The Experiences of a Motherfucking Princess

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.”

- C. JoyBell C

Here we go; round 2. Life lessons: they either hit you like a moving train, surprise you like the first blooms in Spring or creep up on you slowly as an unwanted realisation. And what we are to do, except either to accept and grow from the experience or shirk from the pain and be doomed to repeat the experience somewhere further down the line. This year has been a whirlwind of happiness and craziness, moments of euphoria and flashes of darkness. Here's what 2014 taught me...

1. You are not an island. Your actions affect others. Self-centred decisions may feel good in the moment, but are you prepared to deal with hurting those around you? And indecision is just as bad as making selfish ones. You are a pebble; when you make a decision, it has a ripple effect. How big are the waves that you are making?

2. It's OK to make selfish decisions; as long as you're prepared for the outcome. Sometimes we need to put ourselves first and not think how we affect others and just live our lives as we are meant to. You can't make everyone happy but you can make yourself to be. It's all about balance.

3. You cannot control what people will say or do to you, but you can control how you react to it. This one hit me like a brick to the face. No I cannot control how that one asshole treated me, but I can choose to let go of that resentment, cut ties and move on. This is not overreaction; this is healthy reaction. You do not choose to get hurt, but you do choose to hold onto that pain. I feel this is the perfect moment to channel my inner Disney princess and say... Let It Go!

4. Mixing business with pleasure: Now everyone is different, but boy did I learn the hard way not to get caught up in it. Messy. Chaos is unavoidable. Although I don't regret it, I'm not doing that ever again. It made for a good few awkward days together. As well as put my job at jeopardy.

5. Honesty truly is the best policy, although it can be harder than anything else in the world, . Omission is considered lying people. And you can hurt yourself and lose others in the process. Buddha once said: "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth."

6. Mend fences. Call a truce. Don't burn bridges unless you really need to. We live in a very social society. I felt so much lighter after having sorted out all my people problems. That ex that I thought hated me? Well, in actual fact, he didn't. What unknowing relief. That girl talking about me behind my back? Yeah one small confrontation and we silently agreed to leave each other alone. So much unnecessary stagnant energy.

7. Sort out your daily life. Something I find particularly difficult as I live in my head, but by having a daily objective I feel clearer in my mind and so healthier in my soul. Ticking shit off my agenda makes me feel like I've accomplished something with my day; even if it's allocating time to just lying in bed and reading.

8. Mistakes do not need to define you. It's not a mistake if you learn from it. Experience is the best teacher. What better way to learn than to say, "OK I totally fucked up. Now I know better for next time." Grow from it! A bad deed does not make you a bad person.

9. YOLO has its place in the 21st century. Use it from time to time when you need that extra push to do something you would not otherwise have done. We live in a world of extremes.Sometimes you need to do something extreme in find the balance.

10.You are the cause; your actions define how you feel. There is no outside party that defines your happiness. Lightbulb moment I had one night during a bout of insomnia. Was interesting to reflect how much of my unhappiness I was blaming on others. Nope. Was all me. 

11. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Just because you meant it one way and it went another, doesn't validate anything. The whole "that's not what I meant", "I didn't mean for it bla bla bla". It doesn't matter what you meant; what matters is what you did. The time old saying, "actions speak louder than words" is so under appreciated.

12. The Fuck Yes or No theory. I read this somewhere and found it profoundly liberating. In the past few weeks, I've been struggling with something that I think many people can relate to: mediocrity. I'm tired of having mediocre friendships, mediocre encounters and mediocre opinions. The idea behind this theory is that if someone doesn't respond with a 'Fuck Yes' attitude to your person, then they should be a 'No' in your life and, can honestly, fuck right off... You are too awesome to feel that someone just thinks you are average. Reversely, if you don't have a 'Fuck Yes' approach to a person or activity or whatever, then you shouldn't put anymore effort in either and move on your merry way. I found this really helpful actually, with letting go of people that I was trying to hard to hold onto. Worked.

13. People are going to disappoint you. The people around you have their own, separate, just as complicated lives. You're going to get hurt. Hold your head high and deal that feeling in a mature manner. There is no point in losing your shit because something didn't go the way you expected.

14. People change. Friendships strain, and unlikely ones become stronger. And that's OK! I'm the type of person that wants to keep everyone I hold dear, close to my heart. Not. Possible. Life happens and the ones that want to stay in your life, will. Stop trying so hard. A lot of people just aren't worth the effort if it's all one-sided. Better to maintain those friendships with people that truly care, and not the ones that have the potential to or used to; even if it's fewer people than you'd expect.

15. Not everyone is going to like you. And you're going to get rejected. Dust yourself off. Move on.

A lot of these points correlate and others cancel each other out. Sometimes I had to learn a lesson a few times this year. Other times I had to deal with someone in a completely different way. And that's OK. My relationships with people have taught me a lot about myself and a lot about others as well. It's hard living in a society where such a huge aspect of who you are, is connected to who you are with others.

