Hola,
Yesterday was the Huelga General, in other words, the laborers strike across Spain. Although I didn't encounter anything picketing, there apparently were protesters all of Granada and Spain. I did, however, see "HUELGA GENERAL yo voy!!" signs and stickers all over the city. I also heard that many store windows were busted in because they opened their shops and that a bunch of picketers attached the Burger King in the middle of the city around lunch time because it was still open. Supposedly the buses were on a limited schedule and the grocery stores were full of picketers but I didn't notice much out of the ordinary. Also, there apparently were huge riots in other cities in Spain with picketing and even cars lit on fire. Pretty crazy. However, most of the shops that did not open during the day opened in the evening, like a half strike. Besides that it was just class as usual.
Hasta!
Ashley
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Baby It's Cold Outside
Hola,
Another Tuesday had come and gone. Basketball got canceled due to the non-functioning lights at the outdoor court we play at. That was a little sad but that left my evening wide open, which is currently very rare in my life. I took advantage of this spare time and hit up El Corte Ingles, which is essentially the Super Wal-Mart of department stores in Spain. They have EVERYTHING! Clothes, cosmetics, shoes, books, every day Wal-mart items, and groceries! I'm sure I am missing somethings but the basic gist is that if you need something, it's probably at El Corte Ingles for you to buy. Yesterday I was interested in their groceries. Grocery stores here are actually really great and pretty cheap. They have great produce, good meat, and delicious, freshly baked bread. They do not, however, have much of a snack section. They have tons of chocolate, fatty snacks (which are tasty but not what I should be spending my precious euros on) and then they have, in my opinion, weird diet cookies. Not much in between. El Corte Ingles, on the other hand, has a little bit of the in between. I found myself some nice little galletas (or cookies) from their fresh baked pastry section that I sort of love and I don't think are actually that bad for you because they are pan integral (or wheat bread) cookies but nonetheless very tasty.
After El Corte Ingles, I headed home to watch a movie for my Arab World and the West homework. The six part youtube video was titled: The Power of Nightmares "Baby It's Cold Outside." To all you conspiracy theorists and history buffs, I most certainly recommend this video. It talks about American politicians, and politicians in general, need to create myths of common enemies and threats to unite the the people. The video calls these myths "necessary illusions" that everyone can believe in, when in reality, they are often completely fallacious. This video specifically is referring to how the fear of terrorism/terrorist groups, nations, etc. have been used to inspire the neoconservative moment and Islamic radicals to use common myths to lead their nations. Very interesting.
After watching the movie I had sushi, very yummy, and headed home for bed.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
Another Tuesday had come and gone. Basketball got canceled due to the non-functioning lights at the outdoor court we play at. That was a little sad but that left my evening wide open, which is currently very rare in my life. I took advantage of this spare time and hit up El Corte Ingles, which is essentially the Super Wal-Mart of department stores in Spain. They have EVERYTHING! Clothes, cosmetics, shoes, books, every day Wal-mart items, and groceries! I'm sure I am missing somethings but the basic gist is that if you need something, it's probably at El Corte Ingles for you to buy. Yesterday I was interested in their groceries. Grocery stores here are actually really great and pretty cheap. They have great produce, good meat, and delicious, freshly baked bread. They do not, however, have much of a snack section. They have tons of chocolate, fatty snacks (which are tasty but not what I should be spending my precious euros on) and then they have, in my opinion, weird diet cookies. Not much in between. El Corte Ingles, on the other hand, has a little bit of the in between. I found myself some nice little galletas (or cookies) from their fresh baked pastry section that I sort of love and I don't think are actually that bad for you because they are pan integral (or wheat bread) cookies but nonetheless very tasty.
After El Corte Ingles, I headed home to watch a movie for my Arab World and the West homework. The six part youtube video was titled: The Power of Nightmares "Baby It's Cold Outside." To all you conspiracy theorists and history buffs, I most certainly recommend this video. It talks about American politicians, and politicians in general, need to create myths of common enemies and threats to unite the the people. The video calls these myths "necessary illusions" that everyone can believe in, when in reality, they are often completely fallacious. This video specifically is referring to how the fear of terrorism/terrorist groups, nations, etc. have been used to inspire the neoconservative moment and Islamic radicals to use common myths to lead their nations. Very interesting.
After watching the movie I had sushi, very yummy, and headed home for bed.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Arab World and the West
Hola,
Another busy Monday has come and gone. In my Arab World and the West class we discussed the economic situation of the Arab world and how poor and mistreated many of its people are. We also watched many videos about this. We watched one video of a very popular Arab television show, basically an Arab news station, that encouraged men to beat their wives because the Koran instructs them to do so. Furthermore, because of these instructions and the assumption that women are disobedient and spiteful, if a women is beaten, it is assumed that she, in ALL cases, did something to deserve it. This is only a small piece of what we watched but it blew my mind. We also watched a video of another news show where two men were debating the mistreatment of Arabs by their authoritarian governments, specifically Saddam Hussein. At one point in the video, the man supporting Hussein said something to the effect of "this man did kill my brother, my uncle, etc. but the way he died makes him a great man, he was a great man." It just blew my mind that such attitudes do actually exist and the are not just casual attitudes or slight feelings but passionate beliefs, passionate beliefs that wife beating is morally acceptable and someone who killed your own family members is a great man. I felt so ignorant because I could not conceive someone that any person, furthermore a huge group of people, could think this way. Although not all of Arabs that think this way are bad people (and not all Arabs necessarily think this way), they nonetheless adamantly believe these things. What is scarier is that they are brought up knowing only these ways and having no reason not to believe this is the correct way to live. What if I was brought up that way? Would I accept these beliefs to be correct and moral as well? It´s is very scary. Just youtube any of the topics I have just discussed and you will find a plethora of videos with mind-boggling speeches, debates, and views very different from your own. I´m interested to learn more about the Arab world but I would be lying if I said I´m not bit terrified of what I am going to find.
Well that´s my rant of the day.
Hasta!
