Another new chapter

“She doesn’t even go here!” one might say, and rightly so: I am back here more than a year after the last post. I am such a bad blogger. Much has happened between then and now, so much that one post wouldn’t be enough and, let’s face it, I am probably too lazy to recount everything in detail.

So, in short, I spent summer 2015 in Nice, translating that surgical anatomy manual: challenging, but somehow I made it, in spite of the landlady of the house where I was staying, who was a bit… trying. The manual was promptly nicknamed “er tomazzo” (“big (nasty) tome” in Roman accent, that sounds funny if you speak Italian, I promise), because it was big and never-ending, but the experience in itself was very useful and, for a 22-year-old translator, it looked quite nice on the CV.

Speaking of CVs, that’s a sentence that I have probably now heard more times than my own name: the last year at university has been full of career fairs, career orientation sessions, meetings, networking events and the like. UEA is very helpful in this, the people at Career Central couldn’t be nicer and understanding, although it sometimes felt overwhelming. I don’t know what has been more challenging, finishing my degree or trying to understand where I want to go now that I am a BA Modern Languages. Exams were fine in the end, much ado about (almost) nothing, the final results came in and I was super satisfied, hard work has paid off. Then, Graduation Day, 18^th July, well, was a magical, magical one. Sunny and incredibly hot, even more so since we were wearing thick blue gowns and black mortarboards (and a pink  hood. Why, God, why?!). It’s been quite emotional, saying goodbye to UEA after four fun, special years. I have probably just used the dullest adjectives in the history of forever, but how on earth can you sum up four years of amazing friendships, life-changing experiences around Europe and the world, glorious pub crawls and less-than-glorious hangovers in dear old Norwich, sometimes absurd modules and exceptional teachers? You can’t. You just say “Oh UEA is wonderful”, or rather hum it, and bring those memories with you for the rest of your life.

Now real life starts. After a rather blue summer, spent worrying about the future and sending out CVs with no reply (“That’s normal, you have to send out tons and tons before anyone answers”), I have started translating as a freelancer, to get some much needed experience to find something else. I will probably need to move abroad again, maybe go back to the UK, see what’s out there for me. The future’s uncertain to those who are not sure of their plans. Even going back to the UK and start a new life, all over again for the umpteenth time, looks like a bit of a daunting experience. Like four years ago, I probably won’t have the courage to leave until I am there. All I can wish for right now is that it will work just as fine. London is big and full of spoilers opportunities, perhaps it’s the best place to start over. In spite of Brexit, this big, big question mark making our future even more uncertain.

Perhaps I have been a bit unfair, though. My summer hasn’t been entirely blue. Apart from Graduation Week, I have gone places and had fun, with family and friends. I have been to Prague, elegant, rich with history and culture…

Old Town Square

Old Town Square as seen from the top of the Old City Hall

Astronomical Clock

Charles Bridge and the Castle

… the Dolomites and Verona…

Passo Tre Croci, near Cortina d’Ampezzo

Welsberg Castle

Basilica of San Zeno, Verona

Scaliger Bridge, Verona

Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona

Piazza Bra and the Verona Arena

Getting ready for Verdi’s Aida

I went to Bucharest, Romania, for a few days to see some cousins, and then to Venice – where I spent a lovely afternoon getting (almost) lost in the calli with my friend Stefano, my super guide – and its surrounding area, to see some of the Palladian villas that I had studied in my history of art course in school…

The Grand Canal as seen from the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

Villa Foscari “La Malcontenta”, designed by architect Andrea Palladio

Frescoes of Villa Widmann-Foscari

Villa Pisani

Villa Pisani

Villa Pisani’s Ballroom with frescoes by Giambattista Tiepolo

Villa Almerico Capra “La Rotonda”, designed by Palladio

Vigo Bridge, Chioggia

 

Plus, as per usual, I have made a decent dent in my to read list (David Baldwin’s Richard III) and watched some series and films. That hasn’t changed. I have been quite impressed with The White Queen, although it is a very fanfiction version of the Wars of the Roses: Elizabeth Woodville an actual witch, whose curses actually work, gifted with the Sight, like her mother and daughter? Oh, please… And [SPOILER] the finale with Richard III and Elizabeth of York, that was awful. Not because of incest, that was fairly common at the time (not between uncle and niece, true, but first cousins, very often indeed), but because it just came out of nowhere, it has not been confirmed as being more than just a rumour. Anyway, Aneurin Barnard as Richard, Duke of Gloucester and later King Richard III, Faye Marsay as Anne Neville and James Frain as Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, have been my favourites, it’s a shame that, for obvious reasons, none of them will be in The White Princess. Maybe just flashbacks, but I doubt it. Maybe Richard. Well, more Aneurin for everyone, he’s very talented. And really cute too.

Right now I’m watching Victoria on ITV, which is quite interesting, and I hope the next season of Once upon a Time will not disappoint me, although the focus on the couple Emma-Hook has been painful to bear, luckily there will be a double fix of Regina and Lana Parrilla to enjoy it.