I feel as if I'm in two halves: one half, a little bonsai tree that is beautiful and needs to be looked after; the other: the care taker of that tree, pruning it and making sure it grows in the correct way to allow it to flourish in its own little world. Maybe this is the connection between the soul and mind. Or maybe these are just ramblings of a mother fucking princess.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

- Haruki Murakami

Is This The Way to Almeria?

I watched as the sky slowly turned a lighter shade of night; a hue that told me that dawn was approaching. Soon I was able to see the hilly desert terrain as we made our way towards Almeria. 

Me lying on the wall of the Alcazaba with the city below me

Tucked away in the south-east corner of the country, Almeria isn't as well known as other cities in Andalucia but has its own certain "duende". The word is difficult to translate into English but correlates with magic and spirit, which is exactly what you feel when you enter the city of Almeria.

Old facades of one of the buildings

The city was quiet that Saturday morning, the first weekend of December. The sky had that cold winter blue colour that told you the sunshine was only teasing you with its brightness. The streets were close to empty; the weekend of the "puente" had turned the town into a slumbering and empty borough. (Long weekends in Spanish are translated to the "bridge". "Hacer puente", meaning to take a long weekend.) We sauntered towards the old town, having in mind certain monuments that we wanted to see.

Quiet, empty street in the city

Almeria is ancient. You can feel the "duende" as you walk along the narrow streets. Buildings are old and the even the air seems to want to share a story with you. The wind whipped around our faces as we made our way around the city. Almeria was founded by Calipha Abd-ar-Rahman III (calipha meaning civil and religious Islamic ruler) in the 10th century.

Picture of urban paradise

A side street coming down from the Alcazaba

The city garnered its name from the building of the Alcazaba; once the most powerful Moorish fortress in Spain. The city was called Al-Mari'yah; "The Watchtower". The Alcazaba is the second largest citadel in the region, after the Alhambra in Granada. The city lies on the shores of the Mediterranean. The Alcazaba of Almeria (for there are others in other cities), is perched on a hill: the perfect vantage point for any imposing invaders that would come to raid the land.







With afternoon lunch along the beach front and having plans in a hammam, the day slowly came to an end.  A hammam, similar to Turkish Baths, which involves different pools of various water temperatures as well as an aromatic sauna, is meant to induce wellness and relaxation. It was a wonderful experience as we went for a full body massage; destressing ourselves before the hubbub of the Christmas season.

I like taking photos of cities' manholes. I realise how that sounds.

Many people don't think of visiting this particular patch of land when Seville, Malaga and Granada are so close but it is quite famous for other bizarre reasons. For one, the region contain Europe's only desert and was used as the back drop for many spaghetti westerns like 'The good, the Bad and the Ugly' and one of the Indiana Jones' films.

I'm definitely thinking of returning in the summer and visiting Cabo de Gata; a stretch of coastline in the area that is apparently breath taking, as well as going to check out 'Mini Hollywood'.

Soon Almeria! In the meantime, I shall continue humming the catchy tune of 'Is This The Way to Amarillo' and only changing the lyrics a little bit.

View of the city from the Alcazba

Introducing Granada

“Give him an offering, my lady, for there is no greater tragedy than that of the blind man in Granada.” 

The Alhambra can always be seen from the Albaycin district

The Darro river below the Alhambra

The above quote perfectly captures the truth of how majestic this city truly is. The first time I laid eyes on this bewitching place, I lost myself in it. I have left tiny pieces of my heart in a few cities, but Granada has magic that I hadn't expected to find. I was absolutely in awe of what I saw; of how I felt whilst walking the streets of the old city. I was captivated. Spellbound.

Although I haven't visited all the major cities of Spain, I would definitely say that, regardless,  Granada is by far my favourite. I have been to this ancient city twice; in winter as well as summer. Weather doesn't lessen the impression of magic you feel when you're wandering this city.

It's located in Andalusia, the south of Spain, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which is the perfect snow capped destination for some winter skiing and yet only an hour away from the beach.

Just a bit a bit shoe tossing

History seeps through every nook and cranny; through every grand, main street and winding side alley. A short summary of the city involves the Moors, the Christians and the Jews, which are all tied up in a very long and complicated history that dates back hundreds of years. Granada held great importance in those days, evidenced by the grand citadel, the Alhambra. 



The city's old town called Albaycin, was once the Muslim quarter and faces the Alhambra. The district is made up of narrow streets and white washed houses with the perfect view of the Moorish palace. It is typical to find Arabic tea shops and shops selling goods from North Africa. I slowly wandered those colourful streets, caught in a bubble of culture, so different to what I knew and experienced previously. The quarter is situated on a hill and the labrynthine streets, which wind every which way, can be confusing at times but adds to the charm of the area; it is also my personal favourite part of Granada.

