Down time for Downton

After my birthday I sank into a pit of moaning, sulking, whining and grumpiness... 5 weeks had caught up on me and I was exhausted and grumpy. Just basically what I do best when I'm normally in England - you know?!

Everything seemed to be the problem. My flat being so far away from my school, my having to walk three hours a day on average for school and private classes, my feet hurting, etc. I convinced myself I wanted to bring my car here - it just doesn't make sense it doing nothing back there and me walking everywhere here. Then when I talked with other people I was convinced to just buy a car out here. I looked around and they were all at least €1000 and I'd need to buy insurance on top of that. I was then convinced to buy a motorbike - my UK driving license covers me for bikes up to 125cc, but again not that cheap. The last option was a pushbike and although I managed well in Pont-Audemer with one of those, here I have a reputation to keep, baring in mind my kids aren't 4 - 11 but actually 11 - 18. So I was in a sulky mood about transport...

Then I was in a sulky mood about being away from everyone back home...

Then I was in a sulky mood as Annalisa's flat is closer to my school...

Then I was in a sulky mood because she pays just 2/3 of what I pay in rent...

The point is that the friends I have here proved themselves as a great support network, dragging me out for coffee despite my grumpy face and making me laugh despite the tears. This got me thinking and I emotionally climbed out of my pit of stupidness.

And now 'in a reversal of fortune' (in the voice of the man from the Weakest Link) I'm feeling happier than ever.

I'm in such a cool city that has so much to offer on so many levels:

• Historically
• I've not delved into anything too historical as it bores me to death normally - it needs to be appreciated though, right?! I've heard that this place was Spanish before countries were even created in Africa. How true is that?!...
  
  
• Religiously
• I'm most definitely taking advantage of the different religions. Last Wednesday, for example was the Muslim festival (another bank holiday!) where they slay a lamb at the dinner table and enjoy a family meal together (the kids explained the story and I can go into more depth if anybody wants to know?). The fact is I didn't work!
• Disregarding the bank holidays it's just nice to appreciate the open mindness of people out here - I remember in my first week seeing a Muslim woman walking arm in arm with what appeared to be a Christian woman (something that I wouldn't normally see very often in England).
• I'm appreciating how this place has text after text written about it claiming that this place is harmonious and then I'm appreciating the fact of knowing better!
  
  
• Socially
• This place has 73,000 inhabitants so is about the same size as Bath in terms of population but because of the separated religions/populations I seem to bump into the same people all the time (it also makes me feel rather settled as I know the people I bump into now!).
  
• Economically
• This place claims to be independent but I'm learning that it relies on Morocco a fair amount more than I realised. Instead of importing everything in from the mainland they get some things in Morocco (I don't know the ins and outs of it) but it makes sense to cut costs when they can, doesn't it?...
  
• Territorially (is that even a word?!)
• The border makes the residents in Melilla feel trapped, and it's understandable, but for someone like me that's here for a fairly short stint it just makes me fall even more in love with this town.... Saying that there's a 5 day bank holiday at the beginning of December and I would very much like to get out!
• People are so proud of being in Melilla or being from Melilla. I've noticed that if I listen to conversations in the street people will often talk about this place in general conversation (another thing that doesn't really happen in the UK - other than in London, I suppose)...

• Politically
• I'm finding myself talking more and more with other people about whether Melilla will exist in 100 years time and where it will be. Whether it will be Spanish. Whether it will be Moroccan. What is it's fate?

Matter of factly on Sunday in the national newspaper 'El Pais' there was a 6 page write up of Melilla, it's history and it's future which I've asked a friend to copy so I can trudge through the vocab and learn a little bit more.
Also, Charlotte (the girl that I met before coming here) wrote her dissertation on Melilla and why it's so unknown to the rest of the world so I'm looking forward to sitting down and reading that one day too.

Wowzers - this post took a long time to write and should have been published ages ago - sorry for the blabbing! I'll try and catch up and not let it get on top of me - keep your comments coming please!