Annie, wonderful sunshine and Pucela en la primera

Hola!
After a weekend of sunshine, parties, ANNIE and Real Valladolid winning the second division and thus moving up to the Primera Division I felt it was time to write something again. It has been crazy. And warm. Incredibly warm. But obviously not too warm. ;-) So many coffees have been enjoyed in the sun and a lot of ice cream has been purchased.

Anyway, Annie arrived last Thursday in the evening and we spent most of the night talking and catching up (some news more chocking than others…) and then it was time for the big day – Annie’s birthday. Some shopping and sitting in the sun before going out first to Dublin Bay and then to Intermedio – where we got a free bottle of champagne (compliments to Jolita’s boss) and lastly to a club at Plaza Mayor. The girls, Sol and Annie, even got me to buy a dress during the day which I wore in the evening. (Does anyone remember the last time I wore a dress? I sure don’t…)

The Saturday was spent enjoying the sun (yet again) and doing some additional shopping and ice cream eating. In the evening Annie and I went out to a few more clubs just because we really couldn’t come up with something better to do and olé Spanish people behave weirdly sometimes. In one of the clubs that we went to people were particularly weird, or maybe I should say peculiar. Things just aren’t the way we’re used to from good old Sweden. The funniest was when Annie pretended not to speak any language but Swedish to get rid of a guy and the weirdest when a guy said ‘if you are from Russia I will be very happy…’. Oh well, this is Spain, what can I say?

On sunday we took a long walk and continued to enjoy the hot weather (in between we listened to the crappy game on the crappy radio, I still believe that we will win the league this year and I’ll soon get to why…). In the evening Sol was incredibly restless and asked us to join her for a walk. It turned out that it was the day that Real Valladolid were ready for the Primera Division and people were completely loco, but happy, singing, bathing in the fountain at Plaza Zorilla and one guy even climbed up on the statue on Plaza Mayor to hang a purple and white flag in the hand of the man standing there. We were all quite afraid that the guy would fall down and die, but it turns out it really is true that you are invincible when your team has won…

We finished the night singing Eurovision songs with Jolita and Vaida on Plaza Mayor in different languages. Well, I guess one has to make a fool of oneself on Plaza Mayor at some point.

Early today Annie and I walked to the bus station and she was off back home. I went back home to rest a bit more before waking up for real. On the way we met several late party-goers on their way home after what I guess had been a really long celebration. I understand them.

After some additional hours of sleep I eventually woke up and went out for a coffee with Sol. Sabine called to let us know and to ask us to join her in celebrating the Real Valladolid team at Plaza Mayor later as they were going there to celebrate their winning with their fans. The whole plaza was completely purple and white and when the team eventually arrived there was endless screaming of happiness. ‘Estamos en la primera’ ropades om och om igen.

This is when I realised that since I missed the celebrations after our last gold medal in Malmö due to some stupid consequences, we’re going to win this year and nothing will stop me from celebrating (as I have now seen the way to do it… ;-) Selfish? Maybe. But then again football is a huge part of my life and Malmö FF is in my heart and on my mind most of the time. We have a good enough team and if we don’t let old ghosts scare us we will do a good season.

After a long weekend it feels wrong to go back to the university tomorrow and have classes. Study? Me? What? Oh, and yet again a Spanish person has mistaken me for Spanish after talking to me. I am impressed.

Anyway, hasta luego!

/k

It's getting hot, hot, hot...

Hola!
So. Now (dare I say it?) I am more or less well again. The cold is not much more than a distant memory, and although I still have problems with my foot, it is also getting better. Maybe all that extra relaxing helped.

Anyway, after about 2 whole weeks of being unable and unwilling to do anything but taking it easy, things are starting to get back to normal. Classes, including Spanish (which we actually got a two weeks long holiday from), have started and I have yet again realised how uninspiring it all is. Except for Spanish. That is the one class that offers both a challenge and an interest – even though a lot of it has to do with grammar, which as you may know isn’t my favourite cup of tea. Oh, and I got the result from my Spanish exam. Yes, I did pass it. I passed it rather all right actually. A nice surprise to say the very least. ;-)

And when I’m talking about the university and my courses, we found out yesterday that there will be no exam in our cinema history course. That should be good news, but believe me, it isn’t. Instead of writing an exam we are expected to write about 15 pages about something that has to do with our course (sinister films). Oh yeah, IN SPANISH!!! And the teacher was much less sympathetic to our situation than we thought, so wish me good luck, this time I’m really gonna need it. Or if anyone could write it for me, in Spanish, that would be brilliant… ;-)

Now to some exciting news. Malmö FF won their first home game 1-0 against GAIS. Junior scored the 3000th goal in MFF history. As I was stuck here listening to the web radio, Jocke called me when Junior scored and said “You’re in the wrong place, little sister”. Well, I know that. Can’t wait until I can stand there and sing and scream. ‘Til then I will have to make due with screaming on my own in my room in Valladolid…

Also Annie, who went to the game with Emma in a supportive attempt to be there for MFF since I couldn’t, is coming over for the weekend! It’s gonna be great fun I’m sure. Visitors are of course greatly appreciated. :-D

The sun is here by the way. It’s getting so warm in the middle of the day that it is hardly possible to wear anything warm at all. I have even already burnt myself a little. A little sunlight (or a lot) really works miracles on my mood (and everyone else’s).