The old town behind me

The vibe of the city is quite youthful and hippy-esque with people in free flowing clothes, drum circles, jewellery making and long, braided hair. Gypsies also wander the streets, vying towards towards tourists with pieces of lavender to pass along as "gifts", yet don't be fooled. It's a ruse for "donations" for those little pieces of herb and to read your palm. That or you have a wild gypsy lady shouting at you and could may as well be cursing your family line.

View from the steps of the cathedral

Albaycin district

At night, the streets are teeming with both locals and tourists that come to the bars for drinks and free tapas. There's no need to eat out when there is an array of bars to choose from to keep you fill and relatively sober to carry on drinking. Granada is particularly famous for it.






I've been to this city single and I've been to this city not-so-single; both times were great, with memories that will stay with me forever. Granada has everything: history, beauty, nightlife, accessibility and not to mention the locals are friendly and helpful too.

One of the market streets

Granada is a treasured gem; every memory made there to be cherished and every smile shared there, remembered. It's as if the city wants you to fall in love with it; the scenery captures a feeling of true happiness. Definitely worth visiting somewhere along your life's path.

"Probably... the most beautiful and haunting of all Spanish cities; an African paradise set under the Sierras like a rose preserved in snow."

- Laurie Lee

Snow-capped Sierra Nevada in the distance

Italian Conversations and the Kindness of Strangers

Florence

“You may have the universe if I may have Italy”

- Giuseppe Verdi

It was that time of year: Easter, which means only one thing in my book... Holiday! What is a travel hungry girl like myself to do but find a new adventure. And what better place to do that in than in the land of pizza, pasta and gelato!

Deciding to go to Italy for Easter seemed a little crazy. I could have stayed in Murcia; the city celebrates Bando de la Huerta after Semana Santa - a very popular celebration in the region which is part of the spring festivities. Instead I took the opportunity to travel and what better way to do that than by going to Italia.

Travelling alone has not felt daunting for the longest time but something I crave as you meet so many interesting people this way. Without the comfort of friends, you're forced out of your comfort zone to meet new people. I found myself having the sweetest conversations in the most arbitrary of circumstances.

Milan

Duomo di Milano

My second attempt at Couchsurfing was quite successful. Putting faith into a system that had let me down in the past was intimidating but that night I met such captivating people. Our host had 5 surfers that night and we were quite a mix of people too; a South African, a Belgian, a Thai and two Latvians. After being kicked to the curb at 7 in the morning, we spent a cold Milano morning together. With coffee running through our veins and our hearts set in different directions, we went our separate ways.

Venice

The highlight of seeing this city weren't the famous canals or magnificently made Venetian masks but an enjoyable 15 minute conversation I had with a lovely old man; a mask maker. In one of the side streets, I walked into a mask shop, completely in awe of the quality and artistry of each of the wares displayed. In an entertaining combination of Italian, Spanish and English, we spoke of his life as an artist and how outrageous it was of me to come to Venice alone. "No boyfriend? But why? You are so pretty." Suffice it to say that in true Italian fashion, this delightful man charmed me through and through and I left his shop smiling.



Florence
My favourite stop. The city is absolutely magical and left the biggest impression on my heart. I wish I could have stayed there longer but at least the time spent there was memorable. I struck up a conversation with another girl that was also doing the free walking tour alone. And just like that, I had made a new friend. That's the most wonderful thing about travelling though; meeting amazing people that are on a similar journey to you. Epi is from Argentina and I would never have met her otherwise. And I am so happy that I did.

The view from the top of the Basilica in Florence

Pisa
It was time I made way back to Milan to catch my flight back to Barcelona. Fortunately I had a pit stop in Pisa. Epi and I decided to meet up again to see the leaning tower. I have such good memories of laughter and smiles with a soul that I had known for less than 3 days. Travelling. "A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles."



Bergamo
The end of my holiday was definitely an experience. Alone in Bergamo in the dead of night with no phone, no money nor a place to stay. I had expected to spend the night in the train station as I had done in other cities but Bergamo's train station was under construction. Between that, the bus station and every shop and restaurant closed, being harrassed by over-friendly, drunk Italian men, as well it being a cold April night, I was at my wit's end by the time I found a hotel.

The first hotel wouldn't let me in (as I mentioned, I had no money left after travelling for a week in very expensive Italy) so by the time I found this one, I was on the verge of despair. I didn't want to spend the next few hours on the street. I asked the receptionist if it would be alright if I just sat in the farthest chair in the lobby, out of sight from anyone that would see me, although it was completely empty and remained that way until 5 am. "No", he sternly replied. That was it for me. Tears started to fall. He asked me what my problem was. I proceeded to tell him about my night before he cut me short and told me to take a seat and not move. Never have I been so grateful in my life!

This man was short and blunt with me and pretended I didn't exist for 4 hours while I sat in a chair and did not make a sound; dozing when exhaustion took me. The fact that he let me stay was a true act of kindness; the hotel was 4 stars. He let an unpaying, ragged-looking foreigner into his hotel at the risk of his job. My faith in humanity restored.

