The End. The Final Post.

Hola.
A cliché of a title? Perhaps, but indeed it IS the end of my Erasmus Year Abroad in Chambéry (now affectionately called Chambz) and Valencia (now known as Valoz... I spot a theme, Anya? ;)) I've spent the last 10 months telling the story of my Year Abroad through this blog and without further ado, here are my very last few days ''on the continent.''

Sunday was a chilled day and I didn't really feel like doing much, saving myself for the event that was to follow that evening. Maddie and I decided to make our take on a Paella, a great opportunity to throw in as many random foods and vegetables as possible in order to use them up. Being Maddie's last evening, we sat at our dining table with Jess drinking Sangria and eating Paella as the sun set - beautifully Spanish.

That evening was the Hogueras de San Juan (Bonfires of Saint John) which was being celebrated across Spain. While many Spanish traditions are steeped in rich and archaic history, San Juan appears to be more like a reason just to have a good time. However, many things have been interlinked with this celebration, such as the summer solstice. Celebrated on the eve of St John's day, thousands of people gathered on the beaches of Valencia to make bonfires and release Chinese lanterns into the sky. Traditions include fire jumping and at midnight, everybody enters the sea and they jump over 7 waves for luck while others go completely in for a swim, said to cleanse the person of their sins and misgivings while people also throw their wishes into the sea, both spiritually and quite literally (I saw one person throwing little pieces of paper in..)

The event is particularly popular in Cataluñan and Valencian regions of Spain and as a result, the celebration has been adopted as some sort of Catalan national day, by nationalists at least. My manager from work, Kath, was holidays in nearby Alicante and had uploaded several photos to instagram of what looked like the statues we had in Fallas. I watched the Valencian News Channel and between my knowledge of Spanish and French, managed to grasp that this was the biggest and most famous San Juan event and mirrored Fallas in many ways (ninots, parades, mascletas, setting them on fire) and so that festival is a mix of Fallas with added bonfires.

Maddie, Jess and I caught the metro at 11.20pm to Marvallosa beach thinking we'd perhaps find someone we knew. Impossible, the beach was crammed with people and there was no chance of finding anyone. We wandered along the beach seeing what was going on, taking photos and at midnight we joined in with the jumping in the waves - Only in Spain. Despite being an interesting spectacle, I don't think anything could ever quite match up to Fallas in my mind and Guy Fawkes Night in November is going to be pale in comparison.

Monday was another goodbye, this time to Maddie who had a long trip back to America in front of her. I wrote her a little note and hid it in her suitcase while she showered so when tired at the other end, she'd have something to make her smile :). Sad times indeed, but I HAVE to go and visit one day. Wedding perhaps? After helping her with her suitcases to her taxi and waving her goodbye, Jess and I went to Turia for a picnic with Heather, later joined by Anya and AK. Guacamole, Goats cheese, salad and fresh juice went down VERY well in the sunshine. That evening we met with Widad, another Cardiff student who took us to a Moroccan restaurant: I had a soup to start followed a 'tapas' of falafel and houmous by a Chicken Tagine with Moroccan tea and sweets to finish and a coke all of which came to the crazy price of 10eur. One thing I will certainly miss about Spain will be the good food at the best prices.

Tuesday morning involved a trip to the Erasmus Office to get my Certificate of Attendance signed, scanned and sent to Cardiff - the last piece of YA admin! Jess and I then met with Heather and we wandered into town for our final llaollao: strawberries, chocolate balls and mango sauce YUM. I've never had something like it in the UK so will have to check it out but I feel that the climate and temperature in Spain makes it so much more appealing and subsequently satisfying. We then popped to Plaza de la Reina as I wanted to buy some postcards for my scrapbook, despite the thousands of photos I've taken since September. Still, it's nice to have shots of something that I wouldn't be able to get (such as an aerial view.) We then wandered through the riverbed home, stopping for a drink in the sun. For that evening, Anya had organised for everyone to go to Carmen and have some goodbye drinks which was lovely though it was sad to say goodbye to some truly lovely people that I have met. What I have decided, though, is that it  is definitely 'hasta pronto' rather than 'adiós.' Getting to bed at 2am was horrible, knowing I would be getting up in 3 hours.

