Canapes Canapes Canapes

My first guests arrived Friday evening just in time for tea.  I was scared into thinking my beef stew wouldn't be cooked in time so ended up burning it a little bit..oops. Think I rescued it! My family of 5 + one of the boy's friends arrived. They are very nice, seem to like my food and thought the chalet was EPIC! The rep said they loved me so think it is going well, and they even loved my omelettes this morning - never really made an omelette before!!!!

So since my first ski, everything hurts, standing up cooking 4 course dinners means my feet hurt soooooo much. This is how we all felt after the first service:

Stole a plastic box from childcare (playgroup nextdoor to my bedroom) last night to have a foot spa - was niceee!

This is my chalet!! With the icy death trap outside the front door..slip everytime.

Back to my kitchen now to make dinner :)

First Ski!

So we've been cleaning our chalets all week to get them ready for first guests Friday. All done! We were allowed our lift passes at 1pm after we had sorted out a massive food delivery and then we all rushed out.

Was good, I can still do it!! Although I don't remember it being this tiring. I can't move right now and we're going for a sneaky sauna in a minute!!

And apres ski..looked very strange when we arrived to loads of people in colourful ski outfits dancing on the tables with beers outside the bar at 5pm!

Schnee

Just started snowing today. Everyone was getting very worried we wouldn't get any snow this season but everything is starting to go white!! Still doing lots of training. Had health and safety yesterday. Only thing I really remember is this:

http://wilk4.com/humor/humorm346.htm
 
We had off piste skiing avalanche talk. I need a long stick with a beeper and a backpack that blows up like a parachute for Christmas lol. Then the CEO flew in to welcome us and tell us to 'go for gold.., any questions?' To which one boy replied, 'What's a CEO?!' Ha, funny when telling the room you're the CEO doesn't impress anyone!

Training week

Haven't had chance to blog since we arrived, and only got internet on my phone but I am fine!! Everything is good, and its cold but waiting for snow still..might come at the weekend.

So the first picture is my chalet in the middle:

Going to look very different in the snow! We've been having training all this week. We are divided into our chalets in groups and are in rotas for making the different meals each day. Someone makes breakfast (me this morning), then we go to a lecture; today was about stock takes and doing our ordering, and about giving cake to the lorry drivers to make them easier to work with when they deliver our food! Seems if you need something you just make someone a cake!

Then we go back to the chalet, someone makes lunch and a cake. Then we go to a food demo where they show us how to make the menu for each day:

Is like watching cooking programme on the telly and we have to taste it all! Then we go back to our chalets and one of us has to prepare the four courses for the rest of our group. I did the first night, and it all went fine..was all on time - easy! Ha.

And then we go to t'pub. At least half of them our northern too. Never worked or had uni with so many so start pickin it op like. And also very strange getting used to how the English drink again! In Cuba/Nicaragua people went out to dance, but here they go out to drink so sit in the pub all night downing beers and shots of jäger..looking forward to some of the nice looking cocktail bars to open!

Last picture is the girls I'm sharing and working in the same building with:

Chloe and Lucy who are both very nice, we seem to be getting on very well! Looking forward to starting properly next week. Only two of our chalets have guests so will be doing it in pairs which will be good to get the hang of it! Just waiting for my four course dinner to be served..we're even getting the aperetif tonight :D

The mountains are calling...

'La vida es como un viaje en autobús, algunos comienzan el viaje junto a ti, otros se montan a la mitad del camino, muchos se bajan antes de que llegues al final de tu viaje y muy pocos permanecen junto a ti hasta el
final. Pero cada una de esas personas dejan algo en tu corazón que recordarás a lo largo de este hermoso viaje de la vida. Baja las ventanas y disfruta el viaje, no sabes cuando llegarás a tu parada!'

Translation: 'Life is like a journey on a bus, some people start the journey with you, some get on part way through, lots get off before you get there and very few stay with you until the end. But each of these people leave something in your heart that you will always remember on this beautiful journey of life. So put down the windows and enjoy the journey, you don't know when you'll arrive at your final stop.'

Well my life seems to be one big journey, especially the next 24 hours I'm about to spend on a bus..!

 Off on my next adventure: ski season in St. Anton, Austria :)

London 2012 Handball Test Event

Had a very good week living in London, volunteering as a flash quote reporter for the Handball Test Event! It started on Monday at our training where we met the press team and found out a tiny bit about our role. We got our uniforms; nice white t-shirt and a raincoat, our free travelcards around London and learnt how to get a meal voucher. Best free lunches ever:

Then I was back in on Tuesday for more training, where I learnt the rules of handball and how to go about interviewing the players as they come off the pitch. Flash quoting means 'quickness'..apparently!

Wednesday was our first proper day. We had a team briefing and then were sent out to watch the China vs Slovakia game; to decide which player to interview and what I would ask them based on their performance.

I interviewed China, the winning team with my Chinese interpreter. We then had 10 minutes to run back to the office and type up our quotes we got from two players and the coach. After a very long day with lots of new things to learn, we all arrived back on Thursday very tired. Luckily we had a very nice team leader who had bought us Krispy Kreme donuts. Amazing!

I enjoyed my jam-filled, glazed donut with my complimentary bottle of diet coke watching Angola beat Austria behind the Angolan fans:

Having never heard of handball until two weeks ago, after just two days I had definately mastered the rules, when I would find myself coming out with things such as 'ooh look at that European style of defending!' and 'ooh aren't Austria played their second game much more aggressively than yesterday!' Handball geek!

