¡Qué guay!

¡Hola chicos!

So...the next step of MLAC on Tour 2k12-13 for me is a 4 month uni placement in Vigo, Galicia, Spain. I've been here a week so I now have plenty of things to tell you all about! I was at home for a few days, which was really nice. Was nice to see people, but mainly to actually sleep in a sleepable temperature for once, so I was actually nice and relaxed for Spain. It was a bit strange being home, like I didn't find it weird to speaking English all the time again, because obviously I kept in touch with people in France, but it's strange how embedded a language becomes in your head when you use it everyday. For example I had to stop myself saying "bonjour" to the lady behind the bar, because I dunno, my brain had sort of programmed itself to say that rather than "orate duck." But stopped myself in enough time for her to not think I was one of them foreign lot. So Spain... I flew out at like 9 something in the morning from Stansted Airport, which I've never been to before and quite liked; it's small and not confusing at all. To be honest I slept most of the way there in the car and then once I was on the plane and in the air I tried to read my kindle and read about a page before falling asleep...for about 3 minutes before the Ryanair stewardess made an announcement selling something or other. After she had finished the announcement in English and Spanish I fell back asleep, for about three minutes before the Ryanair stewardess made an announcement selling something or other. After she had finished the announcement in English and Spanish I fell back asleep, for about three minutes before the Ryanair stewardess made an announcement selling something or other. After she had finished the announcement in English and Spanish I fe...you get the idea of how annoyingly repetitive this was.

Santiago Train Station

I actually flew to Santiago de Compestela, which is another town in Galicia. A man I met in Toulouse had explained that there was a shuttlebus into town where I could catch a train or a bus to Vigo. But to be honest I was a bit tired and still quite unsure how to actually get to Vigo. But as I was walking to the airport terminal someone asked me if I were doing an Erasmus, I think she'd seen my learning agreement which was in my Important Documents plastic wallet (how organised!) and explained she was doing one in Santiago itself and was going to the city centre, so together we worked it out. I then bought a train ticket to Vigo (first time spoken Spanish in Spain to a Spaniard and I was understood ;)) and waited at the station. Despite Spain's relaxed reputation the train arrived bang on time, proper nice inside as well, or was I just comparing with the Holocaust train with wings I'd just flown there on? Anyway the train took about two hours to get to Vigo even though it's not that far away. It just stopped everywhere. And this time I managed to read my kindle/stare at the Galician countryside a bit. What shocked me was just how green it was! Like when people say Spain you think like scorched browny deserty colour - well I do - but no, Galicia is almost like home for its greenery, it's really nice. Being a Sunday, the information desk at the station in Vigo was closed, but that wasn't really much of a shock, I have lived in France for the past two months! So I still didn't really know where I was, but I had no map or anything. My housemates in Durham will know how much I prefer walking to wasting money in taxis, but I had no other option because a. I didn't know where I actually was and b. I had a dead old fashioned suitcase you can't wheel about because it was lighter than the one I took to Toulouse and every kilo counts on Ryanair! So I whacked out the address of where I'm staying and got in a taxi. The residence I'm staying in is in a pedestrianised zone, so at first the driver told me that he can't take me exactly there so I was like yeah okay fine. Then he decided he would actually take me all the way there and just kept saying pedestrians, police and slapping his hand. I just shrugged (too much time in France) cus tbh if he had have got into trouble I didn't actually ask him to break the law.

My room, hello Old Bear!

I'm staying in a Residencia Universitaria, which is like a private halls of residence kind of thing. I really like it because I'm surrounded by other Spanish students and also I get all of my meals included so I can eat Spanish things (like the other night we had a proper tortilla española) which I wouldn't necessarily elsewhere. There are two beds in my room but I'm on my own..for now. But I don't see anybody coming now that term has started, and we share a bathroom between 4 of us. It's nice, they're all very nice people and keep including me in things. The only little problem is that they ALL seem to go home at the weekend. Only 3 stayed this weekend, the only two who aren't from Galicia and one lad who didn't want to. So weekends are quiet. I've been made to join Tuenti, which is another social network, because the Spanish don't really use Facebook. The directora, Maria (what else?), is really nice and said if I need anything to go and ask her and she'll help me out, and she asked things like what to do if I'm ill and all sorts. I know she has commercial interests in mind really but it's nice know if I have a serious problem there's someone to listen to. Some of the residents saw me looking up some words in Spanish and, sincerely I think, said if I ever need any help academically then to just go and ask and they'll do there best, which I think is a really nice thing to say too.

