Last week, I was flicking through the calendar on my phone and realised that this time two years ago I was just starting my four month stay in Alicante. In some ways, it feels like only yesterday that I began arranging and conducting interviews with local respondents in Alicante. To think that two years have already passed seems almost unbelievable! Yet, it also seems like much longer ago, especially when I consider how much the thesis has progressed since then. Following data collection, the project advanced into data analysis, and now, attention has turned to writing up the thesis.
A wonderful aspect of writing up, is that I am constantly referring back to the data collected during the interviews, and as such, many of the conversations that I had with respondents remain very fresh in my mind. Gathering local people’s views on language was an integral part of the project, and therefore, it has been important to keep revisiting the data to make sure that their contributions are fully appreciated and expressed in the analysis. Whilst going back over all of these notes is complicated due to the vast amounts of reading and editing required, it is fun to remember all of the interviews and the respondents. Doing this has also made me realise that I miss Alicante and that I must organise to go back soon! 
elizabethburgess15 