THE TWO WEEK UPDATE

¡Hola a todos! ¿Qué tal?

I can’t believe that it has been two weeks since I left the emerald isle to start my year abroad. I’m definitely starting to settle in and feel more at home and all in all, I am well (sort of – more on that later).

Where to begin? So much has happened!

To say that the first five days of my year abroad were stressful would be an understatement. Upon our arrival in Murcia we checked into the hotel and after getting something to eat we decided to go to the apartment to make a list of things I needed to get at the shopping centre the next day. You might remember that I mentioned in this post that the flat needed a little tidying up… If I’m being honest, that was a very kind way to put it. The flat was filthy and the more I looked around the more I realised that I couldn’t live there for a year and be happy.

So then, the panic set in. With Murcia being a student city and it already being September I knew that apartments would be filling up fast. The rest of the evening was spent scouring the internet on all the usual sites (fotocasa.es, idealista.com, housinganywhere.com) and coming up with very little. Spanish people love WhatsApp and the majority of people advertising on these websites stated that this was how they wanted to be contacted. That being said, no one seemed to want to reply to a language assistant from Northern Ireland who was becoming more desperate by the hour.

Out of fifteen possible landlords a grand total of one replied to me and I set up a viewing for Monday at quarter past six. Ideally, I would have liked this to have been sooner as my mum was leaving on Tuesday evening and it wouldn’t leave us much time to get things such as bedding and any appliances I should need sorted.

Monday seemed to take forever to come around and all I could do in the meantime was hope and pray that this apartment would work out. It was ideal in every single way – refurbished in 2018, a ten minute walk from the city centre and a bus stop to school only five minutes away by foot. I should have known it was all too perfect.

When we turned up to view the apartment there was a young man standing outside the apartment building and I plucked up the courage to ask if he was the person who was showing me around the apartment. He informed me that he wasn’t but that he was also waiting on the same person. About ten minutes had passed and more people had showed up – there were six of us in total. We were all looking back and forth between each other when the penny dropped – we were all there to view the same single room in the same apartment.

I have never seen anything like it. To say it was a free for all would be putting it lightly. It ended up being a tenant showing us round and I felt so sorry for him. He was bombarded with questions which he couldn’t really answer as the decision was not up to him. Five minutes after stepping foot in the door of the apartment I had WhatsApped the landlord and told him that I wanted to rent it. Half an hour passed and he finally replied saying it had been claimed.

Repeat the events of Friday night, only with more desperation. I was more stressed than ever at this point. That night I messaged more than thirty landlords that night and again a grand total of one replied to set up a viewing. I had a viewing for the next morning and I felt it was my last hope.

The next morning we got up early to check out of the hotel and get a cup of tea in Starbucks before the viewing. My mum was considering staying until the weekend if I didn’t get sorted so there was a lot riding on this viewing. As we were leaving the hotel I put a message asking if anyone had any leads on an apartment into the Murcia Erasmus WhatsApp group chat that I’m part of in a last ditch attempt to give myself more options. Thankfully, a lovely girl (who is now one of my flatmates) replied and said that there were two available rooms in her flat. She passed the landlord’s number onto me and in the space of an hour I had a viewing set up and it was near enough a done deal.

The other viewing for that morning didn’t happen as the person who was supposed to show me around didn’t show up (this is more common than you would believe) and I took it as a sign. Third time lucky and the other apartment would be mine. So, we went to the other apartment, viewed it, loved it and signed the contract within the hour. I was no longer homeless and my mum could go home that evening knowing that I would be fine!

If I had a pound for every time I had considered booking a flight back to Belfast within those first five days I would be a very very rich girl. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been as stressed in my life and my Spanish was most definitely put to the test as well.

Every challenge I have faced since has seemed very minor in comparison to the accommodation fiasco. The thing I thought would be the most difficult actually ended up being the easiest and that was the NIE – simply put, the Spanish equivalent of our national insurance number. I had heard horror stories about it being difficult to get one and the police officers that issue them being awful and scary. My experience, however, was nothing like this. It was brilliant. I was called for my appointment after ten minutes of waiting and the police officer was so helpful – he could speak English and everything!

After getting my NIE, the next thing on my list was to set up a bank account. Again, quite straightforward. I decided to go with Sabadell as they are a national bank meaning that if I travel anywhere in Spain I will easily be able to locate a Sabadell ATM and withdraw money without being charged a fee. I have to wait about a week for my bank card to come but that isn’t a big issue.

One of the things I had to buy for the apartment was a kettle. Tea is a necessity after all! I managed to find one in El Corté Inglés, the Spanish equivalent to Debenhams or John Lewis, for 20€ which was perfect. After a few days I noticed that there were white flakes floating in the water at the bottom of the kettle and naturally, started to panic. After some googling, I found out that it was just how the minerals in bottled water react with the kettle when boiled. So, for any of my fellow classmates on their year abroad who may experience this problem – fear not! You can get rid of them by putting a slice of lemon in the water in the kettle and leaving it for 12-24 hours. Works a treat!

