3 days to go....

Just a "Keep Calm" style picture I felt it appropriate to add. Enjoy.

Time to Say Goodbye....

Last night I went for a meal with a few from Secondary School, now this isn't a new thing for me, as we've been for meals before for various Birthdays over the years, however last night's meal was just so great because it was myself and two friends (L-R Milly Schmid and Alex Marchbank) whom are all leaving the UK in September for the great beyond which is Continental Europe. My friend Alex (www.eaudekoln.tumblr.com) organised the meal at Bella Italia in Milton Keynes and afterwards we moved onto Wetherspoons for dessert and a few bevvies. All I can say  is that I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, but all I can think about now is that how much I'm going to miss everyone who came last night! It was just such a great atmosphere, I haven't really thought at all about "missing" people for when I go, I mean I'll miss my family and friends, but I never miss them enough to get homesick and want to leave. However, last night and this morning, I felt like I was really going to miss them and I want them all to come with me. I know Alex will be in Cologne and Milly in Santiago, but I want everyone to come to Alicante and Mons and Florence, and just experience things with me and enjoy what I'm going to enjoy. And so when I got in last night, the only song I could think of and is now still stuck in my head is "Time to Say Goodbye".... It's now on a recurring loop on iTunes. Ultimately, I feel happy that I will be experiencing such a great opportunity this year and that my life will be will be changed as a result, but I saying Goodbye was difficult. C'est la vie. Qué Sera.

Say Hello to my little friend.

Reader, I would like to introduce to you my little friend and travelling companion for the next year, Jebediah José Jean-Michel Giulio Schildkröte, however he prefers to just be called Jeb. Jeb came to me about a year ago, in fact he was a 20th Birthday present from two great friends of mine Lauren Binley and Ryan Harper. So Jeb has been set a challenge for the year, which basically consists of the thing we all love to do when we see a camera, Photo-bomb. So his challenge for the year, with all the travelling we'll be doing, is to basically Photo-bomb as many of my photo's as he can. Let's see if he lives up to the challenge! He's particularly keen to see le Tour Eiffel, or the Eiffel Tower for non-francophonies, and La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Jeb will so have his own page on this Blog where he can express his own thoughts and opinions about our travels and hopefully you'll all be impressed with his shenanigans.

UPDATE!
A quick update for you all, my apartment in Espana is officially ready for me to move in in September, I paid the €100 last week and I'm very excited about it now, my landlord in Spain says I can move in as soon as I arrive so that's also a bonus. Speak of when I arrive, FLIGHTS BOOKED!! Things are starting to feel extremely real now! I cannot express how excited I am. I fly to Spain early than I had anticipated and I am in  fact leaving from East Midlands airport on the 3rd September 2012, allowing me a week to get to grips with the new environment and find my way around etc. However I'm a bit nervous about my flatmates as I don't know who any of them are. I don't even know any names for them. So thus far, that is my main cause of anxiety. My Dad is accompanying me to Alicante and is staying in a Hotel to which I have no idea it is... he's paying for my transport until he leaves though, so quite happy with that! And thanks to Tracy, I have further transport once my Dad has gone, with the help of a Bus card she has sent me! Thank you Tracy!

MONEY! 
What a faff I've had with Student Finance this last week. I received in a declaration in the post for my loans for the next year, however it wasn't as simple as that, as many of you will know with Student Finance England/Wales, I shocked to see on my forms that I was going to be paying half-tuition fees (£1725) next year. I was livid. I then decided to ring them to which I got on the phone some twat who thought when I questioned him about my fees that I was a first year, and continued for 10 minutes to explain why the tuitions had changed. Once he'd finished, I correct him stated my 3rd year status, he then looked at my application and said "we've given you more money", which wasn't what I asked about, so again I explained my situation, to which he then said "It's change this year and you need to pay fees". EVERY FUCKING UNIVERSITY IN THE COUNTRY THAT HAS A MFL DEPARTMENT DOESN'T PAY FEES IN 3RD YEAR! You would think they would know this, he then asked for a letter of proof from my University. I contacted non-other than Magical Moira, who sent a letter. This is now on the way the way to Student Finance, fingers crossed this will be sorted!

More soon readers... if anyone is there??

The Countdown begins

So Reader, the countdown has started until I commence my Erasmus. 5 weeks to go! Flights and Accommodation get a massive tick next to them now! After several weeks of looking for Accommodation, I finally found somewhere in Alicante for September. The feeling was such a relief I cannot tell you! I still have yet to send my deposit to him (€100) but he doesn't seem in too much of a rush for it. I'm living with 4 others and fairly close to the city centre and beach, and right next to the Renfe (Train Station) and a Parada del autobús (Bus Stop), so all in all, perfect really. I just want to go now, start my lectures and enjoy the lovely weather, despite the fact Great Britain has been receiving so much good weather recently.

At the back of my mind, I've been tossing about the idea of what to take... hmmm? It's a difficult one believe me. I've come to the decision that books and DVDs are a no, I will use the internet! Book wise, however, I'm taking a grammar book for each language, each one being French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch. On the Dutch front, it's taken such a back seat recently I feel awful. Italian is improving getting to where I was in first year, and hopefully be a bit more confident by the time I do my ECTARC placement. I'm also taking my English Grammar book, because I know it's gonna help at some point, I dunno when, but I might.

Nothing much more to report at the moment, however I have a friend to introduce next time to you Reader....

