¡Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracia!

I can't believe that today is Thanksgiving. I have classes and a presentation today! It's extremely odd not being at home with my family and the rest of the Thanksgiving crew. I'm not really sure what to make of it. I have a dinner with my program tonight and then I may be heading to another dinner with some friends not in my program afterwards. Today will definitely be a different kind of thanksgiving than im used to but i think it will still be fun once i get my classes done with.

Since I last posted I took a trip to Paris, it was incredible. I loved it. I stayed with Anneka and she took me all around Paris to all of your typical tourist spots. i had a blast. at first it was super intimidating being in such a big city, i have become so used to Granada's tiny size that not being able to walk everywhere was a strange concept. I do have to say that the metro system in Paris is pretty impressive. By the end of my trip I felt like i was finally getting the hang of it. During my trip I had the best chocolate crossaints of my life and I even tried escargot! I went to the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge and more. i just had such a great trip. the only downside was having to pay 60 euros to get to my 7am flight.

This weekend my program is taking a trip to Sevilla and Cordoba which should be really fun. Then the next weekend I am going to Dublin! The time is just flying by.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Only a little over a month to go? No way!

A lot has been going on since my last post, i have finally really started to get into the swing of things around here and that makes it really easy to forget to blog. I guess thats a good thing though right?

Probably the biggest thing to happen since my last post was my trip to Morocco. It was incredible. We spent a day is Fes and two days in the Sahara desert and one day in Meknes. oh and about 55 hours on a bus. the highlight of my trip was definitely our time in the desert. we arrived in 4 by 4s right as the sun was setting. it was so beautiful. during our drive out the driver in my car was playing the most calming music and i snagged a window seat so that i could watch the incredible colors of the moroccan sunset. our camp site was so cool. there were all of these tents and beds already set up for us and we all just sort of piled in. the next morning we all woke up at 5am to watch the sunrise. we treked out into the sand dunes and sat on top of a big dune to watch the sun come up. it was pretty awesome. after the sun rise we had breakfast. as a part of the breakfast there were these pastry things that tasted like a lighter version of the outside of fat cakes like i had in south africa! it was really interesting. there were alot of things on my morocco trip made me think about south africa.

after breakfast was over we had our camel ride! it was so cool. camels are such hilarious creatures. after the camel ride, a pick up game of futbol began with the Berbers (the desert people) I played and even scored a goal! it was so much fun. then me and a few friends paid some guys to let us use their snow board to board down the side of the dunes. once again, so much fun! after doing some sand boarding, we watched the sun set from the top of a huge sand dune. the colors of the sunsets out there are absolutely incredible. i have never seen anything like it. later that night after dinner a moroccan music group played in the big dinner tent. it was a blast. everyone was just dancing and grooving and having a great time. before i went to bed that night i went out and looked at the stars, let me just say that the sky has never looked bigger to me then during that night in the desert. it seemed like it went on forever and the stars were all incredibly bright. it was so cool.

my first day back from morocco my midterms started, that was no fun at all and i am so happy that they are over. this last weekend my program took a trip to alpujarra. we went up into the sierra nevadas and did some hiking. it was really fun and so nice to get out of the city for a bit. it was absolutely gorgeous there. all of the trees were turning yellow and the mountains were just incredible.

this week is a short one for me, i head to paris on wednesday! i cant believe it. time has just flown by. I have paris this weekend, sevilla and cordoba the week after that. then im going to dublin and then i have finals and my parents arrive! its hard to believe that i only have a little over a month to go until i fly home and this whole experience is over. its so surreal.

well i gotta run to class, i will try to not go so long between posts again!

Amsterdam and Portugal

It has been an extremely long time since i have updated! in that time i have been to both Amsterdam and Portugal and had a great time in both places. going to amsterdam was so much fun. seeing sarah and sten was absolutely wonderful and the three of us just ran around amsty for a week. i saw the anne frank house, the amsterdam library and various other sights around the city. we also did a TON of biking because in amsterdam there are more bikers then people in cars or walking around. literally everyone bikes and i did not see one person the entire time that i was there wearing a helmet. i guess its just not fashionable. while i was there i did alot of "dinking" which is riding on the back of another persons bike. it was a little challenging at first but i got the hang of it. the climate change was a fun one. i went from 85 and sunny to 55 and rainy but i didnt mind, it was like being back in seattle for a week :) amsterdam is an incredibly beautiful place which really surprised me. i wasnt expecting to love the city as much as i did.

