Afternoon Bloggers,
Wow! Some very good views of the last entry, as always i thank you all for sparing a bit of time to read my rant and raves :)
This week, well i say week, its been almost 2 weeks since we last spoke, and in that time what have i done? Iv been in England :) And being in England of course means lots of eating, drinking anf being merry!!
To save youselves reading the same stuff over and over, here il keep it brief (yes i know, this is a first haha!) After leaving Newcastle behind, and of course some great people who i may not see for a while, and some maybe never again, (The brilliant Jumbo, The dude that is Lish, The pest himself Sparky, Dangerously dumb Dave, Lish's missus Sophie, the girl next door Denise, The LAD Craigy boy, My loving sister Tori and her very kind and hospoitable housemates Hannah and Nikki, and of course i couldnt forget the Warbler Becky, Lauren O'Whore and Anna along with the rest of the Cast of RENT, who all together, yes every single one of you :) Made my stay in Newcastle, however brief, one to remember for a long time! (if i forgot anyone mehhh get over it :p ) ) I then moved downwards, to the every lovely land of Donny; ChavVegas, and back to my family and friends who i left behind some three months earlier.
But of course back to Donny doesn't just mean back to family and friends, oh no, it means back to the slog that is a Donny lifestyle; football, drinking, long days in front of the tv and xbox and of course, having to eat allllll that amazing English grub... nom nom nom. Back to the smiling faces of the brother Chris, Little Luke, Shit-Hair Simon, Tramp-look-a-like Matty, Mahoooooosive armed Mazza and Viiiiiiiile Mellor for a wonderful night on the tiles to mark mine and other uni goers return to the Donx for one weekend only. As brilliant as it was, the cold was getting to me, and as the week went on, it was only the football, tv and food that was saving me from the English weather (no 15 degrees isnt warm you nit-wits!!!)
Friday marked a very special day, as the family got together at the Keepmoat stadium to celebrate the 80th birthday of my Grandad, a quiet soul he didn't want all the fuss, but with 102 people to please, he went along with it and as everyone enjoyed their meals, champagne, wine and dancing, the night went swimmingly and i got well and truly steaming, with another night on the donny tiles to follow the do at the Keepmoat. In between dancing ridiculously embarassingly with the family, necking drink after drink and singing We're Jamming rather audibly into a Bob Marley look-a-likes face, i do believe i had a rather good night as we staggered in at 4a.m expecting a raging hangover to dominate an other wise expectadly good Saturday.
45 quids orth of KFC and an average England performance later and i was over the state i was in the night before and looking forward to getting back to Cai. One last thing to do.... more travelling.
As i had been expecting to be dropped off at Stanstead by my Dad on Monday, waking up Sunday to him discussing abandoning me in London with my Uncle Dave and Daniel for me to get the bus over to stanstead monday morning and save hime a 7hour round trip did come as some surprise..... but make the most out of situations is something i find i am rather good at, and a few texts and a beautiful dinner at Black and Blue later and i found myself on the bus over to Bond Street to meet one rather lovely lady, for some rather lovely Haagen Dazs... eventually! When you want a night to go smoothly what can you always rely on? Public transport to bals it up for you!...
Heading to Holland Park tube station i was greeted with a big no can do, closed, brilliant.... so Notting Hill Station was the next port of call, five minute walk up the road, bareable... just. But a phone call from my Uncle as i was about to head down the steps stopped me in my tracks and saw me crossing the road to grab a bus as the circular line managed to be closed as far as Marble Arch the only day of the year i wanted to use it. But as i gritted my teeth and kept out the cold with my three layers i waited begrudgingly for the bus and headed into central.
Greeted by a cheeky grin across the road, all the trouble had been worth seeing that beautiful smile :) Nattt. (bit cheesey!!) And as we walked down Bond street chatting we became well aware that we were indeed walking away from Central, where we did indeed want to be. But eventually, after of course i got us semi-lost looking for Ed's easy Diner, we settled for Haagen Dazs, and after some beautiful ice cream, great coversation and some odd looks from the waiters we were back in the cold, and i was back on the bus, smile on my face.... dreading a day of travelling tomorrow, but safe in the mind that England had once again done me well.
