A bump on the road

Why can't everything just be easy and go according to plan? argh I'm so stressed out.

According to the initial plan Mr. Special should be here already with his car and holiday should've started already. Instead he's still back at aber waiting for the DVLA to send back his car registration papers. Because you can't drive without them in France... But as always in the UK everything has made uncomfortable for people :D In december they closed all the local offices that provided you with a temporary registration for 3 pounds. Now you can't even go to the main office to pick up your OWN papers. It has to come by post! WHY? What if it gets lost in post???????????????????? What is it with UK and the post? I'd understand if it was a top-notch reliable service but it isn't!!!!! And the best thing about it is that it could come any day now, or not... god only knows. So we are waiting til tomorrow and if they haven't come, he'll fly to nice and hire a car from there... Hopefully it won't be the case...

The second thing that went haywire yesterday was the attempt to book a stupid ridiculously expensive tiny studio far away from my work place... Sounds charming right. But we don't have another option really. The time is ticking. I asked some of my friends in Paris and got offered a room, but it was further away and the same price so... We'll take the stupid studio... Not so easy as you'd think. We'd tried to go through the airbnb page. Should be easy and straightforward but something went wrong... who knows what. Did one reservation, the landlady said I'd picked the more expensive offer (atleast she's nice and isn't trying to get all the money she can from us) ok, she declined that. But the stupid page already took the money out of the bank for safe-keeping!!!! OMG what a stupid system how can I make another booking now? I don't have any money left in my bank! They should take the money out of the bank when the host has accepted the reservation... would make more sense right? Mr. Special is still waiting for his money back for the far more prettier and bigger studio, but what was declined as well :( and it was closer. I really thought we'd had it! Still wanting it :D But someone else has booked it already :( But where the hell is the Money?????? Give it back!!!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!

Not looking forward to packing either -.-

Not so happy days...

A little after writing this post I decided I'll have a look how to get from our studio (it should be ours now :D) to my workplace. I wish I hadn't. First of all, every website, there are about three, show different routes. How, why, how and I have to go through Paris, so checked if I could get the train that goes to Paris and just get out before, so I could walk (about half an hour) to my work, but oh no no no. The train only goes 6AM or after that 9AM. I'm pretty sure I have to be at work by 9 and I don't fancy taking the 6 o'clock either... there goes my brilliant idea. Why am I stressed out? It takes at least an hour to get to work and that's not the worst part... If it would be an easy bus or train or metro journey it would be fine no problems. But it's all that!!!!!! In one go!!!! First take the bus, then train, then metro, then the bus again.... Paris do you want to kill me????? Finally on the third website found a fairly simple route, two metro trains, one to Paris and the other one back out from Paris. At least it's easy and I don't have to run around looking for the right stop or god knows what... According to the website the cost for this is 5.60 full fare. That makes freaking 12 euros a day to get to work and back!!!!!!! Jesus christ... why oh why couldn't we get the first room we wanted that was sooooo much closer???? I probably could've walked from there!!!! So yeah, I'll try looking into if I can get a student discount card or something...

Ttyl :(
Jazzz...

End of part 2

Of my year abroad.

Done all my exams now and all that's left is to sign the attendance sheet, which I'll let them do as late as possible because the longer I'm here the more money I get :D

In the past 2 days I've had three exams. Two translations and Corsican exam. Didn't really revise or study for them. You can't really revise for a translation exam - what are you gonna do - learn the entire dictionary? Ummm... no thanks. The first one was a bit hard, the french to english one was doable, about airline tickets and why they differ for one flight. The english to french one wasn't too bad either - I was actually surprised how much I could translate it :D (the grammar etc was probably awful - but at least I wrote something). That was about Renault cars locking their drivers in and not letting them stop :D And for the love of me I couldn't translate disengage the clutch. I don't even drive!!!!!!! 

Halfway through another exam started and loads of people came in. People from my corsican lecture and for a moment I thought I heard someone say three people are still doing their corsican oral. What???? The corsican exam is defo tomorrow!!! (Plus we don't have an oral part of it). When I got back home checked just in case and turns out they had the french exam that I should've taken as well... If I'd gone to any lectures :D But that would've clashed with my two other exams.