Wednesday. My last full day in Spain and the last full day of my Year Abroad. Madness. Jess and I got up at 5am as I wanted to start my final day by going to the beach and watching the sunrise along with Heather. We caught a taxi and set up camp right by the ocean with a breakfast of chocolate croissants, watermelon and orange juice. All I can say is that it was  a beautiful spectacle, something I had wanted to do for a long time and getting up at a crazy hour was so so worth it. I was a happy boy indeed. Two hours later, which passed in the blink of an eye, we returned home and Jess went back to bed while I packed my final few things and ensured I was all set. Heather came over for Lunch as she had no food and I had made a ton of pasta sauce and pasta which needed eating. I borrowed Heather's laptop to sort out some photos while she napped on the sofa and then it was time to get ready for our final evening.

We met at Heath's and Han's at 7.30 and had some drinks: Me, Alex, Anya, AK, Han, Heath & Jess. We had decided to go to La Taberna de Marisa, without doubt the BEST restaurant I've eaten in during my time in Valencia. We had tapas of Valencian tomatoes and tuna, cheese and serrano ham croquettes and fried artichokes, a steak for main and melon for dessert. I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E.We ate so well, we chatted so well, we reminisced so well and then it was time to say goodbye to Alex and Hannah who are staying in Valencia for July. That was it, my final evening abroad was over.

Getting to bed at 2am, I managed a little sleep but it wasn't very deep nor refreshing as I was paranoid my alarm would not go off and I'd miss my flight. Of course it went off at 4am, I showered, packed the things I had needed to keep for the morning, woke up Spela to say goodbye and we met Heather to get a taxi to the airport. During the journey I looked around, seeing how accustomed I was to this place and I really saw it was home. It felt weird to know that I was going back to the UK but wouldn't be back in a week or 2.

I'd thrown out a ton of things that I no longer wanted or wore and my suitcase was 19.1kg. I don't dare think of how heavy it would have been had I kept everything. The airport process was quick and painless and before I knew it, I was gazing out the window and watching Spanish Soil fade away as we rose into the clouds. 2 hours and a sandwich later we had landed in Bristol and then came the final thing - Saying goodbye to my Cardiff gang and AK. We had grown so much closer during this year, especially with Heather who I only knew as a classmate last year BUT the best thing is that I knew I'd see them in September, if not before. That was it. I was, and am, back in the UK and my Year Abroad has come to an end.

It's great to be back with home comforts, friends, family, routine and a job. Nevertheless, I think it's going to take a while for it to sink in that I'm not just popping back here and I'm going back to Spain soon.

Looking back, things already seem so long ago.
Moving to France, My 21st Birthday, Grenoble, Paris, Lyon, Leaving France, Arriving in Spain, Fallas, Paris (again), Easter.. it almost feels as if it was another life and I have not done all of this stuff and much much more.

I think I can honestly say that every adjective in existence could apply to the experience of my Year Abroad in one way or another: Exciting, Terrifying, Expensive, Fun, Thrilling, Daring, Challenging, Depressing, Worrying, Incredible, Interesting, Amazing... to name but a few. It has been the craziest year of soaring highs and tear-provoking lows but that is ALL part of the experience. When I look back, the negative times pale into comparison compared to the incredible experiences I have had. Nevertheless, they were natural, were challenging and taught me how to deal with things I perhaps hadn't faced or thought about before but in the grand scheme of things, they are nothing and certainly something which will make me look back on my year with sadness.

I have done so many things and seen so many things I never would have in the UK and I have made some incredible friends along the way both in Chambéry and Valencia. Without these people my experience would have been so so different and I don't think it would have been as great as it was - There are many of you and you all know who you are.

Thank You also to everyone at home who came to visit me or has been there at the end of Facebook, Whatsapp or Skype for the highs but especially for the lows - it really helped me to be able to have an outsiders voice and to remind me of why I was abroad and how much I would regret not doing things or if I left the country, how I would dwell on it for the rest of my life (especially that 1 weekend in France when I was horribly homesick). Thanks for not forgetting me while I've been jet-setting and you've all been stuck in real-world Uni. :)

Thanks also to anyone and everyone who have glanced at, read once or followed my blog over the last 12 months from the initial posts last Summer, to the depths of my Year Abroad and to now, this ending post. I've written way too much and gone into crazy detail but I like to be detailed and in the future it'll help me vividly remember things. People have told me how they would put aside time in their week to read the epics that are my blog posts and that means a lot, knowing that people actually care enough to read about what I'm up to, thinking and feeling.