Quick-ish Update

One is fully aware that I haven't updated this blog in a while. Trust me the Year Abroad will more up-to-date and current that now!

Anyway, so... due to unforeseen circumstances... I am without a Laptop and therefore unable to post the lovely photos of my time in Alicante with Ro and Tracy. However, I will fill you in on my time there. Well, what can I say, it was fantastic, the most wonderful time I've had in a while! The sun, sand, sea and Sangria, I cannot wait for September! Although, before I can start to enjoy myself and get ready, I need to find accommodation... dun dun duhhh! What a polava! If you think finding a flat in Great Britain is difficult, try doing it in Spain, and even worse, try doing it in Spain from Great Britain. I'm getting kind of desperate despite the fact I have two months to find somewhere. Halls of Residence, unfortunately, is not an option... the prices are ridiculous, so a flat share is, as the French say, necessaire! I have however had full confirmation that I am attending the University of Alicante in September 2012 now, so full steam ahead for Espana!

On another not, Belgium, like Alicante I have been fully accepted to the Université de Mons... Fantastique I hear you say? Yes. It. Is... I'm really feeling the excitement about this year now and I'm frantically trying to use my languages still on a daily basis. Reading has been the main source of my continuity of Language. For French I am reading a classic, Candide by Voltaire... and for Spanish I am reading La Lluvia Amarilla by Julio Llamares... I wont like to you readers, I hate it. One of the worse books I've ever read, and so difficult to get through, on the other hand Candide is wonderful, fairly easy to get through, a lot of Passé Simple for you buffs out there, but all in all, very good read.

Vocabulary cards have been a great source of knowledge too, particularly when it comes to Italian. That's right. I'm back on the Italian bandwagon again. Hoping to develop it back to where I was at the end of first year, but we shall see. Dutch is coming along nicely too, I hope to have that to a sufficient standard maybe B2 level if I can by the end of my time in Belgium. And then that brings to my next language ventures, Catalan and Galician. As part of my time in Spain I am taking a free course in Catalan to build you up to GCSE standard, which I am happy about and then Galician, we shall see, I just would like a grounding in it as it's quite an interesting language and then I have 3 out of 4 official Spanish Languages under my wing at  either basic or advanced levels.

Well that is a lot! I'm gonna leave some photos of the places I am visiting so you can see for yourself! More later readers... if anyone is reading...

Alicante, Espana

Mons/Bergen, Belgique/België 

Firenze (Florence), Italia

Alicante Summer 2012

Estoy en Espana.... that's right, I'm in Spain! It is hot, seriously... I'm melting. However I cannot complain seeing as I love the fact the United Kingdom has lots of rain... Ha. As you know I'm staying with Tracy and Ro, they're so hospitable and Tracy's apartment is awesome, nothing as I aspected it to be, I hope I find somewhere just as nice.

The journey... well... it was easy enough to get through Liverpool airport and the trains and the bus, but it was looong. My feet killed. And still do. It was late when I arrived in Alicante and I met Ro and Tracy and then we went for Tapas. Yum. I had an aubergine for the first time, was very nice. I can safely say I'm not missing home and cannot wait to get here in September.

Here are some pictures of my time here thus far! To your left you are seeing the view from Tracy's apartment and the sun as you can see is shining!

 My host for the weekend there on the right Miss Tracy Donohoe of Cavan, Ireland. She was grand and as you can tell from this picture, very smiley! On the left is Miss Rozenn "Ro" Grainger, and what a babe she is, she was one of my peer guides in first year and just loves to have a good time. Both of them made my trip so good!!

Just some of the nice architecture of the town in Alicante. I say 'architecture' quite liberally here as you can see from the photo that there isn't much of it to be really seen at the moment, however I will show you some more once there... promise!

 This was the promenade down to beach I went to, which I think is the main beach in Alicante. Anyway, alongside this promenade were some marvellous market stalls which sold some awesome little bits and bobs, I got a Shot Glass of course so the collection! Picture of that coming soon...

La Castilla de Santa Barbara, is an old castle that dominates the landscape of Alicante. I mainly saw it from this angle on the beach, however I did see it again when I went out to a Bar at night in the Barrios of Alicante and saw it lit up and looking fantastic. I'm hoping that I will get a chance to see properly once I've moved to Alicante and that I can take some more in depth pictures for you all!

More coming soon readers... if anyone is there???

My Very First Post

So... My Year Abroad! It's currently a few months away yet and I'm nervous to say the least, but also excited at the prospect of being on my own in a foreign country, only having to speak, to us Brits, the foreign language.

At present I'm still form-filling and email-sending to Spain and Belgium, tedious and looooonnng! I just want to go now and start having fun and gaining new info and knowledge about Spanish and Spain, and French and Belgium! However, the idea of writing a dissertation is becoming daunting and 4,000 words in only French is embedded on my mind, need to do the proposal too.... such fun.

Anyway, presently still in Bangor, waiting for Friday as I'm flying to Alicante then! Not to start the year but to see what it's all about and to get my bearings with the place (I've never been before). I'm meeting two of my 3rd year mates out there, Ro and Tracy, and I'm looking forward to seeing them both. Then back to Milton Keynes on Tuesday... cannot wait... I'm planning to work and practice my French and Spanish over the Summer... What a great Summer I'm in for Eh?

Right, so this is where I leave this now. I'll keep you updated as I get new bits of information, if there are some readers out there?