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.
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 5th 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 6th 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 7th 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!
Shannon Kirkpatrick 