un redondeo

Honesty time for what is potentially my final entry to this blog: my year abroad experience has been harder than I ever imagined that it would be. This doesn't negate the many good things about my life in Spain and this realisation has taken a while to surface, but there it is; this year has been bloody hard! There's been all the obvious difficulties that come with living abroad; learning the language, coping with culture change - the extremity of which shocked me throughout the first semester - starting a new job, setting up a bank account, finding a place to live etc. etc. Furthermore, whilst I had been told to expect it, I didn't imagine the homesickness I suffered in the first few months. I had to experience the loss of family whilst being thousands of miles away from them, the feeling of missing out from my main circle of university friends who were in their final year, the challenge of maintaining a long-term relationship and the subsequent failure of that. Really, I'm not trying to get any sympathy votes but I would like to validate the reasons why, for me, this has not been the singular greatest year of my life. There is so much pressure to make it so and to make the most of it, to squeeze all the life out of it before it's too late because when will you get this opportunity again? But I don't buy into this view; we have the ability to create our own opportunities in life and I've always been pretty averse to polarising human experience in that way.

Anyway, there's the slightly melancholy part of my final "Third Year Abroad" blog post. Fortunately, the happier part still burns bright in my mind and hopefully it'll continue to do so when looking back on this whole experience. This year has been, in many ways, one of the most rewarding and illuminating that I have ever enjoyed.  I have learnt more than I could have imagined learning about Spain, about myself and about human nature in general! My perceptions of what is normal have been challenged and, more importantly, I have met some of the most interesting, talented and the kindest individuals I could have hoped to have met during these past nine months.

The students at my colegio are remarkable, brilliant beings, each and every one of them. I look at their faces and envisage them all grown up, wondering what's in store for them. They have taught me a lot about humility, kindness as well as reminding me what it is to see the world with curious eyes. I will deeply miss seeing them grow up, laughing at their silly jokes, observing their uninhibited sense of fun and wit, even their ridiculously overblown squabbling. I wish them happiness and strength and I hope that they survive adulthood with their inner child intact! I have been so privileged to meet them at such an important stage in their lives. 

I spent my final week at the school feeling overwhelmed by the love from the children and the brilliant teachers with whom I worked. Gonna miss them terribly!

 I've realised that there so many people and places that I'd like to write about here that naming them would result in either a full-length essay or having to miss some people out (hence, also, the glaring lack of photos of people in this post). Some of them are fellow language assistants including my lovely flatmate, the Torre lot and those living in Santander, whilst others are Cantabrians who I've been lucky enough to meet in La Vetusta, La Asunción bakery, Jonatan Rueda, Hogar, the Metropolitan gym and Musli in Torrelavega, at surfing lessons with Ahau surf and through language exchanges. Suffice to say that I've met some incredibly warm, special, interesting people and made some friends for life. I'm going miss 'em all deeply but glad that, with many of them, it won't be our last meeting!

As for places, it's a similar story. The north of Spain was a surprise for me  in so many ways. From the (often awful) weather to the beauty of the beaches and mountains; I have honestly never encountered such a spectacular coastline as that of Northern Spain and am grateful of my decision to live here, even despite the gale-force winds and torrential rain! Liencres will always hold a special place in my heart as my favourite Cantabrian beach and the ruta de Cares, Asturias is probably the most epic visual experience I have ever had. It's been great exploring the region of Cantabria itself: the varied beaches around La Magdalena, skateboarding around el Parque de las Llamas and of course the hiking trips to Peña Sagra and Fuente Dé. The list would go on but it might get a bit tedious for anyone other than myself! Basically, I'd strongly strongly recommend a visit to Cantabria and Asturias to anyone of the outdoorsy kind, because for that sort of thing in Spain, you can't get much better!

One last thing - after spending the first couple of months convinced that I would not see a smidgen of improvement in my Spanish, I am so happy to say that I've seen a definite change for the better. I have learnt un montón this year and can't quite believe how my journey towards fluency has begun to make itself apparent. 