The tourism translation was right after the first translation. The room was packed so I got to sit next to a girl (I am certain that she's foreign - well her name is Tatiana or something - but she was hardly at the class and always sitting there quietly, so I couldn't really approach her, hey who are you, can we be friends?) :D Anyway that exam was way easier. We had to choose if we want to do a french-english or an english-french translation. Guess which one I picked? Obviously french to english :D I had a quick read through the other one and I think it was way harder, it had the word cork in it etc. I wouldn't know how to translate that into french :D Luckily the second one wasn't that specific with words and if I struggled for a bit i could just peek over at my neighbours work - she chose the same one as me :D and see what she put there :D I only did it twice when I wasn't sure how to word something and just had a look for inspiration.

The corsican exam was nothing she had warned us about before!!!! I was so pissed, it was much easier that she made out it to be but I wasn't prepared. First we had to introduce ourselves in Corsican, ok not too hard, got that done (I wrote my own name there though :/ You shouldn't really write your name or sign your copy anywhere where it can be seen, but she shouldn't have had that assignment then!). Then it had questions about a story we had to learn by heart - about a month ago now! I had no idea that that would come up like that! Omg recalled some of the story and answered 4 questions out of 5 (hopefully right) because for the life of me I couldn't remember what the outcome of the story was in corsican. i remember the story but can't tell it in corsican!!! Then you had to translate a poem that they'd done before I even joined the group (ok it was my fault that I didn't go to the first 3-4 lectures but still) and it wasn't easy at all! I only understood the first line - so translated that... pretty pathetic but maybe I'll get half a point or something :D And then the last question was the one I thought would make up most of the exam. The main caracteristics of an island territory. Because that's what she based the whole course on. It was boring and I didn't really understand much and thought I wanted to learn corsican, not that they were farmers and collective work was important etc. I don't know that's kinda obvious. So wrote as much as I could remember... Shouldn't be too bad since the poem was worth only 4 points out of 20...

Keep ya fingaz crossed that I'll get good marks :D

I can't really believe that this academic year is over. It's gone soooo quickly... and I do have my fare share of regrets starting with wishing that I had been more active in socialising and actually learning how to speak french (I am now terrified that I'll be the person who is behind everyone else next year) and ending with doing more classes like I should've done, especially in second semester where I was too lazy to wake up 9AM and go to my lectures... :( but hopefully aber won't be too mad at me because I didn't just sit on my arse I do have something to show for this year :D + now I enrolled in distance learners short french course :D The Estonian French institute does it. It's only 14 euros and I thought what the hell, can't hurt right. But I'm too scared to let them know I've been living in Corsica for nearly a year :D So as far as they know I'm in Wales doing tourism :D I'd be too ashamed otherwise I guess. The good thing about the course is that I'll meet with the teacher via Skype once a week for an hour, so at least I've got that practice of talking going for me :D

I'm not going to do a full recap of the year because I think I've covered all the happenings in this blog. Sometimes I do wish I had chosen a bigger place (Montpellier) to be but I do like it here and it's so warm now here as well :) I'm glad I got this opportunity :)

A bigger adventure now awaits me :P

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

All's well that ends well!

Aber has agreed to sign my convention de stage!!!!!!!! After nearly a month of sending e-mails to different people, them telling me to ask someone else finally a good soul put her hands up and said FINE I'll sign your bloody thingy!!! :D

Am I really the only one wanting to do an internship after the compulsory year abroad? Not this year because one other girl wanted too, but what about previous years?

So the main issue why my department can't sign it - it is not part of my compulsory year abroad, because I've already done it (2 semesters of Erasmus) so basically none of their business what I do during the summer. You're on your own B!!!! Suck it!!!! :D Luckily my tutor was kind enough to contact the careers office on my part.

The main issue why the careers office can't sign it - it's in French and the person who should sign it can't understand what it says... Although they have a French national working there... Told me to turn to the Academic record office.

The main issue why the Academic office won't sign it - none of their business!!!!! Glad you got the opportunity but meh, we'll give you a paper that says that you're a student here... well thanks... I don't need that, I need a signature for the convention the stage!