My bus was at 6 in the morning but I offered to leave an hour early so as to make sure no one saw me in his hotel but he refused and told me to stay until it was a safer hour for me to leave. When it was, he showed me where the restroom was so I could freshen up and gave me some fruit to take with me. The rest of my journey home was long but sailed smoothly. Thanks to this man, this stranger, I was able to go home feeling safe and say that, although this vacation had a few bumps in the road, I had an amazing trip. Thank you sir.

Upon reflection, Italy didn't leave me with conventional memories of beautiful sites or feelings of wistfulness. Instead, I gained moments of clarity; both in positive and negative circumstances. That's what travelling does to the soul. It teaches you to appreciate everything that comes into your life and how to roll with the punches.

Florence

Big Ben and Other Things

He stood staring into the woods for a minute, then said: "What is it about the English countryside - why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?"

- Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

A view from a tour boat along the Thames

Summer was approaching and it was time to tick another place off my bucket list: England. I packed my bags, left my life in Spain and went off to start my next new adventure. Little did I know just how life changing this summer was going to be; personal growth is an amazing thing to experience.

The land of the Queen, football and bad weather. It was about time I made a plan to go and visit it. It's always been there, in the outskirts of my mind, the desire to go but at the same time, it seemed rather surreal; this famous country is the stuff of legends. Luckily, my job allows me to go where I wish and with my heart set on this island, I applied for a job at a summer camp and that is where my adventure began. 

In the middle of nowhere in Surrey, surrounded by forest in a school that's history comes straight from royalty, I met some amazing people; both students and colleagues, through working at Bucksmore King Edwards. We lived in a bubble for 6 weeks. The outside world was alien to us except on days when we ventured into the real world.

Summer Camp

Sexy Buscksmore bags? Check!

We were all pushed to the extreme; due to work or personal reasons, or both. Every student and adult that was at King Edwards this summer, left having learnt or experienced something new or different. With grueling schedules that started 7 am and officially ended at 10:30 pm, days seem to fly by. That being said, those 6 weeks felt like 6 months and I learnt a lot about myself and about life in general. Looking after 100 kids does that to you, I guess. I like to think that the responsibility did me good; not just as a teacher or as a care taker, but as a person; you either suffocate under pressure or you thrive under it. So, to any of you monsters that may read this, thank you for helping me become a better version of myself and re-affirming why I love my job so much. :) You guys are awesome.

My students were great, but what about my legendary colleagues? When you're thrown into a situation with other people, you either make it work or you don't. The first week or so was rough for all of us. We all had such strong personalities that we weren't quite sure where to place ourselves but, as night after night passed and we spent more time together, I like to think we all created pretty special bonds. That's the beauty of life though; sometimes you unexpectantly meet people that change you, teach you or just make life that much brighter. That's the brilliant thing about teaching at summer camps though; you go in to make a little money but come out with all these extra bonuses. For example, I saw so many tourist attractions that I would never have had the privilege of seeing otherwise.

London
London takes your breath away with its sheer size and history. Something famously important happened on that street corner; some other significant person lived there. Walking along the street with a friend and he casually dropped that that was the area where Jack the Ripper preyed on his victims. Well, how awesome is that! Nobody seemed to understand my enthusiasm; as you see, I am from the "colonies", where we have lions and elephants but no infamous murderers. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful the city was while walking through the streets. We were given the opportunity to see and do so much; London Eye, the London Dungeons, Thames River boat ride. Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey; all these iconic buildings that you grow up knowing about but never think you'd actually see.

Mr Denny and the King Eds Bucksmore group in the London Eye

Oxford

My group at Oxford

I think this city was my favourite city that I went to. Life in Johannesburg is so vastly different to this quaint little town that it just pulled at my heart strings. Walking through the streets and seeing where Harry Potter was filmed, Christ Church College as well as the Radcliffe Camera and other popular sights endeared this tiny community to my heart. Not to mention the flash mob I choreographed on the main street of the city :) Ah memories...




Windsor
I finished my summer camp experience at Windsor; another obviously famous English site with a whole bunch of cool Chinese kids that taught me how to count to ten on hand (which is pretty awesome, in my opinion). Taking a photo with an English guard, coffee with a new friend slash colleague, nosing myself into the Queen's business by touring her home, all quite necessary to complete an amazing working holiday.





What makes a summer of a life time, you ask? 
New places? Check.
Pushing myself professionally? Check.
New friends? Definitely check.
Catch up with old friends? Check
A little bit of drama? Check.
A fair bit of enlightenment on the side? Check.
Being happy, just because? Check :)

Happily by Accident

As is usual on Mondays after work, I slowly rode my bicycle home. Usually this takes me about 10 minutes. This particular evening though, I had forgotten one important factor. Today was the second day of Semana Santa; Holy Week.