Ashley
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sevilla y Ronda
Hola,
Boy did I have a full weekend. Here's the short version. Woke up about 6:30 am to make to the bus by 7:45. We arrived in Sevilla around 11:30 and walked to los Reales Alcázares, which are the royal places and gardens in Sevilla. The gardens and grounds a los Reales Alcázares are open to the public except when the royal family is in town. Whenever the royal family is in town they shut down the place and house them in the fancy rooms at the palace, which are always shut off to the public. This luxury is available to any member of the royal family or a friend of the royal family, i.e. a diplomat or even an American president. The gardens and grounds were beautiful. It was really interesting to see the mix of art and architecture on the grounds because it was not just catholic art. Although the royalty that built and designed this palace, as well as the royalty still in power, were catholic, there are heavy influences of Islamic art (there are many horseshoe arches), as well as, some Jewish art (there are crosses of David sprinkles throughout the palace). You would think those who lead the Reconquista to rid the Iberian peninsula of the Muslims, and Jews for that matter, would not want any trace of Islam or Judaism in their lives, but that is not so. After the los Reales Alcázares, we went to el Barrio de Santa Cruz, which is where the Catedral de Santa Cruz is housed. Many fun facts about this cathedral. One, it is the third largest cathedral in the world. Two, the tower attached to the cathedral is actually a Islamic tower which previously was attached to the Mosque that later was torn down and made into the cathedral. Three, Sevilla and Kansas City are sister cities. Finally, four, there is a replica Santa Cruz tower on the Plaza in Kansas City. After our tour of the cathedral we had some free time. My friends and I decided to go to the world fair that was in town for dinner. At the fair there were tents from a bunch of different countries with the traditional food from each. We decided to go to the Argentina tent and bought delicious sausages. Then we hit up the France tent and got chocolate crepes. It was all delicious. After that we went to a Flamenco show, which was amazing, and then hit the town for awhile.
On Saturday, we left the hotel around 11 and headed to Ronda. In Ronda we toured the Plaza de toros and Ronda's bullring. We got to see where they keep the bull before the fight and what they do to the bull to rile him up. In the back of the stadium there are tunnels that lead the bull towards the ring with doors that close behind the bull ever so often so he can't retreat. While this is going on, there are guys above taunted and poking the bull with poles, trying to get the bull mad. The idea is, once the bull is finally released, he is so flustered at this point that he will just shoot into the ring at full speed. Pretty cool to see up close. After the tour of the bullring, we went on a tour of the city, which is tucked up on a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley, and saw the remnants of the cities Arab baths. The concept of the Arab baths is really interesting. Back in the day, when people did not have private baths, they would travel to their cities bathhouses and spend hours, at least 5 hours, steaming, scrubbing, bathing, etc. This outing was seen, not only as a needed cleansing of the body, but also a social gathering. Men would finish business deals, women would gossip and try to find suitors for their daughters. It was quite an event. Furthermore, bathhouses were often by mosques and the revenue from the bathhouses were typically used to fund the mosques. Very interesting. After the town tour, we hopped back on the buses and headed back for Granada. We I got home I went out for dinner and hung out with some Spaniards before retiring home for the evening.
On Sunday, I slept late and did homework most of the day. At lunch I had my first pomegranate. Pomegranate are the fruit of Granada and here are simply called Granadas. It was delicious. In the evening, I headed out to explore the festival of the Virgin that was taking place in Granada. All weekend there have been food tents, vendors, rides, music, etc. all over the city. And yesterday evening there was a big parade. It was a huge procession of priests and church people (I'm not entirely sure who they were) carrying a huge, golden statue of the Virgin and holding candles and crosses. People piled into every tiny corner of the city. There were so many people. My Senora told us that many people from the villages travel to Granada for this weekend. She was not exaggerating because there were more people in the city than I have ever seen. Also, they have this pastry that is traditional to this festival. It basically looks like a huge pizza but is just a huge pastry with cinnamon filling in the middle and sugar on the top. It was delicious. We were told there are other kinds, possible chocolate, but I didn't see any. After the procession, I grabbed a delicious schwarma and stopped by the English bar that has football (norteamericano) before heading home.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
Boy did I have a full weekend. Here's the short version. Woke up about 6:30 am to make to the bus by 7:45. We arrived in Sevilla around 11:30 and walked to los Reales Alcázares, which are the royal places and gardens in Sevilla. The gardens and grounds a los Reales Alcázares are open to the public except when the royal family is in town. Whenever the royal family is in town they shut down the place and house them in the fancy rooms at the palace, which are always shut off to the public. This luxury is available to any member of the royal family or a friend of the royal family, i.e. a diplomat or even an American president. The gardens and grounds were beautiful. It was really interesting to see the mix of art and architecture on the grounds because it was not just catholic art. Although the royalty that built and designed this palace, as well as the royalty still in power, were catholic, there are heavy influences of Islamic art (there are many horseshoe arches), as well as, some Jewish art (there are crosses of David sprinkles throughout the palace). You would think those who lead the Reconquista to rid the Iberian peninsula of the Muslims, and Jews for that matter, would not want any trace of Islam or Judaism in their lives, but that is not so. After the los Reales Alcázares, we went to el Barrio de Santa Cruz, which is where the Catedral de Santa Cruz is housed. Many fun facts about this cathedral. One, it is the third largest cathedral in the world. Two, the tower attached to the cathedral is actually a Islamic tower which previously was attached to the Mosque that later was torn down and made into the cathedral. Three, Sevilla and Kansas City are sister cities. Finally, four, there is a replica Santa Cruz tower on the Plaza in Kansas City. After our tour of the cathedral we had some free time. My friends and I decided to go to the world fair that was in town for dinner. At the fair there were tents from a bunch of different countries with the traditional food from each. We decided to go to the Argentina tent and bought delicious sausages. Then we hit up the France tent and got chocolate crepes. It was all delicious. After that we went to a Flamenco show, which was amazing, and then hit the town for awhile.
On Saturday, we left the hotel around 11 and headed to Ronda. In Ronda we toured the Plaza de toros and Ronda's bullring. We got to see where they keep the bull before the fight and what they do to the bull to rile him up. In the back of the stadium there are tunnels that lead the bull towards the ring with doors that close behind the bull ever so often so he can't retreat. While this is going on, there are guys above taunted and poking the bull with poles, trying to get the bull mad. The idea is, once the bull is finally released, he is so flustered at this point that he will just shoot into the ring at full speed. Pretty cool to see up close. After the tour of the bullring, we went on a tour of the city, which is tucked up on a mountain overlooking a beautiful valley, and saw the remnants of the cities Arab baths. The concept of the Arab baths is really interesting. Back in the day, when people did not have private baths, they would travel to their cities bathhouses and spend hours, at least 5 hours, steaming, scrubbing, bathing, etc. This outing was seen, not only as a needed cleansing of the body, but also a social gathering. Men would finish business deals, women would gossip and try to find suitors for their daughters. It was quite an event. Furthermore, bathhouses were often by mosques and the revenue from the bathhouses were typically used to fund the mosques. Very interesting. After the town tour, we hopped back on the buses and headed back for Granada. We I got home I went out for dinner and hung out with some Spaniards before retiring home for the evening.
