These past
two weeks have left me absolutely knackered. I mean, I knew they were going to
be intense, but oh boy! So much stuff going on! And still two weeks to go!
On the
Monday in Week 28 I decided to go up to campus early in the morning to get some
work done. Big mistake because the library was absolutely crowded. Apparently,
everybody had deadlines that first week, so the lack of space was to be
expected but it didn’t even cross my mind… Anyhow, I also had a Cultural
Awareness workshop for Italy which made me realize how similar and different
Italy is from Spain, and then two Italian lessons before a short break before
bootcamp. I had missed doing proper exercise like squats and burpees, and the
sore muscles that followed lasted a few days…
On Tuesday
I had ELT and then decided to use my break to figure out where to get the DBS.
My employer in France had asked me for the certificate and it took me ages and
a lot of walking from place to place and asking for people until I finally
found the right place and person. I got an appointment for the following
Wednesday to fill in the form. So far, so good. After that I had an Italian
writing exam which went alright and then I went back home and decided to check
the charity shops to see if they had anything useful for the costumes. I
managed to find two tops and put together four out of the five outfits I will
need (I just joined ‘Freedom’ this past week so now I also have to look for
that one). It was a pretty nice trip, I just love dressing up!
On
Wednesday morning I got up early and was efficient until midday or so. I did
all my laundry, the groceries and cooking. And then I switched off and my break
lasted way too long and involved watching some Orange Is The New Black… In the
evening I read about a third of ‘Donna in guerra’, one of the novels I’m
writing my essay on. Honestly, it took me quite a long time to finish it and
despite it not being a bad novel, I expected it to be more interesting.
On Thursday
I went up to campus a bit before my lessons to check out a couple of books and
then had my usual lessons. Fencing was cancelled so I got to go back home and
have dinner before Arabic, which never happens. I then had Charlie rehearsals
for an hour before we were allowed to go home. Pretty long day but I’m getting
used to having quite long days now with all these rehearsals taking place.
On Friday I
again had class as usual. The good thing was that it was my last French politics
lecture and we actually finished half an hour earlier, which I was so grateful
for! I spent the afternoon cooking and watching Orange Is The New Black again.
I’m actually really into the series now and I’m trying to avoid wasting the
episodes from season two that I’m watching. I have to stop myself from binging
on them and keep away from the series during revision #thetemptationisreal
On Saturday
I spent the morning reading the novel and then came up to campus for Does Your
Mother Know rehearsals. It is such a fun number! We get to be all sassy and
flirty and Maria the choreographer is quite bossy but in a fun way so we all
had a great time. And at night I finally managed to finish the novel, even if
it took me longer than expected. Hooray!
On Sunday
morning the ELT seminar group met at Nicola’s to share the ideas we had and
sort of figure out what we were doing. And then I grabbed a quick lunch and
headed to campus for America rehearsals. The song is great but the dance is a
bit tricky. Tons of fun though!
[Literally
need to find a better way of saying what I’ve been up to that doesn’t involve
‘On …day, I… Then,….’ Any ideas?]
Week 29 was
just as stressful. Monday again followed the routine as I didn’t have
rehearsals. I had the YA meeting, this time concerning the Year Abroad Essay I
have to write to compliment my placement. I feel like I need to try and start
thinking about an appropriate topic but honestly have no idea of what I could
do. And then I had my usual lessons and bootcamp with Amélie and Will. He made
us run outside and get all muddy, which I wasn’t too happy about. I am looking
forward to the weather getting warmer though. Today it was actually really nice
outside and if I hadn’t had rehearsals I would have definitely gone out for a
run!
Tuesday was
mayhem. I had classes straight from nine to four with literally no break, not
even for lunch! An Italian two-hour seminar had to be rescheduled so they moved
it from Thursday to Tuesday and I ended up with no pause for lunch. In
addition, I had my last French politics seminar that exact day to add to the
long morning of classes… And to top it off, two hour break for some Library
work and dinner before Masquerade rehearsals for two hours. It literally killed
me. Fortunately, they called off America rehearsals for that day and I managed
to go back home earlier than expected.