The best thing that came out of Monday? All the chocolate i managed to get over with me, a rather hilarious Air Host, and the luck of the transport being just on time for each next stage.... thank god!! But rounding off the day in the mild Cadiz night with a few bevvies and some good company meant that i was more than happy to be back in Spain, back to the sunshine and blue skies.
Tuesday and Wednesday were happily written off as beach days, Tomorrows 9am will be the wake up call!! But seeing everyone back, even if we did lose embarassingly badly to the Italians, and i did get a nice headache from a stray Alessio elbow, i was happy to be back amongst the great people of Cadiz, and happy to be back to my little Spanish adventure.
Happy Blogging :)
(and of course guys, you dont even need to ask, just go ahead leave comments, tick the boxes, you needn't be members, and the ticking is anonymous!!) :)
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Thursday, 17 March 2011
You Wanna Be A Loser Like Me
Afternoon Bloggers,
My life feels almost complete, it had been 3 weeks before tonight that i had played football due to my idiotic injury, and although i had to play through some serious pain, (even just being in the net... i almost wept when booting the ball long) i had so much fun getting back into the game.
But it isn't just the fact that football is back in my life, no my friends, i am back on English shores, back home, after a brief visit to Newcastle i have found my way back to the land of Doncaster, and of course being back in England means one vital thing.... i have my English food fix..... Yum!!
Before i came away of course we had the winding down of Carnaval; the crowds got smaller and the parties got less lively as we made our way through the weekdays. Katie thankfully got better and the week, as a whole was good, plenty of time to relax, and build up to Matty's early 22nd birthday celebrations (after pancake day of course!!)
With a bus at 8a.m i was seriously not looking forward to getting wasted,but needs must, and 2 bottles of Rosé and many a Malibu and Coke later i was back to my drunken, argumentative state, losing the plot could describe what i got up to! If there is one way in which i would never want to say goodbye to someone, trust me, its definitely not wise to tell them to get lost and not talk to you and you'd see them in a month... it wasn't big, it definitely was not clever and waking up the next morning at 7:15 after leaving Sarah in UMEC at half 5 and meeting Ash on the walk home to find bed at quarter to 6, it wasn't just the hangover that was bugging me.
After witnessing numerous people Phant from the night out, including the birthday boy, i wasn't in the best of moods waking up that morning, but when i remembered some of the horrors of the night before i knew amends had to be made.
Text after text after call was put through and eventually i got to apologise for my drunken rant, (but here is another sorry, maybe i miss arguing with you, maybe i miss you... maybe not :p )
But boarding a bus and a plane feeling still drunk, then continuing on the 15 hour travel journey, it seemed that although i had rid myself of the guilt, i was still not feeling too sharp! Leaving Cádiz at 8a.m and arriving in Newcastle at 11:30p.m after some gruelling travel meant that Friday (counting the early hours of the morning in the bar having a good ol rant) certainly was a day to forget, but a day that you certainly couldn't write! Comedy gold!
Arriving in Newcastle i was given the great pleasure of going to visit some old, and now some new friends in Stage2 at the students union, where Nortumbria Musical Theatre society had been rehearsing hard all day ready for the weekends performances of RENT! Greeted by hugs galore and sandwiched in between friends i hadn't seen since last University year almost brought a tear to my eyes! Further surpassed om Saturday when i got to spend the morning and early afternoon warming up with them, getting to know them, and watch a dress rehearsal before their 2:30 matinee performance. Unbelievable. Quite sublime. A dress rehearsal that went beyond anything i had been a part of before. Near perfection.