Another great thing about the Year Abroad is that I have met people on my course I never knew, I have become so much closer with people on my course and I think everyone as a whole has become a lot closer as a yeargroup and I am sure this will be noticeable back in Cardiff and there'll be some great nights out I am sure. Thanks to Patrick, Catrin, Harriet and Katie for the hilarious conversations and Year Abroad bants on twitter,. Thank You also to Naomi and Heather, my new little beans and in the case of Heather,  also my wife. I'm so glad we were together in Chambs & Valoz and got to know each other. Naomi you are just a bundle of beauty and wisdom and Heaths I have discovered what a wonderful, selfless, and beautiful person you are and it has been a pleasure to spend the last 5 months with you, getting to know you (and obviously getting engaged and subsequently married.) You guys are stuck with me next year.

Finally, I would like to say a special thank you to my besties Anya, Alex and Hannah. After 2 years in Cardiff and a ton of memories, I knew that sharing my Year Abroad with you guys would be a special experience. You've all been there through the highs for all of the fun and trips and memories we have had but you were especially there when I was feeling down. My first weekend in France when I had food poisoning and you came to my room to check on me and Hannah made scrambled egg on a bread roll as we had no way of toasting things. I'll never forget it, nor will I during my 'Weekend of Depression' as I name it when I was horribly homesick. You guys came to my room and cheered me up, told me I'd get through it and you were all there to help me as much as I needed. We've all been down and during these times we rally around with hugs, conversation or even bars of chocolate (Lidnt Anya??) and I honestly can't tell you how glad I was I had you guys with me. I worried that we'd be together 24/7, make no other friends, speak nothing but English and have no other friends than ourselves. Yes there may have been times when we were fed up and annoyed with each other, but that's normal and I personally feel that a good balance was reached. Thank You once again for another year of memories and friendship, you'll never quite know how much I appreciate and value it. I love you all.

So that's it. My Erasmus Year Abroad is over and a lot of these memories will stay fresh with me for the rest of my life, especially due to this blog which I'm going to get bound and printed as a book.

3,959 photos, a blog of 53,421 words, too many euros spent, a ton of new and special friends, a lifetime of memories and truly the best 10 months of my life.


Chambéry, Valencia & All Involved....

Merci et Au Revoir.
Gracias y Adiós.

Being On Holiday

HOLA DESDE VALENCIA.

With the many visitors we’ve had over the past few weeks and no exams nor University, it very much feels as if we’re on holiday right now. Last Sunday evening, I travelled to the airport to welcome back Heather (who had been at home for the weekend celebrating her birthday) and Jess, my friend who was coming to visit for my final stint in Valencia. As I waited outside the exit, I noticed a Spanish family who were holding a banner to welcome back their daughters from Erasmus. This kind of put things into perspective, as they were leaving my country to return home and it’s nearly time for me to leave their country to go home!

That evening we bought a pizza, sides and ice-cream and sat up until the small hours chatting about life and catching up with each other. Beautiful :D

Being on holiday, Jess is obviously keen to get a tan and go to the beach and that’s exactly what we did on Monday, later joined by Alex, Hannah and Sam. We had a good swim in the sea and there were some crazy waves throwing us about – It was hilarious to watch Alex who was desperately trying to avoid getting the salt water in her face and eyes. We also attempted to play with a bat and ball (quite a common game on the beach here) but it soon became evident that we needed a little bit of practice.

That evening Jess, Alex and I went to Yi, a Japanese restaurant as Alex was craving Sushi (I’m surprised she hasn’t got bored of it by now) and I ate sooooo much food. It’s an all-you-can-eat menu but you choose what you would like and it’s cooked freshly for you. We just kept ordering more and more, but at least we got our money’s worth. From there we headed to Luna Luna, the bar a stones-throw from my flat where we met with Hannah, Heather and Heath’s friends Becky & Marie. Ironically, as Jess had come to Spain to escape the British rain, a thunderstorm ensued with some awesome lightning flashing across the sky. As already mentioned, thankfully home was only a few seconds away.