Finally I got fed up, sent a rather angry letter (kind of regretted it straight after) saying that why can't anyone just freaking sign it. It isn't some new document I produced with my little hands! It's a document that my department uses regularly for year abroad students who work instead of Erasmus, so approved by uni! Nothing dodgy! Why is it so hard.

So now I got a signature but no stamp :D Although my employer wanted a stamp too, and on the convention de stage there is a special place for the stamp... It's in the post now and let's hope a signature will suffice :)

So I sent a massive thank you letter to the person who signed it :D

Now have to find where to live in freaking Paris!!!!!!!!!!!! Can I just live in the subway? Or under a tree or something? :D

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

Left at an airport

So tonight/ this morning I had a dream. Very livid :D I don't usually see dreams when I'm sleeping and since now, three hours later I'm still thinking about it I thought I'd write it down :D

I was a part of a group on their way back from some kind of a trip. We had our guide/airport assistant saying his goobyes when I realized that I still had packing to do - someone gave me back pieces to swap my simcard from two phones, so a lot of little pieces in my hand I noticed that someone had brought the tickets (more like booking references) to the plane and left a huge pile of them on the bench. Everyone got theirs and made their way to the departure lounge. I took a bit more time to get all my stuff together and when I went to find my ticket it wasn't there?!?! There was a bunch of papers, random stuff, but not my ticket and all the supervisors who were supposed to make sure everyone were ok, had already left (note to self never go on a holiday with them again :D).

Luckily the guide (or whoever he was) was still standing near the gates so I ran to him shouting I don't have my ticket!?!?!?! He told me not to worry, called someone, I went back to sorting my stuff out :D From the corner of my eye I saw the Spanish Erasmus guy come back with my ticket but he didn't come past the gates where the guide was standing. I saw him but for some reason didn't make my way to him to get my ticket... so he left :D When I finally got all my things into my bag the guide at the gate said I could just walk through (others flashed the barcode of their tickets there). So I did and ended up at the departure lounge trying to figure out where everyone else was (Note: there was no security?!?). Looked at the board - my flight was from gate 40  (the other gates looked like in a train station :S) (I think I was going to London Heathrow but not sure, because the last episode of the Amazing Race I watched had that destination, my mind might be mixing those two up...). So after running around in the airport I finally found gate 40.

Passport control before I could enter!!!! And obviously I needed to show them my ticket too. Oh hell, things were just getting better. I knew everyone was there, but I couldn't see them. I switched on my phone and got a load of texts, who are you sitting next to? etc. No one wondered where the hell I was :D Then I saw Vendela (a girl from my highschool who I had barely spoken a word to ever) in the queue and she promised to let everyone know that I STILL don't have my ticket and can't get through. I was so impatient that I couldn't wait there for someone to come and help (like a normal person would do).

I found myself outside the airport. How, why did I get here?!?! Started making my way back, but to get to the airport you had to show the ticket again (which I didn't have), so when the security guards weren't looking ran past them. Opened the first door I could and I was in some kind of a weird corridor hospital. Wtfudge?!?! So asked the first doctor where the airport was. He didn't know. The second guy, knew something about the airport and told me to go downstairs and then open the first door on the right. I did. Behind the door was the creepiest old corridor you could imagine - dark, full of spider webs and construction materials (you know the wooden plates or whatever, don't know the english word for it now...). Obviously thought hell to the NO! And closed the door. When closing it I kinda saw some grey cat-like creature sitting there and looking at me - or maybe it was my imagination (my dreamself thought about it). Then I found the exit and was outside again. And that's it.

Crazy right, but so detailed and long :D So I decided I'll look up what it means and found the site dreammoods. Didn't really help me :D because I've never tried to interpret (how do you spell that word????) my dreams so looked for airport and abandonment from their dictionary. Basically a new beginning, leaving everyone behind etc. Gave up on that :D But on the site I noticed an ad that had live psychics answering your questions. So asked about my dream :D LOL and she said - it was live that she doesn't interpret dreams. What use are you???? But that's a freaking interesting site I found :D Went on different peoples live feed (videos) and heard them talking to people - normal users ask their questions by typing it in and the psychics then answer live and everyone can see it. But since I was not a registered user my session timed out :D

OMG I just googled to see which one is grammatically correct left at or in an airport and the second result was this blog?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! this post!!!!! Plus i still don't know which is right so I hereby apologize for all the grammar mistakes I've ever done and will do in the future :D

Ttyl ;)
Jazzz...

