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Now that i’ve been home for a week I’ve had time to reflect on my placement to Malaga. I had an amazing time and I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity. My placement in Pelo Loco was fantastic and I gained many new skills, including how to properly wash our tints, working with curly hair, applying extensions and I even picked up a bit of Spanish! The tours were great fun, my favourite was definitely Nerja and Frigliana. I found the walking tour extremely helpful in finding our way round for the first few days (well actually weeks, but that’s my own directional skills which are non existent). It has also been a great experience to meet new people and make new friends. Going over I didn’t know anybody and I’ve come home with a lovely new group of friends and a new best friend! (sorry Becky, not getting rid of me). Thank you so kuch for this opportunity!!

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Overall I had a great time on earasmus. I feel like I learnt a lot of different skills that will help me in the future. I got to experience things during my stay that I wouldn't have gotten the chance to if I didn't go on the trip.

There's not a lot I would change about the trip even though it definitely had its ups and downs. I think Malaga was a beautiful destination and it's jam packed with things to do. I would happily do it all over again 🙂.

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As the dust settles on our first week back home and plenty of time for reflection from Erasmus+.

I want to start off by saying a massive thank you to everyone that organised the trip, from flights to accommodation and trips to our workplaces and everything in between. Thank you!

It was one of the best experiences of my life to date, and if you asked me would I do it again, I’d probably be the first on the plane.

Any advice that I would give to future Erasmus students it would be;
- Be yourself
- Get stuck in with everything even if it pushes you out of your comfort zone
- Go explore the City you go to
- Get to know everyone, it will make your trip because you will have to best craic
- And most importantly have Fun!!!

The City of Malaga was very busy and you could get lost very easily but you got used to it within the first week. The food and drink were all really nice in the various restaurants we went to, from a tapas restaurant and winery with Louise to a pizzeria and a cafe with Michelle and another Tapas restaurant with Gabriel to the plenty of pubs and bars he brought us too 😂

El Palo FC was my home of work for the 3 weeks I was in Spain for. They were superb, very organised and very professional. The kids were amazing but cheeky little s**ts, but that made it for me. Of course I will miss them but hopefully in a few years time I’ll be working full time over there and get to meet those kids again.

Finally, I want to thank the European Era for everything and all the help they gave us in Spain, I won’t name names cause I will forget someone but I thank you all.

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Day 21 and my final thoughts on Erasmus in Malaga 

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Day 21 and my final thoughts on Erasmus in Malaga 

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Day 21, the final day was here and I woke up and got another migrane. It was awful and I could not function until 11. We got cleaning and taking out the rubbish and did all the packing which took us just enough time with some to spare to relax. We got heading on the bus to the airport and it the wait flew by pretty quickly. I did some shopping in duty free and we headed to the gate to board the flight. Thankfully this time I did not fall asleep the whole flight and I did some blogging and watched some Netflix. We landed finally and headed back to Greystones which took about 35 mins with the roads empty.

My overall thoughts with Malaga were mostly positive but there were a few negatives in my opinion. First of all Malaga as a city was really wonderful. Plenty to do with sights to see like the Picasso museum and other art museums, a very sporty background which I enjoyed a lot, including the Malaga stadium and Basketball gatherings in the centre. The weather in the most part was very good, a bit colder for this time of year. The food was a standout for me. Some of the best dishes I have ever had coming from Malaga. The tapas was always good but a surprising one for me was the pizza. Whatever they put in the pizza over in Malaga makes me question how Ireland is doing it so wrong. Basically what I’m saying is I have to go to Italy.

My work I enjoyed for the most part but I felt like there was more opportunity to learn than what I had been given. I was stuck on a vr machine 6 hours a day for 3 weeks when I could have been doing reception work which linked to my course. However the people were really nice and friendly and I got along well with everyone! The activities were also a blast, especially the trip to Nerja and Frigiliana. They were both really beautiful places. The free days as part of Erasmus really gave me an opportunity to explore, going to places such as Marbella and Torremolinos.

Overall I would definitely recommend Erasmus to any individual willing to give it a chance. I went in with a very open mind and that led me to enjoy it a lot. Erasmus may not be for everyone however so know what you’re getting yourself into!

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Day 19 and 20 were a fantastic end to a wonderful trip, jam packed with loads of activities and fun 🤩. Day 19 we unfortunately didn’t make it to the boat trip as our taxis kept getting cancelled 😡. We didn’t let it ruin our day as me, Becky and Charlotte did some shopping for pressies 🎁. I got a little football player rubber ducky and a toad plushie for my cousins and also a really nice pink shirt which was expensive but honestly really worth it. We walked up to the centre and got some food at a Napoli based restaurant. After a lot of pictures of all the Maradona decorations and memorabilia we got our food and the pizza yet again was amazing. I don’t know what it is with this country and making really nice pizza but Ireland are doing things wrong lolz 😝. We walked back down to the markets where I did more shopping and Becky and Charlotte headed back to the apartment. I bought some posters for my mum and dad. I waited for Hannah and we walked to meet everyone else at Camden Town. I destroyed everyone at pool obviously 😙😴. We walked back into town and went to a very cool rock bar where it was €15 to enter but you get 1 drink or two beers. I chose the 2 beers which I hugely regretted as they were warm and did not taste great. A live band was there playing songs and my personal favourite was when they played stereophonics! We got a taxi back to the apartments and eventually got to sleep 😴.

Day 20 started with some panic as Rachel had lost their phone the night before 😱. A bit of chill time in the apartment led to us going to Torremolinos at around 2 with Hannah, Rachel and Shaun. We got a bus to the Metro and that took us there. We got out to a bit of cold air. We were like we are in Spain and can’t even get warm weather. I felt strange as all the Spanish locals were wearing big coats and there I was wearing my pink shirt 😎. We headed down to the seafront and walked down a bit and stopped at a nice restaurant where I got a big old club sandwich with crisps. It was pretty good. I also was watching some Spanish football there and witnessed an absolute worldie from Cadiz player Machis to get a last minute equaliser 🔥. After the food I made my way another two minutes down the road to watch the cup final at an Irish bar between Liverpool and Chelsea. Up the reds and the reds were certainly up for it. An exciting battle with a few injuries for Liverpool players after the 7 first team players they already had out injured meant the local school kids had to come on. The matched 0-0 which meant extra time. Guess who in the final minute of extra time 🕰️. Virgil Van Dijk the best defender in the world with a beautiful header to win it and I leaped with joy and started hugging everyone around me. Liverpools youth team 1-0 Chelsea 😴😴😴. In an already good mood we went to play some mini golf. I lost to Hannah unfortunately :/ and then we headed back to the Metro to get home for the night. I went to sleep with a Migrane which wasn’t great 🥲.

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Day 17 started with some tasty breakie with Hannah, Rachel, Cathal and Ian. We went to a really cool  I got a grilled cheese with bacon which was spectacular. The only issue with my meal was the fact I payed €4 for a glass of orange juice like what the heck dude that’s as bad as Ireland prices. I headed to work and saw Gabriel waiting for me, I headed in to show him around but I was overwhelmed with what turned out to be 120 kids all wanting to go on the vr machine. I was super busy so Gabriel came back later. He got to go on the vr machine eventually! He then took us all out for dinner in a super nice tapas place where I ate some meatballs and patatas bravas 😋. Although I’m convinced I had the smallest glass of beer I’ve seen 😡. After that we went to a very cool Spanish bar where more beers were drank. Very nice ones I must say.  After loads of great chats we headed to a Speakyeezy that we heard about. Gabriel was annoyed there was no phone line last time so we walked in totally normally. I ordered a mojito because it’s the best cocktail on the planet (no bias) and they were fairly expensive. We got a taxi back and went to bed!

Day 18 was the last day of work :( and I had to say goodbye to the people I met there. I’m gonna miss the people there, really really nice and fun to talk to. After a long night last night we got a taxi to work too. The day went by fairly quickly as it was busy enough. I walked home and it was a fairly quiet night from then on!

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Waking up today felt like crap to be honest, the thought of going home along with a little hostility umong the group of us (mainly towards me) I think 3 weeks forced together with people of different likes and dislikes is just about the right amount of time, but don't get me wrong, if European Era said "Ian, we need you stay in Malaga indefinitely" i would hopped on that. I loved every second of it, taking the group out of the equation for now, everyday was beautiful, everyday was a new adventure, there was football everywhere, sunshine, beaches, places to offer new types and style of food, buses was very regular, taxis and deliveries was all so super handy, my bus route to work was beautiful coast line along the beautiful beaches of Málaga, it really was an extraordinary once in a lifetime opportunity. If this opportunity is offered to you, take it, no hesitation, please I beg you, you will not regret a single moment. All I recommend is bringing is a love life and live for the moment attitude with you, and you will 100% enjoy every moment of it.

Let's do our daily blog....
Started off early for as always, got some lunch in from the local Mercedonia, eat it, then packed the bags and cleaned as much as we could before getting the boot from the apartment 3 hours before we were told too, so I just chilled on the terrace with my bags, contemplating doing a runner and not coming home ( I chickened out and decided to return to the doggies) once we got to the airport it seemed like it was only 5 mins before we got on the plane, I instantly fell asleep which felt like 9 hours, but in total the flight was just under 3 hours, I got off the plane and didn't even get a chance to say goodbye and thank you to everyone, but they have my number and I have there's if they or I feel like staying in touch. (Y'all don't need to know what happened when I got home) hint dogs haven't left my side and it's now been 12 hours I'm home ❤️

Anyways final thoughts and suggestions for the Málaga Erasmus+.....
I truly enjoyed it all.
I feel the trips and tours should all be a whole day thing like the one to Frigiliana and Nerja.
I feel the change of apartments and the rooms selection was good for the group as we interacted more once this happened.
Work placement for us soccer coaching and sports management is not long enough, as by the time you get used to the kids your watching, and finally might have a suggestion on how they can improve, it's time to leave ( 3 weeks could be ok for adults)
All in all as I said above, be open minded live for the moment and you will have ZERO regrets about going on the trip, whilst your coming home (apart from wanting to stay 🤣)

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Dear Diary,
Today was the day we were flying back to Dublin, I woke up pretty early to pack my cases and clean up my room before getting ready for the airport. the cleaning staff however made us leave our apartment 3 hours earlier than we were suppose to which made me glad I got up early as we had to move all of our bags into the other apartment while we waited for our coach to the airport.