Easter is quite the festival here in Murcia, Spain. Streets are filled with people and the city becomes a maize; alive in its own right, leading people through the streets to where it wants you to go. Chairs align the road so that people can sit and enjoy the processions, unknowingly following a Spanish 'yellow brick road'.

The processions continued every day from the 13th of April this year to the 20th. They became more impressive as it got closer to Good Friday. Not all processions are equal though either. That Monday night's one was quite festive with the marching band and the Nazarenes in their KKK-like attire.

The Nazarenes dress in tunics and lead the procession, with torches lit, and candy-filled pouches in their coloured tunics. As they walk along, spectators are given sweets, biscuits or even hard-boiled eggs from the hidden bags of the Nazarenes that take part. They carry religious sculptures of Jesus, like an open air exhibition to famous artists like Francisco Salzillo.

Each day the Nazarenes wear different coloured tunics. Today was red. Tomorrow might be green or blue; each with a meaning. Each with a pointed hood. Each colour represents a parish in the city. Each day, a different parish represents the city.

Back to getting lost in the maize. As I said, I forgot that the processions would be taking place. I shouldn't have. I watched them set up the chairs on my way to work that afternoon. But I did; so... I had to find my way across the river to where I live. Every side street I took; every main street, every alley was bordered off with chairs. I could not help but be lead towards the centre of the city. Always finding my way back to the cathedral, the focal point of my small (and in that moment) anthill of a city.

Eventually, 40 minutes later, I decided to make my way back to my work and go around the bus station, near the edge of the city. Still, I had to work my way through the streets, past the many families enjoying the parade. I couldn't help but love this little place I call home right then. It's the people that make places special.

I missed the important days of Holy Week as I was in Italy, but I felt lucky to have gotten caught up in the build up of that week; happily by accident.

After Holy Week were two more important days for Murcia; 'Bando de la Huerta' and 'Entierro de la Sardina'. Bando is the first Tuesday after Easter and pretty much one big street party. It is actually a part of the spring festival but every local I have spoken to say it's just a good excuse to drink out in the open.

I was back from Italy just in time for Entierro de la Sardina - Burial of the Sardine. It is a traditional festival that closes the carnival celebrations. Another street parade with lots of music, beautiful dancers in amazing costumes and people throwing toys into the crowd for children.

As the parade came to a close and the festivities were ending, the giant sardine statue that was in the middle of the main intersection transformed into an enormous bonfire, like an offering to the gods for the coming year; concluding the spring holidays.

The Burial of the Sardine was over but I was waiting in anticipation for one more thing; the fireworks! I am child-like in a way; I still get over excited when I see an amazing firework display; as if magic really does exist in this world of ours for those few enchanting minutes. The fireworks that night were truly amazing. They left me in awe...

Murcia's two week holiday was over, but oh, what a wonderful way it was to end them.

*Fiestas and Fireworks*

Year after year, the city of Valencia prepares itself for a celebration that demands their time and devotion, inviting people from around the world to welcome a new season through fire and light. It is the city's pride and joy that people flock to take part in; the festival of Las Fallas.

This was my favourite 'fallas'

The fiesta takes place annually in March to celebrate the beginning of Spring and to throw off the final drags of winter. The festival is 5 days of loud fireworks and crackers, street parties and the giant, satirical monuments that are known as 'fallas' and 'ninots'.

The monuments tower over the city

From the moment we arrived, we could see that the party had begun in parts of the city. We walked to our apartment, past the 'ninots' and wondered what they were. They represent the age old tradition of burning the supplies of torching excess winter supplies and, over time, took form and shape of people and grew in size. On 19 March, the day of Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters and a public holiday in Spain, the monuments are burnt and thus the festival of 'Las Fallas' ('The Fires' in Valenciano, the language spoken in the area) was born.

Hello random strangers!

We adventured into the city, not knowing where to go or what to do but wanting to party and experience what the city had to offer. We landed up dancing the night away and having midnight kebabs to keep our energy levels revved before wandering around the busy streets and making new friends along the way. I found a photo on my camera the next morning; we were all smiles but I have no idea what the names of those strangers are, yet in that moment we just happily enjoyed each other's company.

The next day we made our way to the centre of the city to listen to the daily noisy event of 'la Mascleta'. At 2pm firecrackers are set off and a fanfare of gunpowder ensues for the next couple of minutes. Thousands are drawn towards the 'ayuntamiento' ('town hall' in Spanish) to watch the concert of noise and smoke. Feeling the 'doof doof doof' in my chest as the crackers went off was exhilarating and after it finished, the people slowly dispersed into side streets to carry on with their drinking and partying.

The crowd slowly started to disperse after La Mascleta

The city doubles in size to about 3 million people during the festival. I wasn't surprised when the 5 of us that had gone together, were separated during the day. With so many people in the streets and with each of us looking at different things, it was bound to happen. By the time we found each other again, we were all exhausted and decided to go home to relax before going out again that night.