Soooo hot!!!!

I'm officially jealous!!! Only because Jerez de la Frontera is a bigger city than my little Corte and there are lots of festivals and things to do there! AAAAAnd it's sooooooo cheap!!!! Not fair at all :D But it's too warm for me to live there and go about my everyday business... And the heat will get worse during the summer! Omg how do people not melt?? And Tapas!!! I never understood what they were and therefore didn't know what the big deal was but omg!!!! Why doesn't every country do tapas like that????? It would go down so well, especially in student towns (like Aber khm khm khm).

There is a place that does little sandwiches for a euro, 1 euro!!!!!!!!!! (on Sundays and Wednesdays), normally they are about 1.20, Mondays special offer is 2 for 1!!!!!!! can you imagine that???? If I had that near me I'd go there to eat every day! Probably good that I don't have it anywhere near me :D You have a choice of over a 100 different sandwiches and usually 3 will give you a full tummy + with every order you'll get a free helping of crisps!!!! Drinks are a euro as well, so 4 euros is all you need to get a "meal". Expand to other countries!!!!!!!!

Jerez is a Sherry town and obviously we had to go to a tour and tasting. We wanted to go to the one right behind Rebeccas flat, checked the visiting times the day before and got there about 5 minutes early but the gates were closed, the sign was still up saying that it should be open... :( Instead we went to a shushi place then, 6.50 for loads of food, 8 shushi pieces (some rice cubes with stuff in them and some rice with salmon on it - I don't know how theyre called, makis), a big plate of noodles (it was just spaghetti there but :D we couldn't eat it anyway - too full) and a drink (verano tinto - red wine with lemonade). 6.50 for all of it!!! Am I in paradise?

After the big lunch we had to rush through town to another sherry factory - Sandeman - and for 7 euros I think we got to know the history of the company (founded by a British bloke (Scottish to be more exact I think)), how sherry is made and got to taste 3 different sherrys. There was an option of tasting with tapas too but we were too full and cheap to pay extra for it. Nevertheless we got crisps and olives for free anyway :D 

A Sherry ghost showed us around :D

The hat is Spanish and the cape is Portuguese because the company has a factory in Portugal as well.

Two visits to the beach and now I've swam in the ocean two times already! :) + I have a nice tan ;)

It's only the beginning of May and everyone's already on the beach

That's about it of my holiday... It was too hot though already :D If it was a tad chillier it would be a perfect place to live!!!! :P Oooh  they have cheap huge chinese stores for everything! Paradise? :D

2 things I forgot:

• The first morning we had breakfast (mmmm... smoked Estonian sausage with black bread omg, heaven) and when finished went back to Rebeccas room - suddenly she started screaming - what had happened???? Turns out a bird - a pigeon had gotten into her room. On a closer inspection we noticed that the window was in the vent position not fully open. So how the hell did he get in in the first place!?!?!?! It couldn't have been by accident he must've pushed himself through the tiny space... And now it was stuck :( We peeked through the door and saw him trying to get out. Basically flying against the window, then falling down, then trying again, omg so sad. We were too scared to go in and open the window. Finally Rebecca found a blanket. Put that over her - sooo funny and charged in, opened the window as quick as possible and ran back out. By that time the pigeon was already too dizzy and just sitting on the bed. C'mon fly out! You can now!!!!!! Nothing... poor thing. So we got a big broom and started gently pushing him to make it fly out, and finally it worked! yay :) How did he get in was still beyond me though :S 
• One day we had to take cash out but the cash machine was a bit weird - I thought it was way too slow and Rebecca thought the green thing on it was suspicious. I said the bank put the green thing on it themselves to protect the card, because I'd seen them loads before. She on the other hand thought nothing of the slowness of the machine. So we both kinda soothed each other, no it's nothing, we're freaking out over two totally different things, so it must be fine. Back home, did some googling and the next days whenever we passed an atm checked if they had the green thingy. So far no ones stolen our money so it's all good. But at first we truly were a pair of paranoid parrots :D

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...

