the group, a slightly less easy going Mum, but equally as freindly. So that would give us our Lesbian mums Katie and Tash, and they would definitely agree with us on that one!
Max, Bee and Geoff: Who could forget the cousins who live round the corner? Max, Bee and Geoff are 3 vital parts to this amazing firat 3 months in Cadiz. Max, through living with Kate and Katie, has grown and reallly come out of his shell of late. A lads lad for sure but corrupted by horrific tales told by the troublesome twosome! Bee is the girl next door. Always up for a laugh and a night out but also good to chill out with and just talk. Ash can verify this for me, for as pep talks come, Bee gives a pretty stern one! And then there is wor Geoffrey, the French Erasmus student, completely and utterly corrupted in his mild french manners by the English and Germans around him here in Cadiz. A great asset to the team and every night out, never mind an easy target for Google Translate banter!!!
The Familly is complete. A close knit community of incestrous individuals, all brought together by the Gadetan Magic, some in different ways to others ;). We have had our ups, we have had our downs, but we have got through them all. People come and go from our group but the core remains solid, People such as Mairi and Kim were great, although short lived, additions. The Germans and Cuba gang are great assets to great nights out. Then there are the likes of Martha and Sarah who add so much life to nights out. The Italians who are never short of a quick quip or two, and of course prone to going down during football ;) The Cadiz family is two big to describe with all the English, Swedes, and Americans as well, i simply don't have enough time or enough of your patience :)
The Highlights:
With any End Of Season Review one must point out the highlights and evven the lowlights. The Star Buys and the Flops. For me there has been so many good points, it is ridiculous of me to even think i can narrow them down but i shall try and hoepfully succeed;
- Arriving in Cadiz. After staying overnight in Malaga and only really being wowed by the weather and not by the place much at all, arriving in Cadiz was a shock. The archictecture of the city, both the new and old parts. The stunning views of the beaches. The mad lifestyle the people lead including Siestas and of course the people here, we were set back. We just could not believe our luck! This place, my friends, is sensational!!
- Finding somewhere to live. After days of searching, of talking to wierd accents over the phone, of looking at places that let us down big time, and of feeling very frustrated in the blistering heat, finding somewhere to live was a huge relief.
- First day on the beach. The first time i saw the beach was amazing, but the first time i stepped foot on the golden sands at Playa Santa Maria were just sensational. The feel of the cool ocean and the hot sunshine were enough to make anyone think that they were actually asleep, dreaming of a paradise somewhere, i was happy to not have to wake up!
- Meeting everyone. The series of fortunate circumstances from Sam's meeting with Sarah and Tash in Carrefour, to being served verrrry strong Sex on the Beach by Kate in Bhopal can be looked back on very fondly, if not for the hilarity of some of the incidents and chance meetings, then for the fact that it brought the whole family together!
- First Day at Uni. Although late. Although a hassle. The Hilarity of walking into a lecture that we thought was ours, and turned out to not be, was just perfect. The perfectly awkward way to start university life at Universidad de Cadiz!
- Starting my Blog. After the wonderfully talented Charlotte Caley reccommended it to me, i though why not, who can it hurt. Well early on it was me, the abuse i got for writing it was ridiculous, oh how the tables have turned. Before writing this being a mere 43 views away from 2000 blog views and people requesting to be in it i can safely say i am thankful that Charlotte bugged me to make one!
- U.V night. Dressed up England student style for the U.V night and then having the embarassment of realising we were the only people who did, as the other europeans don't understand UV night protocol was just the apitimy of epic fail. Tights, vest, Hot pants, Fanny packs, and UV paints and our night was made!
-Starting at Bar Cuba. Having the pleasure to make the best cocktails in Cadiz was a highlight early on. I'm not one to like working, but when its something i enjoy, i can hack it!
- Halloween. Dressed as slutty nurses, dirty vampires and clergymen we hit the Gadetan tiles for a night of druken mayhem and fun and oh did we have it!
- Discovering Spanish McDonalds. Its like the English one but oh so much better!!!
