Saturday 7th October

Woke up sometime before my alarm, which was set for 9.30. Enjoyed just lying in bed listening to how quiet my area is on a non-school day. At about 10 o clock, after reading in bed for a while, I got up and went off to find the post office to collect my missed parcel.

Easy, you might think, considering I got a card through the door with the address of the post office on…120 Tomás Morales street. However I got to 120 and it was an opticians. Brilliant. I asked a guy on the street if he knew and he said it was best to ask in the Opticians so in I went and he looked at me like he’s always answering that question! I certainly didn’t get the impression I was the first person to ask. He pointed off down the street back the way I came and said there was a little gate that I had to go through. I did and there was a courtyard with a few little businesses in it. I wouldn’t have said it warranted the address Tomás Morales…but there you go. Got there and it turns out it wasn’t my grammar book that mum had sent me, but a card from Sarah. I know that this was on the way but she told me yesterday that she posted it on Wednesday so I can’t believe it made it here by Thursday and was waiting for me to collect at the post office. Anyway, they were sure they didn’t have anything else for me so no idea where my grammar book is.

I popped to the shop on the way back and got some Papas, (spuds to you and me) eggs, bread, juice and milk. I like doing a couple of little shops each week rather than one massive one cos it’s hard, hot work carrying everything back up to my flat.

I’m meeting up with Vicci (English girl) at 2pm today. On my way to the post office I found bus stops that will take me up into that area of Las Palmas. I’m going to head up that way a bit before 2 so that I can swap a Spanish language dictionary I bought for a Spanish-English one. Then we’re off to the beach.

Bought myself a Joanne Harris novel in Spanish too for after I finish my German one. It’s rather well known but as yet, unread by me. Chocolat. Bought some face wash too and that’s about it. Met Vicci at 2pm at Plaza de Espana. We had some lunch there and then headed to the beach. She seems really nice. She’s at uni in Newcastle and went to the training weekend in Madrid. Was a bit worried at first that she was quite a quiet girl but she swore quite quickly into us meeting and her personality shone through from there. She’s full of stories and perfectly pleasant. There’s a chance that she and I and some of the other English girls are going to meet up this evening to celebrate surviving a week and to warm someone’s flat. I put the water heater on and I’m waiting to have a shower. Bit worried about Rob as he cut a bit of his finger off with the angle grinder today. Not so clever baby!! Hope you can still count to ten!

Got a number 25 bus into Las Palmas and a number 2 back home. It cost one Euro each way. Got home by 7pm. Had a shower and chatted online to Rob for a bit. Could have chatted all night but had texted Sasha to see if anyone was going out tonight and she invited us all around to her new flat that she’s sharing with Alex, and English girl and Connie a German girl. Vicci and I went round. They’re paying 600 Euros between 3 of them, which is fine, and it’s a nice place. It’s on the 11^th floor and has beautiful views of the south of Las Palmas, though I get a bit giddy just looking straight down! We sat about and chatted about the different schools we’re at and the staff and how we’re finding everything. It was really good to touch bases with others in the same or similar position to me. I stayed until 1am then left with Vicci. They live really close to me, and Vicci will be close too once she moves into her flat tomorrow. I think it’s a good little base to have around but not something I want to spend too much of my time on because we really did just sit around talking English and that’s not really what we’re here for.