06/10/12
During the past week I have met some of the
other Irish Erasmus students. There is Kevin who is studying Spanish and Irish in Galway. There are also three girls
in their early twenties, (in the order they stand in the photo),
Grainne, Roisin, and Stacy. Roisin is actually English but studying in Ireland. We chatted and compared our impressions
of the city and the college. They remarked on how the bureaucracy
involved with the paperwork was a total nightmare. I remarked that
it was ridiculous that we still had to wait for our usernames and
passwords. They told me that they were given theirs this week, when
they paid to do an extra curricular intensive Spanish course, and
could now log on to the system. (Deep breaths Colin, keep calm,
don’t lose it). I have heard many theories as to why I am still
waiting for mine. Some of the more plausible ones are:
1). Because I
handed my details in so early they are sitting at the bottom of the
pile and the admin staff still haven’t reached the end of the pile
(he who is first shall be last and he who is last shall be first).
2). The administration staff are working through the list of Erasmus
students alphabetically according to the name of each University;
this could well push Maynooth back to near the end of the list.
3).
The administration staff have the system set up that when each
Erasmus student pays to do the intensive Spanish course they will
then automatically receive their username and password for the
system. They may assume that everyone will apply to do the course.
I have not elected to do the course, neither has Mairead.
As far as
I can tell we are the only two with no access to the system.
Meanwhile I am expected to access notes and prepare work for class.
When I arrive to class I am asked why I haven’t done the
preparatory work, (deep breaths).
I have emailed my learning coordinator
about it and he has emailed back saying he will look into it. One of
my lecturers said she would make enquiries. She emailed me yesterday
saying that she was told that the system was down, (only the part for
Erasmus students) and they didn’t know when it would be back up
again. I thanked her for making the enquiry on my behalf but I
informed her that all my fellow students from Ireland were given
their usernames and passwords just this very week gone by. Watch
this space…….
Yesterday was the first day I have been
outside Oviedo since I arrived nearly six weeks ago. Kevin and I
hopped on a bus to the city of Gijon, arranging to meet the girls
there. The journey takes no more than 20-25 minutes and costs 4.40
euro return. Gijon is right on the coast and boasts two lovely
beaches. It was refreshing to smell the sea air as soon as we got
off the bus. It was about 3.00 in the afternoon; everywhere was very
quiet, not many people to be seen about the place. Gijon is a
strange mix of beautiful Romanesque architecture and modern industry. A photo taken of a statue from one angle will show a background steeped in history; taken from another angle, modern buildings are the backdrop. There are
two beaches separated by the port. Further on past one of the
beaches can be seen some sort of industrial complex that looks ugly
and in my opinion takes away from the otherwise beautiful views of
the coastline. The weather has been unusually hot for the time of
year. Yesterday, the 5th of October, the temperature was
about 27 degrees and the sun shone so brightly that I had to wear my
sunglasses and don my cap to stop my head burning. We walked the
length of one beach. Watching people swimming and surfing I wished I
had brought my swimming togs with me. A dip in the Cantabrian Sea
would have been nice right then.
We met the girls on the esplanade coming the opposite
way. They were going for a swim and a bit of sunbathing. They had
another girl with them but never bothered to introduce her to me
or Kevin. We chatted for a while and then agreed to meet up later in
Dominoes Pizza, who have an ´all you can eat´ deal for 6 euro. Kevin
and I moved on around the coastline taking photos and marvelling at how
quiet the place was compared to Oviedo. I have posted photos of the
beach and the battery that is located on the headland or lookout
point, el Cerro de Santa Catalinal. The battery is built into
the headland rather than on the headland and is quite aesthetically
pleasing to the eye.
Something I found very curious was the modern sculpture or installation located on the lookout point. It looks like something that would grace the cover of a Pink Floyd album. It is just a large concrete structure. I have posted a photo of it here on this page. When you stand in the centre of this structure some sort of sound effect or illusion happens. As you are standing on the lookout point and the sea is below you it sounds as if the sea is actually somewhere above your head. Strange indeed.
Like Oviedo there are many statues and
sculptures dotted about the city of Gijon. There is a statue of King
Pelayo, who I think was the first king of Asturias. There is a
statue of Octavius Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, the original
‘first among equals’, I couldn’t get the pigeon who was
sitting on his head to shift while I was posing for the photo. There
are Roman baths located below ground level but unfortunately it was
closed at the time but I will be back to have a proper guided tour of
them.
Kevin and I wound our way down to the
port and looked at the fish swimming in the clear waters of the
harbour. The whole place is very clean and with the sunshine
reflecting off the water I kept getting urges to jump into the water.
It was a really beautiful day and it felt so good to be away from
the hustle and noise of Oviedo.
We are tired from walking and so we meet
up with the girls as arranged and stuff our faces with cheap pizza.
After that we walk back along the promenade heading for the bus
station. It is about 7.30 in the evening and people are still
swimming and surfing. As we walk past the harbour the sun decides to
set in a way that tends to get artists all in a tizzy. Unfortunately
my camera isn’t good enough to capture the beauty of the moment. I
take a photo anyway. The place is now jammed packed with people.
They are all out on the streets and occupying every seat outside
every café and restaurant. Musicians are playing on street corners
and the night is loud with Spanish conversations. ‘I shall return
here with friends’, I think to myself.
The day was a pleasant introduction to
a lovely city and I know I shall be back to Gijon several times over
the coming year to explore it even more.