We then checked in our bags and headed for our flight, it felt quite long but it was ok collecting our bags and passport control was quite quick however

Overall this was a great learning opportunity which also gave me several different skills and qualities that I believe will help me for my future and I believe this is a great experience for anyone who would chose this path

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I looked at the sandwiches the same way 🤤 🥯

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Dear diary,

It's our last day in Malaga. The trip has flown by, it's had its ups and downs but overall I've had a great time. I've made new friends, nearly lost an old one at one stage (apologies Shaun x) got a new tattoo and have a love for a new city. I'm coming home with a pocket full of stories, a suitcase full of fridge magnets and memories that will last a lifetime.

Anyway, this morning I woke up to a text from Rachel's mam saying she received news from a Spanish man that he had found Rachel's phone that they misplaced two nights before and had handed it into the police station - confusing I know 🤨. I hopped out of bed and bolted to their room, I knocked on the door and got no answer so I opened the door and gently woke them up out of their 13 hour slumber to relay the good news. The shock and disbelief on their face when they heard was almost comical. We ran around getting ready as quick as we possibly could, I ordered a taxi and off we went. After working around the language barrier of us not knowing Spanish and the police having little to no English the phone was returned. To celebrate we headed on foot in the lashings of rain ☔🌧️ to go get breakfast 🧃 🥐. Before coming on the trip I had said the one thing I wanted to do was the Picasso museum 🖼️🎨 Rachel was up for it so off we headed. When we got to it the queue was the biggest we've ever seen it be, we both looked at eachother gave an understanding nod and walked back the way we came, at least it gives me an excuse to come back in the future. We stopped off in a little bakery to pick up a snack for when we got back to the apartment.

With 5 hours till our bus, we all started cleaning the apartment and packing our bags. It took 5 of us to carry all the bins down 😳🤐. We came back had food and chilled before heading to the bus to the airport. When we got to check-in I was left red faced after a slight hiccup which I won't go into detail about 🙈. When we were going through security I set the alarm off and was pulled to the side to be swiped for what I assume is drugs thankfully it came back negative 🤪. Then browsed through duty free for around an hour before finding our gate.

Currently writing this from the air, my nerves settled after I took the recommended 3 drops of cbd oil I brought with me 😸.

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27/02/24
dear diary,
after a solid 13 hour sleep, i was awoken by hannah knocking on my bedroom door at 8:30am. my phone had been handed into a spanish police station and i could go pick it up. well, when i tell you i jumped put of the bed; i've never gotten ready that fast in all my life. we made our way to the centre and i felt doing a little jig when the guard handed my phone to me. to celebrate my luck, we went for one last bit of brekkie and some last minute shopping before heading back to the apartments to pack.

the trip as a whole has been a once in a lifetime kind of experience. i wouldn't change it for the world and i'm going home with some amount of stories and memories. my advice to future students: have contact info on your lockscreen, never leave the apartment without your keys and make sure to take some recharge days. malaga, i will be back.

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Dear diary,

Today was our last full day of being in Malaga. We started the day with breakfast in the apartment and a quick tidy about before deciding what we'd spend our last day doing. Shaun, Danny Rachel and I headed for torremolinos. Like I did the day before, we had a little wonder around and then made our way to the beach 🏖️. We brought beach towels with the intention of catching a few rays ☀️ however the sun had other plans ☁️ 🌞 ☁️. We had lunch in a restaurant on the seafront, maybe it was just the hunger but my food was "Bangin'" ~ Rachel T. (2003: rathdrum). We stopped off at the shop for an ice-cream 🍨 before heading to an Irish bar 🍻 to watch the liverpool vs Chelsea match. The long day, and lack of sleep from the night before finally caught up with Shaun and Rachel, they headed home leaving me and Danny in the pub. The match went to extra time but in the end Liverpool came out on top 💪💪.

While walking towards the metro we saw the mini golf ⛳ centre we had passed earlier and went in for a quick game. Danny couldn't believe his eyes when we started playing and I got a hole in one ☝️ he even started comparing me to tiger woods 😳. I won ofcourse 😌. We then got the metro and headed back to the apartment where Charlotte and Becky brought up the idea of ordering food and I was over the moon as I wasn't arsed to cook. We really need tacobell in Ireland 😾.

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Dear diary,

Before even coming on the trip, I knew I would NOT be participating in the boat trip. Instead I got up and ready and walked to the bus to get to the metro and I made my way to Belmadena. With no plan, I put my phone in my pocket and just started walking and exploring with my headphones in blaring a bit of Paulo Nutini. I ended up in a large park, beside a lake looking at the ducks paddling about. After walking around the park some more I came across some goats that i was able to pet and feed 🐐 🌿.  I made my way to the seafront and popped in and out of a few shops to buy souvenirs. I kept walking and walking, the views of the beach and mountains in the distance were absolutely stunning. I eventually walked to torremolinos which in my opinion was even nicer.

Just like in Belmadena, I strolled through torremolinos with no plan and no map, I just went in which ever direction I felt drawn to. The day went quickly, I decided to make my way up to the town. My joy turned to horror when I seen the flights of stairs I would have to take to get up there but then, my eyes widened with glee when I saw a sign I could have sworn was lit up by the heavens that said "lift 50c". It was the best 50 cent I have ever spent. The town was busy with a mini festival going on, there was multiple groups of street performers although I don't speak a lick of Spanish I still stayed and watched some of them for a short while as it was very entertaining.

When I arrived back in Malaga I walked to Camden town, a pub I swore to myself I'd never return to 😳 to meet the others. We stayed for a good hour or so playing darts and pool. Afterwards we said bye to Shaun, Ian and Gabriel. With just cathal, Rachel, Danny and myself left we pondered what we would do next since the night was young. We decided on a rock and roll bar 🎵🤟, it was very quiet to start but quickly filled up when the music got going. The atmosphere and the vibes of the bar was unmatched. We all left at a sensible time and shared a taxi home.

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Dear diary,

Today in work I was back in the kitchen, I knew I was in for a rough day when I saw it was Natalie working as she gives me actual jobs to do 😞👎.  To start I did the wash up, I continued doing this throughout the day just like how I have been this whole work experience except this time it never seemed to stop. I was informed there would be a group seating of 30 American students coming in at 2 and we had to get the prep going ASAP. To start I had to carry 5kg bags of potatoes 🍠, empty one over the sink and wash and scrub them individually and then using a manual press I had to make chips with nearly all of the potatoes. When I was finally finished I then had to slice and dice 2 whole trays of avocado 🥑 and tomatoes🍅 just when I thought I was finally finished I look up and see Natalia coming  bouncing over with a massive wheel of parmesan cheese 🧀 and I had to spend the better half of an hour grating the whole thing. The work doesn't even stop there but I think you get the point, if I don't come home looking like Popeye then all of that was for nothing 💪💪.

Pablo flashed his phone to us at 3 o'clock signalling to us that our work day had finished. As it was our last day, there was hugs and high fives all around. Rachel and I stepped out of no piqui for the last time and into the fresh air which was badly needed. We headed next door to get boba as a little treat to ourselves. Before heading for the bus back to the apartment we took a look around and wandered through a few of the side streets we hadn't noticed before.

We got back to the apartment and started doing a bit of much needed cleaning 😬. We decided to eat in for once and made some pesto pasta, couscous, tomato and hummus with bread rolls, it definitely hit the spot 🎯😋.

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Dear diary,

This morning I dragged Ian, cathal, Rachel and Danny off to another "funky" breakfast place I had seen the day before. We got the bus into the city and we were transported to America the moment we stepped into the diner. The menu had a mix of American classics including stacks of dollar pancakes 🥞, fry ups and sandwiches 🥪. I decided on a grilled cheese 🧀 which I doused with hot sauce 😋🔥. We ate our breakfast while Rachel and Ian had a colouring competition 🤔.

After breakfast I went to the print shop to print out forms to sign off work experience, being 20 minutes late, work thought I was "dead in the bed" again and were surprised to see me turn up. As soon as I got in I was greeted with a picture of a dead and squished mouse and a thank you from Pablo - the owner for spotting it the day before. After carefully reading through all the questions for the work experience sheets Pablo started singing praises of gratitude to both Rachel and I about just how good of a job we both did over the last 3 weeks and said we were the best students he's ever had in and we were more than welcome to come back and work anytime. 😸😸

After work Rachel and I decided to take a stroll down to the markets and have a nosey, "they don't charge for a nosey" has to be Rachel's most said quote of this trip. In the evening we met up with Gabriel for some tapas and dessert which was really nice in a restaurant called - el meson de Cervantes. Afterwards Gabriel showed us to a small Spanish bar it was a bit of a squeeze but a very interesting place. After that then it dwindled down to just cathal, Rachel, Danny, Gabriel and myself and we headed to a speakeasy called the pharmacy, although it was very quiet (probably because it was 11:30pm on a Thursday) I really enjoyed it and the drink that I had was very nice 🍷👍🐱.

