Brendan´s Isle

Publicado por Janine |3 comentarios

Well folks, this is where i work, the Irish pub in Sopelana called Brendan´s Isle. Its a cool pub, cozy, nice clientele, good location, and we´re in the middle of sopelana´s fiestas, that is, the mad mad drinking week for sopelana where its fun fun fun with stalls, concerts etc etc. And me, starting new in a pub. I have never worked in hospitality before, i will make that clear. I have never worked in a foreign country before either. Nor even heard of half the drinks they have here even tho they are in english. So everything is new new new and i´m learning pretty well i reckon. This is the bar where vanesa one of my friends works, which is how i came by the job, just helping out for this week for starters.

and what a lot of work the first 3 days so far. 11 consecutive hours on my first day, 10 yesterday, and 10.5 today. My feet are murdering me, but i´m thankfull for it because it masks the pain of my tendonitis. Well actually my fisio is a bit astounded that so much work (with no sitting down and only 30mins for lunch) hasn´t killed my legs yet. so i´m good! but tired, jeeeez, starting at 815 everyday.

ok. going to take a nap now, man i´m tired, and another 10 hours tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!! ah, and tonight i go out to enjoy the fiestas hehehehehhehehehehehehehehehehehe.

good night!!!
janine

Knocked Out

Publicado por Janine |1 comentarios

Sand Dune Cliff
Originally uploaded by janine13.

Well, I must admit, I am a bit sad. And tipsy. Spain just lost against France in the world cup, and well, such a disaster.

What more can i say? well, i have a job, i start tomorrow, working in the same bar as Vanesa, an irish pub in a village next to the beach, Sopelana. A quick metro ride there and i´m sorted. My interview consisted of 3 questions

#Do you want to work? :::: yes
#Have you used a touch screen till system? :::::: I worked quite a while as at a checkout
#Do you have experience as a barperson? ::::: A little bit. (LYING THRU MY TEETH - serving bottled drinks at the local squash club is much much different to what this job is going to be......)

so there you have it. it should go ok i reckon!!!!!! $14.50nz an hour. brilliant.

went to the same beach again during the day that i´d been to during san juan fire night, tho this time dissapointingly cloudy. had a good time, sadly holland didn´t win that night against portugal, i was decked out in my holland tshirt and orange jersey and evertying!!! oh well, there always is 2010. and now spain out of it too!!! who will i support?????? i dunno. will see tomorrow.

adios people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
things are going well ;-)

Hot Stuff

Publicado por Janine |0 comentarios

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire
Originally uploaded by janine13.

Spain made it to stage 2 in the world cup. Spain is elated. Spain has to now play against France. Spain is not so elated.

Spain has lots of fire, especially on the night of San Juan (Saint John), the shortest day of the year, where bonfires are the only item on the menu. It doesn´t matter where you are, on the beach, in the city, in the country, there is FIRE. While driving out to the beach going thru the country there were scores of bonfires and the forests looked like they were on fire but it was all just smoke from other bonfires. Had a very chilled night relaxing on the beach, unfortunately it wasn´t weather for a late night dip.

I don´t have a job anymore. It was over before it started, there weren´t enough kids in the summer programme, so now i´m back out hunting for a job. Well, for the moment i´m just relaxing.

The Rasmus, a fantastic Finnish band, I love The Rasmus. They have one concert in Spain this year, and I´m going to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its in southern spain near Málaga, and i´m going by plane for the weekend for SUN SUN and SUN at the many BEACHES they have there. Looking forward to it!!!!!

What i am also really looking forward to is the Running of the Bulls festival (made famous by Hemmingway) in Pamplona. This is the 3rd festival (of my 3 top must see festivals) in Spain. (the other two were the tomato festival and las fallas in valencia). Should be very exciting but do not fear, i will not be running infront of the bulls, or behind them, for still i cannot run with my tendonitis.

So thats my life lately, not doing much at all. Watching soccer, sleeping, and still shifting my stuff from my old room into my new room.

I hope things are all going well. Happy birthday to reinier (17), paul (16), wessel (21), and happy anniversary erica and james.

Love you all lotssssssssssssss!!!!

Soccer/Football/Soccer/Football

Publicado por Janine |2 comentarios

Electric Windmills
Originally uploaded by janine13.

Thats all thats on the television. Its everywhere, the Fifa World Cup 2006 in Germany has arrived, and it is fever time.

People have been asking me why NZ doesn´t have a team. I reminded them of the friendly we just played against Brasil 4-0 we lost. They agree. They understand that we´re a rugby nation anyway. And then they ask, but then again so is England and Australia and look, they´re in the world cup. I shrug and say, look, Holland is in, thats who i´m backing, and they go quiet and nodd. Actually, i´m backing spain and holland, tho everyone here will eventually back brasil coz they´re gonna win (most likely).

Thats the good thing about spain, they´re good in sports that seem big in europe. E.g Roland Garos French Open at the moment (on tv all the time too) - Nadal and Ferrero. Formula 1 racing, Fernando Alonso in Renault, and of course the Spanish Selection in the world cup. I´m pretty content with the sport coverage here!!!!!

Germany is going crazy at the moment, in fact i´m watching the opening ceremony while i´m typing this. very very cool!!!

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I have a job for july and august - looking after kids in a swimming pool and organising games etc for them. 3 hours a day, i get a tan, i get to swim and play around, and i´m getting between 15-25NZ dollars an hour. Now THATS what i call a summer job.

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went on a boat ride yesterday from bilbao up the river to getxo, very cool, but very industrial and HOT. we´re getting into the 30´s now.

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had the most awesome tuesday this week, had the "Go out to the country and eat a sanwich" day which they have in asturias, so me and susi went to the windmill/lighthouse in our bikes and had a beautiful time. its amazingly beautiful, see for yourself http://www.flickr.com/photos/janineinspain/sets/72157594160587157/

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until next time

What To Do?

Publicado por Janine |0 comentarios

Balloon Power
Originally uploaded by janine13.

well, very slight boredom has set in, so the only thing for it was to party, like mr balloon man did.

went to the launch of a new rum (invite only...) and had a blast. lots of balloons everywhere!!!!

cast off now, basically can use it like normal again. i didn´t get a tan mark thankfully!!! ah, funny story, i was going to go out during the day and i left the house in shorts and jandals, and susi said to me, are you actually going out like THAT? and i said well why not? people where shorts and jandals here after all. she said it was n´t that, it was the fact that my legs were going to blind everyone with thier whiteness. well of course compared to other spaniards my skin is much lighter, but c´mon, i´m not a mum-like-white hehehehehehe.

went with a friend to armintza which is a small basque fishing village and that was precious!

ummmmm..... handing out my curriculum vitae this week, lets see what i find!!!! i am kinda getting low on money :-( but am not planning any extravagant travel this summer anymore, only the running of the bulls in pamplona. especially if i get a good job then it will cut down on travel time. and time with spaniard. but i´m really looking forward to working, get some money going in for once!!!!

time is money, gotta go
janine