my last days in Valencia!

I'm sorry about not-posting again! My situation is just such that I have only a few days left in Valencia and thus I've had so many things going on and my thoughts are somewhere else so I haven't been able to concentrate on posting. Okay I've been working on one post but it's not ready yet to be published.

Soooo, what's going on? I don't know where to start. WELL. My favorite topic these days - football! Last Friday was a good day. It was finally time for UEFA Euro 2012 opening! I spent the day on the beach with my friends (it has been so hot in here that there's not much else you can do but go there) and after that, we went to a pub/bar which was reserved (by some Polish people) just for football. I seriously didn't know that there are so many Polish persons in Valencia! The place was mainly reserved for them, because as you may know, Poland (and Ukraine) is the host country of the tournament and the opening match was Poland - Greece. I went there with my Polish friends and I think there were only a few not-Polish persons (including me). The atmosphere was aaaaawesome!! Everyone was in a good mood and the noise that came out of the place, well.... haha! The ambiance was maintained even though the game ended 1 - 1. After the match, the night included Finnish drinks, wine, shots, chupitos, botellón, a nightclub..... I seriously had a lot of fun that night. I was happy. (Well, the next day, I wasn't that happy anymore...)

On Sunday it was finally time for Spain to play: Spain - Italy. Once again, we spent the day on the beach (although it was terrible, the temperature went over the top and I almost fainted because I didn't drink enough). After the beach, I took a shower, put the Spain-shirt on and headed to a pub with some friends! I felt like one of the Spanish people with that shirt because all the people on the streets were yelling "YEAAAAA VAMOS ESPAÑAAAA" or "TOORRREEEESSS!" (my shirt is nr 9 - Torres ;-)) when I passed them, haha! I think it was a good and interesting match even though it ended 1 - 1. Of course Spain could have scored a few more times but....

Poland - Russia

Okay the last things about football: On Tuesday I was watching the Poland - Russia Match again among the Polish people in the same bar as last Friday; the ambiance was again amazing and I think there were even more Polish people (if it's possible) this time than last time. Yesterday, in turn, I was with German people in a German pub, watching the Netherlands - German match. Of course people were cheering for Germany but the surprising part here is that they weren't as intense and cheerful as the Polish people cheering for Poland! Everyone was drinking beer (surprise surprise) but as I hate beer, I took wine (I wouldn't have guessed a few years ago that one day I would seriously be into red wine...) and I got maybe the biggest glass of wine I've ever had! It was the same size as my head :D After the game we still went to the 100 Montaditos. Today, it's time for Spanish match again! First, I need to go to the university to print a few papers, then to the beach with some friends and then to see the match! Too many things to do, when am I gonna pack the rest of my stuff?!

Netherlands - Germany

Yep, packing. I started a few days go. I'm gonna leave some stuff behind because I know I'm not gonna need those anymore so what's the point in dragging them to Finland (as if they would fit into my suitcases anyway..). Here you can have a hint about the situation:

the red one is that full already and i still have A LOT of clothes to be packed....

those I'm gonna leave behind.... no room for them :(

Well, what else... Tomorrow I still have to visit the International Relations Head Office to get one signature. I also have to get the rest of my stuff packed, clean up my room (including washing the floors, windows, everything.... noooo) and there's one match I would like to see: Sweden - England. But let's see about it then. I would also like to go and say goodbyes to my friends as many of them are gathering to a nearby plaza for botellon again. But I can't go out and party anymore, because on Saturday morning, we are leaving at 9am etc for the riding trip! That's a good way to finish my stay in Valencia. We are gonna be there 'til the afternoon and I seriously hope we are gonna be back on time because I have a ticket for a bus that leaves at 6pm to Barcelona. So, I have to have all my stuff packed by Saturday morning, because there won't be much time between the return from the horse trip and the departure of the bus. I'm excited about the riding trip but at the same time I'm a bit stressed about the timetables. But I'm sure that will be a good day, forecasts show over 30 degrees and sunshine. In addition to the riding route, we will have a picnic there afterwards. The place is called "Parque Natural de Sierra Calderona" and I've heard that it's a biiiig area and perfect for spending time.