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Dear diary,

Today in work I sliced 6 cherry tomatoes in half and scrubbed 10 plates all day. At two o'clock I seen something scurrying past my feet, upon further inspection I realised it was a mouse 🐭🧀. After informing the two chefs of what I had just witnessed I was put on mouse watch for the last hour of my shift 👀, I got Rachel in on the action and when they flashed their light I saw it flinch in its hiding spot which caused me to almost scream lol.

After work Rachel and I took a wander around the side streets that we hadn't gone down before, we came across a small vegan restaurant we both got cauliflower wings and wedges it was probably one of the best meals I've had this entire trip - to quote Rachel "aw this is BANGIN" (in a rathdrum accent 🤐). While chatting over our meals we decided we needed a little reminder of our trip that was going to last longer than a post card. We took a look at Pinterest and got talking about tattoo ideas and what would remind us the most of our time here in Malaga.

I decided on a small tattoo of a croc and sock as that was basically the only footwear I was wearing the whole time. Rachel decided on the word "temporary". Off we went into the mini tattoo studio that was also a clothing shop, Barbers and skateboard shop which is a weird mix. The tattoo was quick and easy and I'm very "happy" 😉 with how it turned out.

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Dear diary,

The sun burn, lack of water and salt addiction has finally caught up with me. After a painful night of no sleep and discomfort I have called into work sick.

It is currently 7 in the evening and I have been asleep since 11 this morning. I have food being delivered and aftersun on standby for bedtime.

Goodnight n God bless 🙏.

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Dear diary,

Today it was my turn on the floor (for the first and last time) while Rachel was all on their lonesome in the kitchen. I started off my making some freshly squeezed orange juice, using a machine thankfully! Then I started to the wash up, my mind wondered (as it does often 🧠❌) and in the middle of my daydream without even realising what I was doing I had accidentally taken the brand-new order of an affogato which took Franco 5 minutes to just scoop the icecream alone might I add, and threw it down the sink 👍👍👍. Thankfully we all laughed it off and he went straight back to making a new one. I finished the work day by pulling a pint.

To ease the embarrassment of both of our days, Rachel and I decided a bit of retail therapy was needed. We walked to the metro 🚇 and went to the outlets at plaza Mayor. I only had my eyes on one shop - CROCS!!! unfortunately for me however, they didn't have either of the pairs I was looking for and no other pair caught my eye so I left empty handed and broken hearted 😔💔.

After 3 hours of walking around and our pockets slightly lighter than before we went in we went back to the metro and made our way home safe and sound. In the evening Danny, Rachel and I had a root through the fridge and presses to see what we'd make for dinner. We decided on a tacobell instead 😋. After lining our stomachs we headed to the rooftop to meet the others and hear about their day.

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I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bikeeeeee 🚲 🏖️ 🌞

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Dear diary,

Today I went on a bike ride, before you even think about it yes I did wear my crocs and socks and YES they absolutely do make the best cycling shoes. I have not been on a bike since I was around 12, I was like Bambi at first then got back into the rhythm of things. I cycled from the bike shop to the fishing village it took around 20 minutes, it probably would have been quicker if I didn't have to return the first bike after 5 minutes to get a child's size one as I could barley reach the floor 😔👎. The views of the sand and sea as I was cycling by were gorgeous. When I arrived at the fishing village I met with Shaun  who had gotten the bus there instead of cycling booo. We went for lunch in a cute cafe . After that we went for a game of pool in an Australian bar we had spotted earlier - I won ofcourse 😌.

Later on Ian arrived and we all chilled on the beach, after around 20 minutes I got bored and headed off on the bike again in the distance I could hear Ian bragging about how good of a cyclist I am and compared me to Lance Armstrong 💪💪. I cycled to the end of the fishing village it was a busy spot but so lovely, I even saw a proposal which was really cute. This whole trip Ian has been talking about how much he wants a bucket and spade so when I seen one beside the beach in a little kiosk I knew I had to pick it up. He was literally jumping for joy when he saw it in the basket of the bike 🚲.

As I started cycling back towards the city to return my bike I stopped to take a picture of the nice view, I heard a familiar voice behind me saying hola I turned around and it was Tim! He had also taken a bike out but now it was a race against time as we were 20 minutes out from the bike shop and only had 15 minutes till the 5 o'clock deadline so we bolted off. We returned the bikes at 5 oclock on the dot.

We met back with Shaun and we headed for a wander around the city when we ran into Becky, Charlotte and Adam and we went back to the rooftop bar to chill out for the evening 🍷🍷.

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Dear diary,

Today I woke up at the crack arse of dawn to meet up with Tim and Danny to head to the bus station. It took us just 40 minutes to make it to Marbella, the views from the bus on the way were really nice. We started off with breakfast in a place that didn't even have a menu, afterwards we took a stroll to the beach where we were greeted with a horse on the sand. We spent the best part of an hour basking in the sun, shoulda known not to trust the weather app when it said the UV was low 😾👎🍅.

After the beach we headed to a bar so the lads could watch the Liverpool match, I personally liked the bar but the lads found the owner to be a bit strange. The owner came out with some interesting stories which may or may not have been true (we will never know 😳) he reminded me of someone I know I just can't remember who 🤔.

We got the bus back to Malaga around 6 o'clock in the evening and headed back to the apartment to order pizza to finish off the day.

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Today we fly home. I woke up at 9:30. We started packing at about 12. It didn’t take too long but it was hard to get my suitcase closed. We then cleaned the rest of the apartment and brought the bins out and so on.
I have enjoyed every second of my trip here and I would recommend it to anyone. I have gained so much valuable experience in the salon that I wouldn’t at home. I think Ive become much more independent.
Some advice I’d give to future students is stay safe- don’t go out alone especially at night.
Don’t forget to rest yourself it’s ok to have a day or two to yourself to just chill so you dont wear yourself down.
Go on all the planned trips- it’s a great chance to get to know everyone better and the trips are actually really good.

I’m so grateful to be able to have had this experience x

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Friday - After a long night chatting the previous night, I eventually got up and dusted myself down and got ready for my final day at work.

We arrived at work and watched a match before saying goodbye to which was my favourite group to train and the most professional and organised coach I have ever witnessed.

When we got back to the apartment, it was time for bed as tiredness has really kicked in.

Saturday - Again another late rise and then it was time to kill time before going on the boat trip. Myself, Ian, Rachel and Shaun went to a market where I picked up some fridge magnets for the family.

We then went to an American restaurant to grab a bite to eat which was really nice and I really recommend going.

The 4 of us then made it to the boat where Gabriel was waiting for us and so was the boat. The sea was choppy at times but bearable. Myself and Ian had our titanic moment (check Rachel’s blog).

After the boat trip, some of us made our way to Camden pub yet again, but this time the Guinness wasn’t as nice as before. Great craic was had playing foosball, darts and pool.

Myself, Rachel, Hannah and Danny went to a rock bar after, it was dead when we went in but within 10 minutes we were like sardines in the pub.

A good day was had as we headed home to bed.

Sunday - Sunday was a quiet day as planned. Myself, Ian, Charlotte and Becky went to the beach. We spent hours there and a nice relaxing swim was had by all. We even played X’s and O’s on the sand.

After the beach we headed home and ordered McDonald’s before chilling on our last night together.

Ana early night was had by all as we knew Monday would be a long day.

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25/02/24
dear diary,
this morning i woke up phoneless and i was a bit lost, i can't lie. i didn't know what to do with myself. being at a loss of what to do with my day, hannah invited me to go with her, danny and shaun to torremolinos. so off we went, getting a bus and then the metro, where i may have gone for a quick power nap, and we were in torremolinos.

the place was stunning and there was so many shops. we eventually made our way to the beach, after paying a shocking 50c each to take the lift down because none of us wanted to walk down 200 odd steps. however, i was a bit disappointed because it was way too cold and windy to lie on the beach so we went for food instead.

danny and hannah had found an irish bar on the seafront so they decided to stay for a tipple but me and shaun decided it was time to go home. however, with me having no phone and shaun having no data, we didn't have google maps so we lost our way and could not for the life of us find the metro so reluctantly, we got a taxi home. once we got home, we went our separate ways and i got into bed and i was dead to the world.

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Heartfelt thanks

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Gabriel for the incredible opportunity to participate in the ERASMUS + program.  This experience has truly changed my life and I am deeply grateful to Louise, Michelle and Rachel for the unwavering support and kindness shown to me throughout the program.

With deepest gratitude,

Galina

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24/02/24
dear diary,
the day i've been lowkey regretting has fallen upon us: the boat trip. i got myself ready and myself, shaun, cathal and ian headed out to do some souvenir shopping beforehand before the dreaded boat.

we hit up the food market on our way and nosed around some small shops before grabbing a bite to eat at the american diner. i was buzzing because there was more colouring sheets and the boys all joined in. we ate our lunch and headed towards the port, where we met up with gabriel, tim and halyna.

i took my kwells in anticipation of being violently ill and reluctantly hopped on the boat. thankfully, the kwells worked and i had a surprisingly pleasant time. i have to say though, by the time we pulled back into the dock, i was ready to get off.

we then made our way to camden town to show gabriel our favourite pub. we played some foosball, where me and gabriel absolutely obliterated cathal and ian and then some darts (ian may or may not have won). danny and hannah then arrived and we played some pool.

a few people decided it was time for bed but me, cathal, hannah and danny were ready for another drink so we found our way to zz pub, who had a live rock band playing. i loved the pub personally. we had a mostly uneventful night and we went home at a decent hour but i may or may not have lost my phone.