This entry was never going to do justice in expressing how much I appreciate the friends I have made and the experiences I've had, but I hope that it goes a little way to saying THANK YOU Spain, it's been inolvidable :)

things I have learnt so far: Part 4

They like their food. No, really.

Spain's relationship with food is quite distinct from the British one. In the UK, quantity is usually a definite factor in the value of food - here, not so much. Here, it doesn't take much to spark gastronomic excitement. Sitting in the staff room for example, a daily flow of empanada, quesada and soblao is provided by various teachers for reasons that range from birthday celebrations to my sister-in-law-who-you've-never-met's wedding a fortnight ago. The reaction to the food is generally met with a succession of "Mmmm! Que rico!", "Vaya, bueníssmo!" and the like. In print, that doesn't look like anything out of the ordinary but when I try to picture the same kind of zest over a Victoria sponge amongst a flock of English teachers - "OOH! So tasty!", "Wow, absolutely delicious!" - it doesn't quite fit. A couple of days ago a packet of shop-bought breadsticks were being handed around the table, resulting in an full-blown conversation about said breaksticks' deliciousness. To me it seems like an overall healthier attitude to eating; people take the time to enjoy food, not just through consumption but by praising it! Food Appreciation Society, that's Spain right there.

When to say thanks remains a mystery

This one's just part of a larger cultural difference that I'm still getting accustomed to; there's no need to thank the person who is taking your food order nor the person driving the coach/bus. I've even been told by a Spaniard that to thank a driver for just doing their job would be bizarre to most. It is perhaps the cultural difference that I have struggled most with for the entire year and I'm afraid I am still inclined to thank people to what Spanish people would deem an excessive degree!

Hello/Goodbye/Who are you

Saying hello and goodbye to complete strangers with whom you have no intention of striking up a conversation is a social norm. Only this morning I was sat in a Doctor's waiting room and observed with interest the frequency and variety with which people did/did not greet one another. Most of the elderly ladies for example would greet the entire room with a 'Buenas', then proceed with a running commentary of their circumstances to which I am unsure to whom it is directed. In the gym changing rooms I am regularly greeting and saying "see you later" to people I've never met; any eye contact with a stranger in the street often leads to greeting of some sort. Overall I see it as a great thing; people are just generally more talkative and sociable and from a very basic perspective, it's nice to be acknowledged.

I'm back

Change is happening! Having been wrenched from what was one of the best Christmas and New Years that I have had yet, my mind for the first two days back was firmly set to ‘take me home’ mode. It took me about a week to truly settle in to the swing of Torrelavega life again and now that I have, I’ve noticed a few changes in my perception of my year abroad.

I'm no longer feeling that dreadful, heavy weight of homesickness that seemed to squash me throughout my first term here. I was having fun, yes, but at the same time I kept looking back at things going on with my British friends and wishing that I could join in. But now it seems that I no longer pine so intensely for home comforts. I continue to miss my friends and family hugely and there are still low points where I yearn to be back, but altogether I have lost that persistent ache to be surrounded by all things familiar. I imagine that this is in part due to my return to the UK where I realised that it does fact still exist and that I am not entirely removed from life there. It's also come from a renewed enthusiasm and love for my job, for travelling, for improving my Spanish and for trying new things.

The main downside of my experience here is, er, the downpour. We have rain in the UK, boy do we have it, but Cantabría has it's own unique type of precipitation; intense and heavy, the kind of short bursts that soak right through your jeans and freeze your legs. As a part-time language assistant with a lot of free time on my hands and the desire to explore, this kind of weather is less than helpful. I'm crossing all my metaphorical fingers that this constant rain will subside soon because when it does this place really comes alive with people and beauty.

a rare, rain-less day in Santander!

things I have learnt so far: Part 3

One more before hometime:

I am a tall Spanish woman

If I was a Spanish woman, that is. At home I'm pretty average height wise at 5'6" but here that seems to be towards the tall end of the height spectrum. It's quite a strange feeling to walk around looking over the heads of, well, almost everyone apart from about 50% of the male population in Torre. It also leaves me feeling like a bit of an awkward giraffe-type creature in Zumba classes...but it's fine, I just stand far away from the mirror and then I'm the same size as everyone else.