On Tuesday I took Jess for a wander through Carmen with the intention of climbing the Miguelete, the tower at the Cathedral. However, it was quite overcast and I felt it’d be better to do it another day when the view would be magnificent. We stopped at a Tapas restaurant just off Plaza de la Reina where we ate some pinchos and took a rest inside from the warm, it was horribly humid. Jess was certainly getting into the swing of Spanish life, taking a siesta later that afternoon, more Spanish than me! That evening, Pooja and Alyssa had arranged to have a get-together on the beach as it was their last night before returning back to America. It was sad to say goodbye, but I will always be with Pooja as I gave her one of my t-shirts: She is into photography and it has a camera on it. The tee is so old I was going to leave it here and so she asked if she could have It – Definitely the best present she has ever received.

Another goodbye that I said this week was to Becks. She wrote the following in her blog:

Thanks to the English guys and girls (or mainly just the whole of the language department at Cardiff Uni) – You guys were great fun to go out with and I am definitely coming to Cardiff for a night out with you all! And Sam, I will learn the Single Ladies dance and we can duet ;)

This made me smile and made me realize just how lucky I am to have met so many wonderful people during this time in France and Spain with lots of people all around the UK that I have to go and visit J

I received an email from Cardiff that I needed to get a signature on my Learning Agreement, a bit annoying after being here for 5 months, but easily solved. I popped to Uni on Wednesday morning as this is when my coordinator has office hours. While in Cardiff we make appointments to see lecturers, here it is just a case of turn up and wait. Unfortunately, there was a large queue or Spanish students who had questions and forms to be signed as they were just about to go off on their year abroad. Therefore, I had to wait 2 hours, which wasn’t fun and the signature took less than 10 seconds. Poor Jess had been left waiting in my flat as I told her I’d be no more than half an hour. This was my last experience within the Spanish system and what a way to go out, with just as much disorganisation as when I arrived. I certainly won’t miss this aspect of Spanish life/education.

Having planned to go to the Beach but feeling quite a lot of the day was gone, we decided to head back into the old town to wander some of the parts we hadn’t seen the day before and to also climb the Miguelete. I noticed how much wonderful graffiti/artwork was all around Carmen. Whether it is illegal or not (?) I do not know, but I’d rather look at some elaborate artwork and designs rather than random words sprayed on a wall. Climbing the 207 steps of the Cathedral with a temperature of high 20s was tiring but SO worth the views from the top. Naturally, I took lots of photos and we sat and stood for half an hour, looking over this beautiful city which I’ve come to call home. The more I think about it, the more this feels like home and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact it’s a city and that I live in a flat, compared to the student halls in France. I’ve come to the conclusion that I think I could live here, but I couldn’t study here. That said, I haven’t experienced the work-side of life here and it could be quite easily as badly organised as the education I have seen here.

Wednesday was also sad as it was time to say goodbye to María, the bessssst Spanish flatmate ever. She had planned to leave Thursday and we had planned to have some drinks and dinner on Wednesday evening. Unfortunately, there were no remaining train tickets for the next day and so she had to leave unexpectedly the day before. It was sad to say goodbye after so many laughs and so much fun but I DEFINITELY plan to come back and visit, hopefully for Fallas next March! I also have a lot to thank her for as my Spanish has benefitted SO much from living with a native speaker and our conversations always being in Spanish. Not only that, she would tell me if I’d said something incorrectly or if something sounded too literal and weird and there’re plenty of colloquial phrases that I’ve picked up from my time living with her. I’ve been very lucky.

That evening AK and Anya returned from a weekend in Valencia and along with Heather, Becky and Marie, Jess and I joined them for a delicious dinner at Tanto Monta. Conversation was interesting, company was beautiful and food was delicious. Enough said I think?!