- When Mairi and Kim came to Town. The weekend mess of drunkedness and bad behaviour apitimised by the sullen mood as myself and Sarah walked, cold, arm in arm down La Caleta in our Hungover states.
- Granada. Returning the favour of visiting Rob, Mairi and Kim we headed to Granada to celebrate the 21st birthdays of Tash and Mike. And as you read in the last entry, oh what fun we had!
It has been a sensational 3 months, ones i will surely not forget anytime soon, am i going to miss it over christmas? You bet i am! But am i looking forward to going home, i sure am! I am counting down the days till my flight lands at Leeds Bradford and i get to return to the family home in Doncaster. The look on Fudge's face when i walk in after 3 months. The chance to eat a Sunday Dinner with all the trimmings and family. Christmas and New Year and getting to see my familyu and friends; Grandma, Grandad, Tori, Bekki, Mum, Dad, Auntie Bridie, Auntie Dorothy to start then the likes of Chris, Simon, Mellor, Evans, Mazza, Luke and Dobbi over Christmas. Getting back working with the superb crew at Zest and seeing the glee on the faces of Kevlar, Loobie, Nats, Emily, Helen and Pip to name a few when i walk back in for the first time. And then of course, if it ends up happening, the superbly planned New Years Eve in Newcastle when i get to see the ugly mugs of Sean, Tom, Dave and Jimmy for the first time in what seems like forever, as well as grace the beautiful streets of the Toon again!
My friends, i am more than excited by the prospect of this Christmas, but do not fret, i shall surely take you along for the ride!
Happy Blogging :)
How time has flown! Just 3 months ago i was sat at home in Doncaster looking at a list of things i still needed to get for Cadiz; holiday insurance, a suitcase and more surf shorts seemed to be all my troubles in the world! Now, a meer 13 days before i return to the shores of blighty for the festive season, i am stunned at how fast time has flown. I could sit here, close my eyes and recall memory after memory, highlight after highlight of this seemingly brief 3 months. I thank the powers at Northumbria Uni for allowing me to be here for a whole year, whereas some people i have met, and some that i have become close to, the likes of Stefan, Mel, Max, Mollie and Tash, will be gone by January, if not by before Christmas. Gone to other parts of Europe, even, in Max's case, other parts of the world.
To coin an overly used term, 'How time flies when you're having fun'! If i had a week sat here in front of my laptop, purely dedicated to writing a blog full of the memories i have of this year, from the first time i set foot on the beach, to the first time i saw the christmas lights on, but a week would simply not be enough time! There has been so many ups, even plenty of downs, but the downs make the ups seem that much better, and well even the downs, when you are studying in Spain, seem very much like ups! To date I have written 15 entries to this blog. A blog which i feel has kept me grounded here in Spain. I could very easily have gone mad this year, the money was there, the opportunity was there, the people have been by my side all the way, but something about writing it all down, writing most things we do, the big things anyway, something about it manages to bring things into perspective.
I have done so many amazing things, and met so many amazing people. To talk about it all wouldn't bore me, but would surely bore you! So for you guys i would like to summarise things a bit. On football manager we call this a season review, like looking at your accounts at the end of the financial year, but for us, just a brief look back over the highlights of my first 3 months in Cadiz!
The People..... The Family
Sarah Bailey: I shall never forget the words "You'll change your opinion of me Matty"! At first i took Sarah as your average RAH-ish university lass, pretty, up for a laugh and on it student style. It took time for me to get past the (at some times lairy) facade of her. It took some serious film session abuse, late night Prison break sessions, lots and lots of chocolate and at times some lovely drunk heart to hearts to finally whittle her down and break through to find the real Sarah. I'll never admit it to her face though, but she's definitley one of my closest friends here, and someone i'll never forget! She is very much like a Sister to me, especially now as we have gotten closer and can actually be nice to each other whilst maintaining the same banterish torment of each other!
Matty Stevens: A lads lad, no doubting that, the pint sized geordie adds plenty to the group, and takes as much with him when he is away. My Football Manager nemisis, but more-over a brother from another mother! Cadiz would surely be a much duller place without our very own Hobbit! Although oldest by far out of us all, simply has to be regarded as a Son in this family and my brother no doubt.
