Hola amigos!
This blog isn't too much about my life here, more about the people I have experienced since I have been here. I love Spaniards, they are beautiful nice people BUT they need to learn to put on some deodorant. You will be casually walking down the street scoping out some new shoes and you will walk into this horrible cloud of smell. It always catches you by surprise to because you are outside with all the fresh air and BOOM you hit the deck because someone smells so bad you have passed out. One time I was going to class with my roomate Bailey, we were headed up the stairs and this guy walked past us and it took like five seconds to hit us but once it did I had to use the wall to support myself it smelled so bad. I do not get it people! It is part of the daily routine, wash your face, brush your teeth, PUT DEODORANT ON. Not everyone here is smelly, but you can definitely tell the people who are. The worst case is our substitute teacher for our amazing teacher, Jose Javier, because she literally almost killed us in class the other day. We were in a class with no windows and she walked in and shut the door. She smelled so bad we could barely breathe for the two hour class. It was incredible that someone could smell so bad it filled up the entire room. She was kind of a hippie and it was rumored that she lived in a cave. But she told us she's not "gitana" (a gypsy). Because of this smelly epidemic here, I make it a point to apply and re-apply deodorant throughout the day.
Another little pet peeve about the people here, they really love to walk at an excruciatingly slow pace. I mean so slow it probably takes them triple the amount of time it would take me to get there. So slow, I can shuffle my feet faster and pass them. I understand it is the lifestyle and that's just how people enjoy walking but coming from Chicago, that does not fly with me. I never get passed when I am walking down the street because I walk like I am on a mission and nothing will stop me. These people walk like they are on some thirty mile pilgrimage and they have to reserve their strength. I do not think I will ever get over the pace at which a Spaniard walks. Or how they love to stop in the middle of the sidewalk. I do not understand this because only about four people can fit across on the sidewalk so when your group of ten people is just chilling there it makes it difficult to get by. But it is just one of those things you adapt to and you learn how to get around them.
Now time for the positives!
People here are much nicer than they are in the States. At first it may not seem like it because they are more direct which may come off as a little rude. Like when you go to the post office and you go up to the counter they don't smile and ask you about your day they just say "dime" which is totally normal and acceptable. I like it better now because I feel like what we do in the States is superficial, I would know being a cashier and all. But overall they are much nicer and friendlier. For example when I was in H&M the other day I dropped a few things when I was trying to give them back to the woman working in the dressing room. I kept apologizing and she just smiled at me and said "no pasa nada", which is kind of like don't worry about it. They just seem much more sincere here. Or how when people get in an elevator together you greet each other and when you exit you say "hasta luego" which means see you later. They also do this often when you are leaving a store. It just feels more homey and comfortable, like you are being taken care of. I think that is one of the benefits to studying in a smaller town like Granada rather than somewhere like Barcelona or Madrid.
My other favorite part about the culture/people here is the importance they place on time with family. Every day (at least in Granada) they go home at 2p.m to eat lunch with their family. They have 2-3 uninterrupted hours a day to relax and spend time with their family. And this is quality time because you are not thinking about what you have to do after siesta or trying to do things during siesta. You are simply enjoying time with your family. I wish we had this custom in the States. I feel like our culture has become some monster that only cares about working and making more money and taking care of your social image rather than spending quality time with your family. I just feel like in the States we make it seem difficult to get together once a week to have dinner with your family but here they do it everyday. It is not only during siesta too. After work and school at night time you see people out with their kids, people walking with their parents, couples holding hands. It is truly endearing to watch so much love pass through the streets. When is the last time you went on a walk with your parents? We see it here all the time. I really have fallen in love with the concept of family time being an integral part of the day. I hope that when I return to the States I can rub off on people and get this idea established at least in my family.
Well that is all for now, stay tuned to see what happens when I go off to Rome this weekend : )
Besos, Dani
p.s give someone you care about a hug today or make an effort to spend time with your family this week
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Barcelona
Hola amigos! Sorry that yet again it has been ages since I have blogged. The weeks tend to fly by here and then before you know it, it is the weekend. Since that last time I posted I have been to the Alhambra and Barcelona.
