08/02/15-15/02/15

This week my mum came to visit me and we had such a great time together. I met her at the train station last Sunday and we had an incident where a man was standing way too close and watching us and it was only after we were saying how rude he was that it turned out he was English and asked us where we were going even though he had no clue what he was doing or where he was going  - it was a strange experience. 

On Monday afternoon we had a walk down the Turia gardens and visited the Jardines Reales and the Jardines de Monforte which were so pretty and it was nice to explore a bit of Valencia I hadn't yet seen. Afterwards, we went out for tea at Fosters Hollywood restaurant where we experienced the best cheesecake we have ever tasted and then returned to the flat to watch Waterloo Road and Broadchurch.

On Tuesday we went to the beach and even though it was cold, it was nice to be at the beach in winter and we had an interesting encounter with a portable loo. We then went to the cutest American Diner which I was dying to try out. I fulfilled one of my (strange) dreams to have a milkshake in a diner, which may I add was the best milkshake ever and also had cheesecake. We went back for tea on Thursday night too because it was so good and unbelievably cute. 

On Friday we got up early and spent the day in Xàtiva, a city 40 minutes away from Valencia. We went up to the castle which overlooks the city of Xàtiva and weren't disappointed. 

The grounds are well preserved and include gardens, prisons and amazing panoramic views of the city below in every direction. 

On Saturday, we went north to the city of Sagunto where there is a ceramics shop named 'Arse' which is apparently very popular with British tourists and someone had to explain to the shop owner why people were laughing and taking photos. We visited the Roman theatre which has mostly been renovated and looks new but you can still see some of the original stones and we also saw the old Jewish quarter which had the cutest colourful streets. 

I had a great week and got to see things that I hadn't previously seen and have seen some more of the beautiful sites of Valencia and it's less than a month until I go home for a weekend. 

Only 4 Months Left

The end of January marked the half way point of my job as a Language Assistant in Valencia. I have very mixed emotions at this fact as it's no secret that my year abroad hasn't been what I expected it to be so far. I felt relief that in four months I will have finished in Spain and will be going on to live in France for three months which doesn't seem as daunting as I feel that my French is much stronger than my Spanish despite being here for four months already due to everyone speaking to me in English. On the other hand I also feel slightly sad that the 'best year of your life' and the best experience of a languages degree will be over and I will be back at university for final year. However, I feel very proud with what I have overcome in the last 4 months.

A month or two ago I would have happily given it up and gone back to England and even though so parts of me still feel this way, it is down to the fantastic school I was placed in which has made me really enjoy my days and lessons in the school. Despite the British Council saying that we shouldn't teach students on our own, my school let me and I am so glad they do as my timetable has now changed and I have two lessons where I stand around and act as a human dictionary. These two classes are so boring and I much prefer teaching the students on my own as I get to know them better, have a laugh and they ask so many questions about myself and England. Plus they have to speak in English more and it makes me proud seeing how far they have come since October. A highlight for me was when I finished having classes with an ESO3 group who all gave me a note telling me how much they have enjoyed me teaching them and it does give me a great sense of accomplishment.

I have also been living completely independent in a foreign country. I have figured out how to get around the city, cooked more, learnt how to use a washing machine, open a bank account and learnt how to manage my money on my own. I am more confident than I was before this experience and have realised my listening skills have improved much more than I thought as I understand 90% of what people say to me, even if I can't respond.

I started this experience full of excitement for travelling and a life that didn't come and even though I cannot wait to be back at home in England, I am proud of how far I have come in four months and hope that the next four will provide me with the same feeling.