January 28th

So today, we had our last day of class and Matt and I decided to get together to study. As we have found, it is rather difficult to meet one another, so we went to a small pub close to his house. He had been there quite a few times before and the owners were very nice to us. They wanted to see our notes over what we were learning and we had quite a long conversation with them. After a while, an older couple came in a sat right next to us. They didn’t understand Spanish very well, and heard us speaking English. It turned out, they were on vacation and were from Finland. They didn’t speak English very well either, so conversation was very difficult but they were extremely friendly and excited to talk with us. We translated what the waitress was saying to them and after about 45 minutes, the husband tried to buy us drinks. I think we nearly insulted him when we said we didn’t want anything. We knew we had to get out of there if we wanted to get any studying in, although it was nice to talk with the couple and practice our Spanish with the owners.

(I think I have a way with older people because when I was at another restaurant booking our Italy flights on my computer, I met an older couple from Scotland and they talked my ears off! They gave me their website in case I ever wanted to visit them in Scotland….they owned a bed and breakfast.) Anyways, it was an eventful night, as all are here in Granada!

January 27

We have had a very enjoyable past couple days, this weekend. Both Thursday and Friday night, Dorothy and I went out with Roberto for tapas. On Saturday morning, we woke up at 6:45am to start off our day-trip to Cordoba. We met about 25 other students and a teacher/tour guide and took a coach bus to Cordoba which is beautiful drive through the mountains about 2 ½ hours away. We first reached Al-Andalus which was the political and administrative capitol of Old Andalus Granada from the 10th century. It was basically ruins of the buildings and we walked around taking pictures and learning about the buildings. Then we got back on the bus and drove to the heart of Cordoba to see the Mesquita. The Mesquita is known for the Christians taking over the Muslims and inside, it has beautiful pillars and murals. As we walked around, we saw both places of worship for Christians and Muslims. Every detail was symbolic of something such as trees and pineapples. There were many trees and pineapples which represented the growth of life. The walls and ceilings were beautiful and very representational. There was also a gorgeous church. Once we left the Mesquita, we took a break for lunch and met back to walk around the city. We walked through a festival in which everyone was dressed up like Medieval Times people. They were all selling lots of jewelry and I learned that Cordoba is the number one creator for jewelry in Spain. Once we walked through the festival, we walked to the synagogue, one of the only synagogues left in the world. It was small and very simple, but each wall had a different meaning. For example, the east wall represented the construction of the synagogue and the creator. We left and took the bus back to Granada. We ended our night by having tapas with some friends at a cute bar, Poe. We got shiskabobs!

Sunday morning we spent nearly an hour trying to figure out the bus schedule. The buses are so difficult, but we finally found the bus we needed to take to the mercadillo, the flea market. As we walked up to the mercadillo, it was very overwhelming. There were quite a lot of people walking around and all the vendors were shouting out their prices over their neighbors. You could find anything you desire at this market, from shoes to nuts to fruit. We had made it through about ¼ and it started pouring and everyone rushed to pack up their goods. We were forced to call it a day and took the bus back soaking wet. Dorothy and I went to Neptuno, an indoor mall, to eat lunch at Bocatta. It was the closest thing to American food, we loved it! On the way back, we stopped at Pan Y Dulces and picked up a desert. Yum! On Sunday night, we finalized our hostels for Italy and completed part of our itinerary for our Italy trip.

This is the last week for my class and my final is on Thursday. My Senora told me today at lunch that all the students who study here worry too much about their finals. She said I shouldn’t be worried….This test is worth 65% of my grade! For lunch, we had bean soup (yuck) and a salad. For dinner, we had potatoes, beans, and carrots and fish soup (it was horrible, I couldn’t eat it…) After lunch, I booked my flight to England for the end of February. This will be my first trip alone to go visit my friend, OD. I am anxious for this week to end so I can go on my trip to Italy!

