Diary of a Wanderer

(Written 16th November) This last week seems to have provided me with a massive learning curve… I was offered a position in Sardinia that I had randomly applied for before I came to Galicia to start next Monday. They wanted me to leave my job here (2weeks before the end of my contract) to start there before their new classes started. Talk about being put in a dilemma- this indecisive Pisces spent her 24 hours off weighing up pros and cons. In the end I decided that it wasn’t fair to leave my current job with less than one week’s notice and that I actually liked the people I work with and would feel pretty guilty letting them down. Plus, since going to Barcelona I have for some reason become quite passionate about learning Spanish, and Italian doesn’t really have the same appeal. It took a while, but I finally got there- I was going to turn the job down. I headed to my laptop 15minutes later to find a new email sitting in my inbox offering me to start in Sardinia in January… Talk abo...

(Written 20 th November) So it is true that my post-uni visions had mostly encompassed chasing summer around the world and attaining a year long tan. Galicia has without a doubt proven to be the exact opposite. But there is no doubt that this little place has a slight charm about it and it is certainly rubbing off on me. If I hadn’t taken this job, it is fair to say the chances of me visiting such a small village in Spain and experiencing a bit of life in the North are pretty non-existent. I haven’t regretted my decision in the slightest. If anything I have learnt that the weather will never put me off doing anything ever again and I have been given the time to pursue the development of random skills like juggling… I’m actually getting the hang of it. The group of people I am working with are pretty bloody nice and so far I have been able to manage the groups of kids I have each week *touch wood*. All in all I really cannot complain. I have been given plenty of time to plan my next...

(Written 10 th November) 3 weeks in England proved to be enough and soon another flight was booked and I was heading back to Spain. To the north, to work at a kids camp I must admit I had very little information about! Turns out the place was to challenge all my stereotypes of sunny Spain- Galicia has more rain than England, and a good day is a dry day, with maybe a sighting of blue sky! I touched down in Santiago de Compostela and came across about 8 others who were heading to work at the same place- all of us armed with very little information about the place and unsure about what we were letting ourselves in for. With 4 hours to wait before our bus arrived to take us to the camp we had plenty of time to get to know each other and formulate potential scenarios regarding what we had actually signed up for. Nevertheless, when we finally arrived I’m not sure I expected to be just quite as remote as it was! In the middle of NOWHERE, on a dam, with the nearest little village a 15 minu...

(Written 28 th October) Coming home started a rather frantic job search, causing me to soon break the one promise I had made to myself when I left uni- I don’t care what I do, just do not go back to working in retail. I love working with people and the general public really isn’t that bad, but stacking shelves, working the check out and being spoken to like a second class citizen by customers who have their heads shuvved so far up their own arses they can’t see the sun, really isn’t the one.  However, with a good few years of retail experience under my belt, it was not surprising that within a couple of days and a few applications I soon found myself as a Christmas temp at Boots in Westfield. A big shop, interesting stock (beats clothes and shoes…), surely it won’t be that bad. HA. My first few shifts were spent positioned at the front of the shop, “selling” the ‘star gift’ to uninterested customers who frankly would be happier and potentially more interested if the display had...

(Written 14 th October) If there was one thing I was looking forward to about coming home it was having all five of us back together. I absolutely love going away, but I also value family above everything else in the world. After 5 months we found ourselves sitting around the dinner table again all together swapping stories and naturally being the loudest most boisterous table in the restaurant. My sister had had months of adventures around Vietnam, and my brother had started college and a new job that has finally managed to pull out his inner enthusiasm. To top it off my sister and I were especially excited about being bridesmaids for my cousin the following day. The wedding was undoubtedly one top notch knees up. Considering I have been one of the most helplessly absent bridesmaids the world has possibly seen there was not much that could go wrong when my instructions were to essentially  to  just turn up! Thankfully everything went without a hitch and bride and groom...

(Written 7 October) My time in Barcelona has come to an end along with all the solid plans I made upon finishing uni. I find myself on yet again another flight, this time coming home, back to 'base' with the hope of planning my next move somewhere in the world. To be fair this was not unexpected- my oldest cousin is getting married and I think I had better attend considering I am one of the bridesmaids! But this planned trip back home was part of the reason I was unable to find work in Barcelona. With term just starting most schools had already sorted out their teacher for the new year and I feel I was coming along just a few weeks too late. I was offered a couple of hours here and there from about 4 companies but all of them wanted me to start that day and when they found out I had to return home they told me to get in touch when I was back. My problem is that I had said to myself that I wouldn't return if I didn't have anything to return back to. And that's the...