We went to the Alhambra the day after the Alpujarras. It was incredible. It was so amazing to finally see it after reading about it and studying it for so long. It is really nice that we are able to do these activities because of CEA because normally you have to buy tickets to the Alhambra 4 months in advance, we got to go for free. There is an enormous amount of rooms and places to see in the Alhambra so we only got a sampling of what is really there. It was about a four hour tour and it was pretty hot so water was a must. We also went out the night before so everyone was pretty sluggish and tired. I already posted pictures and as you can see it is ornately decorated and the tile work is stunning. It was really neat to pass through the castle and see the room where Washington Irving stayed and wrote during his time in Granada. The gardens were probably my favorite part, a tropical escape from the endless miles of desert terrain. The views from the Alhambra were just incredible as well. It is also neat because you can actually go up to the Alhambra for free (only the entrance way) and walk around.
So the most exciting experience we have had in the past week or two has been going to Barcelona! It is only about an hour and twenty minute flight there rather than taking a 12 hour bus ride. I am actually getting a lot more comfortable flying, thankfully, probably because of how many times I have flown in the past month. We took a bus from the airport to the city center and from the minute we left the airport we realized we weren't in Granada anymore. Between 4-6 million people live in Barcelona, it is huge! It made Granada seem like some sleepy hillside town. The first thing we did when we got off the bus, after finding a map, was head straight for Starbucks haha. Kind of sad but we are americans and we just couldn't resist. It took about 25 minutes to walk from the city center to our hostel. It was on kind of a shady street but the hostel was rather nice and had free and fast internet which was extremely helpful. Our internet in Granada is rather slow and kind of a pain at times. That day we explored the city and went to the chocolate museum as well as the Picasso museum. They were both really fun. We mainly just explored the rest of the day and rested because we were so tired from walking everywhere.
Saturday we went on a walking Gaudi tour which was neat but our tour guide, Debbie, was a little too happy for me. Though, it was nice having someone to guide you and give you interesting facts about the buildings. We also successfully rode the metro and saw someone almost get robbed by a team of pitpocketers. We were extremely careful from then on. We actually lost our tour group, Adriene couldn't decide what postcards to buy haha, so we figured out how to get to Parque Guell on our own. It was so hot and we had to hike up this street, honest to God it was a seventy degree incline, for about 25 minutes. It was miserable yet comical at the same time. Once we reached the top we took some pictures but it wasn't as incredible as I thought it would be. I think it was partially because I was super hot and hungry and all there really was to do was look at the few Gaudi designs, the benches and the igauana statue, and look at the vendors.
After the somewhat disappointing Parque Guell, we headed over to the Sagrada Familia. No words can describe the feeling you get walking in, it was magical. Pictures just don't do it justice. The architecture is incredible, it was complicated in the simplest way. It is extremely hard to describe. This trip has really been breaking me of my fear of heights. Everything we do is always really high or some little cramped elevator, or a skinny staircase inside a church spire. I am glad I have been pushing myself to try new things and haven't let my fears get in the way.
We also went to this amazing tapas bar in Barcelona called Tapa Tapa. We had such a great time there we can't stop talking about it. There were a lot of things I did like about Barcelona but I was really happy to get back to Granada after the weekend was over. The best part was how it kind of reminded me of being in Chicago being a massive city and all. But it was a real downer having to pay for tapas every night. Overall it was a great trip and I am very glad we ventured off to Barca for the weekend.
School is probably the most miserable part of my day right now. Sorry that was kind of a rough transition but it is the only way to say it. All we do is grammar for four consecutive hours Monday through Friday in the same class room and you sit in the same chair. It is pretty awful. We had this amazing teacher, I believe I wrote about him before, and he made class so much fun and interesting for the last two hours. BUT he all of a sudden without giving us warning told us he was leaving for Rome for two weeks to work on his new book. So disappointing. So now we are stuck with Ana and Luisa/Isabel and I just want to cry ever day before class. I cannot wait to start real classes next week.