Portugal was a different story all together. i went with this program called discovergranada which takes students that are studying abroad on these preplanned trips to different places around spain for pretty cheap. for this trip to lagos, they were picking us up in sevilla at 10am. this meant that we had to take a 3am bus to sevilla. oy. that was a rough one. but after getting on the discovergranada bus in sevilla, there wasnt any stress in the trip. we just went to different beaches, ate good food and went to parties in the evening. the only downside to the trip was that it rained quite a bit. however we still got some sunshine and i had fun.

now i am back in granada, today is a festival so i dont have class today and i didnt have class yesterday either which was so so nice. today i think that my roommate and i are going to the country with our homestay family to ride horses! it should be pretty fun. i have a bit of homework that i need to get done before tomorrow but nothing too stressful on that end. next weekend i have an excursion with my program to Malaga and Ronda.

I am really starting to get used to living here. my spanish still has quite a ways to go but i am becoming alot more comfortable with where i am. its odd to think about the fact that i really only have about two and a half more months here. its crazy how the time starts to fly.

The Alhambra etc.

On friday my group had our trip the alhambra. it was incredible. it had some of the most amazing and intricate architecture i have ever seen in addition to the most fantastic views of granada. i am so glad that i finally got to go see it. Friday was also my last day of classes for my intensive month of spanish. Tomorrow i take my final (and only) exam 2 days earlier than the rest of my class because i am also off to Amsterdam tomorrow! Its very surreal to me right now. it doesn't seem possible that i have been here for a month. It feels like so much less and so much more time than that all at the same time. I have a fair amount of studying to do but instead i am posting something here.

In other news, my roommate is sick. i think she might have the flu which is such a bummer. i am trying to drink lots of orange juice, washing my hands a ton, getting lots of sleep and not be in the room too much. Wish me luck in not coming down with the same thing that she has.

I think my spanish may finally be improving. While my roommate was still asleep this morning i had breakfast with just my senora. We actually has a decent conversation. nothing too complicated or specific but we definitely kept it going for awhile. She also told me yesterday at lunch that my spanish has improved so i guess this proves it! I look forward to the day when i can have many more conversations with her. I would love to know more about all the people in my homestay family.

Yesterday I went to the public library in Granada. My host older sister pointed out where it was on the map and i set off. I found it very easily even though its in an area that i havent ever spent any time in. The library was interesting. Very different from the ones we have the United States. For one you walk past a security booth when you walk in. The library was all white and metal and not cozy at all. There were also very specific spots for studying vs being on a laptop vs just reading. I sat in the wrong spot and the security guard came and asked me to move. Im glad that i could understand what he was saying! I liked being back in a library though. Up at western i go to the library most days after class and being in one here finally made me feel like i was actually a student in spain. I see myself spending more time there as the semester goes on. It was very quiet and a decent study atmosphere. After the library i had lunch and then went to the park to study with one of my friends from my program. Unfortunately i ended up doing more sleeping than studying but i did finish all of my flash cards. now i just have to remember what is on all of them. Later in the evening after getting tapas i made friends with some girls from wales, scotland and england who are all studying in granada for the year. they were very nice and i hope to run into them again.

The days here have started to get into a rhythm and its very strange to me that it is about to be shook up. Its going to be an odd transition from only having 4 hours of spanish class a day to having other classes plus spanish class. The classes i will be taking are spanish, history of spain and islam in the western world. I still dont know the times of my classes but i am 95% sure that i wont have classes on fridays.This is going to make traveling so much easier. The weekend after i get back from amsterdam i am taking a trip to Lagos Portugal.