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Enamorado de mi Málaga, buenos días ❤️. Today is our last day in Malaga. And today we have to fill out the last page of our block and say goodbye.. The time I spent here was wonderful.. That's why it flew by so quickly. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone from the Leader to my partners for the trip. And this. Gabriel. Louise, Rachel, Michelle, Miguel, Ana. And to the members of the group who always helped me with everything, Ian, Sean, Tim, Danny, Charlotte, Rebecca, Rachel, Katan, Hana. And I don't say goodbye to Malaga, a beautiful city in Spain.. I say GOODBYE TO MALAGA!!!! And to the guys with Erasmus + like me, who don’t know much English, I would like to wish... First of all, speak as you know how to start. The advice I could give is that you don’t need to isolate yourself and stop communicating, because this is the road to nowhere. Try to find people with whom you feel comfortable, who will not judge you, and communicate a lot with these people. Because my group understood and supported me.

You also need to stop perceiving language as an end and start perceiving it as a means. As long as we see language as a goal, we will continue to learn it ad infinitum. And the most important thing is that if you like a person and want to communicate with him, it doesn’t matter whether you use the right articles or whether you forget to put s in the third person singular. It doesn't make any difference at all. Ultimately, it was this idea that helped me - language is not a goal, but a means.

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Heading back tonight

Currently cleaning the apartment

It was a very good experience overall

I loved the city, just walking around and soaking it up in the streets

My favourite part of the trip was the hikes i did as the surrounding scenery with the large mountains is stunning

I also really liked eatinh the tapas in the restaurant

Everyone was super nice and helpful including my fellow students, the teachers, the people we met in malaga, the people in work and the people at european era

I also really enjoyed the oppurtunity to work as an editor in a company and getting to add that to my resume

The big regret i have was not going on more nights out, this was due to finishing college assignments which i could do it again i would get them done sooner

Also a big recommendation is that if you are looking to do the caminato del rey walk make sure to book well in advance as i forgot to do this and i couldnt go

Also if you are going to ronda, make sure to book tickets online for the return leg as they may sell out also double check if the walk is open to the public as the main entrance was closed when i visited

Overall i really enjoyed the trip and i appreciated gettng the oppurtunity from the college

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Today we decided to head to tormellinos which was a nice bus and metro ride, when we arrived we looked around a few shops and headed to the beach to relax for a while before getting some food and heading back to the apartment to pack and get ready for bed

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Dear Diary,
Today we had our boat trip which was amazing I loved every second which was then followed up with darts, foosball and pool in Camden town which is a English owned Irish bar Gabriel came along and we all had good fun

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Dear Diary,
I had my last day at work today which went really well but the owner was quite upset I was leaving and offered me a job to come back and work under her which I was ecstatic about they also gave me an amazing lunch to finish off my time there

After work and the goodbyes I head back home to unwind and go to bed

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Dear Diary,
Today work went well Gabriel visited me also which was good as he could see how well I was/wasn't doing and how I was progressing

After work I headed back to the apartment to get ready for our dinner with Gabriel which was absolutely amazing, the wine and food was spectacular and the atmosphere was really good

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Dear Diary,
My day started as normal with heading to work which was decently busy and I have lots to do which kept me on the go which made the time go by very quickly

After work I headed back to the apartment and headed to the roof to relax and unwind before I got food delivered and headed to bed

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Dear Diary,
Over the night and morning I was feeling quite ill which lead to me being unable to go to work which I was saddened about as I am thoroughly enjoying my placement and now I am just resting up for the rest of the day and night as per advice from doctor

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I had a very early start today
I was out in the door before anyone in my apartment was up
I had some breakfast in the bus station and headed to the mountains to a town called ronda
It was an extremely lovely town
The town was set on a set off cliffs with a valley in the middle and a bridge
I took plenty of photos and had a walk around
One area was closed so it meant i had to walk around to get where i wanted to go
I even walked close to where the waterfall was
I then bought some souveneirs and headed for my bus
I was told i could get tickets at the bus but when i got there the bus was sold out online, i then tried to get tickets for the next bus but this also sold out which meant i got the late bus back, it wasnt the end of the world as i could watch the footbqll in the bar and get food before i left
It was a fun day but a long one and i felt exhausted after a long weekend

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Today was a packed day
After starting the day with some quick college work, i left and headed to the alcabra which is an ancient moor settlement, it has lovely views
I then went up the steep hill and visited gibalfro castle , which is even older, and has even better views
After this i had a look at the roman ampithatre
It gave me a nice chance to relax on the steps
After this i went to the cathedral
At over 86m in height, it was truly enormous and was even bigger on the inside than the outside
Unfortunately, the rooftop wasnt over for visiting
Finqllly, me and the rest of the group went on a boat trip out of the harbour anf past the fishing village
It was really relaxing and luckily the weatehr was nice
I then went home to do some work
Today i was happy i got a lot done but i was definitely tired afterwards...

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Yet another slow start this morning, stayed around the apartment till just after one, before making our way to the beach, I had planned to show Becky and Charlotte this gorgeous little park along the way, that had rose bushes, a dog park, a pond with ducks in it and a little old lighthouse, but we got off at the wrong bus stop so had to walk to the beach, we had some fun at the beach, games (X's & O's andpicturnary) and laughs were had, anyways I decided to walk home as the others wanted to get a taxi. Got home and just chilled for the night.

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Saturday morning was a quiet one, Cathal, Rachel, Shaun and I left to go get the number 7 bus, but it was 20+ mins away, so we decided to walk it in to tge city, we were only goning in to get pressies for our peeps back home. I picked up a few small things, after which we all went for brunch in the American place again. I had a burger and fries and it was rotten, burger was red, I prefer my burgers cooked properly, and the chips were like the old odd ones that sit at the bottom of your McDonald's box. Definitely the worse meal of the trip. Then we were all on our way to go on the boat trip with Gabriel, everyone made it apart from Becky, Charlotte and Danny, oh and also the nemesis, but she hasn't got the sea legs for it, so she was skipping it anyway. It was a good little way to pass an hour, bit of a shame it was only an hour, I do feel the trips that are organised for us, should be all day ones like the Frigiliana and Nerja day trip. Anyways after the boat trip, a tipple was in order and we headed to Camden town pub yet again, even Gabriel joined us, where we played fusball, and Rachel showed a hint of a slight talent in that game. Then it was on to darts, where obviously this old fart won and destroyed everyone, then it was on to pool, where it was doubles and a bit of fun, no winners or losers on the pool (I bet the nemesis mentions her being Rocket Ronnie 🤣🤣) the others decided to try a biker looking bar, and that where I departed and walked home with Shaun.

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Our last day in Malaga :( Charlotte and I woke up and got some cleaning done with Hannah Rachel. Charlotte and I decided to go to the beach with Cathal and Ian. We had so much fun playing in the water and we played x”s & 0’s in the sand aswell as Pictionary. We all had a great laugh. After a while Charlotte and I got back into the water it was freezing!!!! We spent so long at the beach we got there at about 2 and stayed till about 7. We went home freezing but it was so so worth it. We’re gonna try get an early night tonight to we can get packed up tomorrow morning 🥰

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Becky and I woke up yesterday morning excited for the day ahead!! We spent some of the morning helping Rachel to tidy up the kitchen and bathroom a little bit in preparation to go.

At 3:45 Becky, Danny and I booked a taxi to be at the boat for 4:15. We were waiting outside for ages and then we got the dreaded notification… taxi cancelled. Not only was I charged but now we were running late! When a taxi finally arrived we had missed the boat and everyone had set sail.

After a brief moment of sadness, we decided to look on the bright side, we were right beside a lovely market. After a look around and bit of present shopping we had built up an appetite. We headed back towards the centre to look for food.

We ended up at Terra Mia, which is a lovely italian resturant that Louise took us to in the first few days, although that feel like about 5 years ago. I got the same pasta I had last time and it was just as good.

After this a few of them headed to an Irish pub, but they aren’t really my thing or Becky’s so we headed home. We arrived home at about 7 o’clock and had an early night so that we could get up early today and make the most of our last full day.

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On Saturday I had a lie in after a busy week in work. I got up and made myself breakfast and decided to get ready to go on our boat trip. My makeup kept going wrong so I ended up running a bit late but was going to make on time in a taxi. The taxi cancelled on us last minute when it was meant to arrive and we had to order another one. We thought we would get there just in time but we arrived just as the boat left. We were upset but we made the best of the day anyway and looked around the market. It is huge and everything is so nice there. There’s lots of restaurants around but they are quite expensive. After the market we went up to the city centre and had a look around before going to terra Mia for dinner. I got the o gnoccho and it was amazing I think I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. After dinner we had another look around the city before heading home.

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I want to start not from when I woke up, but from when I was already on the bus and saw Spanish dancers through the window. Can you imagine if I had just passed by? Of course not. I got off at the nearest stop and approached the dance platform. I captured everything in photos and then continued to stand and watch those mesmerizing dances. The beauty, passion, and grace in the dances and music of Spain are something special. Then I hopped on the bus and headed to the center. There, I took a tour of Malaga on an open-top bus. Malaga itself is one of the oldest cities in Europe, translating to "sunny." It's nestled in the center of a bay, surrounded by mountain ranges. There are charming winding streets with dense greenery, and I saw lemon trees growing beside houses. This beauty can't be conveyed in words or captured in photos; it must simply be seen and enjoyed. Malaga is the birthplace of the famous artist Pablo Picasso and actor Antonio Banderas. Along the coast, there are 16 official beaches, the most famous being La Malagueta, with sand imported from the Sahara. You couldn't miss the city hall (Ayuntamiento) - one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, next to which is a beautiful park. Across from the park is the symbol of Malaga - La Malagueta bullring. Nearby is the ancient Arab fortress, Alcazaba, and another fortress, Gibralfaro, both providing powerful defense against enemies. The city's main pride is the Malaga Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Incarnation. Then I passed many restaurants and beach cafes where you can indulge in delicious paella. The Port of Malaga is international, the oldest continuously operating port in the Mediterranean. It's a pity that time flew by so quickly, and my tour came to an end. Not just the tour, but also my time in Spain ends tomorrow. It was a wonderful time. Thank you.

