Back to the land where the rain falls mainly on the plain..

Firstly, this myth from My Fair lady is just that. I, like Rihanna (like as in similarly to not like as in think she is great, for I do not) have had to make use of my umbrella-ella-ella quite frequently this week and that is not what I signed up for when moving here.. I thought I'd be escaping the monstrous floods and storms but no no!! 

I have come to the realisation that there is only one thing that stands between me and my happiness.. it is MYSELF. (It's not that I'm never upbeat, cheery or laughing because I giggle a great deal here. But am I content? Absolutely not) I don't know if it is the foreign language, being far away from my dearest friends and family, not being able to devour a decent curry or even drink a glass of orange squash, that my feet are constantly dirty in this country or that I am constantly zapped of energy from teaching and that my hours double because of preparation.. most likely a combination of all that.

The friends I do have here and the children I teach throughout the week is what keeps me plodding along and the experience worthwhile. If I earned more money and had everyone I love in Valladolid with me then I know I'd be more Rianne level chirpy :) Since that is impossible I endeavour to just make the best of what I do have and to stop moaning about things I cannot change. So I may as well suck it up and get on with what I am here to do.

Though Valladolid is indeed not one of the most magical places on Earth, all I can do is get on with things and attempt to have as much fun in this land as possible. Instead of eating my feelings with all the chocolate and sugary wickedness I can lay my hands on, I am making a concerted effort not to let myself get down in the dumps. There's no point wallowing - I'm here.. this is the situation.. I only have to stick it out until the end of June in this city.. it's not that long really. 

Just yesterday I caught myself singing merrily away and quite probably irritating my house mates to death but because I had compelled myself to be joyous and in high spirits I actually felt like that. It's like Pete Mavrodaris says 'fake it, til you make it.' And it worked. Thanks for that tip best friend-in-law, that has stuck with me and now it is paying off. 

I can't see anything happening to make me love this place but you never know, maybe when the time arrives for me to leave I may be sad to see the back of it. I'll absolutely be devastated to say goodbye to all my students and house mates but I'll try not to dwell on that too much until I have to deal with it.  

So now I'll shut up because I wouldn't want to bore anybody who is reading/glimpsing through this. But I'll leave you all with a thought from a sappy movie I recently watched 'As long as there is light on this earth, there is always plenty to celebrate.' So celebrate, I shall ..even when it might feel like there isn't much cause for it. Bob Marley the dude also sings 'Don't worry, be happy' and who am I to argue with such wise counsel? 

Leaving love and positive thoughts for everyone I care about <3 Hoping that your lives are beautiful and blessed right now xxx