So uni started last Monday with a talk for Erasmus students. I met up with Owen, who is also a Durham students also doing an Erasmus here, at the bus stop and we had a good catch up waiting for the bus. The stereotype of Erasmus students sticking together is very true, as so many people asked if we were English and then talking about uni because they heard us speaking in English to each other. We met three people from Bristol who all seem nice and as confused as we are, which is kinda reassuring. We also met some lad from Manchester who was absolutely hilarious...I haven't seen him since. Some woman was taking photos at the introductory lecture and he shouted out dead loud, "why's she taking photos?" in his Manc/Yorkshire accent. Could not stop laughing. So after the lecture I went to the international office to try and get my Learning Agreement - needed for Erasmus money - signed but was turned away because too many people needed help for finding accomodation, so it was signed the day after, so I hope it will still be valid! We'll see.

Went to a few classes, one was called Expresión Escrita e Oral: Español, which seemed interesting until the woman gave us a sheet with apparently 26 "errors" on it, and I couldn't see a single one! But she did say that even for the Spaniards it was hard. I thought that'd be an interesting module but unfortunately I had to drop it today because I found out I actually signed up for Beginners German so had to change things and ended up with a clash. I am now studying: English-Spanish, French-Spanish and German-Spanish translation and also French Audiovisual-Spanish (fifth year!!!) translation and have signed up for a Spanish for Foreigners course, which starts next week. I think to be honest that they will be better for my Spanish and if they're too hard then us Palatinates don't have to do exams so it doesn't matter!

Aie aie aie, talked for ages already...should update this more often. I'll leave this weekend and talk about that another time. Will talk about Thursday night and then let you rest your eyes a bit. Well no, let's talk about Tuesday and Wednesday first. Tuesday night I went out with everyone from the residence to "tomar algo," go for a drink. We all ordered beer and the bar-lady bought out three portable draft pump things, never seen them before but they're really cool! Like there was a good 10 pints in this jar she attached to this red thing and then we pulled our own glasses! ¡Qué guay! Wednesday the internet broke! ¡Qué horror! We all just went into Natalia and Aída's room to chat for a while and then went to watch a film called "Spanish Movie" in Cristián's room. It's like the Scary Movies but a spoof of loads of Spanish films. It was the first Spanish film without subtitles I've watched, which is why I wanted to mention it because I was happy with how much I understood of it, although as someone pointed out, the humour was quite international, i.e. slapstick. Good though.

The view from my room

Thursday is Jueves Universitario in Vigo, which is just Vigo's student night. I went over to Owen's piso (flat) because his flatmate had a little get together with some friends. It was really good, had a great chat about Stoke City and Rory Delapp with a lad called Gonzo. We went down to the port, which is really close to my residence, did I mention I had a sea view?! and did something called botellón, which is just drinking in the streets basically, but there were hundreds of people in the one place doing it! Was such a good atmosphere, would be cool if in most places it weren't illegal in the UK! Finally at like 3am we went to a club and it was the cheesiest place I've ever been in, even cheesier than Ride Club in Vienna and we did the Macarina in there! Now, I'm quite an old man in my ways sometimes, especially regarding sleep...so by 5 I was literally a walking zombie and I bailed and asked Gonzo and Cris to take me home (as I didn't know where home was located from the club). Owen stayed with them and they went all morning! Hardcore or what! No, not for me, I need to a sleep and cuddle with Old Bear...I mean my Rugby ball!

Right lads, that's the start of Spain for you! Absolutely loving it and think I'll be very happy here! Not mentioned the weather in this one! It's sunny, but not too hot, which I like because I can sleep at night. Not enjoying the mosquitoes though but got some repellent so life's good! Tell you about first and probably second weekend next time! ¡Hasta prontísimo mis amigos!

One of the beaches in Vigo