When We Collide We Come Together

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 :)