On Sunday, I slept late and did homework most of the day. At lunch I had my first pomegranate. Pomegranate are the fruit of Granada and here are simply called Granadas. It was delicious. In the evening, I headed out to explore the festival of the Virgin that was taking place in Granada. All weekend there have been food tents, vendors, rides, music, etc. all over the city. And yesterday evening there was a big parade. It was a huge procession of priests and church people (I'm not entirely sure who they were) carrying a huge, golden statue of the Virgin and holding candles and crosses. People piled into every tiny corner of the city. There were so many people. My Senora told us that many people from the villages travel to Granada for this weekend. She was not exaggerating because there were more people in the city than I have ever seen. Also, they have this pastry that is traditional to this festival. It basically looks like a huge pizza but is just a huge pastry with cinnamon filling in the middle and sugar on the top. It was delicious. We were told there are other kinds, possible chocolate, but I didn't see any. After the procession, I grabbed a delicious schwarma and stopped by the English bar that has football (norteamericano) before heading home.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Flamenco!
Hola,
¡Buenos días! Not much to write about today. Just had a busy day of classes yesterday and a little too late of a night on the town. The only really interesting thing I did was shake my booty at Flamenco class. Class by class we are all beginning to show some signs of knowing what we are doing. We are finally starting to learn routines. It's very exciting! Another exciting fact, since we don't have classes on Fridays, today is basically Friday. Woo! We leave for Sevilla tomorrow and then travel to Ronda on Saturday. We have a weekend packet-full of tours, shows, and visits. It should be fun. I will certainly write of my adventures when I return.
Hasta luego,
Ashley
¡Buenos días! Not much to write about today. Just had a busy day of classes yesterday and a little too late of a night on the town. The only really interesting thing I did was shake my booty at Flamenco class. Class by class we are all beginning to show some signs of knowing what we are doing. We are finally starting to learn routines. It's very exciting! Another exciting fact, since we don't have classes on Fridays, today is basically Friday. Woo! We leave for Sevilla tomorrow and then travel to Ronda on Saturday. We have a weekend packet-full of tours, shows, and visits. It should be fun. I will certainly write of my adventures when I return.
Hasta luego,
Ashley
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
El primer partido de baloncesto
Hola,
Yesterday was yet another busy day in Granada. To think my day would have been anything short of busy is just silly. I had my typical day of class, work out, lunch, siesta, class, then I had my first basketball game, if you could call it that. I walked over 45 minutes to get to the meeting spot (I think I will take the bus next time, although, I have absolutely no idea how the buses work here) where we then walked another 10 or so minutes to the University of Granada´s outdoor sports complex. The have a track, soccer courts and fields, tennis courts, a volleyball gym (but not a basketball gym, no hoops), and an outdoor basketball court. Apparently basketball is not as popular in Spain, or at least Granada, as I thought it was. Like I said, the gym was only set up for volleyball and did not have basketball hoops or basketball lines, that I know of. They do have the outdoor court which, interestingly, is made of bricks. I think that the University of Granada has a basketball team but I have learned that any other basketball clubs are few and far between in this city. Furthermore, for those few teams, it doesn´t sound like basketball starts for them until November or October. A bit depressing but I am going to continue to inquire about this. I think I can go back to the outdoor court whenever I want but I need to round up a ball. The IES, my program, kids just played each other last night as the Spanish students have yet to return to Granada for school. I think the plan is to play Spanish teams next week when they are all back in town. Nevertheless, it was fun. After a long day of walking and exercising, I finally made it home. After chatting with my madre and sharing a delicious fruit which I did not know the name of, I hit the sack, exhausted from a full day in this wonderful city.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
El lunes
Hola,
Yesterday was another busy Monday (lunes). My day went something like this, class, class, workout, lunch, short siesta, class, class, flamenco, its 10:30 at this point, walk home, dinner, homework, bed. Although there are short breaks in my day, I spend those times making the long trek to and from school and around the city. It makes for a long day. I did, however, take a trip to the Alhambra yesterday afternoon for my Islamic Art and Architecture class. We visited King Charles V´s Chapel, which is a beautiful two-story building that was added after the Christians conquered the Alhambra. It is has a huge, circular courtyard in the middle and rooms all along the sides, with a chapel in one of the corners of the building. We were going to visit the Alambra´s museum but it isn´t open on Mondays. Interesting fact: a lot of things are closed on Mondays here. Well, I´m off to a hopefully less busy Tuesday!
Adios,
Ashley
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Nerja
Hola,
What a busy weekend. Here's the a catch up from Wednesday. Thursday was fairly calm. I just had two classes in the morning, lunch, siesta, a killer spinning class, then a night out on the town. Friday I didn't have class and slept in, then rushed to the gym and back home to eat and pack for the Nerja and its lovely beaches. It was pouring rain in Granada, something that rarely happens in the desert-like terrain of southern Spain, and we hopped on a 4 o'clock bus to paradise. It was sunny and warm in the beautiful city of Nerja, just about 2 hours from Granada. About 30 of my closest IES friends and I hopped off the bus and wandered to our quaint little hostel. Different from what the horror-film Hostel portrays, our hostel was nice, clean, and perfect for what we needed. We grabbed some quick food and spent the night at one of our friends hostels that was basically an apartment.
On Saturday, we got up fairly early and walked to la playa burriana. At this beautiful beach we went sea kayaking! It was amazing. We each got our own kayak and paddled out along the rocks along the coast of Nerja. It was so beautiful and actually a great workout. I found out that my upbringing in the center of the United States, a bit detached from any large body of water, has not prepared me well for kayaking, furthermore, kayaking at sea. It would be an understatement to say I need practice. Nevertheless, it was absolutely beautiful and really fun. The water was the perfect temperature, cool but not too cold, and the weather was perfect as well. After sea kayaking we went to an all-you-can-eat paella restaurant on the beach. (Paella is a delicious Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings.) The owner of this restaurant is a genius. There were about five guys making insane amounts of paella in bulk on the biggest pan I have ever seen and then just shoveling it onto each persons plate. It was 6 euros and you could eat as much paella as you wanted. It was fantastic! After paella we lounged on the beach for the rest of the afternoon before heading back to our hostel for a calm night on our personal rooftop terrace.
Today, we woke up early, hit the beach for a couple of hours, then caught the 2:30 bus home. Two hours later, I made it back the la casa de María Carmen and plan on having a relaxing Sunday night. Perhaps a picnic dinner and ice cream later.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
What a busy weekend. Here's the a catch up from Wednesday. Thursday was fairly calm. I just had two classes in the morning, lunch, siesta, a killer spinning class, then a night out on the town. Friday I didn't have class and slept in, then rushed to the gym and back home to eat and pack for the Nerja and its lovely beaches. It was pouring rain in Granada, something that rarely happens in the desert-like terrain of southern Spain, and we hopped on a 4 o'clock bus to paradise. It was sunny and warm in the beautiful city of Nerja, just about 2 hours from Granada. About 30 of my closest IES friends and I hopped off the bus and wandered to our quaint little hostel. Different from what the horror-film Hostel portrays, our hostel was nice, clean, and perfect for what we needed. We grabbed some quick food and spent the night at one of our friends hostels that was basically an apartment.