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Today, waking up, I didn't rush anywhere for the first time. The beach wasn't an option due to the windy and cold weather. There was plenty of time for the planned boat trip. After handling my morning duties leisurely, I sat back on the couch and pondered what to do. Since I dislike staying indoors, I decided to organize something for myself. After looking at the map of Malaga, I pointed my finger at a place, looked up the route on Google, and set off. It turns out I stumbled upon another beach in Malaga called Misericordia. It's less touristy than other beaches, making it the perfect place to avoid crowds. I also noticed that this beach has plenty of parking spaces, unlike the central beach in Malaga. I settled in and decided to relax for a while. Turning my head to the right, I saw the central beach of Malaga. Then I checked the time and realized I needed to head out. Unfortunately, not everyone made it to the boat trip. Some participants were let down by taxis and, unfortunately, missed the excursion. The sea trip went great. It was very windy, but that didn't stop us from capturing our journey at sea, and we took several photos. After the trip, the group gathered and went for a walk around the city. Since I had already walked enough today, I decided to head back to the hotel. Upon arrival, I noticed and heard new neighbors on the floor. They were being very noisy, and I thought about the night ahead. But I hope my concerns won't come true. Overall, thanks to everyone for another one of the wonderful days spent in Malaga.

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Today i spent most of the day trying to do college work
After going to the pc repair shop multiple times i finally got my laptop fixed which meant i could do assignments
I visited a lovely cafe near the shop where i got a toastie and a coffe for 5 quid
I also visited a nice library
I went home then and had some noodles

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Early bird catches the worm, well this big old bird would have starved this morning, as going to bed late, tends to make you rise late. I did nothing all day till it was time to go and do our very last day in work at El Palo FC. Arrived at 4pm as we have always done, but as you might remember, Fridays are game days, so we just chilled and watched a few matches till the Uefa B coach arrived and then we watched him work, it was a very chill training drill for his team tonight, also he seemed more chilled and having a laugh with the kids tonight. After work we came straight home, got some food and just chilled till bed time. Also I was pumped for tonight's sleep, as Tim and Danny decided to change room with us, so I could possibly get a good night sleep.

Hint
I did not as Mr.SnoreALot was snoring like he was trying to suck in every last drop of oxygen in the room 🙉

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23/02/24
dear diary,
3 hours after falling asleep, i was up again and getting ready for my last day at no piqui. it was a fairly quiet day overall, i did figure out how to put the orange juice machine back together though after faffing about with it for 20 minutes. but at 2 o'clock, there was a booking for 30 american students and it soon got very busy. it felt very bittersweet saying goodbye to everyone in the end but it is what it is.

after hugging everyone goodbye, myself and hannah treated ourselves to some boba tea and sauntered towards the bus stop, taking every side street known to man. we made our way home and conjured a plan of what we were gonna have for dinner: pesto pasta, couscous and some bread rolls with cheese and hummus.

we got back anyways but sure the kitchen was in an absolute state so with some paolo nutini in the background, we got to work and cleaned up for about half an hour. however, between work, lack of sleep and cleaning, i was very ready for a nap and i conked for about 3 hours.

i woke up at 9:30, chatted to the lads for a bit and we finally got around to making our dinner. we then chatted to becky and charlotte for a while before retiring to our rooms. a very chill night but very much needed.

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22/02/24
dear diary,
i was awoken by hannah knocking on my door at 8am, poking her head around and peeking under the top bunk, asking me if i wanted to join her, danny, ian and cathal for another funky breakfast at an american diner. of course i said yes.

when we got there, the atmosphere was actually really nice but what was even better was the colouring sheets we found at our table. my day was made but a competition was brewing. i looked up and ian had started colouring as well and the game was afoot. i still think my picture was better but maybe it's a matter of opinion.

however, we quickly realised the time and myself and danny ran to work before we were late. after running down the road, i entered through the door and i was greeted by pablo showing me a picture of a dead mouse, smushed into the floor after being bet with a sweeping brush. anyways, work was pretty good, there is another erasmus student there now from denmark. her name is sacha and sure, we spent the whole day chatting behind the bar. i did make some smoothies and coffee though and i also figured out how to make orange juice.

after work, myself and hannah went for a wander for some food and a nosy around some markets. i managed to pick up (and break) some souvenirs and gifts for family and obviously some bits for myself. before long, we met back up with danny and made our way home to get ready for dinner with gabriel.

after being fashionably late, we went to el meson de cervantes for some tapas and dessert. i have to admit though, after a bit of grub, i was looking forward to a little tipple. that being said, gabriel took myself, hannah, danny, cathal, ian and tim to bar la tranca, a very traditional spanish pub. we squeezed in there for a little tipple to get us into the mood for a boogie.

however, myself and hannah were dying to check out a speakeasy that richie told us about. so off we went, myself, gabriel, hannah, danny and cathal, towards the pharmacy speakeasy and it was the moodiest place i've ever been to. it was like stepping into the prohibition era. i ordered a clover club and it was absolutely banging.

after quite a long day, we parted ways with gabriel and we made our way home but we weren't quite ready for bed yet. after a quick snack, i had a few drinks with cathal and ian, as was becoming tradition, and sure it was 6:30am before we knew it. it's now time for a quick power nap before starting work again at 11.

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I'm grateful to the girls for inviting me to accompany them to the museum. I didn't expect to be so emotionally moved; the paintings really impressed me.

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Today is my last day at work before we return to Dublin on Monday to resume our duties that we had before leaving. Gabriel promised to visit me at work today since all the other guys have already been, and it's my turn. So, I arrived at work only to find out that there wasn't much to do today. Carmen conducted a meeting about improving our work to ensure people receive quality products because Includd is an association with excellent values, humanity, and solidarity. Then Gabriel arrived, and I felt like a part of the team. Thank you for your attention and understanding. Unfortunately, Carmen didn't get to talk much with Gabriel because she was very busy. Carmen wished us a safe journey and thanked us for our work at Includd. I am very happy to have been somewhat useful during these days at the company. Then I hurried to go to the Picasso Museum. The kids are great; they bought me a ticket. We met at the entrance and went into the museum. I'm not very knowledgeable about painting, but I looked at the paintings closely and began to see and understand what was depicted. Then I noticed people standing in front of paintings for a long time, studying them intently. I stopped by one painting and froze. It reminded me of the current situation in my Ukraine.

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Morning started off as usual, or I would even say, typically. However, while sitting on the bus after work, an idea struck me. Since we had plenty of time before the planned dinner organized by Gabriel for our whole team, I decided to check out the bus schedule at the station and looked for the nearest city not far from Malaga. I read up on Marbella and decided to go there. I bought a ticket and sat by the window of the bus to better observe everything passing by outside. I watched as small resort towns along the coastline flashed by. There were many modern cottage settlements, and I even noticed some private houses built into the cliffs, presumably to keep them cool in the summer. Along the way, I did some research on Marbella via Google. So, Marbella is a resort town in the Costa del Sol region within the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is known for its sandy beaches and numerous golf courses. It also boasts the beautiful Santa Maria de la Encarnacion church and the famous nightclub, Golden Mile. Upon arriving in Marbella, I headed down to the sea. To my surprise, there were hardly any people there. And then I realized why—it was much cooler here than in Malaga. After strolling along the promenade and taking a few photos, I headed back to Malaga to make sure I wouldn't be late for our company dinner. Everyone gathered on time, and Gabriel kindly invited us to a restaurant. Gabriel explained that it's one of the best in Malaga, but I won't mention the name to avoid sounding like an advertisement. The dinner was lively, filled with friendly conversation. Gabriel made sure to pay attention to everyone in the team. After dessert, we headed back to the hotel. So, today I got three experiences in one: work, travel, and dinner at a restaurant. Good night to everyone, and sweet dreams.

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Today I woke up in the morning knowing I needed to arrive early at work because yesterday we ran out of products, and today there were supposed to be deliveries. So, the products were delivered, and I sorted them out for each person according to the list, then distributed them to the people. I still felt tired from yesterday, but I knew what was expected of me. After finishing work, I went to the beach since I checked the weather forecast, which promised two sunny days followed by cooler weather. So, I decided to soak up some sun. On the way to the beach, I met some guys from ERASMUS. I had the opportunity to visit their office once, and I must say they are a very cohesive and friendly team that not only works well but also listens to each other, which is very important. Even during our street meeting, they were discussing work-related matters, exchanging advice on how to improve the quality of their work. I understood that they still want to enhance their already excellent capabilities. ERASMUS team aims to improve everything for the people who come so that they feel even more comfortable. After exchanging friendly hugs and wishes, we said goodbye, and I headed back to my hotel. After chatting with the girls for a bit at the hotel, I finally allowed myself to go rest.

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Good morning... Over these past two weeks, I've become accustomed to a different routine, including waking up at a certain time without difficulty. So today, I got up effortlessly and had my usual breakfast before heading to work. On the way, I saw gardeners simply shaking a tangerine tree, throwing the fruits into garbage bins. Today, I worked at a new location, a new warehouse for people in need. There were even more people today than last Wednesday. We tried to serve them quickly, but the flow of people seemed endless. By the end of the workday, some products had run out, and people were disappointed they couldn't get any. I even felt a bit tired today. After work, instead of going to Gomel, I decided to go to the beach to soak up some vitamin D and unwind. I was so worried that I even fell asleep. The weather was perfect today, sunny and calm, so I allowed myself to relax right there on the beach. Afterward, I came home, prepared dinner, and wished everyone a good night. Tomorrow, work awaits me again.