Well folks I will try to post more frequently so you do not have to read a novel about my life. Hope everyone has a fantastic day :)
Besos, Dani
We went to the Alhambra the day after the Alpujarras. It was incredible. It was so amazing to finally see it after reading about it and studying it for so long. It is really nice that we are able to do these activities because of CEA because normally you have to buy tickets to the Alhambra 4 months in advance, we got to go for free. There is an enormous amount of rooms and places to see in the Alhambra so we only got a sampling of what is really there. It was about a four hour tour and it was pretty hot so water was a must. We also went out the night before so everyone was pretty sluggish and tired. I already posted pictures and as you can see it is ornately decorated and the tile work is stunning. It was really neat to pass through the castle and see the room where Washington Irving stayed and wrote during his time in Granada. The gardens were probably my favorite part, a tropical escape from the endless miles of desert terrain. The views from the Alhambra were just incredible as well. It is also neat because you can actually go up to the Alhambra for free (only the entrance way) and walk around.
So the most exciting experience we have had in the past week or two has been going to Barcelona! It is only about an hour and twenty minute flight there rather than taking a 12 hour bus ride. I am actually getting a lot more comfortable flying, thankfully, probably because of how many times I have flown in the past month. We took a bus from the airport to the city center and from the minute we left the airport we realized we weren't in Granada anymore. Between 4-6 million people live in Barcelona, it is huge! It made Granada seem like some sleepy hillside town. The first thing we did when we got off the bus, after finding a map, was head straight for Starbucks haha. Kind of sad but we are americans and we just couldn't resist. It took about 25 minutes to walk from the city center to our hostel. It was on kind of a shady street but the hostel was rather nice and had free and fast internet which was extremely helpful. Our internet in Granada is rather slow and kind of a pain at times. That day we explored the city and went to the chocolate museum as well as the Picasso museum. They were both really fun. We mainly just explored the rest of the day and rested because we were so tired from walking everywhere.
Saturday we went on a walking Gaudi tour which was neat but our tour guide, Debbie, was a little too happy for me. Though, it was nice having someone to guide you and give you interesting facts about the buildings. We also successfully rode the metro and saw someone almost get robbed by a team of pitpocketers. We were extremely careful from then on. We actually lost our tour group, Adriene couldn't decide what postcards to buy haha, so we figured out how to get to Parque Guell on our own. It was so hot and we had to hike up this street, honest to God it was a seventy degree incline, for about 25 minutes. It was miserable yet comical at the same time. Once we reached the top we took some pictures but it wasn't as incredible as I thought it would be. I think it was partially because I was super hot and hungry and all there really was to do was look at the few Gaudi designs, the benches and the igauana statue, and look at the vendors.
After the somewhat disappointing Parque Guell, we headed over to the Sagrada Familia. No words can describe the feeling you get walking in, it was magical. Pictures just don't do it justice. The architecture is incredible, it was complicated in the simplest way. It is extremely hard to describe. This trip has really been breaking me of my fear of heights. Everything we do is always really high or some little cramped elevator, or a skinny staircase inside a church spire. I am glad I have been pushing myself to try new things and haven't let my fears get in the way.
We also went to this amazing tapas bar in Barcelona called Tapa Tapa. We had such a great time there we can't stop talking about it. There were a lot of things I did like about Barcelona but I was really happy to get back to Granada after the weekend was over. The best part was how it kind of reminded me of being in Chicago being a massive city and all. But it was a real downer having to pay for tapas every night. Overall it was a great trip and I am very glad we ventured off to Barca for the weekend.
School is probably the most miserable part of my day right now. Sorry that was kind of a rough transition but it is the only way to say it. All we do is grammar for four consecutive hours Monday through Friday in the same class room and you sit in the same chair. It is pretty awful. We had this amazing teacher, I believe I wrote about him before, and he made class so much fun and interesting for the last two hours. BUT he all of a sudden without giving us warning told us he was leaving for Rome for two weeks to work on his new book. So disappointing. So now we are stuck with Ana and Luisa/Isabel and I just want to cry ever day before class. I cannot wait to start real classes next week.
