For the remainder of my month in Marbella but I continued with the schedule of Spanish classes and golf plus some trips to the beach and fun nights out in with friends from the Spanish school. I also enjoyed some bus trips around the region at the weekends - to Fuengirola, Ojen, Granada, Ronda, Puerto Banus and Malaga. I went to the Claddagh Irish bar in Marbella with My where we met people from London and from Israel as well as playing pool with some Russians, ...

Week 2 in Spain... Thankfully the weather improved after the first day and has been beautiful since then (although cold in the evenings) - until today, when it started raining again - which is why I'm back in the internet cafe... I have been surprisingly busy - Spanish classes every morning, then tapas for lunch at one of the many many restaurants Marbella has to offer, then golf until nearly dinner time. I've been out a couple of times but the nightlife here is...

¡Hola! It's the first day of my four weeks in Marbella, Spain. I've just come from a beautiful, hot and sunny weekend in Cambridge to find that it's cold and wet in Marbella - what's going on??! This is not what I signed up for (or indeed packed for, brrr)! My first day of Spanish classes went well - they seem to be at a good level and not going to fast or too slow. My classmates are from England, USA, Holland, Germany and Sweden and range in age from 15 to 74 ...

I was back in London for a few days and it was great to catch up with some friends there after almost six months away The weather was fantastic while I was there and London is beautiful when it's hot and sunny! It made me realise how much I love living in this city!

Ulan-Ude ("OOH-lan ooh-DAY") is the capital of the Buryatia Republic region in Eastern Siberia. There is not much to see in Ulan-Ude city centre - the highlight is the world's largest statue of the head of Lenin. However, there are lots of interesting places to visit nearby. I was staying with a lovely couple, Andrey and Svetlana, and their two children Yasha (20) and Masha (18). They were so welcoming and Svetlana made great food. Andrey and Svetlana were also...