Saturday night came around, and after a Pizza Hut Delivery and Take Me Out, I was somehow convinced to go out. And so myself, Lish, Jimmy, Sparky, Dave, Sophie and Denise rushed to get ready and consume, yet again, more Rosé... i promised myself never again, but i guess just never again i will drink 2 euro Rosé in Cádiz.... maybe ;) A mini bar crawl followed by a lovely trip to McDonald's saw the night off, well that was until the movie-thon... Step Up (the first half as the DVD froze) and Porkys with Denise was the beginning of the end to a very weird, but wonderful night.
Sunday was the day i got to see the show. Meeting before with Becky, Lauren and George was a true pleasure, catching up was fun, but the real highlight, why the show of course. Musical Theatre at its univeristy best! Who needs huge budgets, elaborate costumes and expensive sets, when they have brilliant actors, oustanding vocalists and a top-notch band, matched by the superb direction of Olivia and Sarah, the show, i am sorry to say, beat last years performance of Fame, in which i played Schlomo, hands-down.
An After party spent getting to know the cast, a lot of whom i would be with next year in Musical Theatre, and with whom i turly could not wait to work with, true professionals and great people, some however, were not the greatest of drinkers!!
Newcastle was fantastic, great to be back in one of the world's greatest cities. But i did not appreciate the weather! Drizzly, Windy and Cold. :( But Donny was next on my list, after a Monday and Tuesday spent not doing much but catching up with people, which of course was top of my list!
Luckilu for me just an hour and a half train ride seperated me from being back in Doncaster! And as soon as i got back, i was greeted by a reminder of why i left.... Donny Train Station, chav central!! But fear not, as my sisters mini chariot awaited i was whisked back to Suburbia, back to Barnby Dun, and half an hour later, back to football. A 3-1 win later (a clean sheet should have occured if it wasn't for a cracking strike from nowhere that flew past me as i looked on helpless) (oh and it should have been 8, if Chris could put away his shots at more than a 1 in 10 ratio, and Jay and Patch could hit with their right and left feet respectively) i was back at home, bacon sarnie in hand, smile on my face, watching Chelsea go through in Europe in the central heated haven that was home :)
So for this week anyway, this week in which i have spent more time travelling than doing anyting of any significance, a week in which i have slept in approximately 11 different places (3 beds, 3 sofas, 3 buses, 1 plane and 1 train), and a week in which i have witnessed wonders, eaten amaaaaazing food, seen beautiful performances and caught up with great friends, i have to say goodbye. I wish you all a great week ahead, and until the next time we meet, enjoy everything you do and just be yourself.... and hey, i know that "You Wanna Be A Loser Like Me" ;)
But before i leave, i must say a few things;
To the guys in Cádiz, i hope you are coping without me, i miss you all dearly, apart from you Laura... The arguing is not missed ;) Matty i am sorry i missed your real birthday but at least you got the missus coming!
To anybody from RENT who manages to read this, you were, and i kid you not, amazing, quite simply superb! And your nights out were somewhat fantastic! I look forward to being a part of something wonnderful next year.
To the Newcastle crew, to Tori, James and James' lovely next door neighbours ;) i thankyou for your hospitality and the beds/sofas provided :) And to Lish, Sparky, Jimmy, Dave, Craig, Callum, Sophie, Denise, Callum, RENTies, (Anna, Olivia, Charlie, Fran, Ali and Sarah in particular), and to Lauren and Becky, thank you all for a brilliant and incredible long weekend in the Toon, i will not forget it and wish you all the best for the rest of the year and thoroughly look forward to next uni year with whoever is left around!
And to you vile, horid creatures in Donny, yes you; Chris, Simon, Matty, Mellor, Mazza and Luke, i thoroughly look forward to seeing you all and having a disgustingly brilliant time!
Happy Blogging :)
P.S feel free to check the boxes and leave some short comments.... X
My life feels almost complete, it had been 3 weeks before tonight that i had played football due to my idiotic injury, and although i had to play through some serious pain, (even just being in the net... i almost wept when booting the ball long) i had so much fun getting back into the game.
