Hola todos! As you may have guessed from the title, I’m now officially back in Spain. I didn’t blog over the Christmas period, not for lack of want but simply because I had no time at all. I spent a packed three weeks with my family, my grandparents, my boyfriend and some of my friends in England and if I’m totally honest, I’m sad it passed so quickly. They say time flies when you’re having fun, eh?
The minute I set foot back in England, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I do like where I’m living in Spain, don’t get me wrong, but I am a self-confessed home bird and despite the fog, it was so good to be back. Christmas was chock-full of hugs, presents and lots of catching up, complete with surprising my work friends, cocktails with Hannah, sales shopping (a must after Christmas) and even getting the chance to meet my cousin’s baby girl, Ophelia! After all this, I brought in the new year with Jack and all of his friends in Bedford. The theme for the party we went to was ‘Peaky Blinders’… having never seen it before (sorry) and being the only person from Birmingham there, I was a tad sceptical. Come New Year’s Eve, I walked into a room full of 22 year old lads wearing flat caps and attempting Brummie accents… it was interesting, to say the least, but I had a wonderful time.
Christmas and New Year celebrations with two of my favourite people
While I was back in Birmingham, I met up for coffee with Natalie who is currently in New Orleans – I’ve not seen her since June! Another highlight was spending a night in with chilli, Harry Potter and my best friend Harriet, who I’ve not seen since April when she moved to Granada, Spain and subsequently to Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. It was so nice to see some of my closest friends in person rather than through a screen. I was also reunited with my beloved university campus – probably the only student in my cohort happy to be back in the library right now – and in the midst of all the festivities, I somehow managed to fit in a bit of studying and find a house for final year with my lovely friend, Holly! The latter is already making me really excited to be back at uni with friends and study in a place I’m a tad more familiar, even if that does mean finally facing the dreaded dissertation…
Reunited with Natalie, Old Joe, and Harriet
Leaving England again was very tough. Considering how homesick I felt last semester, I’m not totally surprised, but I’d hoped I’d be able to hold it together a little more than I did in the end. I don’t think the three hours of sleep and an absolutely awful journey to Stansted helped that but at least I got to spend those last few hours with my mom – I even managed to make her cry too! It definitely seems to be a skill of mine. I’ve only been back a few days and, while it’s going to take some time to readapt to my life here, I’m determined to do so. The only annoyance is January exams. I’ve not sat an exam in January for about 5 years, not since my AS History exam which was an absolutely hideous experience. My first exam, ‘Destrezas lingüísticas en español’ (ew), is on Friday and while I’m dreading it, I’m also glad that soon it’ll be out of the way. I just have to revise for it first!
From the cold and rain to the cold but slightly more sunny
While we may be into the first couple of weeks of 2017 already, I’m not going to make a New Year’s Resolution as such. Instead I’m going to set myself a goal, something to aim for. In the coming months, my main aim is simply to embrace life here a bit more. While I may sit here on a daily basis and think ‘if only I was at home…’, or at the first sign of trouble or confusion I may panic like crazy, I know I’ll make it to the end. That’s the only thought getting me through right now: I will do it, or I’ll regret it. Quitting is not an option. Que será será, as they say. I have a fabulous support network, every method of contacting family and friends that you could think of, and I have my new fluffy Christmas pyjamas so if all else fails, I know I can hop into bed with some chocolate, Netflix and give myself a break.
I hope everyone else on their year abroad is having a good time being back, but if like me you’re struggling to comprehend being back, or more so, struggling to comprehend moving to another country for your second part of the year, I’m here for you all. We’ve got this.
I better get back to blasting Bowie and revision now, chicos. Besos xxx
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Kirstie Sutherland 