Happy New Year! // ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hello everybody!

Today is New Year's Eve and everybody is ready to enjoy this evening with friends or family, or both. Is a day to say goodbye to this year and say hello to the new one.In this case, 2009 is leaving and last only a few hours for 2010 to be here.

This year has been quite good for me. This has been the year of my 18. It has let me to got the driver's license and now I can drive my parent's car, because I don't have my own one.

I have finished my studies in my town this year too. I had to do some exams to go to university and as I passed them, I started a career. This career is Translation and Interpretation. I like it and I'm enjoying my time in Castelló, where I live now.

Starting a university career means also starting a new life because you have to live far from home, without your family or friends. But I think that it is good because it lets you grow. And it is what has happened to me this year: my life has completely changed.

I also traveled and meet a lot of new and incredible people who I hope to keep in touch with next year.

In a few hours I'll be celebrating the coming of the new year with my friends, reminding the good ant the bad things of 2009 and hoping that the new one will be good for everyone.

I'll leave you now. I'm going to prepare myself for tonight's party.

Enjoy the night and,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

My experience in the Sahara Desert 2.1 // Mi experiencia en el desierto del Sáhara 2.1

I wrote this text the same day I come back from my journey to the Sahara desert. It is a translation because I wrote the original in Valencian. I hope you like it!

"Here, at home, some memories come to my mind. Memories about the moments lived in a place whose people welcomed me really warmly, as if I were one of them. That place took in an important number of refugees thirty years ago.

Those people were taken form their country to be exiled to a desertic, infertile land, where no plant grows, but flourish people. There you receive all you need because them, Saharians, give you all they have.

From the first moment you meet them, you notice that they are friedly, cheerful, hospitable, respectful and really really fighter. They have an enormous feeling of unity capable of knock down walls and frontiers. It is a feeling that shudders. Sharians live to fight for returning back to the country that belongs to them and that was once snatched.

It also come to my mind some images that I have recorded in my retina: a starry sky that makes anyone shiver, where you are able to find stars that you didn't know they exist. Stars that shine on your eyes and get recorded forever. There you can observe the fugacity of a star that appears out of the blue and lets you make a wish at the same time that you have the creeps. You make a wish with the same hope it become true that Saharians hope to return to their country and recover their identity.

When I close my eyes I also see the brown of the desert and the blue of the sky, colours that have gone with us everywhere. These tonalities have something deceitful, a different beauty impossible to deny. This beauty and all I've lived there will be recorded in my heart and eyes forever!"

The Pleasure of Travelling: Part 1 // El placer de viajar: 1ª parte

Today I'm going to talk about travelling, or rather, my experiences on travelling. I would like to have the opportunity of travelling more often but it is a bit expensive and at this time I can't afford spending money on it. In spite of that, I have enjoyed a lot in the few places that I have been so I hope you enjoy of what I tell you of them too!

Travelling is one of the things I like most. I haven't travelled a lot, but the few times I have done it I really loved it. When I say travelling, I mean being abroad, visiting a foreing country.

The feeling of being abroad is special. Is a set of different feelings: the smell of the place, the colours, the people, the language...is everything. Is a complete disconnection of your world to become absorbed by the other one.

It is also an opportunity to meet people and see the great variety of cultures one can fins in the world.

For me having the chance of being abroad is an incredible experience, for that reason I take the opportunity of writing here to share with you the three journeys I have made.

I'm going to write about each one in a different post, and I'm going to add some photos of the place too.

First destination---> Refugee Camps in the Sahara desert

Christmas Day // El día de Navidad

Hi!

As I told you yesterday, today is Christmas. Me and my family go to have lunch with my grandfathers every year at this day. My grandmother always prepares a lot of food.

First of all, she prepares some plates that we call "la picaeta". It is the food we eat before eating the main course, the starters. There were a lot of things today: cheese, cured ham, "papas", almonds and a big salad with lots of ingredients.

After that she has served prawns and then the meat that she cooked for today. It was really delicious, but all the food my grandmother cooks is always delicious!

The dessert has been a fruit salad (that I haven't eaten because I don't like it) and a great variety of "turrón": chocolate, hard, soft, with almonds... and also marzipans and a walnut pie that my grandmother always cooks for this day. In short, a lot of food!!

Almost everybody is used to eat too much at Christmas. We eat until we can't ingest another piece of "turrón".

But the problem of these days and also the controversia of Christmas is that everything seems to be perfect and peaceful. People are friendly with everybody and love is everywhere. But that is only a facade or a role that we all play because also these days of the year there are poor people and wars and destitution. And people that don't have a family or a home to share with their loved ones.