But it isn't just the fact that football is back in my life, no my friends, i am back on English shores, back home, after a brief visit to Newcastle i have found my way back to the land of Doncaster, and of course being back in England means one vital thing.... i have my English food fix..... Yum!!
Before i came away of course we had the winding down of Carnaval; the crowds got smaller and the parties got less lively as we made our way through the weekdays. Katie thankfully got better and the week, as a whole was good, plenty of time to relax, and build up to Matty's early 22nd birthday celebrations (after pancake day of course!!)
With a bus at 8a.m i was seriously not looking forward to getting wasted,but needs must, and 2 bottles of Rosé and many a Malibu and Coke later i was back to my drunken, argumentative state, losing the plot could describe what i got up to! If there is one way in which i would never want to say goodbye to someone, trust me, its definitely not wise to tell them to get lost and not talk to you and you'd see them in a month... it wasn't big, it definitely was not clever and waking up the next morning at 7:15 after leaving Sarah in UMEC at half 5 and meeting Ash on the walk home to find bed at quarter to 6, it wasn't just the hangover that was bugging me.
After witnessing numerous people Phant from the night out, including the birthday boy, i wasn't in the best of moods waking up that morning, but when i remembered some of the horrors of the night before i knew amends had to be made.
Text after text after call was put through and eventually i got to apologise for my drunken rant, (but here is another sorry, maybe i miss arguing with you, maybe i miss you... maybe not :p )
But boarding a bus and a plane feeling still drunk, then continuing on the 15 hour travel journey, it seemed that although i had rid myself of the guilt, i was still not feeling too sharp! Leaving Cádiz at 8a.m and arriving in Newcastle at 11:30p.m after some gruelling travel meant that Friday (counting the early hours of the morning in the bar having a good ol rant) certainly was a day to forget, but a day that you certainly couldn't write! Comedy gold!
Arriving in Newcastle i was given the great pleasure of going to visit some old, and now some new friends in Stage2 at the students union, where Nortumbria Musical Theatre society had been rehearsing hard all day ready for the weekends performances of RENT! Greeted by hugs galore and sandwiched in between friends i hadn't seen since last University year almost brought a tear to my eyes! Further surpassed om Saturday when i got to spend the morning and early afternoon warming up with them, getting to know them, and watch a dress rehearsal before their 2:30 matinee performance. Unbelievable. Quite sublime. A dress rehearsal that went beyond anything i had been a part of before. Near perfection.
Saturday night came around, and after a Pizza Hut Delivery and Take Me Out, I was somehow convinced to go out. And so myself, Lish, Jimmy, Sparky, Dave, Sophie and Denise rushed to get ready and consume, yet again, more Rosé... i promised myself never again, but i guess just never again i will drink 2 euro Rosé in Cádiz.... maybe ;) A mini bar crawl followed by a lovely trip to McDonald's saw the night off, well that was until the movie-thon... Step Up (the first half as the DVD froze) and Porkys with Denise was the beginning of the end to a very weird, but wonderful night.
Sunday was the day i got to see the show. Meeting before with Becky, Lauren and George was a true pleasure, catching up was fun, but the real highlight, why the show of course. Musical Theatre at its univeristy best! Who needs huge budgets, elaborate costumes and expensive sets, when they have brilliant actors, oustanding vocalists and a top-notch band, matched by the superb direction of Olivia and Sarah, the show, i am sorry to say, beat last years performance of Fame, in which i played Schlomo, hands-down.
An After party spent getting to know the cast, a lot of whom i would be with next year in Musical Theatre, and with whom i turly could not wait to work with, true professionals and great people, some however, were not the greatest of drinkers!!
Newcastle was fantastic, great to be back in one of the world's greatest cities. But i did not appreciate the weather! Drizzly, Windy and Cold. :( But Donny was next on my list, after a Monday and Tuesday spent not doing much but catching up with people, which of course was top of my list!