The streets came alive through music, dance and drink

As we walked home, firecrackers were being let off every which way we went. I could never really quite relax as I jumped at every single one I heard and had to watch out for where they were being thrown; I was constantly twitching as if I had an odd disorder. The festival has been known to be a little dangerous because of the free-for-all mentality of playing with crackers and, of course, accidents do happen. Children as young as 5 were lighting their little cherry bombs, with no safety gear on, while parents looked on with a sense of pride. I did enjoy the smell of the gun powder though; it reminded me of my own childhood.

Sitting on the bridge,
waiting for the fireworks

I was most excited for the famous fireworks display that lights up the night sky. However, for some unknown reason I was expecting more grandeur and allurement. I think this was my own fault though because my friends happily enjoyed the fireworks. That's what you get for going in with a certain expectation. Lesson learned. Looking back I think that they were really great but in the moment, I seemed to have been searching for magic that just escaped my grasp. Genuinely though, the pyrotechnics were an amazing sight.


Afterwards we went for a drink but I lost my 'ganas' (my desire to go out) and wandered the streets hunting for a taxi to go home. That was a failed adventure all on its own because no free taxis could be found anywhere, so we ventured through the city trying to find our way back to our temporary abode; our feet aching and our bodies tired.


We woke up on Sunday, not ready to go home but a little beat from the hustle and bustle of the festival. As night approached, we got on our bus and took the 3 hour trip home. I looked out the window and saw an orange full moon rise and that helped to ward off my Sunday night blues.

One more thing I can happily and successfully tick off my bucket list: Las Fallas (Spain 2014)

15m tall Moses sits in the city centre

Only in South Africa

"I believe that South Africa is the most beautiful place on earth. Admittedly, I am biased but when you combine the natural beauty of sunny South Africa with the friendliness and cultural diversity of our people, and the fact that our region is a haven for Africa's most splendid wildlife, then I think that we have been blessed with a truly wonderful land"

- Nelson Mandela

I come from a country with a turbulent past and not so steady future. We are a complicated people with complicated feelings towards our country. South Africa is really a special case when it comes to our different cultures and lifestyles and how it affects our opinions about important local matters. But with all that said and done, I have to share why South Africa is truly one of the most unique places to grow up in. We are unique and vastly different to other cultures because we have so much diversity that we are, ironically, one of a kind. Europe seems an odd place to live, with odd customs and strange traditions that I find perplexing.

Our lekker way of speaking
We have the best slang terminology. Our slang is a mix of languages; from Afrikaans to Zulu and Khoi San and even Portuguese! English comes alive with bright and colourful words that give the language flavour.
Now now - soon, but different to "just now": "Ja ma, I'll do it now now."
Ag - an exclamation: "Ag man, don't be silly"
Babelaas - hangover: "I'm a bit babelaas from last night"
Eina - ouch or sore: "Is your head eina?"
Lekker - cool or good: "I had a lekker holiday"

Braai is better than barbeque
South Africans don't barbeque like the rest of the world. We braai. And we don't braai meat; we braai boerewors and vleis.

It's not ketchup. It's called tomato sauce
And the best tomato sauce is by far South Africa's favourite "All Gold", with its famous 36 tomatoes. I don't know how many of my international friends "correct" me. "Don't you mean ketchup?" No. I mean tomato sauce. What does the word "ketchup" even mean?

The proper school year
School starts in January and ends in December. As how it should be; with reasonable holiday periods in between school terms for kids not to get bored. Summer holidays and school terms are too long in America and Europe. We much prefer our school year.

We don't speak Afrikaans because we're from Africa
Too many times I've been told this while travelling abroad. I shake my head at people's ignorance but, to be fair, I can see where they get the assumption from; yet we all know what happens when we assume! Afrikaans is a dialect language of Dutch with smatterings of other languages that gives it a different feel on the lips compared its mother tongue. It is not Dutch, although it is the daughter language of it. I guess it is an African language in its own right.

We are not just black and white
We are truly a rainbow nation. We are black, white, Indian, Asian and coloured and yet we are all South African! I love it. We all seem to fit into a ticking box. Within each "box", we diverge even further into our own separate cultures. I still forget sometimes that other countries aren't as diverse as ours. We have no one main religion so even on Christmas, you'll find something open.

Christmas in summer
Christmas means sunshine and beaches; holidays and summer rains; shorts and dresses. Two Christmasses now abroad in Europe and I can honestly say that there is nothing better than a Christmas Day lunch in the garden followed by swimming in the pool or spending the day on the beach.

Rooibos tea is more popular than black tea
I grew up drinking rooibos ("red bush" in Afrikaans) since I was a little girl and I remember my family in Poland asking us to send them boxes of it before it became popular abroad. We don't call it red tea though. It is, and forever will be, rooibos.