Aaaa I almost forgot - school stuff! Haha, no post without mentioning the university. I had my last exam on Monday (English for business). I've already got the results of two courses - French and Marketing and now I'm just nervously waiting for the Spanish economy results....! The grade for the French course was much much higher than I expected, seriously, the level must have been low if I got that good grade with my performance (I didn't even answer to all the questions). But I don't complain, I'm just more than happy that I don't have to think about French language anymore! And marketing, well I did quite a lot for the course during the spring and I got an excellent grade for that too! It was also better than I thought but I'm so content with it, because I did actually put quite a lot of effort on that course. So I've got two excellent grades now, and I'm actually quite positive about passing the Spanish economy course - I seriously hope so because I've never put so much effort on one course and I honestly did everything I could. We are supposed to get the results before next Tuesday..!

on Sunday, the beach was FULL of people

Okay, I will finish now, this post is already too long for anyone to read! Finally, I just have to say that I can't realize the fact that I'll be in Finland in less than a week. It just doesn't seem real! But first, I still have my little vacation in Barcelona. I promise I will enjoy those last days of my Spanish life, because when I return to Finland, I guess I can't afford traveling for a while... Well, that's all for now, I guess the next post will come from Barcelona!

BTW I finally changed the header/banner/heading-picture, I'm not sure if I like it or not but it stays there for a while now, until I'm active enough to work on it. What do you think about it?

exams & goodbyes + random stuff

...and heat. But now I seriously don't wanna complain about that because in two weeks, I have to adjust to huge temperature difference. So, I need to seize the last times of this heat before going to Finland (= to freeze..).

These two weeks have been more or less confusing and mixed. I have been quite stressed... okay, stressed as h*ll. that's why it's so weird now that I don't actually have almost anything to stress about. The situation is unfamiliar :D Well I still have one exam left, English for business, but there's not much to study for it. Of course I'm also a bit nervous about passing my exams or not - waiting for the results - but there's nothing I can do but wait. So let's wait.

the last day of studying for Spanish economy... well, no-one can say that i haven't tried!

Tuesday was a weird day. I've told you about the Spanish economy course, the one that was far too difficult for me because I don't have the basic economic knowledge for that. I've been afraid of that exam for this whole spring and Tuesday was the day. Seriously, on Monday evening and Tuesday morning before the exam, i was so nervous. so so so nervous.. but I did my best in the exam and if it's not enough, at least I can honestly say that I tried my best and I did everything I could. But the feeling after the exam? Empty. I didn't know how to feel, what to do or what to think. The thing I had been nervous about for many many weeks was over. that was so weird! I came home and I didn't know what to do because I didn't have anything to study or write notes about. I just sit in my room, staring at my computer and thinking "what should i do?". Then, I packed my stuff, put on some sun spray and took a bike to the beach. Ahh how relaxing is was, just to lie on the beach and not stressing about any exams. The water was warm and the waves were high. That's what I call freedom.

And Tuesday evening was about the second word in the heading - goodbyes. It was the last night in Valencia for one of my friends. At 10pm I met some friends and we headed towards the beach with drinks and some snacks. It was a bit windy on the beach but it didn't matter - we had so much fun. I was tired (because I hadn't been able to sleep well the previous night due to the exam) but I still just wanted to stay there, to seize the last moments with some of the best persons I've got to know during the spring. Well I still have time to see most of them - but those were the last moments I could spend with the one who was leaving. She was actually the first person I got to know better at the beginning of the spring. She was the first foreign person in Valencia that I could call "a friend". Along the spring she has been in the Spanish economy classes with me, witnessing my frustration and helping me. That night I tried not to think about the fact that I seriously don't know when I'm gonna see her again. But when we were walking home after 3am and it was the time to say goodbyes, it was hard to avoid thinking about that. I honestly hate goodbyes, especially if the situation is such that you can't be sure about the next time you see each other. Thank god we have all the facebooks and systems nowadays so we're able to keep in touch... And I will definitely go to Poland one day, it's not so far away from Finland!

hahah the most exciting swing ive ever tried!

as you can see, formulas are coming to the town!