Luckilu for me just an hour and a half train ride seperated me from being back in Doncaster! And as soon as i got back, i was greeted by a reminder of why i left.... Donny Train Station, chav central!! But fear not, as my sisters mini chariot awaited i was whisked back to Suburbia, back to Barnby Dun, and half an hour later, back to football. A 3-1 win later (a clean sheet should have occured if it wasn't for a cracking strike from nowhere that flew past me as i looked on helpless) (oh and it should have been 8, if Chris could put away his shots at more than a 1 in 10 ratio, and Jay and Patch could hit with their right and left feet respectively) i was back at home, bacon sarnie in hand, smile on my face, watching Chelsea go through in Europe in the central heated haven that was home :)
So for this week anyway, this week in which i have spent more time travelling than doing anyting of any significance, a week in which i have slept in approximately 11 different places (3 beds, 3 sofas, 3 buses, 1 plane and 1 train), and a week in which i have witnessed wonders, eaten amaaaaazing food, seen beautiful performances and caught up with great friends, i have to say goodbye. I wish you all a great week ahead, and until the next time we meet, enjoy everything you do and just be yourself.... and hey, i know that "You Wanna Be A Loser Like Me" ;)
But before i leave, i must say a few things;
To the guys in Cádiz, i hope you are coping without me, i miss you all dearly, apart from you Laura... The arguing is not missed ;) Matty i am sorry i missed your real birthday but at least you got the missus coming!
To anybody from RENT who manages to read this, you were, and i kid you not, amazing, quite simply superb! And your nights out were somewhat fantastic! I look forward to being a part of something wonnderful next year.
To the Newcastle crew, to Tori, James and James' lovely next door neighbours ;) i thankyou for your hospitality and the beds/sofas provided :) And to Lish, Sparky, Jimmy, Dave, Craig, Callum, Sophie, Denise, Callum, RENTies, (Anna, Olivia, Charlie, Fran, Ali and Sarah in particular), and to Lauren and Becky, thank you all for a brilliant and incredible long weekend in the Toon, i will not forget it and wish you all the best for the rest of the year and thoroughly look forward to next uni year with whoever is left around!
And to you vile, horid creatures in Donny, yes you; Chris, Simon, Matty, Mellor, Mazza and Luke, i thoroughly look forward to seeing you all and having a disgustingly brilliant time!
Happy Blogging :)
P.S feel free to check the boxes and leave some short comments.... X
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
When the Mask goes on...
Afternoon Bloggers,
Could the last week or so have been the most hectic in time here in Cádiz? If not then its come bloody close!! So much to tell you, so little time.....
Friday saw the return of Mairi and the first appearance of Charlotte in Cádiz... Sam, who was supposed to come, didn't make it... not happy kiddo!! And also marking the sudden, sharp, rise in the population of Cai. Much too our distain, not like we didn't enjoy all the excitement and fun, but when a 10 minute walk takes an hour, it starts to get on your nerves!! But simply isn't the Carnaval spirit and so we sucked it all up and headed into the night. Drinks, more drinks, and oh, a little bit more in the ay of drinks at Lucy and Lauras.... riding the train, or failing to do so, getting more bloated off of booze than i have ever felt... and i thought VKs were a bloater, Tinto gives bloatedness to a alll new level, i mean i felt like one of those Ethiopian kids off of the adverts, although im more tanned... And then Drinks in hand we headed to the joint leaving/birthday party of Little Sarah and Martha. Costumes and face paints galore, my lack of dressing up left me a bit un-carnavally, but using the excuse that I was dressed as a member of a boy band meant I was given a little bit of a break! After having drunk what felt like my bodies weight in Tinto we headed to Magdala and into the Cádiz Carnaval night.
Some people say that you can't always get what you want, but Friday night saw me to get exactly that. You could not pull the smile off of my face if you tried! Friday night was a huge success, what a way to kick off carnaval, laughter, bruises, and lots of alcohol, could it be the perfect start to the perfect weekend?
