I am a disgrace.

The fact that I haven't written a blogpost since October makes me want to weep slightly, but never mind! Let's chalk it up to the fact that I was having too much fun in Granada/buried under a mountain of coursework.

Hello again! I'm currently sitting in my little French room and thinking about life. So much has happened since October, I don't even know where to start. Here are the highlights:
1. In November, my parents and boyfriend came to visit me which was lovely.
2. I visited Madrid and met up with some of my best friends there.
3. Carine and I found the best place for a roast in Granada.
4. My bank card was swallowed up on a night out.
5. I returned to my beloved Scotland for Christmas.
6. January was a complete blur during which Carine and I created a documentary and I did all of my Spanish exams.
7. And now I have moved to France!
Quite a whirlwind time.

I learned a lot during my time in Granada and I miss the place and the people I met there so much already. The things that I learned were mixed and many I can chalk up to life experience. I will detail below some things to keep in mind if you are heading to Andalusia any time soon.
1. Don't mind the staring. They're not used to freckly foreigners, try and not take it personally.
2. Go and see the Alhambra, even if it is pouring down with rain.
3. Eat as much tapas as humanly possible.
4. It is perfectly acceptable to drink alcohol at any time of day. Seriously, any time.
5. Prepare yourself for the culture shock.
6. On the hunt for sweet potatoes, you may accidentally buy and eat a yam.
7. The party starts at 3am and ends at 7am. Try to keep up.
8. Don't do a Spanish-French translation class if you're an English speaker. Just don't.
9. Always look around you, there are so many beautiful buildings and you won't want to miss them.
10. Take a visit to the Arabic baths, the hot stone is heaven.
I could write about 20 more, but I'll spare you.

France is entirely different.
After struggling through the Paris metro system with waaaaay over-packed cases (sorry again, Carine) and a 2 hour train journey, I have finally made it to my new home! I'm spending the next five months in Tours in the North-West of France, a completely different place to Granada which is right in the South of Spain.
It's a small, quaint city with beautiful architecture and lots of little squares and cafés. It feels a lot more like Britain which is maybe why I'm experiencing less of a culture shock so far. Tours is very typically French and I can hear the tram bells from my bedroom window.
I'm staying with two friends from Heriot-Watt in a hall of residence which resembles a Swedish prison. This wasn't helped by the fact that my first week in the halls was spent in bed with a stomach infection (Why immune system, why?!). However, I've made my room feel much more homely with photos of my friends and of Granada, and I'm strangely looking forward to starting classes and having a whole new experience!
I'm writing my dissertation this semester so brace yourselves for some frantic, stress-filled posts over the coming months.
Living in France has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl, so I'm very excited for the next chapter of my third year abroad!

P.S. I'll leave you with some photos of my time in Granada and I'll post some of Tours as I get my bearings!

My mum and dad when it was still hot!

When Magnus came to visit f.t. German tourist

Paseo de los Tristes

When Ailsa came to visit f.t. The Alhambra

Only picture from when I visited the Alhambra

Oh. So. Good.

Bib Ramblas at Christmas!

Our surprise leaving party

Our beautiful friends who have just moved to Granada

Hotel de Ville in Tours!

The Settling-In Process and Other Adventures

I'm writing this post from my little Spanish bed of pain. I am full of the cold with a hacking cough that even made a pharmacist recoil. 

There are several reasons as to why I'm sick:

1. Airplanes

2. A new country full of new germs

3. The fact that I was so optimistic about Spanish weather that I didn't bring a jacket

4. I've been really, really busy.

Having said that, I am very glad that I've been such a busy bee! I'm feeling far more settled and the last couple of weeks have been chock-full of adventures, to the extent that my Spanish flatmate asked me if I'm ever going to stop rushing around. 

A few of the highlights have been eating ENORMOUS tapas in Plaza Einstein, spending a day cuddled up with my fellow Brits watching Bake Off, having a big group dinner of hilariously terrible Mexican food, going to a salsa class (NEVER AGAIN), receiving a very thoughtful memory book from Magnus and spending a day in beautiful Seville.

I'll tell you a little more about the latter. Seville is one of the prettiest cities I've ever been to and my friends and I spent yesterday there. After a three hour bus journey which turned into a party bus mid-way through, we arrived in Seville after mid-day and found ourselves in the Maria Luisa Park and the stunning palacial buildings in Plaza Espana. We rented a bike/golf cart hybrid to explore the park which resulted in a minor crash and a lot of hilarity. I think we must give off a British vibe, as a Spanish man kept yelling "English" at us.

Charming. 