We play soccer not football
The country is divided on this, depending on who you speak to. Some of us, like me, will call it soccer but many of my friends who follow the English league, will go into heavy debates about how it is not soccer but the age old game of football. It doesn't really matter though because the sport comes second to rugby; our pride and joy.

We raise silkworms as a hobby
As kids, we raise silkworms as pets. I remember how excited we would get each season when it was time to trade and see who had the most silkworms until our parents decided that enough was enough, and we threw our shoe boxes away, which we kept filled with mulberry leaves for the little guys to munch on until they cocooned themselves. When they emerged as pretty little white moths, we would watch in awe as they laid their eggs on the sides of the box and died. I think this was my first lesson in the cycle of life and death.

We have the coolest currency
OK, so the rand isn't particularly strong and if you ask any South African, they'll tell you how much they hate it but even though it's this, that and the next thing, it is still the coolest looking cash I have seen on my travels thus far. I still feel proud when I show my students our coins and notes. I mean, come on, we have animals and the newly added Madiba. Who wants presidents and kings when you can tell how much money you have got by looking at which animal of the Big Five is on the note.

Where are the animals in the rest of the world?
You can pretty much go to any reserve and see zebra, buck and giraffe. Walk into my house during the summer and I guarantee you'll see a rain spider somewhere. We're careful of snakes and let's not get started on the monkeys at the coast. Our bird life is famous and Cape Town is world reknown for whale sightings and cage diving with Great Whites. Visit the Kruger and you'll find our precious Big Five. Where are the animals in Europe? Nothing in Spain and you have to venture into the forests of Poland to maybe catch a glimpse of something wild. My British friends had a debate on whether Scotland even had snakes. I still find this puzzling and kind of funny. How do you grow up not camping in the bush and having to be careful of the hippos and hyenas?

My childhood was pretty epic, with summer vacations at the iconic Vaal Dam, raising silkworms, trying to whistle like the man in the All Gold tomato sauce commercial (thirty sixxxxx), calling our domestic worker Gogo ("granny" in Zulu) as she helped raise me and was part of our family, not understanding that having black friends was newly socially acceptable, and other typical South Africanisms.


We, as a country, might be young and have many problems but one thing I can say and hold true to, is that my country has made me special and I will always be a daughter of Africa.

The Cathedral of Murcia

I'd been in Murcia for 6 months and I still hadn't been inside the cathedral that is Murcia's main city attraction. If you know me, you would realise how remarkable that is. I am a lover of cathedrals. The architecture and history of these majestic buildings enthrall me in every which way possible.

I am by no means religious though. Don't get me wrong; to each their own and all that but for me it just doesn't sit well with who I am and what I believe in. I digress. Cathedrals. So after wandering the city centre this past Saturday; meandering through the streets during the siesta, I decided to enter its big, grand doors and see what I had been missing.

The facade of the cathedral

La Iglesia Catedral de Santa Maria en Murcia; the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, is the heart of the city centre. Let me first explain that the cathedral can be seen from nearly any point in the city. Murcia is by no means a big town so this isn't really a difficult feat but it is still impressive nonetheless. It is the most important monument building this southern city has to offer.

The cathedral was created  in 1394 and was built on top of a Moorish mosque. This is quite intriguing as the Christian king at the time had made a pact previously with the Muslims, stating that no mosques would be destroyed.

Anywhere you walk in
the city centre, the bell tower
can be seen.

I first entered through the museum which is a part of the cathedral. It is built on the Muslim remains. It preserves the remnants of medieval paintings and a collection of gold and silver artifacts such as beautifully detailed chalices. I found the history of each piece on display interesting and enjoyed absorbing all the facts.



After walking through the museum, I made my way inside the church. It was icy cold inside and I didn't feel that instant gratification of peace and serenity that I so hungrily look for when I enter buildings such as this one. I didn't stay long and soon enough exited the front of the church, onto the main square. I took a closer look at the facade of the building. It really is an  amazing piece of art by any standards.

The church continued to grow until the 18th century and is a beautiful mix of artistic styles. It is a brilliant summary of the architectural styles of more than 5 centuries. Its facade is Baroque with a Gothic interior.

The Bell Tower

The heart and entrails of the king Alfonso the Wise are buried under the main altar. He left them, he said in a testament, as a gift and proof of his love of Murcia and in thanks to the fidelity that the city showed him. To be honest, I don't know much about Spanish history and its kings but any king that thought it worthwhile to bury his heart in this little city is alright by me.












I came across this short video that allows you to take a look at the cathedral through the means of a summary of a new virtual tour. Take a look and see just how beautiful the heart of Murcia really is. Thanks to Romereports.com for allowing me to share this with you.

A Dash through Scotland

"This is a city of shifting light,

of changing skies, of sudden vistas.

A city so beautiful it breaks the heart

again and again."