We shouldn't eat that big quantities of food and think a bit more in the one's that don't have anything to eat. And also we shouldn't leave all this peace and love and fraternity only for Christmas. We should make use of it everyday of the year.

It's Christmas Time! // ¡Ya es Navidad!

Hello!!

As everybody already knows it is Christmas time. Christmas decorations are visible in every corner of the cities and towns: in the shop windows, on the buildings, in the street, everywhere.

Lots of people also decorate their houses: the Christmas tree, gardlands, the Nativity Scene, lights, and all that type of things.

It is a time to be with family and friends and enjoy with them.

Tonight is Christmas Eve so I will have dinner with my family. After that I will go out with my friends in order to have some fun with them. It was a long time since I last come to my town so I was looking forward to be with them and with my parents and sister.

I hope I will enjoy a lot tonight!

See you soon and

Sudden memories // Recuerdos repentinos

Here I am, having a break to explain you what I am doing tonight.
It isn't an important or interesting thing but it doesn't matter. I only want to write it down.

After having had dinner I came to my room to read Notes from a Big Country, the Bill Bryson's book which we have to read for the exam.

First of all, I have prepared a cup of coffee with milk. Then I have sit on a chair I have picked from the dining room (which is more confortable than my desk chair) and I have taken my book.

When I have started reading with the cup of coffee by my side some memories have come to my mind. The situation was the same as it used to be last year, when I was preparing my school exams. It has been a bit strange because it hadn't happened to me yet here.

I have to say that I usually do my homework in the dining room for that reason I hadn't experienced that memories before since there was nothing that could remind me myself studying at home, in my room.

And there is another matter that has played an important role in my memory. It has been the sound of the TV.

I was always telling my father to turn down the volume of the TV because it was difficult for me to concentrate with that noisy machine. It really disturbed me.

But, despite the fact that I can hear the TV from my room, the fact that has made me lose the concentration has been my flatmate talking on the phone in the room that is just beside mine.

That's why I have stopped my reading to write here.

As my flatmate has hung up the phone some time ago, I will be back to my reading in a few minutes. I'll be back right now.

See you!

Things that just happen // Cosas que pasan

Hi!
Here I show you something that I wrote last Friday when I was waiting to catch the train that had to bring me to my home town...

"When you lose a train just before going home one Friday"

Yes, that is what has happened to me. Here I am, in the train station in Valencia, waiting for the train that will bring me to my town.

I wouldn't have missed that train if the train that I caught in Castelló had arrived on time.( I don't know why but this train was really slow today).

The feeling of seeing your train leaving and you standing on the platform is a mixture of irritation and confusion, mainly because there won't be another train until an hour and a half.

The minutes after having lost the train are a continuous movement in the station, thinking about what you can do right now. "Should I pick a train that will leave me in a place that won't be my destiny but could be an option or...should I wait on the station for that hour and a half and take my train?"

As I had bought my ticket yet, my election has been the second one so calling home to give the news is what I have done after.

Which is the next step? Easy: sit on a chair of those that are in all the stations and wait until my time to leave.

An hour and a half is time enough to do a lot of things. Here are the ones that I have chosen. First of all, eat something and then start reading my English book. But there is one problem: the annoying voice of the woman that advises the arrival and departure of the trains. It disturbs. Always the same woman. Always the same trains. Always the same monotone voice. Impossible to concentrate in this conditions. For that reason, reading isn't an activity that you can do for a long time.

After having stopped your reading, you rise your sight and see that are people running. They probably have only a few minutes to catch their trains but... it is possible that you see one of them sitting next to you in a moment when he or she notice that the train has gone and it has left his or her on the platform, just the same that has happened to you!

And time passes while you wait. In a moment I will catch my train. I have been writing so waiting hasn't been as boring as I thought first.

Here I am, on the train, on my train. In a few hours I will arrive home.

I hope not to wait next Friday, but if a train leaves me again on the platform now I know that writing is the best way to pass the time.

This is all I wrote! I'm sure that something like this has happened to you at least once or am I wrong?

See you soon!!

Back Again! // Otra vez de vuelta!!

Hi!!

First of all, sorry for not writing in a month. I really didn't know what to write about (inspiration wasn't with me!). But I promised myself that this weekend I had to write. So I'm here, ready to write about...the first thing I'm only able to think about now: our computer science task for today.

I've spent all the weekend reading the information I had to write in the draft. The truth is that I should have done the reading the previous weeks but I hadn't. Because of that I've been closed in home Saturday and Sunday.