The last big thing has been my short trip to London two weeks ago, to see my cousin and also Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Kenneth Branagh’s The Entertainer. No spoilers in case anyone reading hasn’t read (very improbable, but it’s good to ask), just… wow. I am not easy to please when it comes to Harry Potter, but I can say this: it was worth the price of the ticket and going back to London (almost) just for that.

Temple Church, London. A recurring joke with some of my friends was that, for one reason or another, I would never be able to enter this church (mentioned in The Da Vinci Code, book and film, by the way), because the timetable is crap. I had tried six times, unsuccessfully. Attempt n° 007: MADE IT.

Now I’ll just wait for the autumn to start, to bring some new series. And yes, another job, possibly more permanent (please, EU DGT, take me into account!). And a new life. Post-UEA life, here I come!

Time flies. Or does it?

The perception of time is 99% of the times deceptive: I say the first week at UA is already gone, but it looks like ages since I arrived at Alicante airport, when it actually happened only 18 days ago.

Maybe it is because since then lots of things have happened: Katy and I have settled in nicely here, we managed to get wifi and a tram pass (well, it’s not an actual pass, you have to top up when your 30 trips are over) and to get to class without getting lost. It makes me feel a bit like Ron and Harry in their first days at Hogwarts, although I have to admit that my subjects are not as exciting as wizards’ stuff. However, given that my Hogwarts letter probably got lost, for the time being I’ll be content with what I’ve chosen: German, Analysis of Texts from the French-speaking World, Translation from Spanish into English, Oral French and a Spanish Language course yet to start. They might all be useful and are not excessively demanding, which is good for my mood. My timetable is ok, could be worse, could be better, and I admit that waking up early for an 8am can have its advantages.

I decorated my room as soon as I got here, if there’s something I hate (and my friends know this VERY well) it’s empty white walls. I think it’s genetic, it runs in the family, the walls at home are completely covered in paintings and prints. All thanks to mum. She has XIX^th century prints and oil paintings, I have HMV and theatre posters. Noblesse oblige. There isn’t much white left now, which makes it feel home, like Paston House and especially Park Lane before it. I miss Park Lane more than I can say, and my English life in general, but I have one year ahead of me here and in France, so I should get the most of it.

I say “should” partly because I don’t know how much I’ll actually be travelling this year, in spite of all the encouragement by TPTB of the Erasmus system: it takes only two and a half hours to go from Alicante to Madrid with the high-speed train, but €100 for a return ticket is a bit too much. Not that it gets any better with buses or planes, respectively €83 and €75 (excluding the public transport to go to the city centre from the airport). I don’t dare driving to Madrid, my driving skills are not appalling, but certainly not good enough for a 421 km journey, not to mention the inevitable traffic jams of the capital. I would have gladly gone on the trip to Granada organised by the university from 26^th to 28^th September, but I have classes on Friday until 7pm and the bus leaves at 3pm. Seville and Cordoba are far, Barcelona even more. The closest city of interest is Valencia, so I think I might just go there one day. Benidorm doesn’t count as “interesting”. I hope there will be other trips available in the future, I’d like to see a bit of Spain before heading to France. And to see my friends, scattered throughout Spain as either university students or Language Assistants for the British Council.

In the meantime I often go out with my old friends, the ones I had known during their Erasmus at UEA in my first year, now all about to leave for a temporary job in France/Germany after graduation, and try to make new friends with the people in the French courses. More or less. I find myself an even less sociable person than I had thought. Is this bad? I don’t know. They say the Erasmus is an occasion to discover new places and know people. Personally I would add “like-minded” to “people” and “in my own time”. Most of the girls in my French courses are younger than me, which is fine, of course, but they have their own life style, which is not entirely akin to mine. I feel terribly rude and sorry to always refuse their invitations, I really do, but I know how bored I get at disco parties, and I don’t wish to be a burden to them. So far, though, they’ve been very patient with me and my Spanish-speaking skills, which is very nice of them. One in particular is always very kind to me, we sit together and manage to chat a bit as well, she’s very quiet but also fun. I suppose I won’t be that alone, after all.

There is another one standing out from the crowd, a girl one year my elder who’s a Catalan Studies degree finalist, with whom I had quite interesting conversations on Catalan independence, which she strongly supports. When you look at the entire Catalan Independence matter through online newspaper articles or in class, like I did last year for Spanish, you don’t get to fully realise how passionate people can be about it, but when you get to talk to those people, agree on it or not, it’s fascinating. She was a bit disappointed yesterday because of the result of the Scottish referendum, because it doesn’t mean good news for Catalan independence, but she took it well. On my part I was very happy, I have no right to be whatsoever but I am.

I suppose I should go now and do some stuff, I have to read a book in French which looks interesting. By the way, isn’t it a very peculiar word, “interesting”? A word which, in spite of the literal meaning, can mean everything and nothing, a fill-in for every situation, an easy, prêt-à-porter term which can convey many feelings, especially the very lack of interest.

I hope to have more news for the next post, who knows, maybe I’ll get to know one of those very charming guys I constantly see going in and out of the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy. Not in the mood for love, don’t feel free on that matter, I feel as if I had someone back home to be faithful to (although there is no one), but life is unpredictable.

Hasta luego, mes amis.