52 Lists: List the ways you can love yourself more

It's a sad reality that in today's society the hardest person to see the best in is yourself.

If we heard a friend saying negative things about herself, we'd be the first to come up with a million reasons why she was wrong yet we don't think twice about our inner negativity and the way we beat ourselves up. Sometimes it seems like we have a vendetta against ourselves.

These last two lists have been the hardest for me. List your best qualities? What qualities?! It was far easier to reel off 101 bad qualities and that list was a fairly half-arsed attempt at finding anything to be proud of. As for this list, I can see what would benefit me in the long run - not a list of quick fixes but a list of lifelong habits that need to be broken. It will take motivation and hard slog - both of which I have little energy for at the moment, but I hope one day soon, I'll stop fighting with myself so much, take a breath and reassess.

Without further ado,

1. Stop the worrying from holding me back.
2. Take a bit more care of my body - a better diet, a bit more exercise.
3. Have a mental cleanse - out with the negativity, being thankful for what I have and putting wheels in motion for the future.
4. Stop with the perfectionist problems - I'm only human after all. 
5. Take some time out for calm before bed, switch off and read.

Do these things resonate with anyone else? How have you shaken yourself out of these bad habits?

The 52 lists project is organised by Ema over at Made in Hunters. See her list here.

Spanish Life Lessons 3

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Even if there are five phone masts in your village, none of them will be for your network.

Yoigo is the 3 mobile of Spain - don't expect signal this side Mars. 

Plaza de España y Parque de María Luisa

This, my friends, is the Plaza de España (Spanish Square) - isn't she a beaut! After a week of dreary,grey skies and showers, we were gifted this blue sky Sunday. And what better way to spend it than a stroll in the park? Located in Parque de María Luisa, the Plaza de España was built for the Ibero-American Expo of 1929, when the countries of Latin America and Spain joined forces to celebrate what it meant to be Hispanic.

The Plaza itself is not actually square at all! The buildings form a semi-circle around a great paved expanse with a fountain in the middle, framed by this beautiful artificial river. The curved building is said at its simplest to echo the bullring, an iconic symbol of Spanish culture. At its most complex, the semi-circle is meant to represent an embrace - Spain giving the Americas a hug of eternal friendship *cute*!

 You'll find many an amateur row-boater out on the river! At only 5€ for 35 minutes, I'm sure you'll find me in there re-enacting that classic Bridget Jones scene, at a later date. If you want to take the muscle power out of the romantic gesture, motor boats are also available for 11€, though the ladies will be much more impressed by your oared labour of love (trust me!).

Coincidently, I happened to be visiting on Seville Marathon Day. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the runners taking on 26 miles in 25 degree heat, even if it is the flattest marathon in Europe! As a bonus for spectators and runners a like, there was free entertainment lining the most iconic parts of the route. I very much enjoyed the rock style of Conejo, the band pictured above. Conejo translated means Rabbit - kind of an oxymoron for a band who surely wants to be more edgy that a cute fluffy bunny.

Crossing one of the bridges across the river, brings you in to mosaic territory. 

Around the Plaza are mosaics representing every region of Spain. The floor tiles show a location map of the area and the wall mosaic shows a historical event or interpretation linked to the area. This particular one shows the Balearic Islands (my first Spanish home). Every mosaic seems more beautiful than the next! Each section is flanked at either end by representations of Seville (there are around 6 Seville mosaics in total) showing everything from Roman Seville to famous monuments!

You can enter the buildings and climb on to the balconies to get a birds eye view. Today, the Plaza de España houses some of the regional government departments and administration buildings.

I absolutely love these tiles. Their pearlised sheen just caught the sunlight and sparkled.

Exploring the rest of the park is a must in good weather. The Parque de María Luisa was originally park of the gardens of the Palace of San Telmo. In 1893, they were donated by their owner Infanta Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier, and became the wonderful place we know today.

A great way to explore is using these wonderful contraptions. There are various sizes to fit even the biggest of groups and, running on pedal power, they keep you in shape! They are more for novelty value however, as the park is small enough to tackle on foot. I didn't catch the price - the huge queues were obscuring the sign - but I assume, like the boats, they were pretty reasonable.

This cute little bandstand style building and the edges of the lake were surrounded by keen duck feeders (be sure to bring scraps for the Swans!). One excited puppy decided he wanted to take a dip to make friends with a duck - there was quite a commotion as he swam after the duck and his owner swam after him. Best keep dogs on a lead!

Can't beat a lion fountain.

Definite photo ops by the waterfall! It was nice to capture families making memories. 

At the opposite end of the park to the Plaza de España is the Plaza de las Americas. Here you can see three imposing buildings demonstrating the different architectural styles of Spain - Mudéjar, Royal and Gothic. 

The Royal Style.

The Mudéjar style, which now houses the Museum of Popular Arts and Customs. The museum is free to all citizens of the European Union, but is quite a strange collection of objects. The only part of the exhibition worth seeing are the workshop recreations, which show the tools and layout of workshops of Spanish traditional crafts and products. The rest of the collection consists of traditional household objects and lace - not my cup of tea.

The Gothic style building houses the Museum of Archaeology, which I didn't get a chance to look around (will save that one for a rainy day).

I enjoyed my stroll around the Parque de María Luisa - only wish I'd bought a picnic!

Until next time,

With love from Seville x

Feliz Día de Andalucíá

34 years ago today, Andalucía became an autonomous community of Spain.

28th February, the regional holiday of Andalusia day, is a celebration not only of autonomy but of what it means to be Andaluz!

Proud to be Andaluz

Having asked my students what Andalusia day means to them, it seems that its not very widely celebrated except in the schools. Children across Andalusia will be treated to a traditional Andaluz breakfast served by their teachers - a glass of orange juice and toast spread with olive oil. They will colour the regional flag, learn about the symbols of the area and also perform the regional anthem (usually on the recorder).