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Good morning! With renewed energy and a good mood, I woke up and had my own breakfast. I hurried to work since our departure is approaching, and I need to assist the INCLUDD company as much as possible. Arriving at work early, Carmen hadn't arrived at the store yet. Somehow, my work enthusiasm was heightened. When Carmen arrived, she tasked me with preparing cutlets for the store's employees. After showcasing my culinary skills, I helped with tidying up the premises. Carmen explained to me that since there were no planned visits today, we would focus on thorough cleaning for a fresh start to the week. After finishing up, I headed to Malaga beach for a while. It was a bit windy and cool today, but that didn't stop me from getting some sun. Then I went back to the hotel and stopped by a shop on the way to buy some groceries for dinner.

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Good day, everyone. I overslept this morning since there are no work or tours scheduled for today. I decided to plan my own leisure activities for the day. After a snack, I went downtown and decided to take myself on a tour. I simply hopped on a bus and circled around, admiring the incredibly beautiful landscapes from the window. I gazed at the mountains, densely populated residential areas, and less populated ones, pondering the incredible power of nature to create such extraordinary beauty. Each country has its own unique charm. After two transfers, I saw the sunset from the window. It's worth witnessing. It's so beautiful and enchanting. As you stand and watch the shimmering path on the sea, creating magic silver spilled in the dark water, then disappearing as if melting into the sea. The sunset possesses an extraordinary enchanting magic. I noticed many people striving to capture it in photos. Then young couples looked at each other, and I thought they must be expressing their feelings without words. Other couples simply sat embracing, tilting their heads towards each other. Everyone was happy. We were all in harmony with the sunset and enjoyed its beauty. Then I got on the bus to go back to the hotel. But from the window, I saw a Turkish restaurant. I couldn't resist and got off at the stop. After a delicious dinner, I finally made it back to my room and went to rest since I have work tomorrow. Good night to everyone. Today was another beautiful day.

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On Friday it was my last day in work. I’m so sad to be leaving but I’m so grateful for the experience. I shadowed Eddie and did some wash and style and then was working on mannequin for the rest of the afternoon. At one I said my goodbyes to everyone there was lots of hugs. Eddie gave me one of his combs to help with cutting hair like Cathal’s 😂 after work I met Charlotte and Halyna to go to the Picasso museum. It was only the temporary exhibition as they’re renovating the proper one so there wasn’t as much of his work as we hoped but there was loads of other artist which were also unreal. I think Halyna really enjoyed it too x

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On Thursday I woke up to be in work for 10 which was nice because I got a little sleep in. I was prepping and washing and clients for a lot of the morning. Cathal came in at about 12 for a haircut. His hair was so so difficult to work with because it grows just straight out like Asian hair. Eddie said he also doesn’t really like working with this type of hair and he said it’s even harder than Curly hair which surprised me. It took me so long to do. I don’t think I’ve ever been so frustrated in my life I won’t lie. But with a little bit of help from Eddie I got there eventually. When I got home I had a little nap to see would it improve my mood😂 it did. We met Gabriel at el meson de Cervantes at about 9:30. He poured me a little glass of red wine to try and to be honest- it tasted like pure vinigar I didn’t like it at all. He said to try it with the food which made it a little better but I won’t be having another glass anytime soon. Gabriel ordered loads of different tapas for us all to share. He has very good taste in food. I think my favourite was the blood sausage with sweet potato and quail egg. It’s like a black pudding. It was a lovely evening and I’ll definitely go back when I’m in Malaga again x

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On Tuesday becky and I weren’t feeling well, so we took the day to rest and feel better. Not a lot happened really. We got a KFC for dinner but that’s about it.

On Wednesday after work Becky, Shaun and I went into the city centre to do a bit of present shopping. I got some nice bits for my family, I even ventured into the football shop to buy my little brother a Malaga scarf. We spent the majority of the afternoon and got home at about 8 o’clock.

On Thursday I had a packed day at work. Alicia taught me how to work with curly hair which was very interesting to learn about and very fun in practice !! In the evening we met up with Gabriel and had some tapas. I really enjoyed the food and I got to try a lot of new things that’s I wouldn’t have thanks to Gabriel!!

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I wasn’t well at all on Tuesday morning so I stayed home from work :(

On Wednesday I was up early for work I was feeling so much better. I got to work for 9 and spent most of the morning shadowing Eddie and washing and (trying to) style hair. At 12 Ian came in for a haircut and hot towel shave. I was so so nervous To do his beard but when I got over myself I think I did really well. Both Ian and Eddie seemed to be happy with my work. It took me so long to do and I did get a bit frustrated but I got there in the end. After work a few of us went into city centre to get some presents for people at home. It was a nice day so I really enjoyed walking around in the sun. We stopped for tapas in casa Lola which is definitely one of my favourite restaurants I’ve been to since we came. After lunch we did some more shopping and wandering x

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On Monday I woke up early to get to work. I was still unsure on which stop to get off the bus so Ian being the gent he is went with me. I cut eddies hair for him and gave him a hot towel shave. He said I did a really good job so I was delighted. Ian met me after work to make sure I didn’t get lost. He pointed out a little tattoo shop on the way and we decided to go in. I chose to get a little st Bridget’s cross on my arm. I’m so happy with it I think it’s so cute. When we got home Charlotte and I chilled out and ordered a kfc and watched some Netflix x

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On Sunday we got up early and went to the beach. It was so nice out but it was a little windy and kinda chilly but it was still nice. Char and I decided to get in for a little swim. It was FREEZING at first but I got used to it so quickly. Charlotte was showing me how good her mermaid dive was (10/10). Mine was not nearly as good. We got out and lay in the sun before heading back to the terrace bar beside Alcazaba. Nearly everyone came and most of us had white sangria which was so so good. We headed home early enough and chilled out x

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Thursday 22nd -

Probably the most action packed day so far, I woke up and was told I’ve 12 minutes to get up and get dressed as it was off to an American Restaurant for breakfast, Myself, Ian, Rachel, Hannah and Danny.

I was on referee duties as I had Rachel on side and Ian on the other side of me, they were competing to see who was the best at colouring in.

After breakfast me and Ian taught it would be a great idea to get tattoos and so we did, I then got my haircut by Becky who done a great job. We won’t talk about how long it took.

Myself, Ian and Becky then made our way back to the apartment. Me and Ian were literally in and out before heading to work.

As it was our last time training most of the kids, it was time to say our goodbyes and yes El Palo yous will be missed.

After work it was another quick turnaround, we all went for dinner with Gabriel in a small Tapas Restaurant, the food was really nice and the staff were very welcoming.

Gabriel then showed us to a small pub, it was very small. It was either my hands are very big or that glass was very small. Literally a mouthful and it was gone.

A few of us were still thirsty, so Rachel and Hannah recommend a cocktail bar so that was our next stop. Myself, Rachel, Hannah, Danny and Gabriel all went in. It was different to say the least, the inside was quite quirky and I taught it had a relaxed feel about it.

We finished our drinks and it was time to head home, let’s say we had a couple more at the apartment and if you were to ask me what time did you go to sleep and I would answer by saying, I haven’t a f***ing clue.

Anyways goodnight!

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I had a interstinh day today
I had my final day of work
I then had to cram in a lot of college work as my assignment was coming up.
Due to my own laptop being repaired, I had to use a spare laptop
I took some energy drinks to try stay awake
That night after getting on the wrong bus I eventually made it to dinner with the rest of the group.
We enjoyed some lovely tapas and I had tiriamsu for desert
My favourite part of the day was the local bar we visited after
It was very Spanish and had loads of intereting album covers on the walls

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These mornings are starting to become harder and harder. Got to work nice and early and discovered loads of kids waiting to go on the vr machine. I got right to it and they started screaming really loud which I enjoyed so much! After work as I was walking back I finally came up with the courage to go and get my haircut. The place was called D’Latino Brothers a super funky place with Spanish music blaring through a massive stereo. As for my haircut, it was an older Spanish man with not so much English doing it. It turned out really well but Jesus I swear it took almost 2 hours. I got back finally to the apartment and was wrecked but went up to play some cards. We played uno but basically with real cards. In my opinion this game was a spawn of the devil designed to torture everyone playing it! I fell straight asleep crying 😭

I’m ngl I don’t even remember day 16 all too well but I went to work and stuff like that. I got boba tea cause it’s nice and stuff. Oh wait yeah I remember now, I went to watch Hannah and Rachel get tattoos! I was too scared to get one 😓. I probably went home then or something like that maybe. I must have slept cause that’s something that we do as humans. Ok goodbye!

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This day I woke up with a suspicious text from my nemesis, asking if I wanted to catch some breakfast and if I wanted to use the kettle, I was much more afraid of this kind gesture then I was with Beckybwirh the cut throat knife at my neck. But it was all in good intentions, she wanted to bring us to an American breakfast place she read about, so off we went, Cathal, Rachel, Danny Hannah and I, and it wasnt actually a bad place, Rachel and I had a super competitive moment, as the tables came with colour in pictures and we were both just stuck into that as everyone else was sooo jealous of the fun we were having......
After breakfast it was off to Becky's yet again, but this time Cathal was getting a haircut, as I say and watched, it was just chaos over there as Cathals hair is a nightmare to cut apparently, but once again Becky rose to the challenge and did amazing. Just before Cathal went and got his haircut we decided now was the moment we get tattoos, his first and my 7th and 8th (which now I am par with Rachel, as she also has 8) Cathal got a really good tattoo, but I'll let him show that off and talk about it. I got one that said positive but the T was a plus sign and got it in blue to represent Erasmus+ and a second one saying "1-0 up" as it is a refernece to our coach back at home, who says ( if you show up to college everyday, you go up 1-0, if you dont show up, you are down 1-0) after the tattoos it was off to work and we said our goodbyes to our football tennis teammates and really nice coaches.
We then rushed home to get changed as dinner with Gabriel was on the cards, he took us to nice fancy little restaurant, and got us all starter food which he paid for, it was actually okay. Then everyone else decide to try a new place they heard about but y'all can hear from them about that, now I'm chilling on the terrace at 2am, just relaxing and having some alone time.