Eurovision

Thought I'd record my opinions on the songs this year  :) But don't expect a full analysis lol :D 

Unfortunately Estonia didn't make it to the final this year :'( I'm a bit surprised because I kinda liked the song and thought it was decent enough...

Also I missed the first semi-final because exactly for that 2 hours on Tuesday I was on a flight and had to get the bad news later... And going in to this final I've only heard the songs of the second semi-final. So it's all (half) new for me too and I don't really have favourites, although I do like the Polish song (on Thursday I finally learned what the song is actually about - because Estonia has subtitles under songs :)) and am a bit sad that they changed half of it to English :((((( it sounds so much better in Polish!!!!

It's starting!!!! :)

Have they always introduced performers in the beginning like this?

The little clips before each country are very creative, me likey :)

Ukraine - A very eurovision song in my opinion, the hamster wheel was an interesting touch.

Oh no, my site crashed :(:(:(:(:( can't watch it anymore with Markos comments because it says that it's only viewable in Estonia!!!!! PORQEEEEEE?????? I love Markos sarcastic comments!!!! Now I have to find another site! The other Estonian commentators talk too much so i can't really hear the songs :( Official eurovision page it is then... now I have to install something to watch it -.- but it works

Belarus - well I've missed most of it but it's alright, a mediocre song in my opinion, nothing special...

Azerbaijan - wow their flag recreation was awesome! A nice beautiful ballad, maybe a bit too boring for my taste though...

meh no funny/interesting comments about the performers now :(

Iceland - Reminds me a bit of 80s eurovision style (not that I'd remember it) but has a nice beat from the start, not a winning song. Haha just found a french live-blog about it and it said: alert the fashion police: the teletubbies are amongst us :D and they already made a gif :D Oooh I love the frenchies :D

Norway - the pretty ballad, not boring :) I quite like it :)

Omg looking at the france 3 page blog and it has a question there: how many kilometres did the hamster-man run :D :D 2,4 or 7 :D

Romania - I recognized them!!!!! They've been here before :D Although I don't really understand the round piano - it would be awesome if someone would play it!!! Right now it looks like he just pretends to play it for two seconds or is he playing it for real????. meh song.

awww hell I don't have song subtitles any more as well :(:(:(:( Why can't I watch my beloved Estonian version in France??????

Armenia - He looks like he's in pain :/ Wow this got interesting now, pretty good :)

Montenegro - not as good as Norway but still a nice ballad, the skater is something different, is she skating on the led-screen stage? or is there actually a layer of ice?????

Poland :) - even the quality of the video suddenly went 100x better :D I like the traditional sounds mixed into this :) oh no the English version started :( I think if it was entirely in english I wouldn't like it :(

Greece - I quite like this as well but they should have more lyrics, the rap in the beginning isn't very good either. Rise up!!!! But it's still a fun song and I think I'd download it later... although too much Rise up, rise up, rise up, rise up, rise up, to the Greeks now any other english words? :D ;) I predict a high place for it. (Your flow isn't that freaky, I wish it was but it isn't). One of my favourites :)

Austria - one of the predicted winners, not a bad song but I think if she/he didn't have a beard then no one would notice this song, I think it's quite mediocre.

Germany - Is that food that they're making?!?! retro-style, pretty good though I think that it's boring...

Sweden - The other favourite of the show tonight. Pretty song, better than Wurst. Keeps getting better :) 

France - dude looks like Andy Samberg :D after a slight what is this moment it isn't that bad, then the chorus comes and wtf? moment is back :D But it's fun you can't deny that :D  c'est comme ci c'est comme ca. Greece is better :D I just think they're a bit similar style :D You need some fun songs in this contest :)

Russia - The girl on the right has crazy-eyes at times but not a bad song, oooh awing :) Crazy-eyes is back :D Who is that man? A creepy stalker? nope, just the guy to produce the huge fan... Can't remember the song anymore, so not very effective. The frenchie blog says that they share everything, even their hair + have a gif of them :D

Italy - mozzarella :) mmm :) The mic wasn't working when she shouted something come on europe???? Pretty good :) better than the last one :) The frenchie blog says under a gif where she makes the searching move that she's looking for the emigrated italians to vote for her :D 

Slovenia - this is one of my favourites I think and I hope it wins. Yeap the best so far :) Blog: Alerte Fashion Princesse : "Salagadou, la menchikabou, la Bibidi Bobidi Bou" :D :D :D :D

Finland - meh, nje rõba nje mjäsa - meaning nothing remarkable but not bad either.