After Tuesday, these two days have been more or less the same. I've been lying (= almost sleeping) on the beach, swimming in the warm sea, enjoying the sun, not-enjoying a young boy who - well - "harassed" me and well. just relaxing!

Yesterday I sent a job application and today they called me to set up an interview, for the next week after I go back to Finland. I'm quite happy! So, if they're content with me, I will most likely get some working shifts already in July. And the firm is a "labor-renting-firm" that delivers workers to their customer companies. And for workers that means that they offer them shifts in various firms (my field would be hotels, restaurants and events - mainly catering and waitressing) and then the workers can either accept to do the shift or turn down the offer. I decided to send an application to that firm because of the flexibility and variability of the shifts and the fact that I'm able to decide myself how much I want to work and which kind of shifts I want to take. And that kind of job is also quite easy to combine with the studies. So, I hope that the interview goes well!

University campus

Tomorrow is a big day as it's finally time for UEFA EURO 2012 TOURNAMENT! I've bee waiting for it for a long time so I'm excited about the fact that the day is finally here!

VAMOS ESPAÑA!

from weheartit.com

Mother's Day

First of all, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers - your "job" may be the most important in the world, don't forget that :-) And that's why you're more than allowed to enjoy this day, this is only for you!

According to the Internet, the water is around +17 degrees, and yes, I went there and it WAS warm!

For me, this day hasn't been special in any way. I thought I would spend all the weekend on the beach, and yes, I was there yesterday, but as I - surprise surprise - managed to get my nose sunburned (it hurts!), I didn't go there today because I seriously couldn't expose my face (mainly nose) to the sun anymore.. So now I'm just waiting for the lovely moment when my skin starts to peel off from my nose.. f*ck. So today, just cleaning and school work for me (at least that was the intention, now that I think about it I feel like I haven't got anything done).

the temperature was over +30 degrees. No wonder why the beach was filled with people!

I also saw CLOUDS when I left. Haven't seen them in a while.

A few facts have hit me quite hard lately. The first one is that there are two weeks of actual school left. Yay for that, but also booooo for that because it means that there are many tasks and projects to be finished. Stress! After these two weeks, it's time for exams (I already feel the anxiety and the whole new level of stress coming).

Another fact is that UEFA EURO 2012 is getting closer, day by day (26 days left)! I've already spotted some fan stuff in the stores, such as Spanish flags, caps, horns, scarfs, bags.. I haven't yet decided which items I will buy ;-) Luckily I'll have almost all of my exams before the opening kick off so then I can fully concentrate on the matches! Unfortunately I'm not staying here long enough to witness the victory of Spain, but I'm sure I can celebrate it in Finland too :-)

weheartit.com

The third fact is that my return to Finland is also getting closer, day by day. I don't know what to think about it. Okay, I can't even tell you how much I wait to see all the people I'm missing so much, but at the same time I'm distressed because I don't feel that I'm ready to leave quite yet. Am I gonna be ready in five weeks? I don't know, but then it's time to go. Ready or not. That's confusing.. Five weeks?

weheartit.com

Ibiza-trip, pictures

Okay, here we go. This post consists mainly of pictures and I have to say it wasn't easy to choose pictures for this post as in most of the pictures there were some people, and I don't know if they want to appear in my blog. So that's why the pictures may be a bit boring - landscapes etc., but I just have no right to publish pictures of people without asking them.