Well folks I will try to post more frequently so you do not have to read a novel about my life. Hope everyone has a fantastic day :)
Besos, Dani
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Surviving Week Two
Hola familia y amigos! I am glad to be writing to you in such a good mood today. So recap of the past few days: class has been extremely long, four hours in a row every day, but I feel like I am learning more than I ever thought I would. It is crazy how many grammatical concepts we are not taught in school in the states. It also has been overwhelmingly warm the past few days here which makes walking everywhere a little uncomfortable. Our room at school is on the third floor with no windows and the first day we were up there our professor didn't turn the air on until an hour and a half had passed. We all thought for sure someone was going to pass out. Surprisingly sleeping at night is not that bad even with out air conditioning. We usually have our fan running all night and have the windows open. Life has been pretty normal here the past few days, mainly shopping and going to school.
I love that we try to discover new parts of the city everyday. As many of you know, I have a very mothering personality and I also have a keen sense of direction. So of course I have been helping lead the way when we explore new and even familiar areas. It seems that my name tends to be Mama Dani on all continents. We went to the libreria (bookstore) yesterday and I bought a book of poems by Federico Garcia Lorca and also the first Harry Potter book in Spanish. The challenge of trying to read a whole novel in Spanish was truly enticing.
The problem with the euro being a coin here is that in the states we reagard coins as useless because what can you really do with a handful of pennies? Not much now a days. So when you have all these euro lying around in your wallet and you see ice cream for one euro you think to yourself "oh my gosh that is so cheap" when really its about a dollar fifty. It does not seem to be that big of a deal until you start going to the heladeria on every corner or going to Los Italianos (worth googling) where their ice cream is 3 euro, you end up spending quite a bit of euros. Sadly the heladerias will close as fall closes in but maybe it is better for our wallets.
Today we went to the Alpujarras and it was incredible. I wish I could put into words how beautiful it is to drive there/anywhere south of Granada. The views cannot be captured with a simple camera lens, these are places you need to see in person to truly capture their beauty. The winding roads on the way to the mountains were a bit scary I am not going to lie. I tried not to look out the window because it seemed as if the bus would tip and plummet to the bottom of an endless looking valley. Of course when I arrived I realized I had left my memory card in my computer so I had to rely on others to take pictures for me. I did not think I would participate in any of the activities because they were a little more adventurous than I usually am but I actually did them. I ziplined for the first time and it was awesome. It wasn't too high or too fast but that's why it was the perfect first zipline. After that I was feeling good and then we arrived at our next station. It was a bungy chord sling shot essentially which you strapped yourself in and a car pulled you forward and then released you. I actually ended up doing it and it was beyond scary! I loved it though I ended up doing it twice. I don't know what got into me. But the next station is where I drew the line. You basically did a free fall from 40 feet in the air and you had to just fall forward and you were in a harness and you did a flip and then you would swing down to the bottom. Definitely not my cup of tea. But the day was truly amazing and I feel like I pushed myself to have more fun.
I love everything about this city and even after only two weeks I am dreading having to return to America. There are so many things I enjoy that I don't want to leave behind. I do miss little pieces of home at times. Like yesterday I was craving chocolate chip cookies that my mom makes, or wanting to play with my dog, or watching a movie with Kevin. All these things sneak into my mind while my mind is still and not busy absorbing everything happening around me. It still sometimes does not hit me that I am here in Granada finally. I just hope that these four months go by somewhat slowly so I can truly enjoy everything this experience has to offer.
Besos, Dani
I love that we try to discover new parts of the city everyday. As many of you know, I have a very mothering personality and I also have a keen sense of direction. So of course I have been helping lead the way when we explore new and even familiar areas. It seems that my name tends to be Mama Dani on all continents. We went to the libreria (bookstore) yesterday and I bought a book of poems by Federico Garcia Lorca and also the first Harry Potter book in Spanish. The challenge of trying to read a whole novel in Spanish was truly enticing.
The problem with the euro being a coin here is that in the states we reagard coins as useless because what can you really do with a handful of pennies? Not much now a days. So when you have all these euro lying around in your wallet and you see ice cream for one euro you think to yourself "oh my gosh that is so cheap" when really its about a dollar fifty. It does not seem to be that big of a deal until you start going to the heladeria on every corner or going to Los Italianos (worth googling) where their ice cream is 3 euro, you end up spending quite a bit of euros. Sadly the heladerias will close as fall closes in but maybe it is better for our wallets.