Thursday was another beach day with Heather, Becky and Marie. After 4-5 hours of tanning, I got restless and left the girls to sunbathe while I grabbed a Valenbisi and decided to cycle down to the other end of the beach. I’d never been there and just wanted to check it out, it was something on my list of things to do before leaving. The beach essentially carried on and on until I reached a motorway and sand dunes, where the coast began to curve and unable to find somewhere to park up the bike, I had to turn around there. Amusingly, I saw a man walking his pet pig on the beach, something I’ve never seen before. He poured water into a bowl for it and patted it on the stomach as if it were a dog – Only in Spain! Thursday evening, Anya and AK cooked us the most DELICIOUS and traditional Indian meal with a chicken curry, dahl, rice, salad and sweetcorn. Heather had made white sangria and Alex bought an ice-cream cake for dessert and it was yet another evening of great food and great company. Yum!

After having a lazy morning, Jess and I went into town for Paella for lunch on Friday and while delicious, I did feel that the service in the restaurant left a little to be desired. However a salad, paella and desert for 12eur? I can’t complain too much! We then headed to Turia and wandered along the riverbed to reach Artes y Ciencias. Studying engineering (just like Joanna,) I was sure it would go down well and indeed it did. The skies were blue, the water was glistening and everything looks gleaming and beautiful. After wandering around, we crossed the road to El Saler, the large shopping centre to have an ice-cream before wandering the way home. 

Friday was the Summer Solstence, the longest day of the year but the fact that the sun was in the sky for the longest period of time in the whole year was kind of overshadowed (literally) by the dramatic weather conditions that soon came. Soon after arriving home, it began to rain and then it began to pour and there was a huge thunder and lightning storm – Welcome to Spain Jess! The skies soon cleared to reveal the most spectacular sunset I think I have ever seen and as my lounge faces west, we had the perfect view. I took some photos and Jess had the great idea of going to the roof for a better view, and what a view it was! As the sky began to darken, it did so quickly as more clouds rolled in bring more thunder and lightning with it. I stood on the roof getting drenched taking photos and trying not to get my camera wet. I wanted to capture some lightning but the rain became too heavy and I was forced to retreat to the dryness of the indoors.

That evening we were supposed to go out but what with so many places being open-air at this time of year and the currently meteorological conditions, nobody really felt like it. Maddie was out that evening and so I took the opportunity to borrow her laptop and sort the photos I had taken over the last few days.

For the final Saturday of my Year Abroad, Jess and I spent the afternoon at the beach. It was HOT and the place was packed, mainly to the front where the sand is cooler and the sea is in easy reach – Perhaps others have experienced burnt feet from the sand too… Due to the busy nature, I decided we should walk further down the beach where I had cycled a few days previously. This paid off as the beach was a little quieter and we could have our own little area. We tanned, ate, played with the bats and ball and I also spent 2-3 hours in the sea just swimming around and enjoying the sea. My tan is coming on very well and I need to get it to its optimum level of brown before I go home, I am told people are expecting great things. I have a GREAT tan line where my shorts are, which is amusing to see in the shower.

We spent about 5 hours at the beach before grabbing and ice-cream and heading home. Jess needed her daily Siesta while I watched some junk Spanish TV (it’s all I can think of to do without my laptop!) Last night, Jess and I along with Heather and her 4 friends (another 2, Katie and Sally, had come from Barcelona/Madrid where they’re on their YA) all went into Carmen for a tapas dinner. Delicious! Carmen was buzzing with activity and the streets were crowded with people milling from restaurants, bars and others having botellón. From there, we met with Anya, AK, Amy and some new people I hadn’t met before and we had a few drinks in El Laboritorio, a bar just next to Plaza de la Virgen. When it closed, we sat on the steps of the plaza chatting and being 2am in the morning, the place was a hive of activity. Carmen is one of my favourite areas of Valencia and I’ll definitely miss it when I return home.

So here we are, Sunday 23^rd June 2013. I travelled to France on the 1^st September 2012. 10 months. Crazy. I can’t quite comprehend that it’s actually nearly time to pack up for the last time and head back to Wales for good. While there are things I will obviously miss here, I am so excited to get back home to friends, family, foods, work and just a bit of ‘home.’

I have 4 days left in Valencia and a huge list of things I want to do. Will I get to do them all? No, probably not. I’ve very much ‘lived’ here as a local and haven’t been running around seeing all of the tourist attractions like I felt I did in France, but that’s fine as I will without doubt come back here in the future.

The next few days will consist of packing, enjoying, goodbyes and ticking things off my list as the final few days of my Third Year Abroad play out. Britain, I’ll be seeing you soon…