Last weekend I fell in love. No, sadly, I did not have some sexy Spanish man come and sweep me off my feet (at least, not yet anyway!). In fact, I actually fell in love with a city. I went to visit my friend Becca in Granada who is a friend from my uni course. […]
friends
Optimism vs Reality
The reality of living in a foreign country alone vs the everlasting optimism that things will get better. I’ll be honest and actually say it out loud; my year abroad is not living up to the hype. The amount of times I’ve heard the phrase “a year abroad is the best year of your life” […]
Spain’s beautiful little hidden gem: Guadalest
Today, Beth and I went for a day trip to Guadalest. Guadalest is a tiny village in a valley, just over an hours coach journey from Beth’s flat in Benidorm. I’ve been before when I came to Alicante on holiday in 2010 with my family but I didn’t remember it at all until I got […]
Spanish Festivals in Spring
Festivals in Spain Obviously, there are a lot of festivals in Spain and I have already mentioned Halloween and Christmas in previous blog posts. Spain loves a good party and if there’s the opportunity to drink in the streets then Spain does it – and they do it well! This term I have seen two […]
Say Hello to the new English teacher!
Recently I breached my contract as a conversation assistant. No, I did not turn up to work drunk nor did I wear a bikini, teach the children swear words or sleep through my morning classes. Actually, it states in my contract that I am not allowed to be a teacher and actually give the classes […]
Tour Guide Anna – Uni girls visit!
Last weekend I had 3 of my best friends from university come to visit me for 3 nights and I think it’s safe to say we had a very busy weekend!! Lilly, Fiona, Zoe and I (respective to the first picture) all met when we moved into the same block in student halls in our […]
Not so blue January! Notts, home and my first weeks back.
New year, new me. Yes, it’s a cliché however it is totally true. I have gone from being just a regular Anna to Princess Anna and celebrity Anna. January has been fabulous. After a lovely 2 weeks at home in Bucks, seeing friends and all my family, I packed my life up again and headed […]
The life and times of an English teacher in Spain. Term 1.
Well, I’m officially 1/3 of my way through my year abroad in Alicante, Spain and it’s been an experience to say the least. I’ll try not to use clichés such as ‘a roller coaster of a ride’ or how I’m telling you about all the ‘highs and lows’ I’ve had or the massive ‘learning curve’. […]
Ana and Bez travel diaries – Part 1
Apparently our names are pretty hard for Spaniards. Ana is a Spanish name which obviously sounds the same as Anna and in Spanish; ‘th’ is pronounced like a ‘z’, hence Ana and Bez. One day they’ll learn! Beth also goes to Nottingham Trent University and we both normally go out on pole dance socials together. […]
Feliz Navidad Anna!
Feliz Navidad Anna! Last Saturday I was wondering why I was struggling so much to get in the Christmas spirit. All my friends at home were in the Christmas spirit. So much so that I knew they were all either lying in bed hungover or having a hungover train/car journey home. I love Christmas, I […]