Spanish dogs are way more hilarious than UK mutts

Not sure why. Maybe it's because they're all pretty tiny and therefore not the brightest of animals. Anyway, my flatmate and I have spent a good percentage of our free time in muffled laughter at a passing pug-crossed-with-large-guinea-pig dressed in a Messi football tee or, even better (worse) still, a purple puffa jacket complete with fur-lined hood.

I still don't quite know how to order food or drink in Spanish

And yes, I know, this is one of the first things you are taught when learning a new language - how to say 'I would like...' and 'how much is...?' and 'the bill please'. Turns out, however, that regurgetating your old GCSE Spanish phrases in a restaurant/bar/cafe makes you sound as posh as voluntarily attending a regatta. On asking for 'the bill please' we would invariably be met with, yep, the bill, but also a slight smirk flitting across the waiters' respective mouths. Thankfully the guys in our local café informed us that it is more usual to say 'how much do I owe you?' or even, 'charge me'. Imagine saying either in a British eatery; one sounds too familiar, the other plain rude. Thus I've discovered the added difficulty of trying to find the appropriate words in the particular context in order to avoid sounding like a div, a problem that I hadn't really got the hang of in my own language let alone prepared myself for before moving here.

Commerical breaks: long, boring and sporadic

"See you in 8 minutes" chirps the TV part way through an exchange of dialogue between Ted and Barney in Cómo conocí a vuestra madre. After this substantial length of time watching five adverts about five different brands of yoghurt all claiming immediate (and seemingly extreme) constipation relief, the programme returns only to be interrupted just 10 minutes later for a "2 minute break"! Pattern or purpose? I see neither.

Alternative music has yet to arrive in Santander..!?

I should emphasise that this is from my experience anyway, so perhaps I'm not looking in the right places. However, after a conversation with a friend from Santander itself I'm led to believe that my experience has been pretty accurate. The standard musical repertoire in a club goes like this: Europop, Pitbull, Europop ft. Pitbull and maybe, maybe, a bit of Reggaeton. So far disappointing, but I'm still on the hunt as I'm fairly sure I've yet to explore even a quarter of the bars and clubs that the city has to offer. On the up side, Torre's nightlife often offers something at least more diverse (if not my typical cup o' tea), with clubs like En Vivo holding rock music nights and the rest of the town providing various live music events if you take the time to look for them.

a note to Jacques Yves Cousteau

Quería escribir esta entrada en español, pese a los varios errores gramaticales y la expresión torpe que seguramente seguirán. Quería escribirlo así porque me gustaría expresar mi pasión por, y mi delicia en, la costa de este parte del país en palabras que reflejan un lado distinto de yo mismo, uno más pensativo, emotivo, y menos analítico que qué pienso que lo suele expresar mi propio uso de mi lengua nativa.

En realidad no he explorado tanto de las playas de Cantabria, pero puedo decir sin duda que lo que sí he visto me ha dado más felicidad y tranquilidad que todas las otras experiencias que he tenido aquí hasta ahora. 

La semana pasado tenía mi primera clase de surf española, en que pude revisar todo de lo que podía recordar de las clases en Boscombe hace un año además de aprender un montón de cosas nuevas, no solo de mi técnica sino también del movimiento de las olas, cómo funciona el oleaje y cómo el cuerpo humano consume la energía durante hacer ejercicio. Era una experiencia genial que no veo la hora de repetir!