Not exactly.... Disaster struck!
Saturday got off to a great start, costumed up we headed into the early afternoon sun, Cows, Romans, Butterflies, Hula girls, Mexicans and Dancers in tow, to join the festivities and get our drinks on... Again! The crowds started to gather, street entertainers causing groups to gather, street vendors filling the air with the sweet smell of Carnival grub, and the atmosphere was definitely building up into a big, electric night. We hit Plaza Catedral to track down the parties, and found a humongous crowd of people dressed as everything under the sun, drinking and eating, swinging and dancing the afternoon into the night. After enjoying the brilliant buzz at the Cathedral we headed back to San Antonio to prepare for a long time.... For me at work, for the rest, partying it away. 9:30pm till 7am. A long shift indeed. Think of the money mat, think of the money.... Well that was just what Mairi was doing as some pleb snatched her bag during the festivities. A huge downer on her visit and our weekend as a group. Rushed off my feet at work with A constant full bar to serve from open at 11 until close at 6:15, the knees took some hammering! But just when I thought my night was over...
How wrong would I be? What a silly question to ask! I only went to Katies to pick up my keys... Little was I expecting this to be the turning point in a very interesting weekend. After waking up at 11 that morning, I was approaching the 24 hour awake mark, a mere bump along the way to notching up 40 hours without sleep... Why? Katie was Ill, and by Ill I mean ill! Two trips to the hospital, and she was diagnosed with Blood, Kidney and Throat infections.... Ouch, ouch indeed! But how did we manage to get her there and back twice during Carnival? well first time round no taxis were available and we were refused an ambulance... Cheers Spain! So, after speaking to SuperTrace, I had to force her to walk the agonizingly long walk to the bus stop, next stop AnE! Bus back 4 hours later? Don't be silly! At that state all buses were packed with people heading into Old Town for the celebrations, and none would stop to pick is us up! And with taxis in sight it was the long, unbearable walk back to Cadiz On a Sunday afternoon in which everything, including all Pharmacies were closed... So no medication was available!
In between getting Katie to and from the Hospital we had to say goodbye to Mairi and Charlotte, not a happy goodbye, but a goodbye nonetheless, And as they got on their ways, we managed, eventually, to struggle with Katie, back past the crowds and back to her room, after which I headed back home, to get sorted and washed, before shading back for part 2...
After finally tracking down an open pharmacy through the wonder that is the world wide web, myself and Laura headed off into the busy Cádiz evening to collect her prescription to try and make her better.... only being allowed 1/3 of her medication and an interesting visit to Hollywood for food along the way was only the start to another interesting night without any sleep.
After eating we headed back to Katies, both of us full, tired and cold, not exactly expecting another trip to the Dr's, but after securing an Ambulance visit, and sending Katie off in it with Laura, myself and Lucy headed to the bus stop for another return to the waiting room. Luckily for us, a shorter visit, after pumping Katie with a glass jar full of Antibiotics we were sent off on our way in a taxi, into the late night/early morning. And after tucking Katie in bed, I finally made my way to mine. 40 hours later, my head was on my pillow, my head full of the torment, madness, happiness and terrible times that had passed us by that weekend.
Looking back on the weekend now, in hindsight, after the wonderful day yesterday in the early evening sun, drinking away our troubles, followed by face painting and partying, I can say there's not a lot of it i would want to change. It was a brilliant weekend, things happened, relationships changed for the better and the worst, people surprised me, for the better and worse, but what is Carnaval more about than putting on a mask and not being who you really are?
Carnaval is about letting go of things, dressing up means you can be someone you are not, but sometimes it's when you are trying to be so ethnic you aren't that you become exactly what you are. The real you can come out, people say and o things they don't mean, or wouldn't have done in other situations, and in the pitch black of the Carnival night, you start to see the light of day.
