Time is up!

I am writing this blog entry from my bedroom in Scotland listening to a Spanish radio station as I am very sad to have said goodbye to Spain. I will definitely go back and visit the farm! Saying goodbye to the family was very emotional and I cried a lot. I had the best time and felt so welcomed by everyone. There was a looming black cloud over the last week as we all knew our time in Spain was coming to an end. Now that I am home and know that I cannot see the great people I have bonded with over the past three months makes me a bit sad but I am also thrilled to have experienced so much with them all and I look forward to seeing them in the future!

The farm became a haven of baby animals! There were chicks born, more piglets and best of all my favourite dog had puppies :D I was tempted to take one home but sadly quarantine and flights made this a no go. We got to take the goats out into the field on numerous occasions and one day we experienced 34° C heat in April!! I am a teeny bit brown which I am pleased about as I hardly ever tan.  The family cooked for us on our second last night, we (of course) ate goat and it was amazing! I am going to miss Rosas cooking a lot. We said our goodbyes to the family and all the animals. Today is the first day that I have not been milking goats in the morning and it feels like something is missing.

Shakira - the first goat born while we were there and then on the last day!

We ate more tapas in the last week than was ever necessary! We had to take full advantage of the free food. This is one of my favourite parts of Spanish culture. We also went out on Friday and Saturday night to experience the nightlife one more time. I am looking forward to not getting in at 6am and thinking that it is acceptable. Clubs shutting at half 2/3 is fine by me. I am not cut out for the late nights ha.

On Sunday we visited the pottery museum in the morning and got to see behind the scenes. He is friends with Juan and was pleased to meet us. He is a very talented man and we got to see how quickly he can make items such as plates and jugs. All by eye he could duplicate them exactly! Pottery is something that I have never really shown an interest in before but everything was so intricate that I couldn’t help but be fascinated.

In the afternoon we had a bit of a last minute decision to go to Cazorla Natural Park one more time. It was hot and we were going to take full advantage of the good weather. Seeing as there were no beaches nearby we decided to go for a swim in the wild! The river comes straight from the mountains and is glacial water aka pretty chilly! I decided to be cameraman for the day but ending up fully immersed in the water proved to be unavoidable. We went on a mini hike after this to dry off and then actually managed to make the bus on time. It was a small victory for the last weekend.

All in all I have had an absolutely amazing three months and I think I am a much better person because of it. I have experienced true Spanish culture, learnt a new language, made some new friends and have gained some more work experience that helps me narrow down where I want to go next.

To the joymakers, if you are reading this then thank you for helping make the adventure in Spain so wonderful and keep in touch!

I plan on carrying on the blog but will not be updating it as frequently as I imagine the next three months will involve a lot of job applications and me trying to convince people that I am the person they need! Which may not be as exciting to read.

For now thanks for reading and looking at the photos. I hope I have not bored you all too much!

-Laura xox