On
Wednesday morning I went to my DBS appointment and filled in the form. It was
alright, only that they told me that since I have lived in Spain for a portion
of the last five years, I would have to get some further papers. They gave me a
link and I checked it and basically they asked me to provide a Spanish Certificate
of Convictions which would take ages for me to get. After going back and forth
and many calls and texts and emails, I met up with the Placement Officer on
Friday and explained him what was going on and we decided the easiest way out
was to message my employer and ask for an alternative to the Spanish papers. So
now I can provide some reference letters instead, which is fantastic! Anyway,
off the point, on Wednesday I had a nice lunch with the girls and caught up
with them. And then headed to an Erasmus Mobility meeting with Amélie. Nothing
new really, I’m managing to keep on top of the paperwork so for now I’m doing alright.
I then went back home and did some work and Skyped Sara. Five calls out of ten
compulsory ones thus far.
On Thursday
the ELT team met before lessons to go through our presentation and keep working
on it. We have it on Tuesday and it’s the last one I have to do fortunately, so
tomorrow we’ll be meeting for the finishing touches and summary we have to give
in. I also handed in my individual assignment on the Thursday. I can’t believe
next week is actually my last week of class! Where has time gone? I’m going to
miss my lectures in Bath, won’t be back until 2017!
Then I had
class and an Italian grammar assessment which could have definitely gone a lot
better… Dreading my mark next week… I then headed to the Library and did some
work and met with Enrico for a tutor meeting before fencing. Fencing was fun,
except for my sore legs from bootcamp still killing me. I honestly thought I
would have forgotten a lot more that I actually had. I think I did pretty well
and I don’t suck as much as I think (still believe some good hits are due to
sheer luck though…). I also ended with a massive bruise on my leg after my
opponent’s foil lashed onto it. I bruise like a prune but it was pretty hard
nonetheless, so it wasn’t all my fault. And then Arabic to finish my long Thursdays.
The lesson was alright. The group has definitely decreased and I now have an
exam on May 2nd. Not ideal because it’s right after the show and I
feel like I won’t have much time to study. Fortunately, the last week of April
I don’t have class so I will have to work hard and finish my essay and study
Arabic. All about the timing but I’m also missing a lot of motivation here…
On Friday I
just had class in the morning so I went back home after that and did some work
and cleaning before heading into town to watch ‘Anna’, which was an adaptation
of ‘Carrie’ by Stephen King set up by BUST which is the student theatre
society. Honestly, the production was amazing! It surprised me how good it was;
with such few resources they made a great performance and some of the acting
was superb. Really enjoyed that! Congrats to everyone who took part in it!
Then on
Saturday I cooked in the morning and then came up to campus for rehearsals. I
first had DYMK, with the fault that the choreographer wasn’t there and we were
also missing half of the people. We did have to make the most of it though
because we barely have more rehearsals before the actual show, so we came up
with some cheesy moves and got another part of the song together. We are still
missing some bits but for now it’s looking good. I then had a break for lunch
and did some reading before Charlie rehearsals. It was pretty demanding but we
managed to finish the whole choreo and end up with back and neck pain because
of the moves involved. You’ll see. It is by far my favourite song of the five
I’m doing!
And
finally, today. Pretty intense rehearsal day. We had four hours this morning,
for America and Masquerade, and then we popped to the Lake for lunch being
harassed by the ducks. I have since then been in the Library doing some work
and I will be around here until my Freedom rehearsal at seven. I haven’t been
to any of them yet because I’ve just joined but the video of it looks pretty
easy so I think I’ll catch up quite easily… We’ll see.
Rehearsals
are ton of fun and I love them! I enjoy them a lot and they make me laugh and
forget about the degree stress so they are an amazing way to unwind. However
they take all that’s in you and at the end of the day you realize how exhausted
you are! I’ve never regretted them though; I always look forward to them! And
the show is looking great so if you are around Bath on the 29th or
30th of April, please do come and watch! https://www.facebook.com/events/177517562641437/
I’m looking
forward to the next few weeks left. Both because of the show and the things to
come: Arabic Culture Event, flyering, Encore, the end of the lessons… I’ll keep
you posted! x
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