Today we went to the Alpujarras and it was incredible. I wish I could put into words how beautiful it is to drive there/anywhere south of Granada. The views cannot be captured with a simple camera lens, these are places you need to see in person to truly capture their beauty. The winding roads on the way to the mountains were a bit scary I am not going to lie. I tried not to look out the window because it seemed as if the bus would tip and plummet to the bottom of an endless looking valley. Of course when I arrived I realized I had left my memory card in my computer so I had to rely on others to take pictures for me. I did not think I would participate in any of the activities because they were a little more adventurous than I usually am but I actually did them. I ziplined for the first time and it was awesome. It wasn't too high or too fast but that's why it was the perfect first zipline. After that I was feeling good and then we arrived at our next station. It was a bungy chord sling shot essentially which you strapped yourself in and a car pulled you forward and then released you. I actually ended up doing it and it was beyond scary! I loved it though I ended up doing it twice. I don't know what got into me. But the next station is where I drew the line. You basically did a free fall from 40 feet in the air and you had to just fall forward and you were in a harness and you did a flip and then you would swing down to the bottom. Definitely not my cup of tea. But the day was truly amazing and I feel like I pushed myself to have more fun.
I love everything about this city and even after only two weeks I am dreading having to return to America. There are so many things I enjoy that I don't want to leave behind. I do miss little pieces of home at times. Like yesterday I was craving chocolate chip cookies that my mom makes, or wanting to play with my dog, or watching a movie with Kevin. All these things sneak into my mind while my mind is still and not busy absorbing everything happening around me. It still sometimes does not hit me that I am here in Granada finally. I just hope that these four months go by somewhat slowly so I can truly enjoy everything this experience has to offer.
Besos, Dani
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
After week one...
Hello again! I hope that yet again I have not waited too long to post. Currently it is midnight here and we have just finished watching a soccer game with our host mom. During meals we typically sit with her and watch the news and discuss what is going on in the world as well as in our daily lives. We have been trying to figure out the mystery of her children. It sounds ridiculous but it has been very difficult for us the past week to figure out where all her children live. But we have finally had a breakthrough and yesterday we figured out she has four children, two boys and two girls, and they live in Mallorca, New York, Granada, and Cadiz. We were so proud that we finally figured out her children haha.
I am becoming very accustomed to life in Spain even after only one week. I feel that this is the kind of life I was meant to live. It is so much more relaxed and I am not stressed at all. And I love walking everywhere it is definitely a huge change from living in the suburbs. The only problem is that everywhere I go I sweat profusely so it is rather embarrassing to constantly feel sticky and hot. I am also enjoying siesta, I could write a whole blog dedicated to the benefits of siesta. The biggest one for me is how it places a much higher value on time with family. I know that as we have gotten older it has been hard for my family to regularly sit down for meals together. But here, in southern Spain, it is the norm. I truly appreciate this custom and I wish that we adopted it in the states. The other benefit to the lifestyle is your day seems so much longer. People still get up relatively early around eight but you do not go to bed until around two or three in the morning. We have been walking home from tapas or the movies at 1am and have seen babies in strollers. I truly have fallen in love with the culture and all it has to offer.
The shopping here is also very accessible and somewhat addicting. Sorry mom if you're reading this but I believe we have gone inside every shoe store we pass haha. It has almost become a habit. It is a very open environment because all the stores leave their doors open or they have a completely open storefront. It is very easy to stroll the streets after class and pop in a few stores on your way home.
The heladerias (ice cream shops) are another thing I could write an entire blog about. They are just about on every corner (similar to Starbucks in the states) and it is hard to resist since they usually only cost 1.20 euro for a small taste. They have very different flavors to try as well such as ferrero which is like the candy ferrero rocher. Also gelato with nutella, different types of chocolate, and also a lot of flavors with fruit.
Class has been going really well so far. It is just the language intensive month right now so we have class everyday from 4-8pm but we have two different teachers. The first teacher, Ana, is really nice but she has a really thick accent and sometimes goes too fast. Our other teacher Javier is a flat out character. He will speak English sometimes if we don't understand or if he wants us to better understand the grammatical point he is trying to make. He also says the F word all the time in English and in Spanish which is hilarious and very different from class in the states. It has only been three days of class and I have already learned so much it. It really has blown my mind how many misconceptions I had about the Spanish language and how to use it correctly.