Well i guess i should get studying, here are some pictures from the alhambra

Granada Meets Sarah and Jules

This last week, Julia and Sarah were with me in Granada. They stayed at a hotel that was only a block and a half from me which was so great and I loved being able to hang out with them everyday. It definitely brought some of seattle/bham to me for a little bit. We checked out so amazing restaurants and tapas places and did some crazy clubbing too. I am still in shock about how normal and easy it is here to stay out until the early hours of the morning. We also went to a beach called Salobrena this last summer which was the perfect end to their trip here. I didnt bring my camera but Jules did so hopefully the pictures from that will surface soon!

Currently I am a bit under the weather which has been no fun at all. But i have some antibiotics and other medications and i am hoping to see an improvement asap. My homestay mom has been very sweet and has been making me soup for lunch everyday. I need to get better soon so that I can start preparing for my final on monday! everyone else has until next wednesday but since i am heading to amsterdam on monday i am taking mine in the morning before i leave.

Right now in my homestay there are two Norwegian girls staying for the week. They are both in high school and here with their language class. They are both very nice and its fun having more people around. Thats all for now!

Weekend Adventures

On Friday night, some of the kids from my program and I decided to go check out a spanish music festival that has been going on in Granada. We started out the evening at a tapas bar and proceeded to begin our walk over to the festival. What we didn't know was that this festival was really. far. away. We started walking in the direction that we were told it was in but because of how far away it was, it wasn't on any of our maps of Granada. Things were more complicated by the fact that there is a ton of construction happening here right now so it can be hard to figure out which streets are what and how to get to the one you want especially at night. We got a little discouraged at one point and considered going back but then we saw a group of spanish guys who said that they were also trying to get to the music festival. So we decided to walk with them, and its a good thing we did because i don't think we would have found it on our own.

Eventually we started seeing all of these super bright lights and heard upbeat american pop music blaring. As we walked closer I realized that in addition to there being a music festival going on there was also a carnival happening right next door. The differences in the lifestyle here in comparison to the US is crazy. It was probably about 12:30 by the time we walked by the carnival and there were kids running around like it was 4:00 in the afternoon. Everyone here just stays out way later than anyone I know back home. After going past the carnival, we started hearing spanish rock music and followed it over to the entrance. It was free to get it and there were so many people there. It was so clearly not a touristy event of any kind and that was a nice change. All the people there were super into the music and the place was packed. We stayed for awhile but then decided to cab home due to the fact that it was kind of late (at least by our standards) and the music was really intense and hard to get super into when you cant understand what they are saying and don't know the songs.

Last night I went and started the evening with some different ISA kids. We got tapas again and then walked over to this park that we heard was a very popular hang out for spanish people in Granada. After being there for awhile we decided to go check out this club called Mae West that we had heard was the club to go to in Granada. We knew it had a fancier dress code than most places but we all looked pretty good so we thought it would be fine. We walked over and were all getting pretty excited about this club and when we finally got to the door, we were asked to leave. None of us were dressed casually. The only real fashion difference was that none of us girls were wearing heels. However the other difference was that one of the girls who had been the one to talk to the guy at the door was asian. Now I'm not sure exactly what happened but all of the other people in my group were convinced it was a racial thing. I didn't know this going in, but I guess this club also has some racist tendencies and doesn't let any people of asian descent in. I was completely shocked. I really hope that that was not what was going on and it was heels that made the difference as to whether or not you got in not the color of your skin.

After getting turned down at Mae West we decided to walk over to a different club called the Granada Diez. I had heard mixed things so i wanted to check it out. Unfortunately it wasnt as fun as i was hoping for. It was kind of expensive to get in and the music wasnt that great, It was super loud with alot of strobe lights and it definitely was not as fun as my last club experience. The only bright side is that now I know that thats not a place i want to go again and will find other places to go instead. I had heard from my host older sisters that the Granada Diez was the tourist club anyway. All in all, the night was a mixed bag but everything is a learning experience here. I'm sure my evenings will improve alot as soon as i have been here a little longer and know more of where the good spots to go are.