With it being September, it is only natural that I would catch the cold. Yes, you did read that right. I have the cold. In Spain. In 30 degree heat. Not fun when you’re feeling rotten but it is too warm to wrap yourself up in your duvet and feel sorry for yourself.

In other news, I have mainly been filling my time with getting to know Murcia. It is quite a small city so I feel I am definitely getting there with finding my bearings. I have met another couple of assistants and it is nice to have some company to go for a drink with in the evening! On Wednesday, I went to Lorca with my friend Nicole, a fellow assistant, to get her NIE but that is a story for another blog post!

If you have read this far – props to you! This ended up being a lot longer than I had intended but the accommodation fiasco was a tale and a half that couldn’t be left out. I am settling in well and Murcia is starting to feel like home. I am excited to start work and get into routine which will come round soon enough.

I am off to Granada next weekend with a group of Erasmus students which I am looking forward too. Granada was on my list of places to see this year and it will be even better to see it while meeting loads of new people! I am sure I will tell you all about it in a blog post.

¡Gracias por leer y hasta pronto!

20 THINGS I WON’T MISS ABOUT WAITRESSING

Today marks one month since I finished my last shift in the restaurant I’ve worked in for three and a half years. Three and a half years is quite a long amount of time and it’s crazy to think that when I started there I hadn’t even turned 18 and now I’m 21. It was bittersweet leaving as I have so many memories there and made so many great friends but at the same time I am so happy to be getting a well-deserved break from hospitality.

While hospitality is a good way to make money as a student and works wonders for building confidence (tried and tested by yours truly), it does not come without its trials and tribulations. The unsociable hours, the difficult customers, you know the drill.

With that being said I have been thinking about what I am glad to see the back of in hospitality and in true Shannon fashion I thought I would compile a list (as I do love a good list, you know). So without further ado, here is 20 things I will not miss about waitressing.

1. The lack of manners that the general public possess. Please and thank you do not go amiss.
2. Being on your feet for up to 12 hours at a time, sometimes without a break if it is really busy.
3. The unsociable hours and not always having a definite finish time – trying to make plans was always so difficult as some evenings you could be finished at 9 but others you maybe wouldn’t be finished until nearly 11. Doesn’t give you a lot to work with.
4. Making Irish coffees. Enough said. If you’ve ever had to make one before you’ll know the feeling of seeing the cream start to sink.
5. Seeing that regular customer who never books walk in on a night when you’re fully booked, ask for a table and then be annoyed when they don’t get said table.
6. Or the customer who walks in, hasn’t booked, gets given a table but doesn’t like that table for whatever reason and then moves themselves to another table and messes up the table plan of bookings for that evening.
7. Working on your own during the week and having 100 different things to do. Seat and greet, get drinks, take orders, run with starters, clear starters, serve mains, ask if the table needs anything else for their main, get told no, see a hand in the air waving you over to get them some extra pepper sauce which you had already offered and they turned down, clear mains, give dessert menus, take a dessert order, make said desserts, do 3 coffees, get the bill, split the bill, see another few tables walk in as the first round of tables are leaving and repeat.
8. When someone phones to enquire about what time last orders are, you tell them, they arrive five minutes after last orders and still demand to be fed.
9. Being told to smile by creepy old men.
10. Someone ordering a steak to be cooked medium but insisting on it not being pink. So you mean well done then?
11. Being spoken to like a piece of dirt for something that was completely out of your control and no matter what you do to try and rectify it, it isn’t good enough.
12. Bending over backwards for a table and being potentially over-attentive to their every need – to not even get a thank you never mind a tip in return.
13. Checking back on a table during their meal, being told everything is great and then being told the opposite when they have finished their meal and it is too late to rectify it.
14. Working over Christmas. Christmas is my favourite time of year and I am so excited to have two uninterrupted weeks off to properly enjoy it this year – something that I haven’t had in 4 years.
15. Having to clean up the whirlwind of mess left behind after a group of crazy children on a busy Saturday afternoon. I’m talking mashed potato walked into the carpet; dirty, used baby wipes left on the tables, the taps in the toilets being left on and the sink subsequently overflowing. I’ll say no more.
16. Making the face after walking away from a difficult table. If any of my former colleagues are reading this they will know the one I mean.
17. When a big table pre-orders their meal and can’t remember what they’ve ordered when you’re serving it.
18. Or when you’re serving a table whose order you took twenty minutes ago and they can’t remember what they ordered, so you’re left standing with three scalding plates burning your hand while they try to remember.
19. Being ignored when trying to take an order – whether it be drinks or food – or when serving food and then the customer getting annoyed when you finally walk away without adding their request to your list.
20. The hard work that is put in and not appreciated.

And that concludes my list. If you take anything away from this post I hope that it is to be patient, be kind and to always leave a tip for your server as every little helps!

¡Gracias por leer!

