When I Come Around

Hello there and how are we today?

Despite the year nearing its conclusion I have had a pretty constant headache for the last week. Forced to think seriously about what to do next is driving me slowly (but ever faster) mad. I said a few days ago, well outed actually, that I wasn't going to stay here. This decision caused much bafflement among the people who offered me the chance to stay. I thought nothing of it until I remembered how much I hate applying for jobs, especially tefl jobs. For a start I'm pretty sure around at least half of the schools I've emailed, don't actually exist. Most on the list are not schools but loose organsations which mean your freelance and they get to take a chunk of your money for no real reason. The two cities I'd really like to go to Barcelona or Madrid are proving the most difficult. Most sites are identical and appear to be run by amateurs.



If I see this laid back, young go getter one more time I'm going to lose all faith. Isn't his mother proud? Looks like he's from a leaflet about STDs. He is on most of them and is also the first result of google image search for male student. One even tried to put a testimony from him down! It doesn't breed confidence. It makes me want to curl into a ball and come home.

When not weeping things have been nice. On Friday Kathryn and myself decided to make the most of our classes not being on to go down to Logrono. Logrono is very small and very sleepy. It is where Spanish wine is grown and brags it is the capital of the La Rioja region. That is true but in terms of size its like being the capital of half of Cornwall. My camera broke so no pictures of it but it was very pretty and we did reach the River Ebro, which is more than the Spanish republic can say. Zing! Little civil war joke for you there.

On Saturday I was force fed Martini by a German which was neither nice, fun or sexy. I had never drunk it before and it tastes a little like my mothers gravy which might be why she's so happy at Sunday lunch time. It was at a party with about 10 different nationalities and I was the only one without a very very good grasp of Spanish. So when talking to me they had lower their conversation level which makes me you feel truly special.

The Martini was all in a vain attempt to make me go out. No avail Marcel! I was preparing for an epic journey of discovery and trial of the human spirit. Yes I went walking. I'm not sure if it counts as hiking but there was some minor scaling up a surface at one point so it wasn't just a stroll. We ended up pretty damn high as I think this proves.

Yeah thats right, the motorway. It took hours and was a really good way to spend an afternoon, not even being circled by some sort of bird of prey and an undignified climb over a barbed wire fence, leading barbs to be somewhere they had no right to be, could dampen the spirits. Salt was rubbed into the wounds after climbing the damn fence when there was a sty just a minute slightly further down. It almost got a bit like The Descent at that point.

The biggest joy was finding in a bar a homage to the Charlton Athletic 1947 FA cup winning side which proves you just what a massive club we are. No Man Utd memorabillia in Pamplona, oh no.

Hope you are all well.

love love love x