Exam Season!

I realised I haven’t blogged for a while.  My life has been a mêlée of revision and exams, mixed with keyboard playing and a little writing every day to keep me sane.

I’m beginning to think beyond my final exam next Monday.  It’s extremely exciting.  I have an interview for a company called ‘Babylangues’ on Wednesday, which, if I get the position, may see me back in Nantes (where I spent my first semester of the Year Abroad) for a couple of months.  I’ve been applying for other jobs here and there, with differing levels of language usage.  I’ve had a couple of rejections, but that’s okay: the Olympics will last several weeks and it’s a long time to wait for a member of staff.  And teaching French kids English would be fun!

I’ve been doing a little research about Venezuela in my spare time in preparation for July and August.  The more I learn the more excited I grow.  I’m waiting until my Spanish exam is over before I look more into the differences between Latin American Spanish and Castilian (Spanish) Spanish and their different customs and idioms are.  I know there are some subtle differences, and something said innocently in one can be offensive in the other.  I don’t want to cause an international debacle! 

I’m finding the pressure of everything lifting a little as my degree completion bar looks more and more full, and I’m definitely starting to feel like myself again.

I’m starting to find ideas for post-exams – and, funnily enough, they’re all creative.

The list so far:

·         Write.  This is my passion (outside languages) and something I have missed doing since I finished a novella called The Conscription last summer (which is available on request!).  Luckily I’ve helped my longing by writing short 100-250-word flash-fiction in the evenings (which is also available!).  It’s been like nibbling on something when all you want is a big three-course meal: it just makes me hungry for more!

·         Cook.  Okay, so I can cook well enough to survive and feel good about what I’ve eaten every day, but I want to broaden my horizons a little.  Be able to cook something special.  I received a French Cuisine Cookbook for my birthday last month, and I want to learn to make tapas, too.  And desserts.  I love making desserts.

·         Sew.  I want to learn to make clothes.  I started to take the first steps last summer, but for some reason time sort of ran away from me.  My mother used to make my clothes when I was little and I’m still in awe of her.  I have a couple of patterns for tops I want to make.

I also want to make Spanish and French into a pastime.  It’s so much a part of who I am, and I want to enjoy it again.  I mean, with the amount of music I listen to and movies I watch I’ve never really lost that love.  But it’s always been part-enjoyment, part-studying.  I just want to be free to love it!

By the end of the summer/ my unemployment (whichever comes first) hopefully the creative juices will be flowing and I’ll have something awesome to do in the evenings and weekends!  I can’t wait for a life where I don’t have to worry about work after 5pm.  Of course, I am well aware that I am possibly speaking too soon.  Oh!  The delights of the unknown!

The unknown’s on my doorstep.  It’s so exciting!