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Did absolutely nothing all morning, till it was time to go meet becky for a haircut and a cut throat shave (my first ever)
Arrived to Becky's barber shop at around 12 and she was there eager and ready for her second ever cut throat shave, I won't lie, I was absolutely sweating it, but it turned out to be for nothing, as Becky was amazing at doing it, shaved my head first, the gorgeous locks that was once upon my head were gone....... About 20 years ago.... Becky started off with shaving my bald head, then it was on to the beard, where or tutor told her what to do, but the poor thing was so nervous alshe kept forgetting everything he said, but I was trying to ease the moment as I always do, by making stupid jokes 🫣 trying to cheer her up, after her boss told her a few times, she just got stuck in to it and did an amazing job (I survived) and I'll be honest with you, I felt good after it, I got a boost of confidence and felt genuinely good about myself, first time in a long time I walked around with my head held high (Thank you so much Becky ❤️) after that we got the bus home, it was time for work, and work was going ro be interesting tonight.....
Arrived at El Palo FC and The main man himself Alvero, said follow me, so Cathal and I could get what we needed for our training session of the under 16's kids. I decided to go with a drill I'm very familiar with, but added shots to the end of it, it was a drill I called Back to basics, which covers passing, scanning, receiving, dribbling and then shooting into either side of the goals, after which I asked the kids did they enjoy it and then proceeded to ask if any of them think they were perfect at it, I quickly shook my head from side to side and said no one was perfect, no one was even good, and Alvera stepped up and spoke to them for a good few minutes telling them off, on how poor there basic technique was, then up stepped Cathal to do his drill, he decided to go with a 7vs14 drill, with 4 small nets at each of the 4 sides of the marked area we made. He did really good, kids got the hang of it super quick, then Gabriel areived just in time to see Cathal finish off his drill, Alvero sang our praises to him, after a couple of pics, half 7 came aroind suoer quick and we made our way home, to just chill out on the terrace and off to bed I went...... Hint...... It wasn't a good night sleep.

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21/02/24
dear diary,
i thoroughly believe that my rest day yesterday has been well and truly accounted for. myself and hannah went off to work as usual, and i think i'm starting to get used to being on the floor. i also made smoothies, orange juice and i pulled a pint for the first time in 3 weeks. i also made friends with an austrian man who called me a perfectionist; i have no idea where he got that idea from.

after work, myself and hannah had a multitude of things to get done but, first things first, what are we having for lunch? so off we wandered and we found a lovely little vegan restaurant called "meet vegano." the cauliflower wings might have been one of the best meals i've had during the whole trip. absolutely banging.

however, something in the spanish air had us feeling real impulsive and we decided today was the day. we were gonna get tattoos. after a quick scroll through pinterest and a brief brainstorm, we had our designs and got them done within a couple of hours.

delighted with ourselves, we got the bus home with danny, had another bite to eat and i joined ian and cathal on the terrace for another few rounds of gin with some craic agus ceol. not to brag, but i won the first 9 games and i was going easy on the both of them. to end the night, i let cathal win the last game to boost his ego. maybe next time, i'll let ian win a game or 2. i think he needs to redeem himself.

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20/02/24
dear diary,
i think the last 2 weeks have finally caught up to me. i woke up this morning and i knew that it was gonna be a day for the bed. so with that, i popped a few painkillers and did a bit of contemplation (and napping).

after what felt like 30 minutes, the whole day had passed and ian and cathal were already home from work. they popped by and we all played a few games of cards and it really lifted my spirits. although, after a handful of rounds of uno and gin, i think new rivalries have been formed in the process.

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Today got off to a really bad start, I woke up really tired and then my laptop died.
I finished off most of my work in college today which was good.
I then proceeded to get my laptop repaired, I would have to wait a few days for this
I did a bit of souvenir shopping and then picked up a much appreciated laptop from Ana from European era for the remainder of the trip so I could complete my assignments
I then returned home and then decided on an early night with a big day tommorrow as I would need to complete the bulk of an assignment for college and also go to work
Good luck to me

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Another quiet day
I went for a wonderful dawn walk this morning up to the cross at the top of the mountain by the city.
There was a fantastic panoramic view of the city and the malaga football stadium
I then did some work for kandale films and for college
I made chicken soup with hotdogs for dinner
After I played cards with some of the lads but I played a bit dodgy
Overall I am feeling quite tired from the trip but I still have a good bit to do before heading back so I am looking forward to that

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It was a couch wake up again this morning, due to the Mr.SnoreALot. My advice for future selection of Erasmus+ students, should be a question on the forms, asking if the person snores, and immediately denied if so 👍
I hate snorers.....
Anyways on to today's lovely events.....
Started off real slow, got the washing done while everyone was in bed, then the messages started flying in, asking how everyone was feeling and before I knew it, a lot of the students here were staying home today sick. There must have been something go round cos the ones that felt sick normally stick together, so being the careful and concerning man I am, I asked Cathal if we should have a beach day at the fishing village, and go to work from there, and that's exactly what we did, started off getting a burger and sliced fries from a little place on the beach and then just sat and caught the rays untill it was time for work. I won't lie to you all, I did get bought a bucket and spade from my nemesis (I think it was because of guilt from being so mean to me) and did have a few moments of acting like a big kid, building my sand castles and there is absolutely no evidence of this....... 🫣
Off to work we went at 4pm, where we watched a few drills, and heard the speech about the loss the team conceded over the weekend, it wasn't a mad speech, just pointing out the errors and trying to correct it in the drills. After work Cathal and I decided to stop back in the fishing village and catch a sunset, but we just missed out on it, but still got some decent pictures from it. Then on to home, where everyone was dying, so Cathal and I decided to go in and have a few games of cards with them, and it was genuinely the best fun I've had in a long time, we played Uno, and if anyone knows, that games point is to be an A** so your opponents gets as much cards as possible, and it was just genuine fun and laughter all round, after a few games of Jin as the others has retired to there quarters, the rest of us just went to bed and I dreaded it, cos of Mr.SnoreALot.....

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This morning while I was having something to eat, Ian said to me ‘Will you be ready for 12?’ I looked at him with a confused look and said ‘yeah what for?’.

With a puzzled mind I got my bag packed and put we headed. We then spent the afternoon on the beach and lay there with not a care in the world and thinking we could do this for a living.

It was then time to head to work so just as well I put my boots in the bag before leaving this morning.

After work we headed back the beach to catch the sunset and then back to the apartment to get dinner and we joined Rachel who was bed bound for the day, we enjoyed a night playing cards and talking nonsense.

Time to head to bed before another day lies ahead of us tomorrow

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Day 13 was the day of the Malaga vs recreativo match. Me and Tim walked there from our apartment which was only 20 mins. The Malaga fans gathered in a heap and we got into our seats which was right beside the sideline. Now when I tell you I wasn’t expecting the heat I seriously wasn’t expecting it. I’m so used to going to football matches at night or in cold conditions that this match I was in for a shock. 15 degrees weather felt like 25 degrees and I was sweating the whole time. Nevertheless the match was brilliant 🤩, 2 early on Malaga goals led them to easily dominate the rest of the game with the final score being Malaga 2-0 Recreativo. After the match I headed back to the apartment completely zapped and I napped for 3 straight hours. I woke up around 5:30 and went out to the rooftop bar in Malaga centre. We all ordered white wine sangria and it was delish. Back home for the night to get a good sleep.

Day 14 was so boring at the start. I went to work and it was really quiet the whole day I was losing my mind from boredom. I walked home debating to get a haircut, passing by 3 places. I was too much of a wimp but I shall hopefully go on day 15! I got back to the apartment and was quite tired so Becky and Charlotte gave some sweets to cheer me up! We chilled out then for the evening having a few drinks and then getting rest for the night  😴

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Dear Diary,
Today work went really well and I was surprised with how well I did during the rush and under pressure I feel very accomplished and really enjoying my work placement I love the work , staff and customers I deal with everyday

I ate a bit of lunch which was good and headed back to the apartment to relax and sleep as it was an early night for work tomorrow

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Dear Diary,
Today was the bike ride but unfortunately due to my knee still being quite tender and sore I opted to meeting Hannah at the fishing town via bus while they cycled, the beach's were very nice along with Great food and even better weather. I would definitely go again If given the chance

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Dear Diary,
Today was not that good of a day my knee flared up as I came down on it wrong the night previous and have to rest it up for a whole day, which felt very long and slightly isolated, but Rachel was very quick with finding pain relief for me as well as Cathal lending me some deep heat and ice gel which massively helped the swelling and inflammation, later in the day I challenged myself to walk a flight of stairs to help stretch out my knee and was able to do it which felt good in the long run but very painful during

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Dear Diary,
Today was the first day waking up in the new accommodation and to say it was great would be an understatement there was no loud music the whole night or any disturbances which was a welcome change

Today in work it was quite slow with not many customers but I was able to clean out the espresso machine and the Grinder along with helping stock and clean out the fridges

A few of us from the apartments went to the rooftop terrace and relaxed up there for a bit before heading to bed

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Dear Diary,
Today in work the owner was signing my praises to their friends when they came in and I had to make 6 cappachinos for all of them which was a nice confidence boost when the feelings were at a low which was nice,

After work Rachel came down and met me for a bit of lunch before we shopped for gifts a small bit before heading back to the apartment and resting

