Guiri Girl Adventures

enemyx: kristalbabich: “It’s Been An Adventure, Mr....

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:45:15 +0000

kristalbabich:

“It’s Been An Adventure, Mr. Fredricksen.”

“Adventure Is Out There!”

Someone asked me to post these two companion pieces together so it was easier to reblog them.

/SOBS/

I just read your last post and it feels so weird to read someone's opinion and experience in a Spanish university (since I am Spanish) I'm sorry to hear about your classmates not wanting to know you, I really don't know why that is because in my university we try to talk with every exchange student, maybe is just there? anyway, hope you like your stay in Spain :) PS: you're right about the milk :P

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:37:25 +0000

Hi!

Thank you for replying :D I am glad it’s just here because I have friends who are going to study at different Spanish unis and I really don’t want them to have the same experience I’ve had.
Haha, I am definitely right about the milk :P

Hola!

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:06:12 +0100

So I haven’t posted in a long while.

As you can imagine things have gotten pretty hectic and I haven’t had time for tumblr other than to mindlessly reblog pretty pictures.

Anyway, life update.

I am now full settled in to my lovely flat and absolutely loving it! I have navigated strange supermarkets, conquered my confusing timetable and even made a Spanish friend. Starting to feel a bit more at home!

We do a hell of a lot more work here than back in Scotland, whereas my timetable at home seemed packed with 15 hours, here we are forced to do a crippling 24! The workload here is also much more demanding, I’m really starting to appreciate what an easy life we had back at HW!

I feel like my Spanish is inching forwards, but our Spanish classmates seem to not really want to know us. It’s quite an odd feeling as whenever we have exchange students back home everyone does their best to make them feel welcome, but here we’re almost outcasts! My only Spanish friend I have made is my tandem, thankfully we actually get on really well. With the students’ attitudes I get the feeling they’ve interacted with Erasmus students before and found them wanting. Here in Spain the nickname for the Erasmus programme is the “Orgasmus”, as they reckon we’re only here to have sex and get drunk. Which is not true for everyone! I feel as if we’re all being tarred with the same brush. I just want to learn Spanish!

There are some things that I absolutely adore here that are making this trip fantastic. For one, the food. Oh my word. Everything is of such a high quality and simply SO GOOD that I’m sure I’m going to leave here with a few extra kilos. (Not that I give a damn, I’d rather fill my face whilst I can!) My favourite thing I’ve tried so far is “Delicies d’Elx”, an almond stuffed date wrapped in streaky bacon and fried. Pretty sure it’s the food of the gods. (And no, that’s not Spanish, it’s Valencian, another language I’m currently tackling!) Secondly, the beautiful campus we have here at Alicante Uni. It’s the exact opposite of the equally beautiful HW one, but I feel very lucky to be studying on the most beautiful campus in the whole of Spain!

There are of course a couple of things that I just can’t get used to. One being, (as stereotypically British as this may sound!), the lack of queueing. Dear me. Getting on the bus is a nightmare, people will actually shove you out of the way so they can pick their tiny bit of standing room before you! Another is the milk. Bloody hell the milk. Here pretty much everything is UHT and that stuff is nasty. UHT is for putting in the cupboard in case a war breaks out and everyone ransacks Asda, not for everyday use! I did manage to find a shop selling my beloved Cravendale, but alas at over 2 euros a litre it was just not meant to be.

So anyway!

That’s me signing off for now, I’ll try to be more regular in future!

Hasta luego!

YES

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:04:00 +0100

FIRST SUCCESSFUL PHONECALL IN SPANISH

DON’T STOP ME NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

So I made it! Been here a few hours, already had an absolute fiasco trying to unlock the front door...

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:29:36 +0100

So I made it!

Been here a few hours, already had an absolute fiasco trying to unlock the front door which resulted in severely irritating my Spanish neighbour when she discovered I was simply trying to open the door wrong. Whoops.

Also took a trip to get some groceries from Mercadona, who by the way, order their items in such an unfathomable fashion that a quick “just to get me over the weekend” shop took over an hour. I’m sure I will learn its mysterious ways soon enough however.

Plus it’s currently like 34 degrees and I just can’t hack it! Too much for my paley English skin. Maybe I’ll get used to it. (I doubt it!)

Ciao for now, time to embrace the time-honoured Spanish tradition that is the SIESTA.

THIS IS IT

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:40:27 +0100

My flight is at 7am tomorrow morning.

My bags are packed.

I’ve made an inspirational playlist.

THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

So there’s about a week to go now, ee! Turns out one of my uni friends is going out a week...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 21:37:53 +0100

So there’s about a week to go now, ee!

Turns out one of my uni friends is going out a week earlier than she originally planned, I can’t wait to see her.

Currently getting very excited for a goodbye meal with some of my close friends, which will be a very bittersweet occasion, but something to look forward to nonetheless. I’m hoping to take loads of pictures to take with me to Spain, because however much I am looking forward to going, I am wishing a hundred times more that I could take them with me. I love you guys.

Right now I just can’t wait to go and get settled in, Alicante is a beautiful city and it’s going to be a wonderful temporary home.

I AM JUST SO EXCITED.

Woah woah woah

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:49:00 +0100

Back up.

Compulsory cultural activities include pilota valenciana and snorkelling?!

Hahahahaha I did not sign up for sports I am going to dieeeeee.

THREE WEEKS TO GO

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:12:01 +0100

Three weeks to goooooooooooooo!

Three weeks to go go go go go go!

I am so excited. I just got an email about all the extra trips that will be on for my Catalan course and THEY’RE ALL FREE. Oh yeah.

Getting to visit place like Altea, Elx, Denia, Oriola, Valencia and the Algemesi festival.

I can’t wait.

THREE WEEKS.

Sounds fun! I'm from the U.S. so we don't have Erasmus, but I was studying in Alicante this past spring! Let me know if you have any questions as you're preparing! :)

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:13:43 +0100

Oh that’s so nice, thank you! Did you have a good time? I’ve visited the city a few times and I adore it but obviously living there is going to be totally different. Do you have any tips? Dos/don’ts that kind of thing? Thanks again. :D

It is currently 22:53 where I live. It is 13 degrees here. In Alicante, it is 26 degrees. Ha....

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 22:55:53 +0100

It is currently 22:53 where I live.

It is 13 degrees here.

In Alicante, it is 26 degrees.

Ha. Hahahaha. Ha. I am going to melt.

Excited!

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 21:59:11 +0100

So I have 26 days to go until I start my first semester Erasmus studies in Alicante, Spain.

I am beyond excited! This past few weeks has been really hectic, as we haven’t had any decent weather in England since about 2005 so my “holiday drawer” of suitable clothing was pretty empty and I’ve had to go on a shopping spree! It’s also amazing how many little things you need to buy before you go away for this length of time. What’s the point in taking a half-empty foundation bottle, or a third of a pad of writing paper if you’re going to finish it by the 1st September? Though I’ve probably spent silly money on things I’ll regret taking, but hey, nevermind.

Anyway. If you’re also headed to Alicante for your Erasmus, drop me an ask! Or if you’re not. Hey-ho, I’m friendly.