On Saturday, we got up fairly early and walked to la playa burriana. At this beautiful beach we went sea kayaking! It was amazing. We each got our own kayak and paddled out along the rocks along the coast of Nerja. It was so beautiful and actually a great workout. I found out that my upbringing in the center of the United States, a bit detached from any large body of water, has not prepared me well for kayaking, furthermore, kayaking at sea. It would be an understatement to say I need practice. Nevertheless, it was absolutely beautiful and really fun. The water was the perfect temperature, cool but not too cold, and the weather was perfect as well. After sea kayaking we went to an all-you-can-eat paella restaurant on the beach. (Paella is a delicious Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings.) The owner of this restaurant is a genius. There were about five guys making insane amounts of paella in bulk on the biggest pan I have ever seen and then just shoveling it onto each persons plate. It was 6 euros and you could eat as much paella as you wanted. It was fantastic! After paella we lounged on the beach for the rest of the afternoon before heading back to our hostel for a calm night on our personal rooftop terrace.
Today, we woke up early, hit the beach for a couple of hours, then caught the 2:30 bus home. Two hours later, I made it back the la casa de María Carmen and plan on having a relaxing Sunday night. Perhaps a picnic dinner and ice cream later.
Hasta luego!
Ashley
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Danza del vientre
hola,
Today was another fun-filled day in Granada. I had one class in the morning before heading to the gym for a belly dancing class! (Called Danza del vientre in Españal.) It was actually really hard and I need a lot of practice. Shakira makes it look easy, but don´t let her fool you, it´s definitely not. After that class and lifting, I headed home for la short lunch and siesta. After that, I had my first visit for my Islamic Art and Architecture class. For the first day we just toured the city and discussed Islamic rimnents we saw in the cities center and others that were previously there but had been torn down. It was really interesting to see how much of a Muslin influence in Granada there still is today and realize how much of it was torn down or reconstructed when the Christians took over. This city has certainly been transformed over the years. For example, the river that runs through the city used to be completely open-air and had several bridges passing over it. Now, that river is covered by a road and runs underground. After that, I had one more class and then Flamenco class. Boy do I love that class. I am really bad right now but it´s so much fun. I´m pretty sure part of my final exam is to perform a dance. I´m so excited. After that, we hit the town for a little while. This is the city that never sleeps. Now it´s time for bed.
Hasta!
Ashley
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Ciclo Indoor
Hola,
Yesterday (Tuesday) was a bit more calm but busy nonetheless. I had Spanish class in the morning then I went to a Spinning, or ciclo indoor, class at my gym. It was so hard! I definitely will have to go to another one. Then lunch and a short siesta and I headed back to IES for my second class, Regional Development in the EU. The professor for this class a nice, old Spanish professor from the University of Granada. He speaks very clearly and slow so we can understand. I think this class may be able to give me an much wanted insight on why Grandinos and Spaniards do the things they do, like spend all their money on clothes and tapas and save very little, or, why they don´t use air conditioning. Interesting topics. After that, I got the books and photocopies I needed (many of our books for these classes are sent to the fotocopia for printing, then we just buy the copied version of the book for 5-10 euros. Not sure how those copyrights laws apply to this but its good for us.), I hung out at a tapas bar with some friends and headed home. Not too crazy.
Hasta luego,
Ashley
Monday, September 13, 2010
Centro Wellness Neptuna
Hola,
It has been a busy couple of days. On Sunday, my roommate and I went to our wonderful gym, Centro Wellness Neptuna, for the very first time. Like I previously said, our gym has just about everything! One thing it does not have, however, are the weights measured in pounds. This minute detail took me about 20 minutes into my lift to figure out. Twenty minutes of wonder why the Spaniards used such light weights (the highest weight said 20, whereas, we have 45s in the states) and if they really lifted at all here. There I was totally thinking I was putting on 25 lbs. to each side of the bar, when in reality I was loading 25 kilograms to each side, which is over twice that amount (1 kg=2.2lbs). Having no idea of this fact at the time, I kind of had to guess my way through the lift. After working out, my roommate and I wanted to try to find this flee market up in the Albaicin, which is in the Arabic, gypsy part of town, that we had heard about. We ended up just wandering around in the steep winding streets of the Albaicin for awhile, to no avail. After a long morning of walking and working out, we retired to our apartment for lunch and a very long and relaxing afternoon. That evening we partook in Spain´s version of McDonalds, schwarmas, which are sandwich-like wraps of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or a mixture thereof. They are delicious. Afterwards we had some amazing tea and then headed home.
Yesterday (Monday), was much busier. It was the first day of real classes, of which I had five. My day went something like this. Wake up at 7:15, eat breakfast, walk to school (a 30 minute walk when we are speed walking, easily a 40-45 wake at a regular pace), class, class, go to the gym to work out, lunch, walk back to school, class, class, class, tapas dinner, and then it was midnight and exhaustion ensued. Mondays are going to be quite busy but I like it that way. I really enjoy all my classes, particularly my Arab World and the West class, which, already on the first day, charged into a heated debate about the building of the Mosque in New York near Ground Zero and the intentions of the Islamic community. I loved it. Also, my last class of the day, Flamenco, was amazing. For Flamenco, we have dance class on Mondays and Wednesdays and lecture on Thursdays. So last night we had dance class at a tiny little dance studio off the beaten path and it was so much fun! We all were horrible but I already know I am going to love it. The teacher is this tiny Spanish woman with a lot of energy that is great to work with. It´s going to be great.
Off to more classes today. Only two though, which wil be nice. Hasta luego!
Ashley
Saturday, September 11, 2010
El fin de semana
Hola,
The last couple of days have been quite busy. Thursday we had class in the morning again and then our written exam in the evening. After our exams we all decided to grab some tapas and hit the town with our new found sense of freedom. A good solid day. Friday morning we had class again but only for half the time and it was on the rooftop terrace of the IES Center where we have class. It has the most amazing view of the beautiful white Carmens. The Center is a beautiful building in general. From the outside, it looks a little rundown, old, and not anything special. On the inside, however, it is beautiful and has so much character. You walk into a small, very serene courtyard with a fountain. There are three more floors above it and the walkout terrace on top. There is beautiful old tiling everywhere and amazing french doors. It is ancient but beautiful. Anyways, it was nice to have class up there and it went by fast. After class we had a reception with our new professors, which my roommate and I didn't stay at for long. That afternoon I had my oral exam, which was easy and went fairly well I think. After my exam I did a little shopping, my first since I have been there, and loved every minute of it. I have distinctly observed two things the Spaniards do often: eat out and shop. The streets are always full of shoppers and Spaniards are always eating out. Furthermore, they love their zapatos, or shoes. I'm pretty sure there are more shoe stores in this city than clothes stores, and, believe me, there are many clothes stores here. It's crazy. After some shopping we went out for tapas and went to a rock festival that was near my apartment. It was a very interesting scene. It was basically a big punk rockish concert with crazy moshing and a carnival on the side. Right by the concert there were a bunch of kiddy rides and food/drink stands set up everywhere. A little bit random but fun. We hung out fairly late then went home.