Lo que me encanta de esta costa también es la falta de gente, particularmente durante esta temporada; como me hago mayora me doy cuenta de que, mientras que siempre me ha considerado alguien extrovertido, me consuela enormemente en estar sola, ya sea entre una multitud de gente o en una playa vacía. Aquí no hay turistas ni personas por lo general, ya que el tiempo es demasiado incómodo para hacer un poco de baño de sol. La inhospitalidad de esas playas me recuerda de Poole dónde vive mi abuelo así que me ofrece mucho consuelo.

I wanted to write this entry in Spanish, despite the various grammatical errors and clumsy language that will surely ensue. I wanted to write it so because I’d like to express my passion for, and my delight in, the coast of this part of this country in words that reflect a different side to me, one that is more pensive, emotional and less analytical than what I think I tend to express through my own use of my native language.

In reality I haven’t explored the Cantabrian beaches so much but I can say without a doubt that what I have seen has offered me more happiness and peave than all the other experiences that I’ve had here so far.

Last week I had my first Spanish surf lesson, wherein I could go over all that I could remember from lessons in Boscombe last year as well as learning a load of new things, not only to do with my technique but also of the movement of the waves, how swell work and how the human body consumes energy whilst exercising. It was a great experience that I can’t wait to repeat!

What I also love about this coastline is the lack of people, particularly during this season; as I get older I realise that, whilst I’ve always considered myself an extroverted person, I gain huge comfort in being alone, whether than be amidst a crowd of people or on an empty beach. Here there are no tourists nor people in general since the weather is too uncomfortable to do a spot of sunbathing. The inhospitality of these beaches reminds me of Poole where my Grandad lives and thus offers me much comfort.

things I have learnt so far: Part 2

it's your Birthday? Great, buy me a drink!

to my eyes it's a very positive aspect of Spanish culture, their pleasure in giving and sharing things. And it's not just with material things; I have never encountered such willingness to help one out through the sharing of knowledge, from my estate agents' recommendations and tour of the best bakeries in Torre to my surf instructor's thorough, detailed explanation of tidal movements and coastal features. They love it, they love sharing stories and giving things so much that they will use any excuse (birthdays, weddings, sister's wedding, birthday 2 months ago) to bring in cakes/wine/chocolates and home-made tortillas...the only downfall is that on your birthday it is you that foots the bill and buys the drinks. At least it only happens once a year eh, har har.

personal space is not a "thing"

or at least the permitted personal space allowance per individual is greatly reduced from what I'm used to in the UK; in various situations I have found myself close enough to be inspect the pores of my fellow converser. However, I'm learning to appreciate the feeling of confidence that it so expresses as well as the generally more physical nature of Spanish social interaction interaction. No longer do I lean back slightly when greeted by people with a kiss on each cheek; on the contrary, I've found the less you resist all this intimacy the more you acknowledge its value as an exchange of trust and friendship.

neither is brown eye make up

exemplified by both my housemate and my extreme difficulty in finding any in the shops. Rachel tells me her experience of being met with blank expressions or of surprise when requesting this elusive object. The style of make up here is black, black, black and a little bit more black. Which looks lovely on Spanish skin but a bit vampiric on Rach and my paler, rosier complexion.

english language music is v. popular

but they don't understand the words. For example, TV shows/ads frequently use songs with vaguely inappropriate lyrics or by musicians whose accompanying culture is at complete odds to that of the show - 'Californication' and Avril Lavigne play in the background of a documentary about Cantabrian livestock whilst the explicit version of Cyrus' 'We Can't Stop' bridges a segment in a day-time chat show. Bizarre, visual/audio juxtapositions galore.

someone saying "See you later" is more like someone saying "seyalaah"

"hasta luego" will be expressed "'stalogo", said rapidly and in passing to a neighbour or conocido. There are plenty of other interesting details of pronunciation that I'm learning, such as the Northern tendency to drop the 'd' in past perfect verbs. For example, "pasado" becomes "pasao", making it sound quite Portuguese or even Chilean (to my limited knowledge anyway!).

So there's a little update on some of the fascinating things I have noticed (or at least think I am noticing as it 

could well be all in my mind) from my time spent here. Expect more at some future date!