Spain - better than their usual entries :) but I don't really care about this song at all

Switzerland - now this is a feel-good song :) me likey, especially the whistling :) to be honest I think it reminds me a bit of one of the estonian eurovision selection songs that was my favourite but didn't win this year: Traffic - Für Elise, same vibe I think

Hungary - meh, heard better ballads, half crazy-eyes/ in pain. Wow where'd he run??? :D don't think anyones ever ran that fast there :D :D Totally unexpected. Obviously the blog had a gif and comment about it too :D : he left the scene because he thought he'd won already :D

Malta - Another feel-good song, though not as fun and good than Switzerland

Denmark - Awww I love you too ;) This is really good :)

The Netherlands - A good song but not my cup of tea... :/

San Marino - they have been here for three years (after a looong break) and had the same singer each time, so did that singer decide three years ago that she wants to go to the eurovision and made the country participate again? Aren't there any other singers? :D Not a bad song, the chorus is good, the start of it reminds me of some Bond song (I maybe wrong). Talking? :D seems a bit odd...

UK - Awesome flag! This is also a good song :) I expect a high place. Unusual for the UK though :D They don't usually send good songs here. Power to the People! The frenchie blog has a tweet from the queen: Elizabeth Windsor @Queen_UK

Suivre

If she doesn't win, she's not coming back in. #Eurovision

and that's it with the songs!!!!! Start voting (I never vote), I like the recap of all the songs!!! :) Wait has the voting started already???? Are they wasting precious time???? Oh voting starts now and finally my loved recap :)

Yeah Slovenia is my ultimate favourite this year! Second Switzerland, then Poland and Greece and UK I think... wait... didnät Turkey participate this year? :( There's definitely some familiar tune in San Marinos song, but I can't pinpoint the song...

Sweden but on  a better show last year introducing all the Swedish traditions and customs and meatballls!!! :D The hosts 12 song is pretty good though. What's with China? Are they loving the uerovision as much as the Australians???  Yeah my opinions exactly - he keeps going on and on about China, is he done already? :D Lol these aren't from China but from South-Korea :D :D Well this was a boring show during the voting :/ Sweden was defo better last year! The eurovision museum clip is witty!

Found this gem: :D True story bro

Is the flute player naked???? How deep is that water? A couple jumped in there and disappeared under the water? :S

The most interesting part of the evening, the results now :) I wonder if Ukraine gives Russia 12 points as ususal? Why did Greece give Russia 10 points????? Ooooooh Poland gave 0 points to Russia :D :D :D yay finally points to Slovenia! :) Is that boos I here for Russia from the audience???? Yeah that's not clapping :D :D :D Haha, tension in the air :D What did Malta say? We welcome you to Eurovision 2014 in November??? What?  Haha the hosts don't understand a thing the Frenchie is saying lol Why does everyone love the bearded-lady? I love the singing people :) Only 4 points from Ukraine to Russia. Why is Austria winning?? And Slovenia is second to last?????? :( But hey, at least Austrias song isn't the worst one :P

Ttyl ;)
Jazzz...

Why do these things happen to me?!?

Since I got to Pisa at 7 PM and my flight was 5PM the next day (it should've been earlier in the day but about a week after booking it RyanAir sent a message saying that the times have changed :( More time alone in Pisa and less time/ no time at all now in Sevilla with Rebecca). So I got a hotel, it's weird beeeeeing in a hotel all  by yourself, especiiiallly at breakfast when everyone else is either with their friends or family and you're just munching quietly your croissant and drinking your coffee... ( I don't even like coffee :S).

After the slowest walk in Pisa Hight street, popping into some shops, buying a shirt and pants, sitting in front of the Leaning tower forever alone it was (no it wasn't yet) time to go to the airport, by foot. Never walked to the airport by foot before, it's weird... Airports are usually out of town and you HAVE to go there by bus, train or car, no other option. Pisa airport is quite small but packed with people so there isn't really any room to move.