We also went to Nerja this weekend, as you can probably clearly tell from my photos. Above anything I was just proud that we figured out all the buses and how to get back to the station. It is always a little nerve wracking traveling somewhere new but even more so when you're in a foreign country. One of my favorite parts of the trip was when a man's phone was ringing and his ringtone was "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". We couldn't stop laughing. As you all probably saw Nerja is incredibly beautiful. It's as if the cliffs were beautifully and carefully carved out. It was an amazingly beautiful city and I believe we are planning a return trip during a day off next week.
So far everything has been incredible and extremely difficult to even put into words. Nothing can describe the emotions you feel when you see the Alhambra for the first time. Or when you pass by the ornate architecture that has been here for centuries. It truly is incredible and I am so blessed to be here.
Hasta luego :)
I am becoming very accustomed to life in Spain even after only one week. I feel that this is the kind of life I was meant to live. It is so much more relaxed and I am not stressed at all. And I love walking everywhere it is definitely a huge change from living in the suburbs. The only problem is that everywhere I go I sweat profusely so it is rather embarrassing to constantly feel sticky and hot. I am also enjoying siesta, I could write a whole blog dedicated to the benefits of siesta. The biggest one for me is how it places a much higher value on time with family. I know that as we have gotten older it has been hard for my family to regularly sit down for meals together. But here, in southern Spain, it is the norm. I truly appreciate this custom and I wish that we adopted it in the states. The other benefit to the lifestyle is your day seems so much longer. People still get up relatively early around eight but you do not go to bed until around two or three in the morning. We have been walking home from tapas or the movies at 1am and have seen babies in strollers. I truly have fallen in love with the culture and all it has to offer.
The shopping here is also very accessible and somewhat addicting. Sorry mom if you're reading this but I believe we have gone inside every shoe store we pass haha. It has almost become a habit. It is a very open environment because all the stores leave their doors open or they have a completely open storefront. It is very easy to stroll the streets after class and pop in a few stores on your way home.
The heladerias (ice cream shops) are another thing I could write an entire blog about. They are just about on every corner (similar to Starbucks in the states) and it is hard to resist since they usually only cost 1.20 euro for a small taste. They have very different flavors to try as well such as ferrero which is like the candy ferrero rocher. Also gelato with nutella, different types of chocolate, and also a lot of flavors with fruit.
Class has been going really well so far. It is just the language intensive month right now so we have class everyday from 4-8pm but we have two different teachers. The first teacher, Ana, is really nice but she has a really thick accent and sometimes goes too fast. Our other teacher Javier is a flat out character. He will speak English sometimes if we don't understand or if he wants us to better understand the grammatical point he is trying to make. He also says the F word all the time in English and in Spanish which is hilarious and very different from class in the states. It has only been three days of class and I have already learned so much it. It really has blown my mind how many misconceptions I had about the Spanish language and how to use it correctly.
We also went to Nerja this weekend, as you can probably clearly tell from my photos. Above anything I was just proud that we figured out all the buses and how to get back to the station. It is always a little nerve wracking traveling somewhere new but even more so when you're in a foreign country. One of my favorite parts of the trip was when a man's phone was ringing and his ringtone was "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". We couldn't stop laughing. As you all probably saw Nerja is incredibly beautiful. It's as if the cliffs were beautifully and carefully carved out. It was an amazingly beautiful city and I believe we are planning a return trip during a day off next week.
So far everything has been incredible and extremely difficult to even put into words. Nothing can describe the emotions you feel when you see the Alhambra for the first time. Or when you pass by the ornate architecture that has been here for centuries. It truly is incredible and I am so blessed to be here.
Hasta luego :)
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Bienvenidos a Espana!
Hello everyone!