January 22nd

So the other day, Dorothy and I were walking home and this guy came up to us on the streets and started talking to us....He asked us if we speak english and Dorothy said "Yaa" and he was so confused. He started speaking German with Dorothy and English with me, but he was Spanish. HAHA, we got a kick out of him....anyways....
On Tuesday, we watched the Inauguration of Obama in class. Our new president has been the top conversation starter for many and everyone in Spain is a huge fan of him. The French kids are also pretty enthusiastic about Obama, which is great to hear, since some of them don't really favor the U.S.
Other than the inauguration, I have been very busy planning for our trip to Italy. It is in almost a week and we decided we are flying into Milan and staying for a night. Then we are going to Venice for 2 nights, Florence for 3 nights, and Rome for 3 nights too! We can't wait and Dorothy has looked up every historical monument and site in the cities we are going to. I have been working to set up cheap hostels. I am also looking into visiting my friend, OD, in England in February. As we have been trying to plan all of our trips, we feel like we are running out of time. These 5 months are going to fly!!!!
In class, we have been learning more phrases to help us understand the language. I have really enjoyed my class and we have our final test next Thursday. I'm hopeful to go skiing with Roberto next Friday, although Granada has been getting sooo much rain! We heard that they haven't had this much rain in a looong time. Granada is used to having a drought....

January 18th...Flamenco Show, Hiking, and Church.

I finally feel like I am fitting into the culture here in Granada a little more. It is much easier for Dorothy and I to make our way around the city and we have enjoyed very much, going out with our brother, Roberto, and his friends. On Thursday night, we went to an Irish pub with some French friends to sing karaoke. After, we met up with our brother at a pub and walked to a discoteca, where Roberto’s professor was the DJ. The boys were so fun and very kind to us. On Friday night, we met our friend Ashley for tapas, which are just little appetizers and a drink. We had a low-key night so we could rest up for our hike into the Sacramonte Mountains on Saturday morning. A group of six of us started at the foot of the mountain, tucked away in the Albaizin, a rather unsafe neighborhood. We hiked through the small trails, past the caves of real people! Some of them stopped us, and were curious to know how we found their reserves. They wanted to cook for us, and in return, we could pay them. They were very interested in where we were from. Apparently we looked too much like tourists. We hiked to the very top where there was a small school for the children of the 100 person “town”. We crossed over the top and walked down through the streets, where it was much safer. Our senora packed us “bocadillos”, so we had our bag lunches outside in Plaza Nueva. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we walked around for a couple more hours.
Dorothy and I headed back to our apartment to get ready for the Flamenco show, which was also in Albaizin. The show was much different than we had expected. It was held at a gypsy school and the back-drop looked over the city of Granada and the Alhambra lit up at nighttime. There was only one man who played the guitar, two women who clapped, and a man who kept the beat on a box. Eventually, a woman came out and danced. She was phenomenal and had so much emotion as she danced. After the show, we went out for tapas, and then Dorothy and I headed to Mae West. We were hardly dressed up, and we can’t seem to understand why the Spanish guys are so attracted to us Americans. We have heard every pick-up line….”Do you have a lighter?” and “Can you take a picture of us?” and “I think I know you…” and “Oh My God, Que Guapa!” We even walk down the streets and cars honk at us. We just don’t understand what makes us so different from the Spanish girls…..? Dorothy and I are sick of it. It is so much better going out with our Spanish brother and his friends because then no one bothers us...grrr!
We are trying to plan the rest of our Italy trip, although it makes it difficult that we can’t always meet our friend, Ashley. It is not very acceptable to have friends visit the home. Therefore, we have to meet at café’s and pubs to use their wi-fi and plan our trip. This afternoon, Dorothy and I went to La Catedral for mass. For the most part, we were able to understand and follow along until we thought we were supposed to go up to the front for Communion and it turned out to be a special blessing. We were very confused and had to turn around infront of everyone and walk back down the aisle to our seats. About five minutes later, Communion was served and we had to go back up. The church was beautiful and there were nearly 15 alter servers, 2 deacons, 1 priest, and a cardinal! The mass was also televised!