MY WEEK IN PICTURES: THE LONG (VERY TEARFUL) GOODBYE

Well this is it! I have arrived in Spain and my year abroad has well and truly commenced.

A few weeks ago I had the idea of documenting my last week in NI by taking as many pictures as I could as a reminder. I will admit that this ended up consisting mainly of pictures of my food but what can I say, I had so many people to say adiós to and what better way to do so than over a dinner date or coffee and a treat?

Saturday 1st September
After arriving home from holidays in the early hours of the morning, Saturday ended up being a relaxing day where I didn’t do much. I went and picked up my contact lenses for the next 3 months – seeing is a necessity after all – and printed some paper work that I had to take with me and hand in on the other side.

On Saturday evening my family came round to my house for some pizza and drinks as a sort of leaving party. It was so nice to have everyone together and catch up after being away for 2 weeks.

Sunday 2nd September
Due to not being able to eat all the pizzas from the night before, it was only natural to have pizza for breakfast. Is there really anything better?

In the afternoon, I took my friend Carly to Belfast as she had a hospital appointment after which we went to Boojum for a late lunch/early dinner. It had been so long since I’d had one and I was worried that I wouldn’t have had time to fit one in before I left. But as always, if there’s a will there’s a way – and as usual, Boojum did not disappoint!

Much like Saturday, Sunday was spent relaxing and catching up on The Great British Bake Off which had started the previous week while we were on holiday.

Monday 3rd September
On Monday I was faced with the task of packing my life into a big suitcase and a little suitcase – much easier said than done. Somehow, it seemed that the more I packed the messier my room got. I soon came to the conclusion that I simply have too much stuff despite having several clear outs over the summer. I found it difficult to decide what clothes to bring as I don’t know what the dress code for school will be when I start work.

 

My fellow Spanish Ex-Beginners will be able to relate – Caminos is a necessity!

Packing the essentials, of course

Additionally, I’m not sure what the weather will be like as we move into October, November and December. Yes it’ll be colder for the Spaniards but I’d imagine I’ll still be roasting and wearing t-shirts. 15°+ in December is a big jump from what we’re used to in NI!

That evening I went to Juliano’s, an ice cream parlour in Ballymena, to meet my friend Nicole for the last time before I left. Nicole will be spending her year abroad in Perpignan, France so naturally the topic of conversation was the big move! I don’t think it had hit me at that early stage of the week that this was really happening but it was really strange saying goodbye. What was also strange was that our friend Emily wasn’t there with us. She had flown the previous week to Tours in France where she is spending her year. We miss you Emily!

 

Tuesday 4th September
Tuesday marked my last nail appointment with the fabulous Kiara who has been doing my nails for almost 2 years now. I always look forward to my nail appointments as they’re almost like a coffee date with a good friend where you can have a really good chat and come out with gorgeous nails at the end!

On Tuesday evening, I headed to Belfast for a last hurrah with Carly. We went to one of our favourite places, Bootleggers. It’s really quirky and different from anywhere else in town. As usual, we got a mixture of foods to nibble on – mac n cheese balls, mozzarella dippers, chilli beef nachos and parful fries (skinny fries, sweet potato fries, crispy bacon, garlic butter, parmesan and sour cream – sounds random but they are amazing.)

Wednesday 5^th September
Wednesday afternoon saw me heading back to Juliano’s but this time for a lunch date with my friend Aine, who will be living in Lorca this year which isn’t too far away from Murcia! We chatted about everything from what we’re apprehensive about to what we’re excited about to places that we would like to travel to this year. I actually forgot to take pictures of my lunch etc but just for reference I had a tuna and sweetcorn Panini and a tea!

In the evening, I went for dinner with my family. This was so bittersweet and it was at this point that I started to cry and didn’t really stop for the rest of the week. I think it just dawned on me how supportive and proud of me my family really are.

 

Thursday 6^th September
As one of my cousins had to work late on Wednesday evening and couldn’t come out for dinner, we went for breakfast the next day instead. Of course this was the perfect opportunity to have one last fry before moving abroad and it did not disappoint.

The rest of Thursday was spent packing the last of my things and for my last supper in NI it was only natural to get a Chinese takeaway. I haven’t even been away for a week yet and I am already excited for the next time I will be home just to get another Chinese.

Friday 7^th September
In no time at all, moving day had arrived. I barely slept on Thursday night and next thing my mum and I were up at 2.30am to get to the airport for our 6.10am flight. My belly did somersaults the whole time and I felt so nervous.

When we took off and I was catching my last glimpses of Ireland until December I couldn’t help but feel sad. I shed a tear or two on the plane – I hope the people sitting beside me didn’t think I was weird! It was very overwhelming but December isn’t too far away and I know that I’m going to have the time of my life.

 

So there you have it, that’s how I spent my last week in NI.

To keep updated with how I’m doing more or less on a daily basis I am very active on my Instagram so make sure you are following me on there!

¡Gracias por leer y hasta luego!