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I hate people that snore. Cathal and I are on thin ice here because of his snoring and my lack of sleep because of it, it wasn't bad in the other apartment, cos our room was much more spacious, but here in this New apartment, we may as well be spooning, there's like a 2 foot gap between his bed and mine. I still may face murder charges before we leave Spain 🤫
Anyways on to what happened today...
Started off with borrowing some hot water from the girls apartment (cos our kettle blows the fuse box) and that led to Becky being a little nervous to getting the bus on her own to work, so up stepped this knight in shining armour and walked her to work, totally not because she worked beside The Cereal Boom Cafe, where as you might remember Hannah (My nemesis) built up hype and then dissapointed us when it was flooded and closed. So off I went to The Cereal Boom Cafe and got me some lucky charms and a smoothie, I did send a picture of it all to my nemesis saying wish you were here, but she instantly replied with negativity hoping my cereal was stale (S*** I have to deal with here)
After this the plan was to stay at the beach till Becky finished work at 1:00pm so I could go meet her and help her home (Still a knight in shining armour) but we spotted a tattoo parlour and was gonna get a tattoo each, but they asked me to come back at 4pm when they reopen after lunch ( I was due in work at 4pm) so only Becky got one (big oul happy smile on her when it was finished 😁)
3pm came real quick and it was off to work with the soon to be dead Cathal, where we watched Alvaro do his under 16 pre training speech, where he told his team what they did well on Saturday, and where they have to improve, because of a few small injuries his training was light. But he did also say to Cathal and I, that on Wednesday we can do our own training with them, to give us practise, which made Cathal and I super excited to do. Then up stepped the Uefa B coach, and handed us his training drill in English as he so professional, after training he told us, if we need anything or have any questions, feel free to ask him, which just showed me, that he knew how much we love this sport and to help a fellow man excel in this profession, it was class to see.
After what seemed like 100 hours on our bus home, eventually got home where i was very quickly face down in bed, as pains in the head, neck and tooth had been at me for most of the day. Off to bed I went and soon to follow was Mr.SnoreALot, so had to go sleep on the coach yet again.

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19/02/24
dear diary,
after being sensible the night before, i still managed to sleep through my alarms once again but not to worry, i still had time for breakfast. myself and hannah had a bit of toasted croissant bread with some choccy spread before meeting with danny and getting a taxi to work.

we made it through the door of no piqui at 11 o'clock on the dot and it was now hannah's turn on the floor while i stuck to the kitchen. after washing some dishes and prepping some tomatoes and rice, the chef decided it was time to make some chicken; lemon, ginger and garlic chicken. so i start peeling my lemons anyway and i'm ready for the next step. but then, the chef takes the lemons from me and starts looking for the peel. sure wasn't i after throwing the peel into the bin, thinking i was doing a great job. so off i had to go and peel some more lemons and cut up the garlic and ginger.

after my mess-up, we finished up work and myself and hannah decided that some retail therapy was in order. we headed to plaza mayor on the metro and we spent about 3 hours strolling around all the outlets. after buying a few bits, we treated ourselves to some dunkin donuts and headed back home, slightly delirious once again from the spanish air.

we successfully made it home and me, hannah and danny ordered some taco bell because we had been talking about for the last 2 weeks. two words: absolutely banging. it was so good. and with what has become somewhat of a tradition at this stage, we cracked open a few drinks and few of us headed to the terrace for the daily debrief.

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18/02/24
dear diary,
oh how i love a lazy sunday. even an unintentional one. after sleeping through my alarms, i was awoken by my phone ringing beside me and it was shaun. himself and hannah had made their way to the nearby fishing village of playas del palo and i was being invited to join them. let me tell you now, there wasn't a chance of me travelling around malaga and god knows where by myself so i politely declined and stayed in bed to have another snooze.

eventually, i decided to make a move and after texting hannah, i got myself ready to hit the town and me, danny and cathal walked towards the old centre. we met up with hannah, becky, shaun, charlotte and tim at the old rooftop bar and got ourselves a few rounds of white sangria. i had a really good time, the bar was playing absolute tunes and the sangria was banging.

being the last people standing, myself and the boys went for a late night munch in burger king and we ate our ice creams on the way to get a taxi home. a relatively early night so that we could be fresh for monday morning.

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17/02/24
dear diary,
after quite a late night, i surprised myself when i awoke at 10:30am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. on a saturday of all days as well. i was swiftly moved from my bed when i received a text from ian, who was in desperate need of some hot water for his cup of tea.

after boiling the kettle, i spent the majority of the morning with the boys and hearing all about ian brag about his new sunrise route and his amazing forrest gump impression. we had a quick bit of patatas bravas and myself, becky and charlotte decided to venture outside and hit the beach. it was an absolutely smashing day and i managed to actually stay awake while lying on the sand.

eventually, myself and becky headed towards the museum bar to meet richie, tim and halyna to catch a flamenco show. let me tell you, it's like nothing i've ever seen before. it was weirdly mesmerising. after that experience, for lack of a better word, richie took us out for tapas and we got dessert and everything.

it was a quick taxi trip home but i still had some energy left so myself and cathal decided it was time to revisit the bar for a pint. with no plan for tomorrow, we had a couple of drinks and made our way home, waiting to see what the next day would bring.

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16/02/24
dear diary,
first morning in the new apartment and we were late to the meet ana, some things never change. after tending to my multiple mosquito bites, ana showed us how to get to our work placements once again. after a case of deja vu, myself, hannah, danny and shaun visited the infamous cereal boom café and we finally got our funky breakfast and to quote hannah, "it tasted that much sweeter knowing ian wasn't there to have his lucky charms."

myself and hannah then made our way to work and she was helping in the kitchen while i spent my first day on the floor. it was quite stressful at first because i had customers talking to me in spanish and i didn't know the table plan or anything. however, i learnt a lot from just watching and franco, one of the servers, was really helpful. richie paid me a visit and i made him a flat white and franco showed me a new technique for pouring the milk.

after work, i met up with shaun and it took us a solid 40 minutes to walked home. never trust google maps. we eventually made it back to the apartment and, somewhere along the line, decided to finish our week off with some well deserved drinks. after a quick run to the shop, a few of us spent the night on the terrace, drinking and laughing into the night.

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It was a quiet day today
I did some grocery shopping
Then I went to work
My boss played the inception soundtrack
Went home and did some college things
Cooked some. Fish nuggets for dinner which I managed to burn
Started watching a movie
Nice to have a chill day for once

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On Saturday I had a nice lie in. It was so nice out. We met Richie before the flamenco show and sat outside a little pub. We went into the show and it was a lot smaller than I expected but it was really cool. When the show started there was no music it was just the woman dancing on the stage I thought it was kinda awkward because you could just hear her shoes squeaking over everything but when the show got going a minute it two later it was amazing. It wasn’t really what I expected but I would definitely go back. After the show we went for tapas. We were all starving so we went to a little tapas bar not far from the show. It was so so nice the croquettes were my favourite.

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On Friday we met ana in the morning so that she could show us our new route to work. Once we got off the bus I realised it’s not too far and the bus leaves me only 3 minute walk from work. Work was very busy on Friday. I was washing clients, cleaning up, practicing on a block and practicing how they hold their scissors. After work I met Charlotte for a quick drink. It was so warm we had a corona each and soaked up some sun before heading home to make dinner.

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We’ve had a few days now to settle into our new apartment. It’s lovely and everything is very new. Saying that, it seems much further away from everything. I have my first day back at work tomorrow, so hopefully I can find my way!!
The weather over the weekend has been amazing!! Not a cloud in sight. On Saturday Becky, Rachel and I went to the beach. Even though there was more of a breeze down there, Becky and I braved the sea. It was cold at first but after a minute it was lovely.

Last night myself and a few of the others went to the same rooftop bar that Louise had brought us to. I had a white wine sangria for the first time and I’m definitely a fan! It was nice to have a catch-up with everyone to see how everyone was feeling about work and how they’re getting on.

Tonight we haven’t got a lot planned, getting a KFC takeaway and an early night !!

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So on Thursday we had a very busy day. I was in work at 9 am. I was washing clients cleaning up and still practicing on the balloon.
After work I looked at my phone to see that we were being moved to another apartment. I was a bit sad as it was an extra 30 minutes away. I sped home to get all packed up. We had some lunch while we waited to be picked up. We did have plans to go to the Picasso museum but we didn’t have time with everything else going on. We got to our new apartment and it is actually gorgeous. It’s so much more modern and a lot quieter here too. I was so tired so I was in bed for about 11:30 x

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The popcorn with our drinks was a nice treat

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Day 11 was a lovely Friday morning and we decided to try our luck at the cereal cafe again. By some miracle it wasn’t flooded and me Hannah Shaun and Rachel got some tasty cereals. I went to work where Iris from Sligo had her last day. I am writing this on a Monday now where I have no one to talk to anymore :(  I got off work and met up with Hannah and Tim to go to a lovely art museum. There were some pretty cool paintings and I really liked the Jesus Christ wax figure which really looks like he’s leaning in for a kiss. Ok Jesus I didn’t know you swung that way 🤪. We walked back home and did a shop where I spilled fabric softener everywhere, oops silly me! I nearly collapsed onto my bed when I got back to the apartment.

Day 12 was the day of the Marbella trip! Me, Hannah and Tim were going and we woke up nice and early and just made it for the 9am bus to Marbella. It only took 45 mins to get there. We went to get some breakfast and then went to the beach. A whole lot of sunbathing later we were all burnt to a crisp and headed on our way to the nicer part of Marbella. We stopped at an English bar to watch the Liverpool match where Liverpool won 4-1 let’s go up the reds 🔴🔴🔴. The bartender was a very strange fella however and we thought he may have been high. A few pints of estrella later we were off to buy some gifts for my brother and sister. I got them very sensible gifts that I put a lot of thought into! We then went to a really nice Spanish bar where we got even more sunburnt but it’s okay because we got some popcorn with our drinks! We headed back to the bus stop then and got back for the evening and ordered some pizza cause I had not eaten all day. I got such a good night sleep that night 😁