Particularly proud residents will bring out the bunting or decorate their balconies with flags, but it seems for the adult population of Andalusia, Andalusia Day is little more than an excuse for a lay in and a lazy lunch.

Wanting to fully experience the joys of Andalusia Day, as celebrated by true Spaniards, I have done practically nothing!

Woke up, pondered going in to town but decided against it and decided the day would be best spent studying. No sooner had I written one word on my page than I was being ushered out of the door for lunch in the sun in the village.

Luckily Eva, my boss, had booked a table because the place was buzzing. They had set places for us inside but when they saw our faces of disappointment at turning our backs on the sun, they told us to take it outside if we wanted. So that we did, we picked up our table, chipped plates and all, and put it in prime position on the terrace!

This restaurant 'The Four Corners' has the kind of atmosphere I'd always expected to find in Andalusia: full of life and chatter whilst everyone basks in the sun, the children running around the terrace, shrieking with laughter. It was like eating in your nan's back garden when the whole family is round for a BBQ - mismatched china and furniture but a lot of character and soul.

The food, as ever in Spain, was homely, plentiful and delicious, washed down with a cold beer as every kind of topic of conversation was batted around the table (from the latest trend in sunglasses to Turkey's possible entry in to the European Union).

 Tomato salad (Yes those are huge cubes of fresh garlic on top)

Fried cuttlefish

Beef in the best sauce you will ever taste!

As much as I love teaching the kids, I would take fiesta Fridays over adjectives and the past tense any day!

Bellies full and with the afternoon winds whipping up, there was nothing left to do but take a gentle stroll home. 

Writing this, eyes drooping, I'm thinking 'what better way to finish off the afternoon than a siesta?!'...guess it would be rude not too.

Until next time my lovelies...

Viva Andalucía!

52 lists: List your best qualities

1. I am a constructive advice giver.
2. I'm always about to listen to your rants, share in your excitement and commiserate when things are kinda crummy.
3. I am a excellent translator of Samlish/finder of lost words.
4. I am a great steak eating companion (though don't be shocked if I put away a whole 14 ounce before you've had half of your 8 ounce).
5. I usually cook to feed the entire street, so there is always food for you if you'd like to join me!
6. I am trip planner extraordinaire.
7. I am a great procrastinator - if you need stuff to distract you, I'm your girl.
8. I give great hugs.
9. If you have excess wine, I am always there to finish it for you.
10. I am infinitely childish - Disney movies, duvet forts and colouring? I'm there! 

The 52 lists project is organised by Ema over at Made in Hunters, take a look at her list here

Taking stock... 'Hey, its ok'

Coming up to my Seville monthiversary, I was feeling a little disheartened. A whole month in Spain and what did I have to show for it? Unruly classes and a fairly well loved duvet fort, that's what!

I felt guilty for wasting valuable 'Year Abroad' time doing sod all. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt, the more I wallowed and the more time I wasted! A vicious circle indeed.

In the style of Glamour magazine, I've decided to tell myself 'Hey it's ok...' :

• to procrastinate. Who the hell wants to work on their dissertation at 10pm after work or when its 20+ degrees outside? - NO ONE!
• to give yourself time to settle in. Yes you want to have hobbies and friends and know all the coolest places to go, but Rome wasn't built in a day - give yourself a break, find your feet and don't try and run before you can walk.
• to not be productive every second of the day. Everyone needs to veg sometimes - you're not Superwoman, even though you'd like to be. 
• to not always be sunshine and smiles. Just because you've had a bad day or two doesn't mean your whole life is going down the pan! Don't get caught in the swirling vortex of 'life will always suck this much'. No one's life is perfect 24 hours a day 7 days a week - far from it. Take a moment, chin up and carry on regardless!

This morning, I just told myself to breathe, take stock and remember that even the smallest achievements are worth celebrating.

and you know what...

I feel more cheerful already. 

52 Lists: List the good things about your town

Ask a languages student about their town...go on, I dare you! Your reply could consist of:

1. grumbles and groans as they try to select a town

or

2. a list of 3 towns with pros and cons of each one. 

We are children of the world - we have our home town, our uni town and the town in which we currently reside, which one would you like a summary of?!

Despite the fact my uni town (Bath) and my current town (Seville) are both infinitely more interesting, I have chosen to delight you with a few facts about my home town.

If anyone asks me where I'm from, my automatic response is London. 1. It sounds far more glamorous. 2. Avoids the 'I've never heard of it, where's that?' scenario.

I, in fact, reside right out in zone 6 (the wild outer fringes of Greater London). In reality, two steps left and I would be in Kent! It's not the best of places, it may have a bit of a reputation in the area but it's home! So here goes...Orpington represent.

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1. Due to the lack of any decent shops on the high street (it's a charity shop and estate agent haven), we have an abundance of amazing restaurants. Most notably: Fiesta Mexicana, Xi'an Chinese, Ephesus Mediterranean.
2. Jo Johnson is our MP. He is Boris Johnson's brother (Mayor of London). Occasionally, this brings the floppy haired, walking disaster zone to our lowly town, which is good for comic value, if nothing else.
3. Nugent Retail Estate, which has bought both Nandos, Debenhams and TK Max in to our lives - enough said really.
4. Our Wetherspoon's on the High Street, normally frequented on Tuesdays (for Steak Club), which is rough but always welcomes us for hours on end, with our sometimes questionable topics of discussion.
5. It's proximity to London - A 15 minute fast train out of this dump, YAY!
6. It's where I grew up and made some of the best friends a girl could ever wish for.
7. No matter how scummy it is, it will always be home.

The 52 lists project is organised by Ema over at Made in Hunters. See her list here.