As quickly as it came, my TEFL training course has finished. I am officially a certified EFL teacher and I guess the world is now my oyster to discover for real! I cannot believe that the well-planned bit of my post-uni adventure has come to an end already. I am left feeling excited and nervous for what is next in store, and I really do not have a clue what that might be! Looking past my recently developed paranoia of Barcelona’s pickpockets, I otherwise absolutely love this city and I am not sure spending just the month here is going to be enough. I have sent my CV out in the hope of finding a job that will enable me to stay a while longer and master Spanish. But the fruits of my search so far have left me facing tricky decisions. I have been offered a 2 year contract with guaranteed hours and training in new teaching methods that would enable me to become a well-rounded and experienced teacher.  On the other end of the spectrum I have been offered a couple of hours here and ...

Pickpocketing. Barcelona is as famous for it as the city is for the Sagrada Familia. My sister visited the city in Easter and had her whole bag stolen. On my first day my housemates warned me about it and so did all the people at the BBQ. “It’s like a real life Oliver Twist” they said. And how right they are. In the last few days my eyes have been opened to this underground world as I have travelled to and from school on the metro. I have always been aware, when my friends from camp visited last week I gave them the heads up and told them to be careful. I always tied the zips on my backpack together using these handy little wires my Dad gave me before I left. I thought I was being maybe a bit OTT, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Last Friday I was on the Metro on the way to school. My folder in hand, bag on my shoulder, I got on the metro and stood by the door (ERROR!). The journey is super short- only two stops…in fact I can’t work out if it is just quicker to...

It’s official. I have fallen in love. With Barcelona. And it probably didn’t take more than a week. (God, she’s easy I hear you say). Before now I wasn’t really too sure what people meant when they spoke about being given good signs about things, but within a few days of being here I suddenly knew exactly what they meant as I was given some myself:        I arrived to find myself living in one of the most beautiful parts of the city, El Born, amongst narrow cobbled streets that remind me of the lanes in Brighton.        My housemates extended a hand of friendship as soon as I walked through the door and that night I found myself at a BBQ with them and their friends, drinking wine and chatting, being put at ease and excited about my adventure to come. There were quite a few predictions made on the chances of me not wanting to leave.        (My room here is much bigger than my one at home! With some very cool views!) ...

(Written 29 th August) Being reunited with family is one of the best feelings. Being back with those that are there for you no matter where you are and no matter what happens. And of course, that first cup of tea when coming through the front door. The stories you are desperate to share, all the photos you have to show and descriptions of people you have met. It seems like there is simply not enough time to tell it all, and when you do- the words never seem to do any justice to the actual experience. Sleeping in my own bed after months of living in wooden huts. Having a shower and not having to wear flip-flops. Oh clean clothes! To make everything even better, I came home to find my room had been redecorated by the best Mum in the whole world. Waking up on my first morning at home and coming down the stairs to have an early morning catch up with Dad while everyone else was still asleep. Snuggling up on the sofa to watch a family film with a take-away in the evening. All these lit...

(Written 26th August 2014) The last few days of camp flew past and before I knew it closing camp fire was upon us and we have been left looking back wondering where the hell the summer had gone. The closing camp fire also meant our drama debut, and Caitlin and I nervously got our kids ready for their big performance, worrying over it being far too long and not at all funny. Dress rehearsals had been full of prompting entrances onto the stage, lines being forgotten and words being said too quietly- leaving us very anxious as to what was about to unfold with the real thing. But our worries quickly subsided as the first scene played out, and I was left feeling so proud of them all (and slightly relieved) as the final scene ended. There had been plenty of laughs, all lines remembered and said loudly, even little 6 year old Zoya from Slovenia had absolutely aced it and said her lines! I could not stop smiling! What a great end to the session it was. The song 'Leaving on a Jet Plane...

(Written 20th August 2014) Session Five is going as quickly as it came. When I first met my girls I felt slightly dissappointed that they didn't seem as lively as I would have liked, nor that they were going to get on very well. But how wrong I was. My girls have gone from being shy and slightly reserved, to being upbeat, giggly and unbelievably friendly. My co-counselor, Sarah, is a fun-loving 31 year old Kiwi who proves that age is just a number and that the world can always be your oyster if you want it to be. Our lip-sync was an interesting re-enactment of Shrek to the song 'I'm a Believer' and our cabin video consisted of Sarah and I dictating the "ideal" letter we thought the girls should write home to their parents: 'Dear Mum and Dad, I am having the best time in San Francisco cabin. The girls are lovely but the counselors are even better. Zoe is the most beautiful counselor at camp and quite frankly I was to be her. Sarah is like an angel se...

(Written 9th August) I knew all the groups of girls I had had for the last 5 weeks were fantastic. All different and great in their own ways and I knew I had to embrace this and make the most of it. But it wasn't until this session, with my latest group of 7 girls that I realised just how fab and lively my previous group of girls truly were. My new group were been rather mellow, much like most of the kids came to camp this session. It is strange that the sessions can vary so much in the type of children that attend. This two weeks consisted of a high number of returning campers, who knew the rules and exactly how camp works. They rarely needed to be told what to do and are so well behaved that most of us wished they would be a bit mischievous just for some fun! I had 3 girls in my cabin that I was counselor to last year and only 1 had never been to camp before.  The two weeks of this penultimate session were the toughest yet without a doubt. Everyone has been really tired an...