The good thing is that I have finished it on time so...Getting up early has given good results!

See you soon!

Maria

"Física o Química" song // La canción "Física o Química"

"Festa de Benvinguda"

Hello again!
Here I show you some of the pictures I took last Friday, in the concerts that took place here in Castellón. It was nice to enjoy of the concerts but the party finished too early. The Dj's didn't played all the time they were supposed to and all the people felt a bit disappointed. We hope it'll be better next year.

Hola de nuevo!
Aquí os dejo algunas de las fotos que hice en los conciertos del pasado viernes aquí en Castellón. Estuvo bien disfrutar de los conciertos pero la fiesta acabó demasiado pronto. Los Dj's no estuvieron todo el tiempo que se suponía que iban a estar y todo el mundo se sintió un poco decepcionado. Esperamos que el año que viene sea mejor.

"Despistaos"

Welcome Party // Fiesta de bienvenida

Hi!

Tomorrow, Friday 23rd, are going to take place the concerts which every student at university is waiting for.

The concerts will start at 19.30p.m. with the group "Lax'n'Busto" and will finish about 04.00a.m. with two Dj's. It'll be an evening full of music and fun. We hope we'll have a good weather without rain.

See you there!!!

Hola!

Mañana, viernes 23, a las tendrán lugar los conciertos que todos los estudiantes de la universidad estamos esperando.

Los conciertos emepezarán a las 19.30h. con el grupo "Lax'n'Busto" y acabarán alrededor de las 4.00h. con dos Dj's. Será una velada llena de música y diversión. Esperemos que nos salga buen tiempo, sobretodo sin lluvia.

Nos vemos allí!!!

"Setmana de Benvinguda 2009-UJI"

Hi!

Next week, students and teachers will celebrate the "Setmana de Benvinguda 2009" at the "Universitat Jaume I" in Castelló. There will be lots of activities to celebrate the start of the new academic year at university.

One of those are the concerts which are going to be hold on the 23rd. The groups which are going to play are "Despistaos", "Lax'n'Busto" and "La Pulquería".

As soon as I know more about the activities prepared for those days, I'll publish it!

See you!

Hola!

La semana que viene estudiantes y profesores celebraremos la "Setmana de Benvinguda 2009" en la "Universitat Jaume I" de Castelló. Habrá muchas actividades para celebrar el inicio del nuevo curso.

Una de estas actividades son los conciertos que tendrán lugar el dia 23. Los grupos que actuarán son "Despistaos", "Lax'n'Busto" y "La Pulquería".

Tan pronto como tenga más datos acerca de las actividades programadas los publicaré!

Hasta pronto!

Hello!

I'm here again to tell you that I've put a miniIpod with songs that are in English and Spanish.The songs are the same in both languages,but one of them is the translation of the other one. The idea is to enjoy listening the songs at the same time that we notice the difference between the two versions.

I hope you like them!

Hola!

Aquí estoy de nuevo para contaros que he puesto un miniIpod con canciones en inglés y castellano.Las canciones son las mismas en ambas lenguas,pero una de ellas es la traducción de la otra.La idea es disfrutar escuchando las canciones al mismo tiempo que nos damos cuenta de las diferencias entre las dos versiones.

Espero que os gusten!

Hi everybody! // ¡Hola a todos!

Hi!

I'm Maria and I've just started the university.I'm studying Translation and Interpretation and it has been my English teacher,Justine Brehm, who has encouraged us to set up a blog.For that reason,I'm writing right now.

My career is based on translation that's why I've decided to publish everything in both English and Spanish.I've chosen Spanish instead of Catalan, (the language that I use in my daily life), because the option in which am I at university is focused in these two languages so I think that this is a good way to practice!

I hope you enjoy reading my blog! I accept all type of comments!

See you soon!

:::Maria:::

Hola!

Soy Maria y hace muy poco que he empezado la universidad.Estoy estudiando Traducción e Interpretación y ha sido mi profesora de inglés,Justine Brehm,la que nos ha animado a crearnos un blog.Es por eso,por lo que estoy escribiendo ahora.

Mi carrera está basada en la traducción,es por eso por lo que he decidido publicar todo tanto en inglés como en castellano.He escogido castellano en vez de catalán, (la lengua que uso en mi día a día) porque la opción en la que estoy matriculada está centrada en la traducción en estas dos lenguas,así que me parece una buena manera de practicar.

Espero que disfrutéis leyendo mi blog!Se aceptan todo tipo de comentarios!
Nos vemos pronto!

:::Maria:::