Today we attempted to explore the Alhambra, the Moorish palace and fortress in Granada, but realized you have to pay to get into the main part. My art class I am taking will visit the Alhambra many times this semester, so we decided not to pay. It was still fun and we did a little more perusing and shopping after our exploration. My roommate and I decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home to buy some groceries. The grocery stores in Spain are much different from the grocery stores in the states. For one, they close pretty early-- 9 o'clock. Not only is that a little early for me, given that many grocery stores in the states stay open later than that, plus, you have wal-mart that stays open all the time, it is actually really early in Spain. Although restaurants and stores stay open extremely late, grocery stores in Spain close pretty early. This being said, there was a mad rush at about 830 when we got there. It was absolutely packed with people running around like crazy animals. I have never seen anything like it. Also, there were two floors, one with fresh produce, meat, and fish, and one with everything else. Another difference is the kinds of food they sell. The fruit in Spain is great but, aside from that, the selection at the grocery store was very slim. They have their basic fruits, vegetables, meat, and bread, but after that they have very little else, hardly any snacky foods. I guess I never really understood how spoiled we are in the states with all our variety and options. This lack of snacky, processed food is probably another reason the Spaniards are so slim. Needless to say, it was a really fun experience and Danielle and I were inspired to stay home and eat our newly purchased food. I really love the, I guess, cured ham that is popular here, it looks raw but it's not. I love it and plan on having ham sandwiches like every night.
We are having an early night tonight because we are going to work out at our wonderful new gym we just joined. It is the nicest gym I have every seen. Not only do they have your basic weights and elipticals, but they have two pools, a bunch of workout rooms, trainers, and the offer like every class you can think of (spinning, salsa, flamenco, cardio, yoga, pilates, etc.). We are so excited! Funny that my early nights here end at like 1 or 2 a.m. It's definitely going to need some getting used to.
Hasta luego,
Ashley
The last couple of days have been quite busy. Thursday we had class in the morning again and then our written exam in the evening. After our exams we all decided to grab some tapas and hit the town with our new found sense of freedom. A good solid day. Friday morning we had class again but only for half the time and it was on the rooftop terrace of the IES Center where we have class. It has the most amazing view of the beautiful white Carmens. The Center is a beautiful building in general. From the outside, it looks a little rundown, old, and not anything special. On the inside, however, it is beautiful and has so much character. You walk into a small, very serene courtyard with a fountain. There are three more floors above it and the walkout terrace on top. There is beautiful old tiling everywhere and amazing french doors. It is ancient but beautiful. Anyways, it was nice to have class up there and it went by fast. After class we had a reception with our new professors, which my roommate and I didn't stay at for long. That afternoon I had my oral exam, which was easy and went fairly well I think. After my exam I did a little shopping, my first since I have been there, and loved every minute of it. I have distinctly observed two things the Spaniards do often: eat out and shop. The streets are always full of shoppers and Spaniards are always eating out. Furthermore, they love their zapatos, or shoes. I'm pretty sure there are more shoe stores in this city than clothes stores, and, believe me, there are many clothes stores here. It's crazy. After some shopping we went out for tapas and went to a rock festival that was near my apartment. It was a very interesting scene. It was basically a big punk rockish concert with crazy moshing and a carnival on the side. Right by the concert there were a bunch of kiddy rides and food/drink stands set up everywhere. A little bit random but fun. We hung out fairly late then went home.
Today we attempted to explore the Alhambra, the Moorish palace and fortress in Granada, but realized you have to pay to get into the main part. My art class I am taking will visit the Alhambra many times this semester, so we decided not to pay. It was still fun and we did a little more perusing and shopping after our exploration. My roommate and I decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home to buy some groceries. The grocery stores in Spain are much different from the grocery stores in the states. For one, they close pretty early-- 9 o'clock. Not only is that a little early for me, given that many grocery stores in the states stay open later than that, plus, you have wal-mart that stays open all the time, it is actually really early in Spain. Although restaurants and stores stay open extremely late, grocery stores in Spain close pretty early. This being said, there was a mad rush at about 830 when we got there. It was absolutely packed with people running around like crazy animals. I have never seen anything like it. Also, there were two floors, one with fresh produce, meat, and fish, and one with everything else. Another difference is the kinds of food they sell. The fruit in Spain is great but, aside from that, the selection at the grocery store was very slim. They have their basic fruits, vegetables, meat, and bread, but after that they have very little else, hardly any snacky foods. I guess I never really understood how spoiled we are in the states with all our variety and options. This lack of snacky, processed food is probably another reason the Spaniards are so slim. Needless to say, it was a really fun experience and Danielle and I were inspired to stay home and eat our newly purchased food. I really love the, I guess, cured ham that is popular here, it looks raw but it's not. I love it and plan on having ham sandwiches like every night.
We are having an early night tonight because we are going to work out at our wonderful new gym we just joined. It is the nicest gym I have every seen. Not only do they have your basic weights and elipticals, but they have two pools, a bunch of workout rooms, trainers, and the offer like every class you can think of (spinning, salsa, flamenco, cardio, yoga, pilates, etc.). We are so excited! Funny that my early nights here end at like 1 or 2 a.m. It's definitely going to need some getting used to.
Hasta luego,
Ashley
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Luna de miel
Hola,
Today was another fairly calm day in Granada, as calm as the Granadinos get that is. I learned today Spain is the second loudest city in the world, after Japan. If you walked the streets or stepped into an apartment you would not doubt this fun fact. They never stop talking or walking or just being active. It is fun, I suppose, but a bit overwhelming at times as well. I don't think quiet time is much of a concept here. No one goes to a restaurante to just sit and drink coffee alone or read a book. They always go in at least pairs but funny enough rarely go in groups larger than about five. Large groups here point out the Americans. This is bad for mis amigos y yo because we all like each other so much and don't want to split up when we go out for daily tapas and dinner, however, we really should start doing that. Another fun fact is that Spaniards don't value their manners much. That really is not true but it is true that manners in Spain have a much different meaning than manners in America. Here, when you ask for something you don't say please and when you receive something you don't say thank you. These phrases again mark us Americanos out as foreigners. They just don't say these things. When they ask for a sandwich at a restaurant the say "Dame un bocadillo," meaning "Give me a sandwich." In English this would sound rude but this is culturally acceptable and the norm in Spain. Furthermore, when a Spaniard bumps into someone on the street or needs to pass someone, the don't say excuse me, they simply pass on or push through without saying a word. This is going to be a little difficult to get used to.