Today will be a pretty relaxed for me. Pretty much everything shuts down on Sundays here so I will be doing a lot of walking around and journal writing and hopefully spend some time with some different people in my program. I have my second full week of classes starting tomorrow and Jules and Sarah get here bright and early Tuesday morning! I can't wait to see them. This weekend I also officially booked my plane and bus tickets to go visit my other sarah who is studying abroad in Amsterdam at the end of September. I am really excited about that as well! More posts to come soon!

The Days Keep Rolling By

This week has been full of classes. Its been kind of nice to begin to get into the swing of things here. At this point, I have officially been in Granada for one week but it feels like so much longer than that. Seattle feels so far away and this last summer feels like it happened months and months ago. My classes have been interesting. I like both of my teachers but the classes for the most part are very laid back, which is nice in some ways but at the same time, I dont feel like i am learning very much. Thats kind of rough for me. Its difficult to be in a country where you dont know the language and you dont feel like you are improving much. However I think that this is just one of those situations where I will have to take matters into my own hands. I am working on talking to my host family more and soon we will be starting intercambios (im not sure if thats the correct spelling or not) which is where all of the students in my program are matched up with spanish speaking students who are trying to learn english. Its a way for everyone to get better at the language they are trying to learn. I also am planning on trying to get some extra help with my spanish from the people at the ISA office. I am pretty sure that there are some tutoring opportunities that i would like to check out.

I finally have a cell phone here which is a wonderful change. It is so much easier to meet up with other people here when you have some communication options other than facebook. I have been spending alot of my time walking around the city. There are a couple of nice spots that I have found for journal writing and too many amazing gelato stands to count. I think right now my favorite ice cream flavor is ferrero roche. Right now I dont have any big plans for the weekend except for exploring Granada more. Two of my best friends Julia and Sarah get here on the 13th and I cant wait to see them! Not much else to report right now but im sure there will be more very soon!

Flamenco, Classes and Beach Time

Alot has been happening in the last few days. On wednesday before the flamenco show, our program directors took us on a tour of Granada. We walked through the moorish district which is very beautiful and very old and we hiked up to a popular tourist spot that has an incredible view of the alhambra. It was very cool. The flamenco show was very interesting. We were all in a circle in this long but small room and the dancers came in and danced in the middle. they were all extremely talented and i had never really seen flamenco before.

Thursday was my first day of school. The building that i go to school in is actually a different one than the one where i took my placement test, its called the Kenya building and it is a little farther away. but I have learned that i can walk fast enough to get there in 20 minutes if i really want to. I love my walk to school. Anyway, nothing too exciting happened on the first day of school, both of my professors seem very nice and we didnt get very much homework. After class, I went to get my spanish book and my sim card with some other kids in my program. That afternoon i went shopping with some of my friends and bought a really pretty over the shoulder leather bag which is already very handy to have in this city.

On Friday class was about the same. During our 20 minute break, some friends and I found this little coffee place that also serves really delicious tostadas for only 1 euro. They are amazing and it will be very tempting to get one everyday. The way it has worked here so far is that everyone goes home after class and lays low until at least 6:00 if not 9:00. its a very different lifestyle than in the US. So far its working pretty well for me except for the fact that i still dont have a working phone. It is very hard to make plans when ones only communication device is facebook. Hopefully this will change very very soon. On Friday night a big group of us decided to go out. First we met up at the residencia and then headed out to get some tapas before going to the discoteca. The tapas were delicious as always and the discoteca that we went to had an incredible view of the alhambra. I had a great time, but also lost track of time and didnt get home until 6am. However that seems to very much be the Spanish way of doing things.