Lately I have seen several musical movies and they make me want a musical life. I am therefore trying to get Sol to express herself in melodies (which isn’t actually very hard… ;-) Anything to make us laugh a while I guess! ;-)

‘Til next time, hippety hoppety!
/k

If it isn't one thing, then it's something else...

Hola!
No, I am not well yet. The eyes are better, the cold is better, but now I seem to have done something to my foot 'cause I can't stand or walk properly at the moment. And of course I realised this after the last visit to the doctor - Sol has wisdom teeth problems. Yes, we're almost becoming regulars there, and I never go to the doctor! I don't understand this and I don't like this. At all.

I realise that this month hasn't started too good, but things are going to get better. Positive news is that the weather is getting warmer!
/k

half-blind

Hola!
What has happened since last time? Well I’m still sick. Sick both in terms of this stupid cold and sick of the Easter parades. How many men and women dressed like ku klux klan should a girl have to see before it’s over? And how many times do the parades have to walk pass my bedroom window with their drums and trumpets? It’s all getting quite annoying really. Good thing we’re at least free from school, but then again being sick is no holiday. Yesterday was hopefully the end. I agree with Sol, I’m even less religious after all of this, and I wasn’t religious before.

Malmö played their first game against last year’s champions, Elfsborg, and the score came out an even 1-1. Better then loosing of course, and I am still sure that we will be fighting in the top close to the end. Annoyed with TV4 who only broadcasts tv on the internet for people in Sweden. If I was in Sweden I would be watching the game on TV not on the internet. Am a bit happy that I didn’t watch the game after all, if I would have, I would probably have been angry at the referee who was blind. Then again, there are no good referees judging Allsvenskan.

Sol came back to Valladolid last Friday with her parents. We had some nice discussions and conversations, ate Icelandic chocolate and I got an invitation to Iceland. Nice one! :-)

Now to today’s adventure… You see today I woke up hardly able to open my eyes. They were incredibly red and hurt like hell. Sol had pain in her head and so she said that we were to go to the doctor and check us both out. After a walk that almost covered all of Valladolid we were finally at the right health clinic and just had to sit down and wait for a few minutes before we got to see the doctor. And I haven’t been to a doctor in years so I really didn’t know what to expect. With some lack in communication he examined us and wrote prescriptions for us. It was obvious he was hoping it would be enough and that he will not have to see us again. Oh well, we’ll see. I hope my eyes get better (a cold I can take, but being half-blind is much worse…) so I won’t have to walk around with sun glasses… Oh and the medicine he prescribed was probably the cheapest medicine I’ve ever bought; my pills and eye drops cost in total €1,70!

‘til next time, wish away my cold! ;-)
/k

me and Mr cold

Hola!
My visitors left this morning and I’m alone in the apartment. Well, I’m actually not alone. I have my dear companion Mr Cold. You see I felt something strange in my throat the other day and yesterday I woke up without a voice. Me and my non-existing voice (and Emma and Marlene of course ;-) went to the pharmacy to get something, anything really, that could help. I did my best to explain in Spanish with my non-existing voice that I needed something and the nice pharmacist gave me a box with pills. Those pills were magic. My voice came back in the afternoon, but my dear Mr Cold is still with me. It seems he likes here and won’t disappear even when I tell him he’s not welcome.

The weekend has still, cold or not, been wonderful. Friday evening in Madrid (seeing as I had been to a birthday party on Thursday evening I was needless to say unable to go too early), hanging out, eating out and going out. I spoke Spanish to some half Mexican-half Spanish guys and remembered once again how much I like the Mexican accent. :-D It is so much easier to understand!

On Saturday after very few hours sleep we went to Valladolid again for a quick nap before going out again… One guy asked me if I was from Valladolid (seeing as he wasn’t, he was from Galicia if my memory isn’t mistaking…), which I thought was pretty hilarious. What Spanish person in his/her right mind would guess that after hearing me speak? Maybe it was a combination of understanding him (well, I did, after saying que like three times…) and not having blonde hair like everyone else in my company…

Sol went to Madrid to meet her parents on Sunday and they will all be coming here on Friday. Full house? Well, why not…

Otherwise the Semana Santa (Easter week) is going on loud and clear – marches are passing my window all hours of the day and drumming their drums and chanting. I know that this is a religious country and all, but would it really be too much to ask to have their noisy parades during siesta hours or later? Some of us use our holidays for sleeping!

And soon comes the day. This Saturday. Saturday the 7th of April. The day that Allsvenskan (the Swedish football league) starts (or actually it starts the day before, but who cares, it starts for us on Saturday…). Malmö starts with an away game against Elfsborg (last year’s winners) and we will do a good game. I am just so bothered and annoyed that I can’t be there and cheer for my team. I was thinking earlier today (in between trying to breath like a normal healthy person and napping) that if this first game would have been a home game, then would I have gone home to be there? Right now it feels as though I could have thrown myself on a plane right this minute just to be able to go and scream (with my still rather non-existing voice) and cheer and watch them. It is hard to be so far away sometimes. Guess I’ll have to listen to the game on web radio. I sure hope that everyone at home watches the game on TV at the very least – since it is broadcasted on channel 4 I think – and report back to me. ;-)

So, that’s all for now.
/k