A non-exhaustive, but exhausting list from weeks 1 and 2

I have been here for two weeks and managed to not write a single blog post… Can I use the fact that I have been doing so many new and exciting things as an excuse? No? Well I shall have to list some of them entonces.

  1. First carnaval in a Moncadian primary school: much insanity, polyester and a full on parade round the town at Friday midday. Plus I got to complete a lifelong dream of playing the drums in a band. Admittedly at the gig of my dreams, my bandmates weren’t ten year-olds and I didn’t have a red-painted nose, a wig or a green sparkly tie (long story), but the audience was just as appreciative.
  2. First school-contracted cold: turns out that Spanish children are just as germ-ridden as British ones, and I spent most of my first weekend making my way through Consum’s cheapest pañuelos and regretting letting Ángel with the runny nose give me a hug.
  3. First bar outing: as a pub-going, London-frequenting person from the south of England I find myself numb to the often astronomical price of a pint (£6.80!), so I almost fell off my chair when our four drinks tab came to a total of €6.10. My friends from home are considering a trip over just to get sozzled on the cheap. The flight would probably be the cost of a tame night out in Soho, after all.
  4. First mascletá (of 2023): as a Fallas old hat, I thought I would be used to how incredibly loud the mascletá is, and yet, when at the pre-fallas concierto in Bétera this Saturday, I immediately outed myself as a non-local by swearing very loudly at the first bang, and proceeding to clutch  dramatically at my heart for the full five minutes like my grandmother watching Eastenders.
  5. Many, many strange bodacillos from school: as suspected, vegetarianism in small-ish town Spain is a foreign concept. Interesting sandwich combinations have included: olive oil and lettuce; cheese, houmous and chips; and my personal favourite: tomato, lettuce, olives and sliced orange. Oddness aside, I am very grateful for the free food, and it does inject a welcome element of mystery into mine and my mentor’s day.
I could go on and on, but I have lessons to plan, cheap beer to drink and a record contract to negotiate. Such is Valencia life!


(I was clutching my heart with the other hand)


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