Y2-13: Easter break!

This past couple of weeks have been quite laid-back but I’ve also done a fair bit of work in preparation for the turmoil of rehearsal and show week coming up over the next month.

On Monday I didn’t do much. I did some reading for class and enjoyed some ‘arroz a la cubana’ without having to cook anything myself (yippee!). I went for a run in the afternoon and then met up with Erin, Lara and Katya to go to Melita for the ‘merienda’. The sun was setting and looking lovely so we sat outside to enjoy our frappes and pieces of cake (got to balance all that running, huh?). In the night I watched ‘Into the Wild’ with my parents. I actually really liked the film. The ending is a bit sad but the film itself was great, made me want to go on an adventure. You should check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LAuzT_x8Ek I also found out a couple of days later that you can actually go to the Magic Bus. How cool would that be?

On Tuesday I had my hair cut, finally, chopped off to shoulder length. My hair grows incredibly fast so I doubt it will last long but it is a lot easier to manage for now. And in the evening I went to La Laguna. First I met with Lara because we wanted to pick up a new leash for the surfboard, but we totally failed. Then we realized we were super early for the date with the girls and we had a couple of hours to kill (didn’t help that they also arrived late…). Anyhow, once we were all there we went to the 100 Montaditos and had some drinks and food, and then Skyped Sofi from my phone. We also got to watch one an Easter procession. Not my thing, but fair enough.

On Wednesday Mum drove Erin and me to El Teide. I hadn’t been to the volcano since I was in primary school, so for a good seven or eight years! It’s crazy, I used to think it took ages to get there so I was never really up for going but now that I’ve lived abroad, distances have become more relative… The day was really grey and foggy so the whole drive up we were surrounded by mist and doubting we’d see anything. There was still some snow left in the pine forest at the bottom of the valley, nothing too incredible. Fortunately, once we got to the last buildings before the actual National Park, the mist disappeared and the sun was strong and shining (no snow to be seen though). It was fantastic to be able to see everything again; it was a bit like I remembered, but definitely not the same as I had pictured it in my head. We saw Ucanca, the Roque Cinchado, El Teide,… It was pretty windy but I didn’t care. Thanks Mum for taking us!

On Thursday morning we went to Decathlon and I finally got my hands on some new sports gear. I really want to go running in Bath but I needed some new trainers and now I have them! We also went to IKEA for lunch (of course!) and then to Alcampo with Erin to have a look around the shops. Didn’t find much, but I did manage to get ‘Mockingjay 2’, so now the cycle is complete! In the afternoon, like the day before, I did some more coursework. I really had to get my TEFL individual assignment finished before the end of the holidays, and that took ages!

On Friday I got up early with the intention of going for a run but wasn’t feeling great so I went back to sleep. And the rest of the weekend I spent pretty much working on coursework and Year Abroad stuff, we didn’t even have Easter eggs on the Sunday this time... On Saturday Marina and Katya came over for paella and we had a Monopoly fight after lunch like in the old days. I’m definitely out of practice because Katya built a massive empire and I nearly got bankrupt… In the night I got my family to finally watch ‘Mockingjay 2’. I absolutely love the series and think they’ve done a pretty good job adapting the books, but nothing beats the written story.

On Monday I spent the day either sleeping or again working and reviewing Italian. Not much fun but I already knew I was going to have to work quite a bit over the holidays. All my friends and Mum and sister had started classes again so it wasn’t like I could make a lot of plans to meet with people, and I was happy to get the work done and not stress out once I got back to Bath… In the evening I went out for a long walk to the lighthouse in La Punta with Katya, and then watched ‘Mamma Mia’ when I came back. I’d forgotten how much I love that musical!

On Tuesday morning I went with Dad to La Laguna to book all my driving lessons for when I’m back in the summer. I’m adamant to get my license this summer, or Christmas at the latest, so I needed to book the days if I didn’t want to find myself with not enough time. The PAU finishes before I return, so I would have had to deal with fighting for slots if I hadn’t booked in advance. Fingers crossed I’ll manage to pass! We also popped into Mercadona to get some food for Sebas and Sol who were arriving on Thursday, and I got myself some cans of olives. You’ll laugh, but I’m an olive-lover and the ones they sell in the UK are quite pitiful, so I just take some with me when I come back from the holidays! In the afternoon I decided to sunbathe and, as lucky as I am, right when I got myself out to the garden a massive cloud came out of nowhere and there was no more sun to be seen… Just great. I will be white as milk for the rest of my days. And in the evening I decided to watch ‘Chicago’, another one of my favourite musicals. I think I’m starting to see a trend here.

On Wednesday morning I slept in and did some work. A huge storm arrived out of nowhere with rain and wind and fog. Not the kind of weather you’d expect from the Islands of eternal spring. I went up to La Laguna after lunch to have a coffee with Lara and meet two of her Italian friends and just about managed not to get soaked. I’ve learnt to deal with rain since I live in the UK, but that doesn’t mean I’ve learnt to like it. The afternoon was nice, I got to speak a bit of Italian and we went out for a walk around La Laguna before heading back. In the evening I was going to go with Katya to eat fish in La Punta, but the weather was so gross there was a change of plans and instead we ordered some Chinese take-away and watched ‘Cry-Baby’. Another hilarious film. It was so old-school to have a movie night with Katya. I’d missed her a lot! That night Perico, the canary Dad found in the garden about two years ago and we adopted, passed away which was very sad, but he did have a happy life while he was with us.

On Thursday I slept in and chilled at home. Sebas called to say his flight had been delayed because of the weather, so Sol and he didn’t arrive in time for the yummy pizzas for lunch (satisfying my cravings). I then had a nap because when can you nap if it’s not during the holidays? When I woke up they had already arrived. It was great to see them, even if it was swiftly as I had to get ready and head to La Laguna because I was meeting some friends. Once I got to La Laguna, I met Cris and María first and we had some tea in Palmelita while we waited for the others. Rainer and Moni got there first and then we moved to a Mexican food place for dinner, where Claudia, Gema and Alba joined us. The dinner was pretty good, I had a chicken and chocolate burrito, weird combo but very tasty! We then headed to El Rincón de Tintín because there was a jam session. I missed live music! The atmosphere was great and Cristina even took over the vocals for a bit! In the end, it was just Cris, Rainer and I left so we headed to the bars to make time while David came to pick us up. It was a different but great night out.

@CristinaMahelo https://www.facebook.com/cristinamahelo/info/?tab=page_info

On Friday I slept in and spent the morning with Sebas, Sol and Dad. Sol told me about their awesome trip to Africa, such amazing places! It just makes me want to travel even more! We had paella for lunch and then after that they left. Lara and Katya came over in the afternoon to say goodbye. They were going to La Laguna for a concert and asked if I’d come. At this point, I hadn’t even packed but I managed to finish in time to join them. It was a jazz concert but it was full by the time we arrived so we just roamed around instead.

Today I woke up early to leave for the airport. Mum and Sebas drove me there. The trip was alright, I got to see the Teide as we flew away and watched ‘Fury’ during the flight. I also got back in time to catch the 4pm bus in sunny Somerset (yes, sunnier than Tenerife) and arrived with plenty of time to do the groceries, clean, unpack etc. Pretty decent and adulty day, but note to self (and anybody interested), Easyjet anytime over Ryanair.

Tomorrow I have to get up early again because I have a long day of rehearsals for Encore and then have to get back home and cook and clean the house. It will be a long day, but I am looking forward to the show so I don’t really mind! Let’s get some sleep now; I’ll keep you posted on how the next few weeks get on!

Zoe x

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