A new start...again

A new chapter in Cáceres

My next destination had to be Europe, I was longing to be somewhere closer to home, and I wanted to choose somewhere not just for adventure but to settle. It’s time to put down roots. But this time I ruled out learning a new language from scratch. After 18 months of pigeon Thai, and 11 months of Spanglish, I decided to stick to a country where I had the foundations of a language, at least enough to hit the ground jogging. After many hours scrolling through ESL job sites, I sent out a bajillion CVs to start the recruitment process with various schools. I finally decided on a little English academy in Cáceres, in the west of Spain, and this is where my adventure begins.

I’ve been settling in really well and have found a nice routine between pilates and language classes, popping to the panaderia for a baguette, wandering through the old town soaking up the sunshine, and sipping coffee while reading in the adorable café around the corner whose garden boasts a view of golden fields stretching out for eternity. Since moving to Cáceres, my stress levels have plummeted and my appetite for adventure has returned. 

Declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO, Cáceres sits comfortably in the west of Spain, in the region of Extremadura, just a couple of hours from Portugal and with larger cities like Seville and Madrid within easy reach. It’s near enough to get to easily but far enough away to escape from hustle and bustle of city life. It’s a traditional little place, where shops shut for siesta and not a soul can be seen doing business on a Sunday, it takes some getting used to, especially when you’re craving a Magnum on a Sunday afternoon. Another unique aspect of the Cácereño lifestyle is the times they eat. Dinner at 10pm? What about sleep? But, after just a few weeks I slipped right into the flow and now it makes perfect sense. In fact, sense is my word of the moment - work/life balance and good wine at low prices are just two of the sensible things I have noticed about life in Spain.

I remember my life in Bristol consisted of bouncing from festival to festival in the little parks around the city, and I’m pleased to see that Extremadura has returned that pastime to me. With free little festivals popping up every month or so, the region has already welcomed me with beer festivals, fancy dress parties, Irish music sessions, rock bands, and a medieval festival where the old town of Cáceres was festooned with medieval banners and market stalls. I have yet to experience the festival of San Jorge, the patron saint of the city, where a dragon is burned in the main square, and WOMAD which draws music from all over the globe. As yet the jury is out as to what the best festival is but I am enjoying the judging process. So far I think the leading contender is El Carnaval. While Irish folk are stuffing their faces with pancakes drenched in sugar and lemon juice to mark the beginning of Lent, the Spaniards throw a massive nationwide party, when they get dressed up in costume and have amazing parades. 

I ventured along to Badajoz which is reported to hold the third best parade in Spain, after Gran Canaria and Cadiz respectively. Accompanied by Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother, I rocked up dressed in fairy wings and a painted face, and stood in place to watch the passing parade consisting of over 40 floats. I have been told that the parade entrants come from all over (there was even a drumming group from Bristol) and the performances are practised for months in advance, while the phenomenally detailed costumes are made by hand. The parade was out of this world and blew every other procession I’ve ever seen out of the water, and yes, I’m including that time some dude on a tractor threw Kit Kats into the crowd in the 1986 St Patrick’s Day Parade in Cork. 


So, as I wait for the next festival to roll around, I will continue to enjoy the lifestyle the Cáceres has to offer including delicious Jamon Iberico, café con leche with early morning churros, and the golden primavera sunshine. I’m working on the español..

Images: Sinéad Millea.

Why the long pause?

Mexico round up

Where have the last ten months gone? As most of my Facebook newsfeed has been informing me, 2016 was pretty much a shit show. My adventures in Mexico were not exactly an exception and processing my experience has taken some time so I hope those reading it will consider it a fair review. Since my last post, Sinead Nua has been on a rollercoaster, a stressful, nauseating one albeit with stunning views and beautiful people.

I took a job in a school that seemed to be setting the ESL forums alight with terrible reviews. But, in defense of the school in question, the reviews were written 7 years ago, and I know how so much can change in seven years. My previous school before that also had a terrible review but I worked there for 18 months and loved every minute of it. An experience is dictated as much by what you put in as what you get out. So, I took a punt on it and packed my bags for Mexico.  As you can see from my previous few posts, I met some wonderful people and had some super adventures. I can’t even begin to describe the hospitality and friendship I met there, and especially from so many of my colleagues, so anyone reading this, please know that you made my experience so much better. But I have to admit that one of the criticisms of the school is still a current problem, and despite my most diplomatic attempts I couldn’t improve the situation I was in, so I packed it in. Life’s too short.

I really must emphasise the positives however, I had a Principal who appreciated her team, and colleagues who were a joy to meet each morning, and who introduced me to various regional snacks because they quickly learned the way to my heart is through my belly. My students were a group of confident, clever, hilarious little monsters who I still miss every day, and my connections with them were strengthened by the relationships I made with their parents. My time at the school taught me so much more about being a teacher than I had realised it would and I am really grateful for that. During my time there I thought it best to enjoy the good points and block out the bad ones. But this came at a high price.

Six weeks in, I fell victim to Chikungunya which obliterated my immune system. Apparently it can stay in your system for up to a year so I’ve really only just shaken that off. What followed was a barrage of parasitic infections, a throat infection that felt like Chikungunya all over again, insatiable sinusitis, some weird alien like skin condition (classy), and of course, the cherry on the germ ridden cake, Zika. I could hear the infection fairies shouting, “Pile it on lads, there’s room for more, sher there’s not a white blood cell in sight”. My local doctor wasn’t exactly helpful, prescribing me a cocktail of crap and not even explaining the dos and don’ts, or delving further into the problem. I had diarrhoea for 2 months because he just kept writing out prescriptions instead of sending me for tests. In the end I went to a private doctor and, several months and $3000mxn later, I was diagnosed with a parasitic infection that was cleared up in a matter of days. A couple of these issues are what you’d call a run of bad luck, but all of them together were a sign that Mexico hated me and wanted me out. At least that’s how I looked on it at the time. Now, I reflect on my lifestyle there and realise that all of it was stress induced. The pace of life in Tuxtla Gutierrez was so frenetic, I could hardly breathe. I felt like I was rushing from point to point, barely even stopping to decompress or eat properly. My energy and motivation quickly waned until I felt like I was existing simply to work. The salary was relatively normal for the area but, as a single person living alone and saving for a relocation, it was impossible to save without a second job and even with that I still left the country with very little to get me started again. You don’t go to Mexico for the money, you go for the experience, and on that it definitely delivered. I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to live in Mexico, what I learned there, and the friends I made there but now it’s time to return to Europe...

Images: Sinéad Millea.