Kike: A whirlwind romance still in full blow. The Kike-able force is unstoppable, its like a unmanned freight train. Utterly and truly swept off their little feet, the two of them are inseperable, its touching to watch, sickly at some times, but guys, its the love of the ages, forget Romeo and Juliet, them guys have nothing on our very own Kike! But do not fear for them, they are more like the Premiership than European football, because no Winter break is planned. The meer hours drive in freezing conditions seperating them at christmas is nothing compared to the feelings they share! Awwwwww :) Definite candidates for Mum and Dad of the group, after Granada incidents with Michael and Kellie's proneness to the odd bout of sickness post-night out, they are definitely shoe ins for embarassing Aunt and Uncle!
Kate Newman and Katie Bilton: The troublesome twosome from darrrn saaarrrffff. The London girls in Cadiz, taking full advantage of the experience they have been presented with this year! The term 'Taking the bull by the horns' springs to mind! Loving every moment, even on down days these two have enough bubblyness and fun in them to fill a LOLcano. It looked like they were to be two we would lose after Christmas, but as their passions for Portugese fizzled out and love for all things Gadetan grew, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that, if they secured jobs in the area, they were to stay for the whole year, very good news :). The two of them are sisters from different misters, on the basis of the last 3 months i think its safe to say they were seperated at birth! Kate is the crazy Aunty to the group, bubbly, fun, enjoys a drink and a bit ditzy. Katie however is the mother, cooks for us, organises things, and keeps us in tow whilst being someone to talk to whenever, but she's a cool mum and is always up for a laugh!
Ash Milns and Sam Maloney: The two of them seem so opposite (as i have said before) but as i have also said before, are so similar. Each has there brilliant moments, and moments of stupidity. Each find it easy to gel with people, and equally as easy to get themselves into spots of bother. Both love to booze it up but back it up with looking disgusting as the hang from their backsides the day after! You could definitely say these two are like odler and younger brother, Sam is definitely a smaller version of Ash! But they are not quite like Brothers, more like cousins, or maybe even Step Brothers.
Tash Pitt: Undoubtadly one of the family, a key component to our happy family! Tash loves to party, but equally to sit with her feet up with a film and chat amongst friends. If anyone has seen 'The Kids Are Alright' then they could contemplate the family set up we have, appitimised i feel by the fact that Tash could possibly also be the Mother of the group, a slightly less easy going Mum, but equally as freindly. So that would give us our Lesbian mums Katie and Tash, and they would definitely agree with us on that one!
Max, Bee and Geoff: Who could forget the cousins who live round the corner? Max, Bee and Geoff are 3 vital parts to this amazing firat 3 months in Cadiz. Max, through living with Kate and Katie, has grown and reallly come out of his shell of late. A lads lad for sure but corrupted by horrific tales told by the troublesome twosome! Bee is the girl next door. Always up for a laugh and a night out but also good to chill out with and just talk. Ash can verify this for me, for as pep talks come, Bee gives a pretty stern one! And then there is wor Geoffrey, the French Erasmus student, completely and utterly corrupted in his mild french manners by the English and Germans around him here in Cadiz. A great asset to the team and every night out, never mind an easy target for Google Translate banter!!!
The Familly is complete. A close knit community of incestrous individuals, all brought together by the Gadetan Magic, some in different ways to others ;). We have had our ups, we have had our downs, but we have got through them all. People come and go from our group but the core remains solid, People such as Mairi and Kim were great, although short lived, additions. The Germans and Cuba gang are great assets to great nights out. Then there are the likes of Martha and Sarah who add so much life to nights out. The Italians who are never short of a quick quip or two, and of course prone to going down during football ;) The Cadiz family is two big to describe with all the English, Swedes, and Americans as well, i simply don't have enough time or enough of your patience :)
The Highlights:
With any End Of Season Review one must point out the highlights and evven the lowlights. The Star Buys and the Flops. For me there has been so many good points, it is ridiculous of me to even think i can narrow them down but i shall try and hoepfully succeed;
- Arriving in Cadiz. After staying overnight in Malaga and only really being wowed by the weather and not by the place much at all, arriving in Cadiz was a shock. The archictecture of the city, both the new and old parts. The stunning views of the beaches. The mad lifestyle the people lead including Siestas and of course the people here, we were set back. We just could not believe our luck! This place, my friends, is sensational!!