Denia

So, last Thursday (April 26th) me and over 500 people packed ourselves into several buses and started a trip towards Ibiza. First we went to the port of Denia by buses (2-3 hours), then we got our boat tickets (distributed name by name, frustrating...) and got into the Baleària ferry. The ferry trip took about 3 hours and then we arrived to the port of Ibiza. Then we still had to pack ourselves into the buses in order to get to the apartment hotels we were staying in.

people waiting to get into the ferry

party started already on the ferry

the underlay of the plate in a cafe/restaurant where we had our first "breakfast

the fridge got full immediately...

I'm not gonna write about our daily programs, just about a few things I want to mention. The first surprise occurred when I was brushing my teeth for the first time: the water was salty. I mean the tap water, as well as the shower water. My skin (or hair) really didn't like the fact that taking a shower meant the same as swimming in the sea.

Finally, proper ciders! Okay, no Somersby, but at least Rekorderlig and Kopparberg

the view from our balcony, the bright thing there is an airplane coming

the water was a bit cold but I made it!

Our hotel's pool area. The hotel complex consisted of many buildings, bars, cafes, pools, supermarket, etc.

Playa d'en Bossa. You can see the hotel on the left, it was that close to the beach.

The first two days were a bit cloudy but then the weather got better, okay it was windy but still sunny. I got more tanned during the trip, yay! and actually I didn't even got sunburned as I was quite careful with the sun lotion.

tanning by the pool

i just love that color of the sea..! it isn't the same here in Valencia

sunrise

As I told in the previous post, the trip can be summarized in two words: sun and drinking. I don't actually know what more could I tell because it's hard to tell about specific things or happenings or situations without mentioning names. So maybe I just leave it that way.

And how would I describe Ibiza? A party-island. That's mainly what it is.

the port of Ibiza

on the ferry, heading back to Denia

On Tuesday (1st of May, hyvää vappua!!) we checked out of the hotel - packed ourselves into the buses (once again) - drove to the port of Ibiza - waited there for a looooong time - got into the ferry, arrived back to Denia - packed ourselves into the buses and finally arrived back to Valencia. The trip was good, but as always, it was also good to come back home.

PS. less than 50 days left in Spain?! that's insane.

pictures from the last days in Málaga

The last few days were the best-weather-days during our vacation.
On Monday the main thing was to see el Castillo de Gibralfaro, an ancient fortress on a mountain. It isn't surprising that the castle is one of the main attractions in Málaga. The entrance fee was just about 2,20e and it was definitely worth visiting. The views were amazing and that was definitely the best place from were you could see all the city and the Mediterranean sea.

those colors <3

 

The last night's dinner was magnificent and I have to admit that I've never eaten that expensively. But it was perfect! When walking back to the hotel, we saw some crazy swans and gooses that bullied the dissimilar one.. Apparently animals can be very mean to each other too!

Tuesday was the check-out day. We checked out from the hotel by 12.00 but we still left our luggage there as the hotel had a day-storage service. That was very good because there were no need to go to the airport before 6pm. On Tuesday it was definitely the best weather. After breakfast we spent a few hours on the beach and then a few hours on a terrace. The sun was shining and it was perfect - except for the fact that it was the last day :-( We took a taxi to the airport at 6pm but we still had to wait for the check-in desks to open before we could move on through the security control to the shopping area. Time passed quickly and too soon it was time for boarding. My flight left a bit earlier than J's but luckily we were able to be together as long as possible as both of our flights left from the D-gate. God I hate goodbyes. It was terrible to leave in January, it was terrible to leave again. But I tried to think of it like "first I have to leave so that I can come back". And that's true - the next time I'll fly, my destination will be Helsinki. Two months to go.
P.S. I'm not saying that I don't like to be here. I'm saying that I don't like to be apart from J and from some other people. My life is now in Spain and I love Spain. My home is here in Valencia for now and I wouldn't be ready to go back to Finland yet.