January 11th

Wow, what a weekend I have had….On both Friday and Saturday night, a couple friends and myself went to a discoteca called Mae West. It was this huge dance club and cost 10 euro for the cover. It was so much fun dancing and I attempted to learn the flamenco the first night. On Saturday night, my host brother, Roberto, and his friend Oscar, brought us out. They were so much fun showing us how to salsa dance. It was much better going with Spanish guys because not as many Spaniards were trying to talk to us. We stayed out until 4am and woke up this morning to go on a tour of the Albaicin. Dorothy and I met our two other friends at the Plaza Nueva and went on a two hour tour! It was absolutely breath-taking. We walked up the ancient neighborhood streets and were able to look across to the Alhambra and over the entire city of Granada. We learned about the war with the Romans (FYI, Romans won). It seems like pictures couldn’t even explain the beauty of Granada. Each day, I find myself learning so much more, even just by people watching.

Here are some things that I’ve found different from the U.S.:

· It is “fashionable” for girls to wear baggy pants with baggy underwear sticking out. (gross) But apparently it originates from the hip-hop trend in South America.
· They have a Dunkin’ Coffee because the word “donut” was already copy written.
· They have state-funded churches which have caused many problems amongst the people because they used to be such strong Catholics and now a small percentage attends church.
· It is also “fashionable” for the guys to wear scarves.
· Coca-cola is really popular here, so popular, they serve it on tap.
· It is rude to walk around the house without shoes on.
· While walking or shopping, it is very common for Spaniards to bump into you and not say anything.
· Cross walks and street lights are set differently and the roads are crazy! Cross walks are located quite a bit before the street lights.
· I am pleasantly surprised that the people are so kind to us Americans. So far, I haven’t had any situations where I felt un-welcome.

Today for lunch, we had soup with all kinds of vegetables. It didn’t taste very good, but then we had mashed potatoes with tuna and a tomato sauce. It was delicious, and then for dinner, we had meatballs with peas in sauce, steamed cauliflower, and rice with the tomato sauce. Our Senora puts tomato sauce on everything it seems like, but it is slowly growing on me. Before dinner, Dorothy and I went with Thomas to meet some of his French friends. They were extremely kind and spoke pretty good English. We went to Neptuno, which is a huge indoor mall, but we could only window shop since all the shops are closed on Sundays. The worst adjustment since coming here has been the temperatures. I had not been expecting such cold temperatures, and since resources are scarce here, we have a space heater in our room and can only keep it on during the day and while we are home. There is also one in the living room, under the table, where everyone puts their legs while watching TV.

January 8-9th....My new home for 5 months.

After 5 hours, we took taxis to our host family's apartment. To our surprise, we had received a new family and live somewhere different than the address you have...this is my new address:

Manuel de Falla 12, 3*I Izquda
18005- Granada

Her name is Rosa Perez Rodriguez and she is probably in her 50's I would guess. She is separated and has two boys and a girl who is married. Her daughter and older son don't live with her. Her son has a child and lives with his girlfriend. Her younger son, Roberto, I think, lives with us but I haven't met him yet. Dorothy and I are hopeful he is around our age and takes us to meet his friends. They were all so friendly and kissed both of our cheeks when they met us.
Our apartment is cute, and our host mom cooked lunch for us and is an amazing cook. She likes to have dinner around 7pm so she can spend the rest of the night preparing the next day's meals. She is like shorter than 4ft and loves touching us! haha. Soo sweet. She has had students live with her for the past 16 yrs and this is a source of income for her. Our apartment is in prime-time location, just a block from the main street with all the stores, restaurants, bars, hotels etc. I think I will have an easy time finding you and Dad a place to stay when you come and visit. Also, we are very close to my friend ashley, which is a relief because before we were on opposites sides of each other.
Her son works at a ski shop in town and I'm hopeful to borrow some clothing to go skiing maybe this weekend with my new friend Matt that I met. Yesterday was the first day of Rebajas aka HUGE SHOPPING SALES! The sales were insane and they have really fashionable things out here....The streets were mobbed with shoppers and the sales last until feb. 28th! We went shopping today, and my dad already told me that I'm starting to look euro. They are huge boot wearers, so I think I'm going to buy a pair, they are cute and practical. There is an H&M, Zara (which is really popular here), Burberry, Lacoste etc.
My mom was already worrying about me because I wasn't dressing warm enough. She said that if I start to lose weight or get sick she thinks it is her fault and that she isn't feeding me right. She also requested that for the next month or so, we wear a scarf always because the weather gets really chilly at night. I bought two scarves in Madrid but I think I'm going to need some more because it is much cooler than I expected.
After seeing Madrid, I didn't think there was anything prettier, but I can't believe Granada. All the buildings and cathedrals are awesome! We took a practice walk to our school yesterday with the girl from Accent and my friends and I picked up a brochure with trips that the school offers us. Some of them are free for students and others are discounted such as the Alhambra. We are going on a tour to Albaicin which explains the origins of Granada on Sunday and es gratis! (free)
Yesterday, we got a new member to the house, Thomas, from France. He is absolutely hilarious and extremely friendly. He sat in our room tonight for hours talking about the U.S. and music and everything! Also, yesterday, we met the youngest son who lives here with us. He is 25 and seems like he can show us a good time! Classes start tomorrow and I have class 4-8 Monday thru Friday for 3 weeks straight. At the end of January, my friends and I are hoping to plan a week-long trip probably to Italy.

January 7....and it begins...

This morning we left from Hostal Persal, our hostal in Madrid to take the train to Granada and we will be meeting our host families in a couple hours. In Madrid, it seemed like everything we did was such a learning experience. The flight into Madrid from the U.S. went pretty smooth although we were completely exhausted. It has been difficult to get used to the 7 hour time difference but we are getting better. The first night we stayed in and the next morning we had a meeting with Accent. We learned a little about Spain and were taken to go buy cell phones if we wanted. A group of us went shopping at El Corte Ingles, which is the top department store in most of Europe. We enjoyed walking around the streets of Madrid and then went out for a dinner. We came back and got ready to go out to check out the nightlife.
We went to several bars and discotecas. I went with 6 other girls and felt safe although I could immediately see a difference in Spanish and American males. They were very social and aggressive. Many of them insisted on kissing our cheeks, besas, and they were good dancers. They were dancing salsa, I think. We went out around 12:30am and were nearly the only people at the bar. It didn’t get busier until after 1am and we didn’t get back until 3am, although it seemed like the party was just beginning! The Spaniards were extremely interested in talking to us because they wanted to practice their English. They humored us with their English phrases, “Don’t worry, be happy” and one guy on the streets tried to sing Akon to us, “I wanna love you..” Everyone was very kind to us and helpful when we walked around to find La Catedral, El Museo Del Prado, and La Besilica de San Fransisco. Monday night was especially busy because they were celebrating the Epiphany, which is most like a mix of Christmas and New Years for us. Children got gifts in the morning but they had big fiestas with their families and drank a lot. On Monday night, there was a huge parade celebrating Los 3 Reyes, the 3 Kings. Tuesday, most stores were closed so we walked around to site see.
There is a smaller group of us that is anxious to start planning our trips to other cities in Spain and Europe. Right now, we want to go to Morocco, Italy, Valencia, England, France, Portugal, and Ireland. We take our placement test tomorrow and hopefully I will go skiing with Matt at the Sierra Nevada next weekend. Sitting on the train, we are all very excited and nervous to meet our host family where we will be living for the next 5 months…..