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.