We spent the rest of the day exploring and lazing around in tapas bars which we felt was well deserved. In the evening, my wonderful friend Paula, who did Erasmus at Heriot when I was in first year, joined us and we all watched the sunset from the top of an enormous and very modern tower called Metropol Parasol. It was one of the most stunning sunsets I've ever seen and the views of Seville were incredible. 

One of the things that struck me the most was seeing a street called "Granada" and feeling a pang of longing. Granada is quickly becoming another home! I'm falling more in love with the city every day and can't wait to show my parents around when they arrive later this month! 

I really can't believe that I will have been here for a month on the 10th, time is passing very quickly. I'm still the palest person in Granada and speaking Spanish all the time is proving a challenge, but I love a challenge.

Also, I'm finally enrolled into my classes after a lot of bureaucratic issues (an international incident was narrowly averted), and really enjoying them so far. Although, three translation classes plus an interpreting and a culture class may prove a lot of work! 

Random note: after classes on Friday, a classical German concert was being held in the central quad of my faculty. This is an example of just how amazing life is here.

Never a dull moment.

I'll leave you with some photos from the last few weeks.

Un besito! 

P.s. I also realised that I didn't put captions on the photos from my last post and will rectify this now!

The river Guadalquivir

Our state of the art vehicle

The amazing tiles and moat at Plaza España

Seriously, how beautiful is this? 

More magnificence

The inside was amazing too

Obligatory arty shot

My favourites

I may have bought the fan because it matched my dress...it was also 34 degrees

From the top of Metropol Parasol

Reunited with beautiful Paula

I wish you could have seen this in real life

La primera semana (casi)

The Beginning

Well, my first almost-week in Spain has certainly been eventful: meeting lots of incredible people; eating tapas on the daily and of course, getting spectacularly lost. I also managed to break my Spanish phone in less than 24 hours, be locked inside my flat and my suitcase changed its combination on the plane. Oh, joy.

As naive as it may sound, I didn't realise quite how much of a culture shock moving to Spain would be. For a little British girl, not eating dinner until about half 10 at night was a struggle at first, along with the fact that EVERYTHING is closed on a Sunday and most things are closed between 3 and 6 in the afternoon. However, the slow pace of Spanish life is very appealing. Never one to turn down a nap, I've surprised myself by being quite active during las horas de siesta. By active I mean, of course, drinking tinto de verano with my friends in one of Granada's many squares.  

The number of young people here on Erasmus or exchange is truly amazing, and everyone is so friendly and open. Granada seems to be a destination for mostly German and Italian students but there are jovenes from all over the globe! I count among my new friends, Spanish, French, Polish, German, Italian, English and Mexican people who are just as excited about this whole new experience as I am.

I can already tell that it's going to be hard to leave Granada in February as I am quickly falling in love with this cultural melting-pot, despite the stifling heat! My little flat is cosy and charmingly rustic, nestled in a quiet corner of a busy street. I love strolling about the city and discovering new things every day. I'll be quite sad for this little holiday to end although I am looking forward to beginning class (hear that, mum?). A little routine would not hurt. 

Despite feeling homesick for my family, friends and lovely boyfriend at the start of this week, I'm feeling much more settled and really beginning to get a picture of how these five months are going to be. I've already been to a club opposite the Alhambra with astounding views, a talk about Buddha overcoming suffering, and explored the extremely steep Albaycín (Gypsy quarter). Talk about living the good life! 

The rest of this week will involve registering as a foreign resident, sorting out my timetable and generally more grown-up things. Having said that, I'm sure that tapas and wine will play a big role too! 

Here are some photos of my adventure so far...

More from me over the next few weeks!

Un besito! 

P.S. I'll be keeping a close eye on the referendum news back home!

Coming soon...

In less than 4 days time, I will embark on the biggest adventure of my life so far: my Third Year abroad. As a mandatory part of my languages degree, I am lucky enough to be jetting off to Spain (Granada) and France (Tours) for a year! 4 days...actually, 3 days, 9 hours and 37 minutes...did I mention that I'm leaving my beloved Scotland in less than 4 days?!

Like every student who is fortunate enough to get to travel abroad, I'm filled with a mixture of excitement, trepidation and just a touch of hysteria. Mainly about how long it will take me to get lost (not long), how I will stop my incredibly pale Irish skin from burning in the 40 degree heat and whether I have enough red lipstick to see me through the year. 

Anyway, this blog will shortly be filled with updates on my travels, experiences and mishaps during my adventure, alongside numerous pictures of food and beautiful buildings (no surprises there). 

I'll finish up this first post with some photographs from my recent trip to Málaga and Granada. 

4 DAYS.

ARGH! 

The incredibly majestic Alhambra in Granada.

I still really want to know what was behind that door.

In Málaga's Botanical Gardens.

Walking with a purpose through the Alcazaba in Málaga.