Anywho, back to my day. We again had class from 9-2 and then returned home after for our lunch and siesta. Today we had a yummy I think beef and vegetable soup accompanied by gazpacho, a Spanish specialty that is kind of like a cold tomato soup and is quite popular in España. The soup was delicious but I was a little unsure of the gazpacho. It was a bit strong and I'm not quite a fan of cold soup but I tried it like a champ and will continue to be adventurous when it comes to Spanish food. A short siesta later and I was back at school to meet with our program director to figure out my schedule and attend a culture shock info. meeting with a psychologist. My schedule is going to be great. Flamenco, Regional Development in the EU, The Arab World and the West, Islamic Art and Architecture, and a Spanish language class. I'm very excited. Next I went to the culture shock meeting and learned that there are four stages of culture shock: excitement, withdrawal, adjustment, and enthusiasm. They are relatively self-explanatory but I am most certainly in the excitement, or honeymoon (luna de miel in Spanish), stage where everything is great, I love everyone and can't remember why I was ever nervous to come here in the first place. The downside is that the withdrawal stage, where the honeymoon wears off and fear, frustration, homesickness, etc. come raining down, will inevitably come at some point. Let's hope that passes fast, like the psychiatrist said it can, and I move right in to adjusting to the new culture and hop straight to the enthusiasm stage where I love my new living situation and have adjusted accordingly. We'll see.
After the culture shock meeting, we went on another paseo, or walk/tour, of the city. This time we went up into the area where the gitanos, or gypsies, live and where there are also many carmens winding up the roads. This area is up in the hilly, mountainous area at the edge of the city where gypsies live in caves. It was very interesting. Also, we learned that gypsies in Granada are a completely different ethnicity than the Granadinos. Gypsies not only live a different lifestyle but they actually look differently and come from different blood than the other Spaniards in the city. They are not just simply poor Granadinos that decided to go up into the mountains and live this unconventional lifestyle, as we all thought before. A weird characteristic of the gypsies is that they come up to you on the streets and try to force you to take something from them and then they make you pay it. They won't touch you but they will get in your personal space and get about as close to you as they can, trying to get you to instinctively take their flowers, bracelets, etc. So if you are ever in Spain, beware of the gypsies! There are also many fun looking cave bars that are built into the hilly roads beneath the carmens. They have flamenco in them some nights and look really fun but we learned that it would not be safe to go to them without Spaniards with you. Increasing our demand for Spanish friends. After our walk through the gypsy area we strolled down the hills to have tapas and ice cream before we walked home. Another fun fact, the ice cream store we went to, called Los italianos, has recently become famous due to a visit made by Michelle Obama this summer. Kind of cool, I suppose.
That's all I have tonight. Cross your fingers that I stay in my luna de miel for as long as I can.
¡Salud!
Ashley
Today was another fairly calm day in Granada, as calm as the Granadinos get that is. I learned today Spain is the second loudest city in the world, after Japan. If you walked the streets or stepped into an apartment you would not doubt this fun fact. They never stop talking or walking or just being active. It is fun, I suppose, but a bit overwhelming at times as well. I don't think quiet time is much of a concept here. No one goes to a restaurante to just sit and drink coffee alone or read a book. They always go in at least pairs but funny enough rarely go in groups larger than about five. Large groups here point out the Americans. This is bad for mis amigos y yo because we all like each other so much and don't want to split up when we go out for daily tapas and dinner, however, we really should start doing that. Another fun fact is that Spaniards don't value their manners much. That really is not true but it is true that manners in Spain have a much different meaning than manners in America. Here, when you ask for something you don't say please and when you receive something you don't say thank you. These phrases again mark us Americanos out as foreigners. They just don't say these things. When they ask for a sandwich at a restaurant the say "Dame un bocadillo," meaning "Give me a sandwich." In English this would sound rude but this is culturally acceptable and the norm in Spain. Furthermore, when a Spaniard bumps into someone on the street or needs to pass someone, the don't say excuse me, they simply pass on or push through without saying a word. This is going to be a little difficult to get used to.
Anywho, back to my day. We again had class from 9-2 and then returned home after for our lunch and siesta. Today we had a yummy I think beef and vegetable soup accompanied by gazpacho, a Spanish specialty that is kind of like a cold tomato soup and is quite popular in España. The soup was delicious but I was a little unsure of the gazpacho. It was a bit strong and I'm not quite a fan of cold soup but I tried it like a champ and will continue to be adventurous when it comes to Spanish food. A short siesta later and I was back at school to meet with our program director to figure out my schedule and attend a culture shock info. meeting with a psychologist. My schedule is going to be great. Flamenco, Regional Development in the EU, The Arab World and the West, Islamic Art and Architecture, and a Spanish language class. I'm very excited. Next I went to the culture shock meeting and learned that there are four stages of culture shock: excitement, withdrawal, adjustment, and enthusiasm. They are relatively self-explanatory but I am most certainly in the excitement, or honeymoon (luna de miel in Spanish), stage where everything is great, I love everyone and can't remember why I was ever nervous to come here in the first place. The downside is that the withdrawal stage, where the honeymoon wears off and fear, frustration, homesickness, etc. come raining down, will inevitably come at some point. Let's hope that passes fast, like the psychiatrist said it can, and I move right in to adjusting to the new culture and hop straight to the enthusiasm stage where I love my new living situation and have adjusted accordingly. We'll see.
After the culture shock meeting, we went on another paseo, or walk/tour, of the city. This time we went up into the area where the gitanos, or gypsies, live and where there are also many carmens winding up the roads. This area is up in the hilly, mountainous area at the edge of the city where gypsies live in caves. It was very interesting. Also, we learned that gypsies in Granada are a completely different ethnicity than the Granadinos. Gypsies not only live a different lifestyle but they actually look differently and come from different blood than the other Spaniards in the city. They are not just simply poor Granadinos that decided to go up into the mountains and live this unconventional lifestyle, as we all thought before. A weird characteristic of the gypsies is that they come up to you on the streets and try to force you to take something from them and then they make you pay it. They won't touch you but they will get in your personal space and get about as close to you as they can, trying to get you to instinctively take their flowers, bracelets, etc. So if you are ever in Spain, beware of the gypsies! There are also many fun looking cave bars that are built into the hilly roads beneath the carmens. They have flamenco in them some nights and look really fun but we learned that it would not be safe to go to them without Spaniards with you. Increasing our demand for Spanish friends. After our walk through the gypsy area we strolled down the hills to have tapas and ice cream before we walked home. Another fun fact, the ice cream store we went to, called Los italianos, has recently become famous due to a visit made by Michelle Obama this summer. Kind of cool, I suppose.
