Hello everybody!

I haven't had time to write recently.. The truth is that I've been a bit overwhelmed with so much happening in my life, but I think I'm feeling better now.

Over the past week I have been studying for my driver's licence exam, which I'll sit on Monday at 8 a.m. (Oh my gosh! I´ll have to be awake at 6 am!)

I have also been studying for my university course in .... and for my English exam. My English exam is in May and I have a lot of work ahead of me/ a lot of studying to do / a long road ahead of me!

Nevertheless, I believe that I´m capable of doing a lot of things at the same time! hehe.

Although However, I´m a bit stressed at the moment, so I think I just need get away from it all for a while.

This is why I want to tell you that I´m going to go on holiday!! My friends and I are going to go to Valencia for ___ days. Here in Spain (or just Valencia?), every year there is a huge celebration called Las Fallas involving huge hand made figurines which, at the end of the festival are all burned, creating huge bonfires in the street (except for the one that is judged to be the most beautiful, which is preserved?). This makes it both a festival of creativity with a carnival atmosphere, and also a kind of fire worshiping ritual!

For those of you who have never heard of it, I´ll try to explain it in a bit more detail: All year round, many of the inhabitants of Valencia, make these huge figurines out of papier-mâché and other flammable materials, and on the 19th of March, after parading them through the city they are all burnt, producing huge flames.. (Don't worry, the fire service is always on hand to put out the flames and also to cool down the spectators with their fire hoses!) (It's quite sad to see them being burnt!! :'( hehe) The figures are often caricatures of famous Spanish people / or satirical jokes about celebrities or current affairs.

Well, today I have told you about a lot of things / I have written a lot. If any one has any doubts about Las Fallas, please don't hesitate to ask me!

Have a nice night!:D

Thanks for this entry Carol, it's a really interesting topic. I'd love to go and see them one day! You're right, it is sad to destroy things that are so beautiful, but then I suppose that as they are made of paper, they wouldn't last for ever anyway.. and they are probably a safety risk! So maybe it's best that they are destroyed in a final blaze of glory! It certainly must make for an emotional and impressive spectacle! Enjoy it!

All the best for your university and English studies too, and also for your driver's exam! (Here we call it the driver's theory test). If you'd like to exchange via Skype I am available at midday during the week.

Take care!

Zé