But with all the good and bad times of Opening Carnaval weekend a mere memory and facebook photo, I can look on towards the rest of this week and the few weeks to come;
Today is pancake day, and we mark the start if Lent by eating all those delicious sugary treats :) But also for Lent we give up things we think we can do without, and things that perhaps feel we should do without... What I have given up? Well a wise person told me that it wasn't good for me.... So I have given it up, it's nothing to mention, it's nothing to boast, but, for the next month, I will stop, and enjoy my time away, back in blighty, with not a trouble in the world.
For the rest of the week we have work at Magdala, Mattys 22 birthday celebrations, and then my flight home, back to England, and thankfully, at last, back to what I love, Musical Theatre, my weekend dedicated to seeing Northumbria's society Make RENT as brilliant as it is on the West End.
After this I mark my return to Donny, back to the family and friends I left behind 2 months ago, and back to see my Grandad celebrate his 80th birthday with a big bash at Donny Rovers' Keepmoat Stadium, with over 100 guests including his brother, my Great-Uncle, over from Australia for 2 weeks, the first time in a few years.
And then it will be back to Cai, back to the people here I adore so much, the people who make my days here, be there sun or showers, uni or chilling, some of the best days of my life, and without a doubt, one of the best years I will ever have.
Happy Blogging :)
feel free to check the boxes and leave comments :)
Could the last week or so have been the most hectic in time here in Cádiz? If not then its come bloody close!! So much to tell you, so little time.....
Friday saw the return of Mairi and the first appearance of Charlotte in Cádiz... Sam, who was supposed to come, didn't make it... not happy kiddo!! And also marking the sudden, sharp, rise in the population of Cai. Much too our distain, not like we didn't enjoy all the excitement and fun, but when a 10 minute walk takes an hour, it starts to get on your nerves!! But simply isn't the Carnaval spirit and so we sucked it all up and headed into the night. Drinks, more drinks, and oh, a little bit more in the ay of drinks at Lucy and Lauras.... riding the train, or failing to do so, getting more bloated off of booze than i have ever felt... and i thought VKs were a bloater, Tinto gives bloatedness to a alll new level, i mean i felt like one of those Ethiopian kids off of the adverts, although im more tanned... And then Drinks in hand we headed to the joint leaving/birthday party of Little Sarah and Martha. Costumes and face paints galore, my lack of dressing up left me a bit un-carnavally, but using the excuse that I was dressed as a member of a boy band meant I was given a little bit of a break! After having drunk what felt like my bodies weight in Tinto we headed to Magdala and into the Cádiz Carnaval night.
Some people say that you can't always get what you want, but Friday night saw me to get exactly that. You could not pull the smile off of my face if you tried! Friday night was a huge success, what a way to kick off carnaval, laughter, bruises, and lots of alcohol, could it be the perfect start to the perfect weekend?
Not exactly.... Disaster struck!
Saturday got off to a great start, costumed up we headed into the early afternoon sun, Cows, Romans, Butterflies, Hula girls, Mexicans and Dancers in tow, to join the festivities and get our drinks on... Again! The crowds started to gather, street entertainers causing groups to gather, street vendors filling the air with the sweet smell of Carnival grub, and the atmosphere was definitely building up into a big, electric night. We hit Plaza Catedral to track down the parties, and found a humongous crowd of people dressed as everything under the sun, drinking and eating, swinging and dancing the afternoon into the night. After enjoying the brilliant buzz at the Cathedral we headed back to San Antonio to prepare for a long time.... For me at work, for the rest, partying it away. 9:30pm till 7am. A long shift indeed. Think of the money mat, think of the money.... Well that was just what Mairi was doing as some pleb snatched her bag during the festivities. A huge downer on her visit and our weekend as a group. Rushed off my feet at work with A constant full bar to serve from open at 11 until close at 6:15, the knees took some hammering! But just when I thought my night was over...
