Half a bottle of pisco and a cactus - an introduction

Given that each end is supposed to be a new beginning, it seems fitting that I am beginning this blog with the end of my most recent journey. I am currently packing up the life I have accumulated over seven months working in Barcelona. Clothes I don’t want go into the broken suitcase, to be given to those who need them more than me, while the blender and yoga mat go to one of my flatmates – a fairly practical move. I am, however, trying to figure out if the weight lost through shedding these items is sufficient for me to be able to haul back my watermelon-coloured crockery, a cactus and the half-bottle of Peruvian pisco still in the fridge … admittedly, not such a practical move. I’ll see what I can do.

In this blog, I hope to recount some of the adventures I have had in Barcelona, Lima, Paris, and closer to home in Canterbury. Maybe they will make you laugh, maybe you will learn something new – an exciting place to visit, an idea to try out, or simply to avoid the holes I have fallen into over the years of studying and working across the world.

But first, a little introduction:

· My name is Lucinda and I am a twenty-three-year-old Hispanic Studies graduate. Having taken the year out of education to get some professional experience and live in Barcelona, I will soon be embarking on a Master’s degree.

· I have been lucky enough to study at the University of Kent, the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, and the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, as well as recently spend half a year working in a publishing house in the centre of Barcelona.

· I love photography, dancing (salsa, bachata, swing, belly dance …), cooking, reading and a good cocktail … Gin & Tonic or Pisco Sour for preference.

· Occasionally prone to fire-eating, paragliding and attempting (very poorly) to surf.

That’s me in a nutshell! And this is me (setting: a very flowery alley in Barranco, Lima):

Hasta prontito!

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