We all know the Spanish people are passionate by nature, but…wow…this is enough passion to knock your socks off (and your shoes for that matter)

The World Cup result so far is a huge achievement for the Spanish people and it shines out in the atmosphere everywhere I go, especially for a few hours before and many hours after each Spain match kicks off.

The done thing is drivers beeping their horns as they pass anywhere that dons a Spanish flag, or where there are a group of people.

After their victorious match against Paraguay, which qualified them for the semi-finals, the beeping and screams of delight continued until the early hours of the morning. For a moment I thought they’d won the whole competition….I can’t wait to see what happens if they do. It’ll be a mammoth party for a good few days I’d imagine!

Since England were knocked out I changed sides and bought a Spanish flag to attach to the side of my car, just to make sure I fit in with the locals.

Now, I just have to hope I can keep the flag after Wednesday’s match against Germany, who won their last two games with four goals. Come on España…you can do it!

The middle of May and the weather in Spain has now improved ten-fold. The olive trees are in full bloom and flowers are opening left, right and centre. For allergy sufferers the combination of this sudden rise in temperature, coupled with the thriving foliage is a right pain in the jacksy!

For me, mornings are the worst time of day. From the moment I wake up until somewhere around midday the allergy doesn’t leave me alone. It constantly nags away at my eyes and nose. I wish it would get lost and never come back.

Sometimes, when it’s really bad I take an antihistimine, but the drawback is that I then feel groggy and tired for the rest of the day.

I also try to beat it by consuming a daily teaspoon of the local honey. Not only is honey great health-wise, but it’s also said to aid hayfever. I think it does help to some degree, but I’d need to turn into Winnie The Pooh and eat a jar a day for it to have a really notable effect.

Anyway I better dash as I’m in the midst of a sneezing fit and I need tissues!

Keidi x

In the UK I lived on the second and top floor of a block of flats. I had beige carpets and at least once a month I would see HUGE house spiders running across the floor. Absolutely petrified, I would then have to catch these spiders, usually by placing a glass over the top. Even this would take a great deal of courage as I have a serious phobia about spiders!

Often people would come to visit and I would have to explain why there were spiders sitting under glasses in the middle of the carpet…I was just waiting for someone else to pop by and dispose of them for me!

So living in Spain I thought my days of finding and catching spiders were long gone.

However, just recently I noticed a couple of spiders around my apartment. Only small ones compared to the giant house spiders in the UK, but spiders all the same!

Thing is, I have now discovered a few more little spiders lurking around, so I knew there must be a mummy and daddy spider too. Today was a real ‘Bingo’ moment, as I found the mummy spider in my bedroom. I’m too scared to do anything about it though, so it can stay there until my boyfriend is next over…

In the meantime, I’ll thank my lucky stars that at least even the mummy spider isn’t very big!

Thanks for reading
Keidi x

There are four main supermarkets all within a few minutes drive of my apartment, which is great as I have a choice and I never get bored with the same old food. There’s a Mercadonna, a Supersol, an Eroski and a Lidl.

I go supermarket shopping once a week. This usually always occurs on a different day, as I’m opposed to routine. My whole life in the UK revolved around routine, so now that I’m out of it, I want to stay out!

The supermarkets here in Spain are quite unvaried compared to those in the UK, and the choice on the shelves is fairly limited, but then again there are some wonderful olive variations and incredibly cheap wine

The price of the food isn’t a whole lot different here than in the UK. My supermarket bill here comes to around 40€ a week (for one as a I live alone) and I always remember that in the UK it came to about 30 pounds.

Most of the supermarkets have no English range, but Supersol and Eroski do have a small international section.

The items of food I miss most from the UK are pickled onion monster munch, ambrosia custard and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but there are English foodshops around where these kind of items can be purchased.

Now you’re probably still wondering how I managed to make my shopping expedition fun today…Well, I played ‘race’ with someone who entered at the same time as me, AND I won; they were way too slow bagging their mandarines!

Welcome to my world…:)

Keidi x

My peaceful evenings have now been replaced by heated Spanish conversation (this usually involves five conversations at once, all screaming over the top to be heard), a wailing baby, a yappy dog, plus various bangs coming from the kitchen. I’ve never known any cupboard to be opened and closed so many times!

To be honest I can’t wait for the lot of them to clear off so I can enjoy a bit of peace and quiet again! No doubt they’ll disappear on Easter Sunday as the school holidays finish here in Spain then, unlike the UK where kids get two weeks off at Easter.

Easter in Spain is known as ‘Semana Santa’ and as the Spanish are so religious that they take it very seriously. In the towns and cities there are lots of processions (known here as tronos) every day in the lead up to Easter Sunday. Huge statues of Jesus Christ and Mary are carried along the streets coupled with beating drums and morbid music. Some people actually pay to carry the statues, as it’s considered such a priveleged task. Many people follow the processions barefoot and holding candles, as a sign of respect to Jesus Christ.

The Spanish do not celebrate Easter with chocolate eggs. They do not exchange any gifts either. They do indulge in treats though, before, after and during the processions.

What never ceases to amaze me is that the national news is completely taken up with these processions, showing the statues as they pass through the major cities of Spain. To me once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. And as they use the same statues every year surely its the same for them. I don’t see what the ‘news’ angle is, but then maybe that’s just me!

Thanks for reading & happy Easter…

Keidi
X

Today I caught my first proper whiff of the warm weather and sunshine, since way back, in October 2009. I found myself thinking dreamily about lying on the beach with an exotic cocktail in my hand…And I can’t wait to replace my white, ghostly look with a glowing, sun-kissed tan.

The winter has been so dreary and dull this year that just one glance of the sun is all I needed to recharge my flagging batteries. It has rained so much these last few months that Lake Viñuela (the lake local to where I live) is full to the brim and where there once only dry riverbeds, there are now strong flows of water.

And all this sunshine is just in time for Semana Santa (Holy Week). The famous religious processions for what Spain are famous, begin on Thursday right the way across Spain.

I’ll write some more about them on Friday.

Until then…:)

Keidi x

I’ve titled this post ‘moving to Spain’ because recently I’ve been checking out various expat forums and one thing I’ve noticed is that despite the economic doom and gloom here, there are still lots of people who would like to move to Spain.

And I can’t say I blame them.

But most need to find a job in Spain to support their families. Now that’s where things begin to get a bit tricky, as there aren’t many of them around at the moment, even for the Spanish.

I hate the word JOB…It conjures up all kind of nasty images, working like mad for some smug boss, only to just about manage to pay the bills each month.

A good option for expats moving over here is to start their own businesses. Many make a good living doing something they know and enjoy…although you might want to reconsider if you’re thinking of running a bar!

So, wannabe expats…I’d advise not letting the thought of finding it hard to get a job put you off following your dreams. Where there’s a will there’s a way!!

Anyway, that’s enough for me for today. The sun is out, so that’s where I’m heading now…

Until next time 

Keidi x 

P.S. Remember, if you’re thinking of moving to Spain then do check out my book, Sol Searching – A Fun-Filled Tale Of A Modern Girl’s Move To The Costa Del Sol…It may help you avoid the mistakes that I made!!