Meet the gossip

Sharon has been talking about how much she enjoyed her former job as a reporter with the Round Town News paper. She was the Murcia regional correspondent and wrote a popular column known as “Campo Kitchen.”
Now she can´t dash about like she used to but she is still as interested as ever in everything that is going on and the paper has been wonderful in supporting her.

“It was the ideal job for me because I am a very nosy person and wherever I am, I have to know what is happening around me,” she said. “This is so true that when I used to go every day to the Naval Hospital in Cartagena for my physiotherapy the staff there nicknamed me The Gossip.

“At first I was quite upset about this, but I realized that they meant it in such a nice way. When they explained it to me it was clear they weren´t being mean. They had just noticed that whenever there was a new person or even people who had been there longer than me, I always talked to them and encouraged them. So I would be asking them questions like ´What happened to you?’ And this is all they meant. They thought it was nice that I was so interested in my fellow patients.

“I was a reporter for about six years and I was very lucky to have got the job in the first place. It was wonderful to meet so many people and to visit so many places. I had to gather information for our readers. I have made so many friends over the years through my job.

“Although I wrote many stories about people in dire circumstances for one reason or another, I hope they are now in better positions. So many people find that their dreams of paradise in Spain don´t work out for one reason or another.

“But I wrote far more happy and positive stories, and these were my favourites. The one thing I have noticed about Spain is how helpful and well meaning people, both Spanish and foreign residents, are. Perhaps people have more time and less pressure than elsewhere. People are definitely more forthcoming and helpful to others.

“Being a reporter allowed me to see so much of the Region of Murcia, which is full of lovely places to visit. I wrote a column called “Pack a Picnic” for several years. This was great as it meant I had to travel to all sorts of scenic spots, and I don´t mean just beaches. I always met lovely people, in restaurants, museums, bodegas, cafes or their own homes. They were always interested in what an English woman was doing. When I explained, in my basic Spanish, that I was writing for an English newspaper to encourage foreigners to explore, they were delighted and so helpful.

“Now that my daily physio is finished I have more time. I hope to start going around again with my friend Gabriella, who still works for the newspaper. Like me, she likes a nice coffee and a cake. So, no doubt we will be visiting the odd café here and there.

“My stroke has changed my life because I am not as good at getting around as I used to be. But I am just as nosy and I talk just as much. Some things never change.”

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©Phillip Bruce 2009.