Sorry it has taken so long to get this up and running but it has been one crazy week. I'm just going to try and summarize what's been going on so far. All of my flights went pretty well, a few hiccups here and there and that's traveling for you. Just a little note for anyone who ever flies to the London Heathrow airport, the airport closes at like 10:00 p.m. We were kind of confused at how an international airport could close but we found stuff to do. Once we finally arrived in Granada Vanessa and I realized that our bags weren't there. Everything ended up being fine because they arrived a few flights later but it was just like of course I was one of the people who lost their luggage.
Driving to our apartment was a magical experience. That's when it really hit me that we're in Spain and I'm going to be living here for four months. I was quiet the whole drive just trying to absorb everything around me. It kind of looks a little like an Arizona or desert type climate. But then you see the mountains and it truly does take your breath away.
My host mom is Carmen, she is amazing. She has been hosting students for about fourteen years now so she is a pro. Everything she has cooked so far has been really amazing. My favorite so far has been fried cauliflower, it was so different but seriously one of the best foods I have ever tried. There are three of us living in the apartment which is nice because most of the time at least one of us understands her haha. She truly is a sweetheart and I feel really blessed. Surprisingly a lot of people have host moms that aren't as catering or as social as Carmen.
We have done a lot of orientation activities with our group which has been really nice because they're free and you get to see the city. One of the first days we went on a bus tour of the city. It was incredible to see the city like that, mostly because there is so much to see it would be hard to see on foot. When we went up in the mountains it reminded me so much of California. It really looks like when you go up to Burbank and you can look out over L.A or when you go to the Getty. We also went on a tour of the Albaycin which is the part of town where the gypsies live. It is really beautiful because all the houses are white and the streets are super narrow and twist and turn a lot. We went to a tea house there which was super neat. Also when we went to the Albaycin we went to the mirador de san nicolas which is a beautiful spot to view the Alhambra.
So far the excitement has been very overwhelming and I really haven't had time to be homesick. Everything is so new and we've been meeting so many people it is hard to sit down and think about how much you miss home. I think I have adjusted very well so far to life in Spain and I am already having the time of my life.
Look at all my pictures! I'll try to update this more often. Ciao!
Sorry it has taken so long to get this up and running but it has been one crazy week. I'm just going to try and summarize what's been going on so far. All of my flights went pretty well, a few hiccups here and there and that's traveling for you. Just a little note for anyone who ever flies to the London Heathrow airport, the airport closes at like 10:00 p.m. We were kind of confused at how an international airport could close but we found stuff to do. Once we finally arrived in Granada Vanessa and I realized that our bags weren't there. Everything ended up being fine because they arrived a few flights later but it was just like of course I was one of the people who lost their luggage.
Driving to our apartment was a magical experience. That's when it really hit me that we're in Spain and I'm going to be living here for four months. I was quiet the whole drive just trying to absorb everything around me. It kind of looks a little like an Arizona or desert type climate. But then you see the mountains and it truly does take your breath away.
My host mom is Carmen, she is amazing. She has been hosting students for about fourteen years now so she is a pro. Everything she has cooked so far has been really amazing. My favorite so far has been fried cauliflower, it was so different but seriously one of the best foods I have ever tried. There are three of us living in the apartment which is nice because most of the time at least one of us understands her haha. She truly is a sweetheart and I feel really blessed. Surprisingly a lot of people have host moms that aren't as catering or as social as Carmen.
We have done a lot of orientation activities with our group which has been really nice because they're free and you get to see the city. One of the first days we went on a bus tour of the city. It was incredible to see the city like that, mostly because there is so much to see it would be hard to see on foot. When we went up in the mountains it reminded me so much of California. It really looks like when you go up to Burbank and you can look out over L.A or when you go to the Getty. We also went on a tour of the Albaycin which is the part of town where the gypsies live. It is really beautiful because all the houses are white and the streets are super narrow and twist and turn a lot. We went to a tea house there which was super neat. Also when we went to the Albaycin we went to the mirador de san nicolas which is a beautiful spot to view the Alhambra.
So far the excitement has been very overwhelming and I really haven't had time to be homesick. Everything is so new and we've been meeting so many people it is hard to sit down and think about how much you miss home. I think I have adjusted very well so far to life in Spain and I am already having the time of my life.
Look at all my pictures! I'll try to update this more often. Ciao!
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