Alexander McCall Smith

Edinburgh

Anna and me

At the last minute my friend and flatmate, Anna and I decided that I should stop in Scotland to visit her. Brilliant! I had never been to the UK before and I was going to kill two birds with one stone as I was planning to see Ireland too, and before anyone freaks out at me for saying that Ireland is NOT part of the UK, I lump the two together when speaking about that part of the world. My sincere apologies but my stubbornness prevails on this one folks.

I spent less than 48 hours in Scotland; you can't call that as seeing a country but I jammed as much as I could into those precious few hours and was lucky to see quite a bit.

Glasgow

I arrived late into rainy Glasgow but I finally met up with Anna and we walked around some of the town before giving up as the weather was clearly trying to best us in seeing whose will was greater. Ours obviously wasn't; nobody likes being cold, wet and blown away. Fortunately though we found some refuge in the coolest temporary sanctuary; The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It is one of Europe's top art galleries and, amazingly, it is free to enter.

Just chilling with the King at the Kelvingrove

Afterwards we caught the train to Edinburgh and I immediately fell in love with the city. It's the type of place I can imagine myself living in. I've only had a connection like that with a few places and Edinburgh definitely falls into that special category.

Greyfriars Bobby

The city has a smaller population than what I expected, with only about 450 thousand people but still makes it the second most populous city in Scotland. I think I forget that European countries aren't as big as South Africa sometimes.

I will have you know that during this trip I tried my utmost to master the accent of a true Scotsman and their odd (for me at least) way of pronouncing certain words. For example, 'book' is pronounced with an oo like 'soup'. They roll their 'r's and pronounce 'road' with an 'or' sound like 'board'. I became an irritating parrot; mimicking every funny sounding phrase I heard. The South African accent is by no means easy to learn but I was definitely not having much luck with the Scottish one.

The next day we adventured into the cold city and I was captivated by what I saw. We walked the Royal Mile; a succession of streets that form the Old Town that lead up to Castlehill with the Edinburgh Castle. Not that I even knew that the city had one of those; shows how much I know about the world. The walk is quite famous. Where else could you stroll down the tail of a long-extinct volcano?

Funny faces at the Camera Obscura

We stopped at the Camera Obscura and took some quirky photos of ourselves in the illusion mirrors.

We walked through the German Christmas market and ate traditional bratwurst and chatted in a coffee shop whilst drinking mulled wine, something I'd never fancied before. We visited the Writer's Museum which I thought was pretty impressive. The museum celebrates three well-known Scottish writers; Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. 

Quotes by various authors are captioned outside the
Writer's Museum

Two days is hardly any time at all in the grand scheme of anything so before I knew it I was off to Portugal for another whirlwind of an adventure but my Christmas trip would not have been the same if I didn't visit my dear friend in the land of the Scots; leaving more world wise and only bringing a love of a country into my heart.

Edinburgh

The Land of a 1000 Welcomes

The widest street in Dublin

Ireland is fondly known as the land of a thousand welcomes. I truly got a taste, quite literally, of that little saying on the plane during my journey from Alicante to Dublin when, after showing his true Irish roots, a man also on his way to the city, convinced everyone around us that we had been dating for years and kissed me as we landed; "to keep your mind off the turbulence". It was definitely the most amusing flight I had ever been on and what a great way to start my adventure in Ireland!

Felicity and me

I arrived in Dublin and was  warmly welcomed into the Hamill family with open and loving arms. This was my first Christmas away from my family and although it was hard, I felt as though I was adopted temporarily into this amazing little clan that were kind enough to let me into their home.

I was greeted by a new language; English like I'd never heard it before. Words like "fair play" and "grand" mixing with "slainte" but it was "yer man" that bested me until finally I figured out that it meant referring to a man you don't know the name of. More than once I replied that no, I'm single but thanks for asking.

Finding our way to Glendalough

I had never been to Ireland before and was amazed at how beautiful the country truly is. Sometimes you have expectations of places and they don't always live up to them. I was happily surprised that the country lived up to its reputation.

The cemetery in Glendalough

I've never seen a street
tell me which way to look

The streets were chaos during the Christmas rush; I heard the typical Dublin accent with "quality wrapping papers" as we headed down Henry Street towards Mary Street. At times I would just stop walking and stay in the same spot until people stopped battering me around.



I visited Trinity College and had my first Guiness at Pygmalion. I hunted for my usual magnet and postcard. Dublin itself is a great city but I need to go back to see more of it and really experience what the city has to offer.

"Merry Christmas"

I had my first "traditional" Christmas dinner with stuffed turkey, ham and Christmas pudding! In South Africa, my family celebrates a regular Polish Christmas eve dinner rather than Christmas day. It was my first holiday season away from my family and it was so great not feeling so far from home; I felt at ease and I enjoyed my time with the Hamills.

An Irish sunset

"Wherever you go and whatever you do,

May the luck of the Irish

Always be with you."

An Irish Blessing

The view in Glendalough