Running With The Bulls

Publicado por Janine

The Run
Originally uploaded by janine13.

I am alive.

So is the other New Zealander who ran with the bulls but got gored in the left thigh, i´m surprised the nz media weren´t able to release his details, anyway he got gored in the left thigh, still in hospital, and is called David McBell Toby.

Anyway, my story.

I didn´t plan on running, mainly because i still can´t run due to my tendonitis. after a long night of partying the night before, 1 hour of sleep in the crack of 2 beds pushed together (but i can´t really complain because at least i had a place to sleep, the other however many thousands of people here sleep in the park or don´t sleep), and went into the center city to get the party going again. from the hostel to the run area was like travelling through a cloud of foam, the grounds of all the parks and streets were COVERED in rubbish, mainly plastic bags and cups that people carried thier alcohol in.

got to my place at 645am, and stood waiting by the fence for just over an hour, with the running starting at 8am. my two friends from usac last semester Mike and Phil were running but i didn´t see them because it was really really hard to see anything. if you want to see the action you need to be on the fence (i was 3 people back) or on the balconies over the streets. the run was over very quick, 3 minutes in total, and the saturday run was a very clean one, no gorings or injuries. so the run ´finishes´ and people start climbing over the fences to make their way into the bullring to see the bulls finished off. i followed of course, but all of a sudden a bull comes swanking by me. wow what panic i felt!!!!!!!!! saw it coming out of the corner of my eye, it got close, 2 meters or so, and i turned and jumped on the fence. what a rush, i think i will run the next time i´m there, there is something about it thats exciting!!!!!!!!

Initially i was going to stay another night but i was way too tired and sore in my tendons so i hopped on the bus home (after standing in line at the bus station at least 1/2an hour).

The experience was really cool, but it didn´t meet my expectations, i was a little disappointed, mainly because i couldn´t see the run (the photos you see are not what i saw, they were taken by me on my tiptoes with my arm stretched between 2 peoples heads), and because i wasn´t in the party mood the night before.

next time i´ll have my own bed, be completely in red and white (white pants and top, red scarf and tied belt), go two nights (one for partying/watching the bulls, the other for relaxing/running), and get a get into the bullring at the end. Ah, and go shopping more (of course).

and that was my exciting weekend.

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In other news, i quit the job at the bar, it was destroying my tendons and my social life, and my sleeeeeeeeep. nicely added to my pocket, very nicely indeed, but i prefer my health than money. it was a stressfull 5 days, working 52 hours, with everything new from making the drinks, to remembering what they´re called, to using formal spanish (i´ve never used it before, only to talk to old people on the street asking directions).

next friday i´m going to málaga for The Rasmus concert, and i´m staying in the area of southern spain for 10 days visiting Granada, Tarifa (the most southern point of Spain), Gibraltar (English territory in spain controling the Gibraltar Strait of the mediterranean) (just going there to eat a mince and cheese pie, i´m killing for a pie (they´re not sold in spain), and fish ´n´ chips. they had better be good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i might take a day trip to Morocco (Africa), tho i´m not sure. All in all, i´m looking forward to some sun and beaches!!!!!!

signing off ----- janina