About 2 hourrs before my flight I went through security and noticed that my gate has been annnounced - that's eaaarly, usually they do it at the very last minute and everyone runs for it :D made my way to the gate and what do yu know, a huge queue?!?!! Already???? but it wasn't my flight but the one before, so luckily for me no waiting in the queue for 2 hours :P

The flight went by quickly, one girl's hand luggage was too big for the hold but I didn't understand what was said because they were talking in Italian :( I hate the allocated seating! I'm always near the aisle and not next to the window. Usually when flying between UK and Estonia no one really cares about the trumpets or whatever their signature landing sound is but this time people were so happy, hands in the air half dancing, welcome to the south where everyone's happy lol.

I was so surprised at how warm it was, I had been told to expect 30 degrees but in my own head I thought it was going to be like in Corsica. Quite chilly at times so I packed a couple of light jackets and obviously thought I'd be wearing my sneakers all the time. Just like in Corsica... but oh no, from the first warm breese I felt at 8PM I knew I should've brought my sandals and left the jackets at home...

At Sevilla I found my way to the bus quite quickly, though I wonder if I haven't spent ages in the toilet queue would I have made the first bus because when I got there, the queue was enormous and when I joined it I thought and hoped it was the queue for the bus and luckily it was - would be so like me to stand in the wrong queue though. So the first bus came in about 5 minutes or so and half the people in the queue got on. About 20 people still in front of me though :( Another 20 minute wait and on the bus I was. Now Rebecca had told me it takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the train station, a lot of people with suitcases will get off there and the stop is on the side of the station building. Ok, seems easy right?

About 10 minutes of being on the bus one person went of at the second stop, I could kinda see a big building with writing and an F on it, but it didn't say Santa Justa (the train station) so thought nothing of it (only one person went off and Rebecca had said that the bus makes loads of stops if people want to get off). Then I noticed that the TV showed the stops and we'd just passed Santa Justa.... okou, but it's not unusual that what it says on the bus is completely wrong so I asked the lady next to me and she said yeah I think we passed it. OMG what you mean you 'think' we did or we didn't????????? Made my way to my suitcase (the bus was still packed with people), asked someone next to tthe door and by that time Santa Justa was 2 stops ago... Oh hell, I had to catch the last train to Jerez in 30 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now the longest time between stops! Just my luck, finally when I got off I decided that I couldn't walk back - I wouldn't make it in time of my train soooooo.... went to the people in that bus stop "Santa Justa!?!?!!" - they indicated that I have to cross the road, ok so I did, several bus stops there: "Santa Justa!?!?!?!" they told me (in Spanish because no one seaks English apparently) to go to the last stop and the bus should come in 2 minutes... about 10 minutes passed when the bus finally came, just to be completely sure another panicked "Santa Justa!?!?!?!" to the driver, tried to get on without paying :D had to  pay another 1.40 for the bus and on my way I was, patiently waited for 3 stops to pass - now it was a normal bus line so made a stop freaking everywhere and people got on ever so slowly.... god I'm in a hurry - about 10 mins before my LAST train!!!!!!!

After the third stop I asked the people on the bus "Santa Justa?????" they said that It'll come soon. By that time I thought that I'll definitely miss my train and will have to stay at a hostel in Sevilla, why do these things happen to me???? After another 2 stops the man indicated that I should go left and there it is, ok, thanked him and started getting off, half the bus shouted NO not yet!!!! :D it was so funny. The man meant that the bus will now turn left and then I can get off! :D

Luckily now the bus stop was directly in front of the station and after a quick sprint across a huge parking lot - thought I'd get run over - got in the station and as Rebecca said went to the machines to buy a ticket instead of the counter. Argh machines are so slow! Finally found Jerez on the list, but it didn't show the last train?!?! What????? But I need to get on that... Hell with the machine, ran to the counter, luckily no queue that late at night, and basically screamed Jerez de la Frontera at the ticket lady :D I still had 10 minutes so she told me to relax I have time, no worries (in Spanish so I guess that's what she said). Got my ticket and found my train :) I told Rebecca I'll make it ;) although it was a close one.

What an adrenaline rush that is! :P

Ttyl ;)

Jazzz...