That's all I have tonight. Cross your fingers that I stay in my luna de miel for as long as I can.
¡Salud!
Ashley
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Cabo de Gata
Hola chicos,
The last couple days have been kind of a whirlwind and have resulted in my lack of blogging, but I'll try to catch you up. We didn't do much Sunday. Given that my head did not hit the pillow until at least 5 a.m., maybe later, I did not wake up very early. Only a couple hours until la comida, or lunch, I stayed cooped up in my room. After that, my roommate and I were ambitious and decided to go on an adventure and explore Granada. It was about 3:30 and during the siesta but we didn't care. We were ready to explore. Our Senora warned that it would be very hot but we went anyways. Boy was she right. 95 degrees does not feel so good when there is no shade anywhere and nothing is open since we embarked in our journey right in the smack dab of the siesta. Furthermore, it was a Sunday and the Spaniards, quite unlike Americans, actually do rest on this day. The typically don't even leave the house. After about an hour and a half we gave up and retreated back to our shaded, although not air-conditioned, apartamento. We then found out we have a pool in our apartment complex, however, the water was very cold and at about 5 in the afternoon it was completely covered in shade. After a short hang out at our pool we decided to finally take our siesta. The thing is, 6 o'clock in the evening is really a horrible time to take a nap and resulted in a very tough time falling asleep after our cena, or dinner, that evening. But we made it work and made it through our first domingo (Sunday) in Granada.
Yesterday (Monday) was quite a day. We were told we were going to "hike along the coast of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, stopping at beaches along the way...a long walk, but not extremely difficult." I suppose a Spaniards idea of a nice easy walk is different than lazy Americans who drive five minutes down the road, but I don't think I am out of line in saying that this was a bit of a false pretense. This being said, we took about a two hour bus ride to Cabo de Gata and were driven part of the way up some rolling hills/mountains and dropped off. From there we hiked, up mostly, for awhile. At one point we literally hiked straight up for at least a half mile, probably more. You should know also, that this part of the hike was not trails but a road and a very narrow, winding road at that. Imagine about 75 kids on a very steep, narrow, winding road. Kind of a funny thought. Anways, after walking up the hill/mountain for what seemed like a very long time, we began to descend to our first beach. It was beautiful! It was at least in the 90s, I'm sure, and hiking made us all very hot, so we were more than ready to jump in the beautiful, clear, warm Mediterranean Sea. It as amazing, just cool enough to cool off our very hot bodies but not too cold that it wasn't absolutely pleasant. Several beach goers did not have all of there swim suits and trunks on. You could say it was a new experience. After about an hour and a half we put our tennis shoes back on and began to hike again. This part of the hike involved climbing through sandy desert-like terrain and literally scaling the side of a mountain. We were on the side of a cliff and most certainly rock climbing at this point as our only other option was to risk slipping off the side of the cliff.
After making it down the side of the mountain, we stopped at an all nude beach. If we weren't exposed to the Spaniards before, we were then. This beach, however, was more secluded and absolutely just as wonderful as the first. we stayed for a little while longer and hiked up some more straight up mountains through some more sand. At this point we were all extremely thirsty, very hungry and tired, and most weren't extremely burnt. After passing one more beach and climbing some more winding roads to a small town with many beautiful white carmens, we stopped at a little pizzeria. Next came the never-ending dinner. First we had appetizers: salad, vegetable plate, two kinds of lasagna. Then three different kinds of pizzas: vegetable, sardine, then ham and egg. Lastly, we had what I later heard was lamb but I thought was chicken and potatoes. This all for a table of six people. You could say we were all stuffed. A two-hour bus ride and a good shower later and I was ready for bed. Fun fact: Spaniards take fast showers due to their never-ending drought, which means you rinse to get yourself wet then turn off the shower. Shampoo and lather, then you rinse and turn off the shower again. Condition and rinse, etc., etc. You get the point. It's going to need some getting used to.
Today was fairly uneventful. We had class from 9-2 then our comida and siesta, which consisted of a delicious paella (a very popular Spanish rice dish) with lamb and a much need 30-minute nap. After that we had class from 5-8 and just went to dinner directly after and came home. On the way home we grabbed some helado, or ice cream, which is absolutely delicious here. They have so many unique flavors we do not have in the states, the chocolate is even better. We are determined to have every flavor while we are here but are a bit concerned since we have recently learned that Spaniards stop selling ice cream after September. We are very sad. After ice cream we decided we would indulge our somewhat lonely Senora and paint our nails in the salón, or living room, with her. While we were in there we watched a Spanish version of a cross between Jerry Springer and The View, called Enimigos intimos. It was crazy, hilarious, and very entertaining. I can't say I didn't like it. All I know is that poor Isabela Pantoja has recently been very wronged.
Now it is time for bed after another lovely day in this lovely city.
Buenas suertes,
Ashley
The last couple days have been kind of a whirlwind and have resulted in my lack of blogging, but I'll try to catch you up. We didn't do much Sunday. Given that my head did not hit the pillow until at least 5 a.m., maybe later, I did not wake up very early. Only a couple hours until la comida, or lunch, I stayed cooped up in my room. After that, my roommate and I were ambitious and decided to go on an adventure and explore Granada. It was about 3:30 and during the siesta but we didn't care. We were ready to explore. Our Senora warned that it would be very hot but we went anyways. Boy was she right. 95 degrees does not feel so good when there is no shade anywhere and nothing is open since we embarked in our journey right in the smack dab of the siesta. Furthermore, it was a Sunday and the Spaniards, quite unlike Americans, actually do rest on this day. The typically don't even leave the house. After about an hour and a half we gave up and retreated back to our shaded, although not air-conditioned, apartamento. We then found out we have a pool in our apartment complex, however, the water was very cold and at about 5 in the afternoon it was completely covered in shade. After a short hang out at our pool we decided to finally take our siesta. The thing is, 6 o'clock in the evening is really a horrible time to take a nap and resulted in a very tough time falling asleep after our cena, or dinner, that evening. But we made it work and made it through our first domingo (Sunday) in Granada.