How wrong would I be? What a silly question to ask! I only went to Katies to pick up my keys... Little was I expecting this to be the turning point in a very interesting weekend. After waking up at 11 that morning, I was approaching the 24 hour awake mark, a mere bump along the way to notching up 40 hours without sleep... Why? Katie was Ill, and by Ill I mean ill! Two trips to the hospital, and she was diagnosed with Blood, Kidney and Throat infections.... Ouch, ouch indeed! But how did we manage to get her there and back twice during Carnival? well first time round no taxis were available and we were refused an ambulance... Cheers Spain! So, after speaking to SuperTrace, I had to force her to walk the agonizingly long walk to the bus stop, next stop AnE! Bus back 4 hours later? Don't be silly! At that state all buses were packed with people heading into Old Town for the celebrations, and none would stop to pick is us up! And with taxis in sight it was the long, unbearable walk back to Cadiz On a Sunday afternoon in which everything, including all Pharmacies were closed... So no medication was available!
In between getting Katie to and from the Hospital we had to say goodbye to Mairi and Charlotte, not a happy goodbye, but a goodbye nonetheless, And as they got on their ways, we managed, eventually, to struggle with Katie, back past the crowds and back to her room, after which I headed back home, to get sorted and washed, before shading back for part 2...
After finally tracking down an open pharmacy through the wonder that is the world wide web, myself and Laura headed off into the busy Cádiz evening to collect her prescription to try and make her better.... only being allowed 1/3 of her medication and an interesting visit to Hollywood for food along the way was only the start to another interesting night without any sleep.
After eating we headed back to Katies, both of us full, tired and cold, not exactly expecting another trip to the Dr's, but after securing an Ambulance visit, and sending Katie off in it with Laura, myself and Lucy headed to the bus stop for another return to the waiting room. Luckily for us, a shorter visit, after pumping Katie with a glass jar full of Antibiotics we were sent off on our way in a taxi, into the late night/early morning. And after tucking Katie in bed, I finally made my way to mine. 40 hours later, my head was on my pillow, my head full of the torment, madness, happiness and terrible times that had passed us by that weekend.
Looking back on the weekend now, in hindsight, after the wonderful day yesterday in the early evening sun, drinking away our troubles, followed by face painting and partying, I can say there's not a lot of it i would want to change. It was a brilliant weekend, things happened, relationships changed for the better and the worst, people surprised me, for the better and worse, but what is Carnaval more about than putting on a mask and not being who you really are?
Carnaval is about letting go of things, dressing up means you can be someone you are not, but sometimes it's when you are trying to be so ethnic you aren't that you become exactly what you are. The real you can come out, people say and o things they don't mean, or wouldn't have done in other situations, and in the pitch black of the Carnival night, you start to see the light of day.
But with all the good and bad times of Opening Carnaval weekend a mere memory and facebook photo, I can look on towards the rest of this week and the few weeks to come;
Today is pancake day, and we mark the start if Lent by eating all those delicious sugary treats :) But also for Lent we give up things we think we can do without, and things that perhaps feel we should do without... What I have given up? Well a wise person told me that it wasn't good for me.... So I have given it up, it's nothing to mention, it's nothing to boast, but, for the next month, I will stop, and enjoy my time away, back in blighty, with not a trouble in the world.
For the rest of the week we have work at Magdala, Mattys 22 birthday celebrations, and then my flight home, back to England, and thankfully, at last, back to what I love, Musical Theatre, my weekend dedicated to seeing Northumbria's society Make RENT as brilliant as it is on the West End.
After this I mark my return to Donny, back to the family and friends I left behind 2 months ago, and back to see my Grandad celebrate his 80th birthday with a big bash at Donny Rovers' Keepmoat Stadium, with over 100 guests including his brother, my Great-Uncle, over from Australia for 2 weeks, the first time in a few years.
And then it will be back to Cai, back to the people here I adore so much, the people who make my days here, be there sun or showers, uni or chilling, some of the best days of my life, and without a doubt, one of the best years I will ever have.
Happy Blogging :)
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