Bright and early on saturday morning, some friends and I took a trip to a beach called Nerja which was a 2 hour bus ride away but so so worth it. We got there at about noon and spent the whole day swimming and laying in the sun. It was so incredibly beautiful there. The water was so blue and the sand was far whiter than any beach in seattle. It was a wonderfully relaxing day and even the bus ride was pretty. On our way home the sun was setting and it was gorgeous to watch. Once I got home my roommate and I had dinner and then she went to bed. I on the other hand didnt feel tired yet so i went out in the living room and attempted to talk which one of my homestay sisters. It wasnt the smoothest conversation ever but as i use my (very broken) spanish more and more I find i remember more words and I think i might even be getting better, even if its a very slow pace. So far the most frustrating thing is my spanish not being better. Its so difficult when its a constant struggle to communicate with people. Hopefully it wont be long before this frustration subsides a bit.

Today will be a pretty relaxed day seeing as i just woke up and its already after 11. Also on sundays in Spain all of the stores are closed. This really bummed me out to learn because i had sort of planned on doing some shopping today. But thats ok. I will probably just walk around and check out the park by my house and do some homework. Tomorrow will be the beginning of my first full week of classes.

Granada Beginnings

Today we arrived in Granada! I am now in my homestay and settled in at last. It feels so nice to be unpacked and in a home instead of a hotel. Granada is a gorgeous place. After unpacking, my roommate and I made our way over to the university where we will be taking classes while we are here. It is a 30 minute walk from our apartment that we will be walking about 4 times everyday. How it works here is that everyone goes to class/work in the morning and then comes home for lunch at 2 which is the big family meal of the day. After lunch everyone goes back to work again. The walk is very pretty and it will be a good way to get to know the city!

My senora here is very very nice. She only speaks spanish so it is a little bit challenging to communicate but my spanish is actually a bit better than i thought it was! They have a very sweet siamese cat named Bambi, having a kitty around reminds me of home. We had dinner just the three of us because her two daughters are studying late at the university for an exam tomorrow. Hopefully I will get to meet them tomorrow. Bright and early tomorrow morning I have my spanish placement test and then tomorrow night our group is going to a flamenco show.

I am really excited for classes to start and for my spanish to get better, so far my time in Granada is off to a good start!

Toledo!

Today was our one and only day in Toledo, we left Madrid at about 9:00am this morning for the one hour bus ride. Once we arrived in Toledo, we had a mini bus tour and then a tour on foot. I feel like I learned so much today, the most obvious is that Toledo is absolutely beautiful! I was in awe all day. After our tour we grabbed lunch and got to explore on our own for a bit before heading back to our hotel. Tomorrow morning we finally begin our trip down to Granada and i am so excited! I can’t wait to meet my host family and see the city where I will be living for the next few months.

Tonight we have a three hour meeting to tell us all about what will be going on in Granada and to answer all of our academic questions. Which I imagine will be kind of tedious but then we can do whatever we want until we head out for Granada. Tomorrow should be an exciting day!

Day One

I have officially arrived in Madrid! It is about 8:30 pm here and it is nice to finally be on the ground. So far everything has been good. My roommate and I accidently slept through our alarm for our bus tour of madrid so we just did a little exploring on our own which turned out fine. Other than that here isnt very much to report. I dont have a sim card yet and i am still searching for a phone card and pay phone so that i can call home. More later!

2 days until lift off...

During my stay I will be in Granada, Spain. When I first arrive I will fly into Madrid to meet up with the rest of the students in my program. After a few nights in a hotel, we will all begin our trek down to Granada together with stops in Sevilla and Toledo on the way. Once we get to Granada, I will meet my host family and my intensive month of spanish classes will begin shortly after. Hopefully between my homestay and my spanish classes, my spanish speaking skills will be much improved by the time I get home!

I cannot believe that in less than 48 hours I will be on the plane on my way to Spain. To live there. For 4 months. It is impossible to comprehend that this time in my life has finally arrived. I have spent months and months planning and organizing and preparing for this trip and yet I feel totally and completely at a loss as to what to expect and how to deal with the fear that I am feeling. This will be a trip full of firsts. For starters this will be the first time I will have ever flown on a plane by myself, not to mention that this is my first time going to Spain or that I have never traveled somewhere not knowing a single person in my program or in the country that I am headed to. Hopefully some of these scared feelings will subside soon so that more of the excited ones can take their place. This is sure to be a crazy adventure and I have no clue what to expect!