Things have been a little quiet in the little town of Prado del Rey, that is until after Easter. The town's people have been enjoying their Semana Santa activities, however I decided to head home to the UK for a 'break'. It would have been interesting to see the religious processions through the town, however my desire for extortionately priced Starbucks Drive Thru coffee and a Nando's was far too strong.
I've written before about switching between 'Prado-Brain' and 'England-Brain', as I almost feel as if I'm living two different lives by being abroad. After living in a relaxed environment in Spain, the bustle of Gatwick train station felt pretty overwhelming. Being back home didn't feel much like a break, but I managed to see family, some friends and spend some quality time with my cat, Winnie. Once I'd settled in back home, typically, it was time to leave and return to Spain. It was a chilled-out flight and I was happy to see my Micra again. I'm still amazed at the affordability of airport parking at Seville airport. 30€ for 10 days, I dread to think what that would be at Gatwick for the same amount of time. Driving back on the right after a week of left-side long-distance driving is always a challenge at first, but it's important to be on high-alert around Seville airport; too many roundabouts! I was soon on the country roads back to Prado blasting my carefully curated Gwen Stefani nostalgia playlist.
I was back in school the next day, it was the one time I didn't find a video quiz for History, this time it was the Renaissance or some such thing. I may not have vastly improved my Spanish this year, but if you want to know about the Middle Ages then I'm your gal. Things have been a-stirring in the town since the end of the break. I promise you, it's not exhilarating stuff. The communal bins are being removed and the residents have been given a guide for the new household waste process. We were handed two new bins, compostable bags and a collection of leaflets explaining the new process. I'll put the trash calendar below and try not to sound boring any more, it's going to be interesting seeing how the town adapts.
That's the end of trash-talk, we've had enough of that on Ye's Instagram. I walked into school today and the staff-room was full of strangers. That is, masks are no longer mandatory and none of my colleagues look like the image I crafted of them in my mind. I'm no longer wearing a mask in school, which was met by giggles in my first lesson. Many of the children haven't seen my face before. I didn't take it personally, however I'm almost grateful for my lack of Spanish understanding in case I heard something that made me start to research filler providers in my home town. My first lesson also brought with it some inappropriate gestures from the younger male students, who were dealt with quickly by staff. Some poor male behaviour in Spain (and England) feels like white noise now, which is very sad indeed.
I don't have a whole lot of time left on my Spanish adventure, however I'm determined to make the most of it. I've been enjoying the walks around Prado del Rey, my favourite being Las Lomas (PIGS AND GOATS GALORE), I'll post a video of the walk on my Instagram soon. I'll be visiting Cádiz again next week as my driving licence may not be valid after April, thanks to Brexit. 'It won't affect you' I still hear echoing after family Brexit debates in 2016, yeah, thanks.
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