Merry Christmas

So here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun... I'm home now in Ireland for the festive season but things changed for me in Spain before I left. I secured new lodgings in a town called Lugones. It is fifteen minutes on the bus from there to the college. I am now living with a Spanish family composed of Mother, Father and four children. It is a fine big house with lots of open space and lots of light coming in the windows. I have my own bedroom equipped with a table and chair for study purposes and a tv and dvd player for relaxation. They are happy to have me stay with them as they want the children to hear English being spoken on a daily basis. I am happy to stay there as I will be hearing informal and relaxed Spanish spoken on a daily basis. Everyone wins!

Unfortunately, Paco's has closed down. He told me it was time for him to move on; he is hoping to move back to Ireland in the New Year. I gave him my email address and asked that he look me up whenever he likes over the next few years. Paco was the first person to make me feel welcome in Oviedo and I shall miss him.

On the day I was due to come home I attended a meal that was hosted by L'esperteyu, the pub that I drink in every Wednesday night when it holds an intercambio for locals and foreigners to practice speaking Spanish and / or English. Myself and Kevin met up with Monica and Rosa, two ladies we know from the intercambio sessions. I always call Rosa 'Sarah Connor' because I think she looks like the character in the Terminator movies.

 

The menu was typical Asturian fare. Meals are usually served in three courses; el primero plato, el segundo y el postre. For my first dish I opted for the fabada asturiana, a traditional Asturian dish of beans with bits of pudding. For my second plate I went for the lamb, el cordero, which is served with a little bit of gravy, some roast potatoes and no vegetables. I finished off with a bit of sorbet. The food was lovely and the amount of wine was considerable, plus we were also served some type of fizzy cider which is a change from the usual non gaseous cider that is served in Asturias.

 

 

Everyone was chatting away in Spanish and Kevin and I fitted right in. Armando and Teresa, the owners of the pub made us both feel very welcome and made sure we were not excluded from the conversations around the table. The meal only cost 20 euro per head which I thought was excellent value.

 

 

 

 

After the meal all thirty of us went back to L'esperteyu for free cocktails made by Armando. It is his own recipe and he wouldn't divulge all the ingredients. It was basically Champagne, a cherry, and some other unknown liquid. When cocktails had finished we moved onto beer and I had to keep my eye on the clock as I had a bus to the airport to catch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I left, Teresa and Armando presented tee-shirts to Kevin and me. I was given hugs and kisses from lots of people who insisted I swore that I was coming back to Oviedo after the Christmas. So I had a great last day in Oviedo and a great send off by my new friends.

I look forward to getting back to Spain in the New Year and meeting head-on the challenges of the second semester. Meanwhile I shall have to cram over the Christmas for the January exams which start for me on the 9^th of January.

I would like to wish all my friends and family a very peaceful and happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.