- Finding somewhere to live. After days of searching, of talking to wierd accents over the phone, of looking at places that let us down big time, and of feeling very frustrated in the blistering heat, finding somewhere to live was a huge relief.
- First day on the beach. The first time i saw the beach was amazing, but the first time i stepped foot on the golden sands at Playa Santa Maria were just sensational. The feel of the cool ocean and the hot sunshine were enough to make anyone think that they were actually asleep, dreaming of a paradise somewhere, i was happy to not have to wake up!
- Meeting everyone. The series of fortunate circumstances from Sam's meeting with Sarah and Tash in Carrefour, to being served verrrry strong Sex on the Beach by Kate in Bhopal can be looked back on very fondly, if not for the hilarity of some of the incidents and chance meetings, then for the fact that it brought the whole family together!
- First Day at Uni. Although late. Although a hassle. The Hilarity of walking into a lecture that we thought was ours, and turned out to not be, was just perfect. The perfectly awkward way to start university life at Universidad de Cadiz!
- Starting my Blog. After the wonderfully talented Charlotte Caley reccommended it to me, i though why not, who can it hurt. Well early on it was me, the abuse i got for writing it was ridiculous, oh how the tables have turned. Before writing this being a mere 43 views away from 2000 blog views and people requesting to be in it i can safely say i am thankful that Charlotte bugged me to make one!
- U.V night. Dressed up England student style for the U.V night and then having the embarassment of realising we were the only people who did, as the other europeans don't understand UV night protocol was just the apitimy of epic fail. Tights, vest, Hot pants, Fanny packs, and UV paints and our night was made!
-Starting at Bar Cuba. Having the pleasure to make the best cocktails in Cadiz was a highlight early on. I'm not one to like working, but when its something i enjoy, i can hack it!
- Halloween. Dressed as slutty nurses, dirty vampires and clergymen we hit the Gadetan tiles for a night of druken mayhem and fun and oh did we have it!
- Discovering Spanish McDonalds. Its like the English one but oh so much better!!!
- When Mairi and Kim came to Town. The weekend mess of drunkedness and bad behaviour apitimised by the sullen mood as myself and Sarah walked, cold, arm in arm down La Caleta in our Hungover states.
- Granada. Returning the favour of visiting Rob, Mairi and Kim we headed to Granada to celebrate the 21st birthdays of Tash and Mike. And as you read in the last entry, oh what fun we had!
It has been a sensational 3 months, ones i will surely not forget anytime soon, am i going to miss it over christmas? You bet i am! But am i looking forward to going home, i sure am! I am counting down the days till my flight lands at Leeds Bradford and i get to return to the family home in Doncaster. The look on Fudge's face when i walk in after 3 months. The chance to eat a Sunday Dinner with all the trimmings and family. Christmas and New Year and getting to see my familyu and friends; Grandma, Grandad, Tori, Bekki, Mum, Dad, Auntie Bridie, Auntie Dorothy to start then the likes of Chris, Simon, Mellor, Evans, Mazza, Luke and Dobbi over Christmas. Getting back working with the superb crew at Zest and seeing the glee on the faces of Kevlar, Loobie, Nats, Emily, Helen and Pip to name a few when i walk back in for the first time. And then of course, if it ends up happening, the superbly planned New Years Eve in Newcastle when i get to see the ugly mugs of Sean, Tom, Dave and Jimmy for the first time in what seems like forever, as well as grace the beautiful streets of the Toon again!
My friends, i am more than excited by the prospect of this Christmas, but do not fret, i shall surely take you along for the ride!
Happy Blogging :)
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