(written 26th July 2014) I find myself sitting on another bus heading off on another day off adventure to Zadar, having said goodbye to yet another group of girls. My third session has been the quickest yet and my girls were once again genuinely fabulous. Boisterous, lively and rather mischievous, they have kept me on my toes for the last two weeks and kept me laughing. For the first few days they sung this "happy llama, sad llama" song on repeat, whilst also plotting to prank me and Kathryn (my Co-counselor also from England, and an absolutely lovely girl). Trying to convince them not to draw a moustache on Kathryn whilst she slept was an interesting one to say the least! In cabin hour whilst Kathryn and I tried to get a precious couple of minutes napping they played in their sleeping bags pretending to be "sleeping bag monsters". Needless to say our cabin video had us in hysterics with Kathryn and I acting as if we had discovered a new species of animal which l...

As predicted my few days at home were short and sweet, spent with all the people most important to me yet over far too quickly! My flight from Zadar to Stansted was delayed in true Ryanair fashion and then spent in the company of about 30 rather rowdy Irish gypsies. Needless to say when I finally found Mum at arrivals I was more than happy to see her and enjoy a peaceful car journey home catching up. A cup of tea was order of the day as soon as I got home, before getting my nails done (needed to look nice when for grad photos of course!) and visiting my Nan and Grandad. As always, they were over the moon to see me and whilst it can be very difficult to get a word in edgeways with Nan, Grandad sat quietly in his chair just listening and enjoying the company of family.  After dinner I headed down to Brighton with Mum, Dad and Ash and quite frankly felt the tiredest I can ever remember feeling. I thought I was going to collapse. I know I have been working and playing hard at camp but ...

Graduation crept up on me much like the storms that keep appearing out of the blue over here. It feels like only last week that I was sitting my final exams and now I find myself sitting in departures in Zadar airport waiting for a flight back to London for a precious few days with family and friends.  I feel like already I have so much to catch up on and so many stories to tell that these couple of days until Sunday morning will be manic. Limited internet and very little free time leaves me feeling quite out of touch with the big wide world but at the same time this is also one of the reasons I absolutely love camp life. Mindless checking of Facebook and expecting WiFi in every public place has become a routine part of everyday life. I hate to admit that I am very much a part of this back home, although far from the extreme, and not having access to the internet is actually really refreshing. Not only does it mean I have a great genuine excuse for why I am not staying in touch wit...

I cannot believe that I am coming to the end of looking after my second group of children and have been in Croatia for 3 weeks already. My days feel incredibly long, with every hour planned and scheduled. Our actions are dictated by the playing of the latest chart music signifying the end of one activity period and the start of a new one, and the sound of the cow bell calling everyone for meals (a personal favourite sound of mine that promises an end to having to listen to my stomach rumbling). The weeks however are going so fast. Before I knew it I was saying goodbye to my first 7 girls and heading off on our day off. We spent our precious 24 hours off in the town of Vodice. The day was spent sunbathing on a stone jetty working on my tan, in between getting thrown in the sea. Whilst tired and aware of my desperate need for sleep, my evening was inevitably filled with a few cheeky drinks and dancing until the early hours. Putting on a happy, welcoming face to the new campers and ...

T he journey to camp from Dubrovnik was a rather nervous one for me, as it was for Becca and Karolina who were also returning. We had spent the last few days wandering the streets of the Old Town of Dubrovnik and on the beach, with Becca and I trying to add some colour to our otherwise chalk white British skin which blended in rather nicely with the white pebble beach. This was definitely the calm before the storm, and didn't we know it! A six hour bus ride to Split and a further 2 hours on a transfer coach and I was back at my summer haven. I walked through the gates to be greeted by some of my favourite people who I am lucky enough to be spending yet another summer with. I know it is such a cliche but it genuinely felt like I had never been  away. Sadly I also felt that way when I walked into the dining hall- whilst the food is good, I'm not sure by the end of the summer I'll be too happy about the fact I'll technically have been eating it for 6 months of my life...

As my housemates will tell you, I've been contemplating starting a blog for a while. It seems ironic for someone that isn't the biggest fan of Facebook and sharing my every move with the world. But I figured it would help me stay ever so slightly more organised and possibly help me remember what I get up to! The fact I feel like I am starting a 'new chapter' in life makes me feel that now is a great time to start. So here goes... I've just finished as a student studying history at Sussex uni, spending the best 3 years of my life thus far living in Brighton. I simply could not have imagined spending my uni years in a better, more vibrant, city. Cobbled lanes, flea markets and vintage shops, quirky bars and a great vibe. Being able to run along the beach in the mornings. I couldn't really ask for much more. With my dissertation and exams finished I spent my last week trying to truly make the most of this wonderful place. Last Thursday I packed up my stuff and...