Anyway after a very busy, but exciting week in London I am back home (even a bit sad to be missing the finals!) to get ready to leave for Austria on Monday :)

Practising

Have spent the last week with the kitchen like this:

Practising my recipes ready for Austria where I am going to be a chalet host. Liz n Les were forced to try everything. Les always told me the same thing: 'It's very nice but I wouldn't have it again'. Hopefully my guests don't say the same..!

Sage and onion scones - made with real sage (plant by the swing)

Baby rostis - bit greasy

Salmon and dill fennel blinis - too big!

Posh cheese on toast Rarebit with salad - very nice altho bit much balsamic!

Now I just have to make my mango mousse set and learn how to say them all :)

Grad Ball

Friday night we had our Graduation Ball which was as the O2 Academy in Bournemouth. We started with a meal at The Print Room where we had a set menu. I had soup, salmon with risotto and chocolate brownie, which was very nice as they had chocolate mousse on top..mmm!

 At 9pm we were met outside the restaurant by our limo!

This huuuge 16 seater where we all got in, drank champagne and sung terrible karaoke while it drove us around Bournemouth..stopping twice to collect forgotten ball tickets! oops haha (not me!)

Luckily it stopped raining so we could have some pictures with our limo:

Everyone!

the girls <3

..and the boys

Was soooo much fun, I want to get a limo everytime I go out!

'my heart will go ooooooooon and ooonnnn'

Graduation!

Jenny, Verity, Frankie and me!

Had an amazing day! Very nice to be back in Bournemouth and in a very comfortable hotel. Granny, Grandad, Liz n Les came to the ceremony.

Jere watched online and made screenshots of me walking across the stage ha!

Here is the video. I'm at about 1:06:

 Took Liz n Les to salsa last night..not sure if they liked it!

Then met everyone and went for a Wednesday night in Elements like old times!!

 Was a good day :D

Halloween in Granada - my last night!

Packing my stuff..

Decided the easiest costume was going to be hippies!

Before we then turned into witches aaajajaja

Las brujas

And then into...I don't know!

Conchis

I arrived home safely this morning after a long bus ride to San Jose and then a very looooooong flight back to Londres!

Música favorita

Last day at school

Had my last days in the schools this week. Was very sad to say goodbye...but everyone was so nice. Lots of the children came up to me and then end when I said it was my last day and said thank you for teaching them and that I shouldn't leave and two classes sung this song for me, something about having a million friends:

 

Yo quiero tener un millon de amigos

And then I said do you want to have a photo with me, and they all screamed 'SIIIII!!!' So here are some pics of me and my classes:

4th Grade Juan Diego

5th Grade Juan Diego

6th Grade Juan Diego

And then we got to see all these four/five year old children graduating from pre-school. They made them all put the gown and the funny hat on and stand on a chair for a photo:

But not before they'd had their hair brushed, and purple eyeshadow and mascara put on!

They did look beautiful:

But they are only four..ha! Will be me next week!

So today is my last day in Granada. Going to buy some rum and pack my bags ready for the bus to Costa Rica at 7am tomorrow... very sad to leave so I must have had an amazing time!

See you all Tuesday morning!!!!!

Fiesta fiesta fiesta!!

Had a very long 5 day weekend...it rained Wednesday morning so there was no school, and then it was cancelled Thursday due to a 'rain alert' from the Ministry of Education. It didn't rain Thursday.

This meant time for lots of fiestaaaaaa!

Started Wednesday night with some 2x1 mojitos in La Calzada and then we went to the karoake bar 'Be':

too many Germans!

Thursday night we went to a Jazz Concert, which was part of the Jazz Festival this weekend:

It was in the Hotel Granada and it was very dark and very silent, with this Glockenspeil thing being played. I thought jazz was a bit louder and more exciting...?! Then it finished and we went to 'Conchis' salsa bar:

Salsaaaa

Friday night we started in 'Kellys' bar with some rum and coke:

and then went to 'Be' (again!)

Lots of reggaeton my favourite :) Granada's favourite song at the moment!

 

Danza Kuduro

Maybe we had a bit too much rum and reggaeton Friday night, as Saturday we found ourselves in 'Nectar' with a nice diet coke. Then of course more salsaaaa in 'Conchis' :)

Thinking the weekend was over...no, no, no! Everyone wanted to go out Sunday toooo! Went for dinner in the bar with the 2x1 mojitos (y) and then to 'Conchis' for live reggae music!!!

That was very fun...lots of hippies tho but I fitted right in as I had my beautiful Barcelona trousers on!

And then Monday morning back to school:

Last week :'(

Decided to teach the time this week as they are always looking at the clock I have round my neck asking what the time is. However more children can't tell the time (even in Spanish!) than I thought... Our worksheets we made with empty clocks for them to draw the hands on was perhaps a bit too adventurous! For most of them I was teaching how to tell the time with my clock made from a paper plate and two hands. 'So the small hand is on the 4 and the big hand is on the 12 it's four o'clock..' etc. Most of them actually had no clue and last week most of them couldn't tell me what 12 - 3 was, so have no idea what they are being taught in these schools if they can't do basic maths or tell the time!