New year in Madrid and some resolution

A new year kiss from a stranger in Sol

I had to be in Sol for the new year and was worried it would not be possible as surely everyone in Madrid would want to be there? Apparently not. It helps that there is a dress rehearsal the night before - can you believe it - and there is also a family-friendly event at midday on the 1st of January.

I was also worried I would be on my own hanging around with a handful of grapes and a small bottle of cava and a straw. Thanks to an invitation from Emma and her mate Richi, I was at a pre-Sol gathering and warmed up with chorizo and red wine before a group hike into the city centre. In the end there were nine of us - most of whom had taken risks to come here in 2009. I was in fine company - a theatre makeup artist, an actress, a photography teacher, three English teachers, a German teacher and a Spanish man called Angel. We waited in keen anticipation for Big Ben-like bells but this is Madrid. We had to guess it was midnight and gulp our grapes as well as we could.

Grapes. Yes in Spain and Portugal it is the done thing to eat 12 grapes in time to the 12 chimes at midnight. Why? Well it seems this tradition is a twentieth century invention and a product of good old fashioned marketing. Apparently there was a glut of grapes in 1909 and so everyone was encouraged to eat twelve for new year and the practice has remained. I hope it brings me luck as it was hard work chewing those grape skins.

Grapes were followed - or washed down - with cava. Lots of toasting and then we had sparklers and grinned inanely at the loveliness of being in Madrid! There were some fireworks which were nice and heartwarming rather than over the top and expensive. There was good humour and lots of hugs and even some new year kisses from strangers - thanks to Em who "found" and photographed the lovely Italian above.

We stayed on in Sol an hour so we could do it all again for GMT and then we managed a quick "auld lang syne" before we drifted off to find metro trains. I chilled with a new friend, drinking real tea and chatting, until I walked home from Ventas at 530am. It was a lovely morning and the Christmas stars on the bridge looked stunning. I must photograph them before they disappear at the weekend.

Festivities are not over yet in Spain as we have a national holiday on 6 January for the Three Kings. This is the traditional time for children to receive gifts. There is a Kings parade where sweets are thrown into the crowds and an event in Cibeles to look forward to.

I made some resolutions for 2010. The first one is to sort out my debt problems, the second is to learn Spanish and the third is to do a CELTA - though that might have to be a 2011 project. My adventures in teaching are definitely not over forever but it will be a relief to get back to a proper job in London in May and start saving up for my next adventure.

And what about the resolutions from 2009? I DID IT! I came to Madrid and have been living here for seven months now and teaching English and getting paid to do it. It has been a great year!

Photograph (c) Emma Ryan 2010

Spring comes to London

These guys were sunbathing from office windows in Covent Garden on the first decent day of spring. I had to laugh at their "bare backed cheek"!

It is Thursday and the sun is shining in Nunhead today. Highlight of this week was the Chinese Masterchef event on Tuesday at Westminster Kingsway college near Victoria. I went with a group of other folk who are not working at the moment and we were all there because it was free! Cups of proper Chinese tea, dim sum, the lunchtime buffet, a Chinese neck massage and a large bottle of soy sauce. All free! We were entertained with martial arts demonstrations (that so nearly become marital arts), a tea ceremony and the most wonderful Lion dance. The masterchef dishes were presented to us for appraisal and what chefs can do with a the same ingredients never ceases to amaze me. There were four entrants and each one had their own distinctive style. I think I liked number 2 best as it was all so fresh and appetising in appearance. Number 3 and 4 looked more traditional and hearty and number 1 was more minimalist and clever. It was number 1 who won and the chefs were suitably surprised - so much so that they were not in the room for the announcement!I was hoping to be able to put a link here for the event but amazingly, there is no information whatsoever on the event. I can't believe that a college can go to all that effort and not capitalise on the results. So, I will have to put some of my own photos here. I am afraid I can't tell you anything much about what the food is and who the winners were!If I don't make it in Spain, China is my next destination choice as I have already spent some time there teaching English and it would be wonderful to go back.

The winning starter - a dish made from lobster. Apparently the ball is a deep fried egg yolk.

The Chinese Masterchef - still in his apron and without his white pointy hat!

Tuesday news

Time is flying by now and I only have 12 working days to go. Very excited about moving on to next stage in my life journey.

Well I am now a fully fledged Reiki healer and it is really exciting. I love giving and receiving healing and it is definitely helping me. That and the sunshine and the prospect of travels to come.

Went to a Vaughantown meet up last night at Camino which is the bar where i am going to have my leaving drinks. It is Spanish and it is local and it serves great wines and tapas. What more do I need? Leaving drinks are 7 May from 5.30 and final day is Friday 8 May. After that - who knows at this stage but I have plenty to do before I go.

Some lovely things are happening to me and I would like to think it's the reiki effect but maybe that is being too optimistic. More news when I have it on that front! Meanwhile I take each day at a time and it is good right now. Hasta luego!

Not Tuesday but might as well be!

I now have 20 working days at RNIB. That is a sobering thought. Not sure if counting down the days is a good or a bad thing , especially as I am having a re-think about what to do when I finish here. I have someone to live in my flat so that is good news! I don't have good vibes about going to Spain in June however. I never meant to go so late in the academic year and I know that August is going to be impossible for work so maybe I need to do something else for a few months? If you are reading this Emma, give me your thoughts!

In the mean time, I have been to a reiki share which was an amazing experience. I am so new to all this and I really need to get as much practice as I can so that I can develop my own way of giving healing. It was a small group and a really good thing to do on a Sunday evening. We each had five minutes of group healing and i really liked the feeling of all that energy from all those hands. I am off to another session tonight so this is definitely becoming addictive. I feel that reiki is such a logical extension of my meditation practice and my natural empathy skills. I believe that I can help friends and family in times of stress and most importantly, I can really help myself.

It's been a quieter week on the writing front but I have a good topic for the next session. I have to write a "one sentence" poem ie a stream of consciousness with no punctuation. I think one of my internal - or should that be infernal monologues - is the way to go! If I like it, I will post it here.

My beautiful Bobbins bike is up for sale on Gumtree and the East Dulwich forum and will be good to see it go to a new home. It is a traditional Dutch style bike with a basket and I love it but need the money. Any takers?

It's Purim today

Thanks to my colleague R, we had purim cookies today which are delicious and surely have no calories. They are only available in this one week of the year and I won't be around next year so that is that!

Reality of going is sinking in a little more. I managed to sell some books and cds yesterday which is another £50 towards my moving on fund. I decided that I must not call it an escape fund as that is not what I am doing. I am definitely moving on and heading for adventures and new perspectives on life and the world. Recent family events have made me even more determined to get out and to "not fold away my dreams" again.

So I am now collecting tips and advice for moving to Spain. Like what do I need to take? Apart from as little as possible of course. I really want a netbook and an ipod and I reckon that would cover most bases. And can I listen to the Archers in Spain?