Yesterday (Monday) was quite a day. We were told we were going to "hike along the coast of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, stopping at beaches along the way...a long walk, but not extremely difficult." I suppose a Spaniards idea of a nice easy walk is different than lazy Americans who drive five minutes down the road, but I don't think I am out of line in saying that this was a bit of a false pretense. This being said, we took about a two hour bus ride to Cabo de Gata and were driven part of the way up some rolling hills/mountains and dropped off. From there we hiked, up mostly, for awhile. At one point we literally hiked straight up for at least a half mile, probably more. You should know also, that this part of the hike was not trails but a road and a very narrow, winding road at that. Imagine about 75 kids on a very steep, narrow, winding road. Kind of a funny thought. Anways, after walking up the hill/mountain for what seemed like a very long time, we began to descend to our first beach. It was beautiful! It was at least in the 90s, I'm sure, and hiking made us all very hot, so we were more than ready to jump in the beautiful, clear, warm Mediterranean Sea. It as amazing, just cool enough to cool off our very hot bodies but not too cold that it wasn't absolutely pleasant. Several beach goers did not have all of there swim suits and trunks on. You could say it was a new experience. After about an hour and a half we put our tennis shoes back on and began to hike again. This part of the hike involved climbing through sandy desert-like terrain and literally scaling the side of a mountain. We were on the side of a cliff and most certainly rock climbing at this point as our only other option was to risk slipping off the side of the cliff.
After making it down the side of the mountain, we stopped at an all nude beach. If we weren't exposed to the Spaniards before, we were then. This beach, however, was more secluded and absolutely just as wonderful as the first. we stayed for a little while longer and hiked up some more straight up mountains through some more sand. At this point we were all extremely thirsty, very hungry and tired, and most weren't extremely burnt. After passing one more beach and climbing some more winding roads to a small town with many beautiful white carmens, we stopped at a little pizzeria. Next came the never-ending dinner. First we had appetizers: salad, vegetable plate, two kinds of lasagna. Then three different kinds of pizzas: vegetable, sardine, then ham and egg. Lastly, we had what I later heard was lamb but I thought was chicken and potatoes. This all for a table of six people. You could say we were all stuffed. A two-hour bus ride and a good shower later and I was ready for bed. Fun fact: Spaniards take fast showers due to their never-ending drought, which means you rinse to get yourself wet then turn off the shower. Shampoo and lather, then you rinse and turn off the shower again. Condition and rinse, etc., etc. You get the point. It's going to need some getting used to.
Today was fairly uneventful. We had class from 9-2 then our comida and siesta, which consisted of a delicious paella (a very popular Spanish rice dish) with lamb and a much need 30-minute nap. After that we had class from 5-8 and just went to dinner directly after and came home. On the way home we grabbed some helado, or ice cream, which is absolutely delicious here. They have so many unique flavors we do not have in the states, the chocolate is even better. We are determined to have every flavor while we are here but are a bit concerned since we have recently learned that Spaniards stop selling ice cream after September. We are very sad. After ice cream we decided we would indulge our somewhat lonely Senora and paint our nails in the salón, or living room, with her. While we were in there we watched a Spanish version of a cross between Jerry Springer and The View, called Enimigos intimos. It was crazy, hilarious, and very entertaining. I can't say I didn't like it. All I know is that poor Isabela Pantoja has recently been very wronged.
Now it is time for bed after another lovely day in this lovely city.
Buenas suertes,
Ashley
Sunday, September 5, 2010
En Granada, todo es posible.
Hola,
Yesterday was our first full day in Granada. Boy was my mind blown. First off everyone walks everywhere here, which explains why there are very few overweight individuals. Our day started at eight o'clock with my Senora rushes us through breakfast and out the door, telling us to walk fast, very fast. She is wonderful, in a full of energy, never stops talking kind of way. Although I don't understand everything she has to say, it really is not a problem because with a simple head nod or a "Sí, sí" she is on to her next long explanation or tangent. It's great. At some point I am determined to end her long dialogues and turn them in to conversations. I'm confident my roommate and I can do it, but it certainly will take some time and getting used to. So after we were whisked out of the apartment, María Carmen (my Senora's name), walked us to school like little first graders on their first day of school. It was precious. I loved every minute of it. We met up with four other girls in our program on the way to the IES Center who coincidentally live in our apartment as well. I also found out later that one of the boys from Grinnell lives right down the hallway also. Crazy! Following our walk to school, we spent the day in Spanish class, working on the basics and simple survival tactics in Granada, as well as touring the IES Center, which is gorgeous and had the most amazing view from the rooftop terrace.
At 2 our classes ended and we headed home for our lunch prepared my María Carmen. It was a yummy creamy soup, chicken, salad, and fruit. We eat so much fruit! It is amazing. Apart from the typical apples, pears, bananas, oranges, we eat fresh figs (which beat fig newtons any day!) these small yellow plum things (not sure what they are called), and several other interesting and fresh fruits that grow here in Granada. After lunch we happily engaged in our first siesta! Boy do the Spaniards have is right. Not only are naps in the afternoon socially acceptable, but they are the social norm and everyone takes them. How wonderful! After our siesta, my roommate and I hit the streets of Granada. She needed a computer charger, so we set out to find one. Our first true test of navigating the city all on our own, with no idea where we were going. We successfully found the Mac story, with some help from some employees at El Corte Ingles and a map of course, only to find it closed because we were on the tail end of the daily seista when most stores are closed. Go figure. Such a different and interesting concept. After our adventure came to a halt we navigated the streets back to the IES Center. where we were to meet for our tour with our Professora. We toured the area by the Center. which is an Arab community in which many gypsies live as well. This was my favorite part of the day. It was beautiful. This area is a steep winding labyrinth of gorgeous white houses, or Carmens as they call them here, with amazing wooden front doors and beautiful courtyards. They are absolutely amazing and I would love nothing more than to live in one someday. At the top of the labyrinth was the most beautiful view of the city and of the Alhambra, which is a humongous Moorish palace and fortress. Breathtaking is all that can be said to describe this view and tour.
After our amazing tour, we traveled back down the winding streets and headed off for some tapas, such a great concept. Here in Spain, if you buy a drink, say a beer, wine, or even coke, you get a free tapa, which is kind of like a little appetizer of some sort. I got two drinks and two tapas for 4 euro last night. Granted, this doesn't quite fill you up, but it is very cheap and a nice way to spend your evening. After tapas, which I would like to add, typically range from about 9 to midnight in Spain, we headed home to get ready for our night which started at midnight. The crazy thing is midnight is actually an early night to go out in Spain. I have heard some clubs don't even open until 2 or 3. A handful of hours later we ended a wonderful day.
All I can say is that, as the Granadadinos say, "En Granada, todo es posible." I couldn't agree more!
xoxo,
Ashley
Yesterday was our first full day in Granada. Boy was my mind blown. First off everyone walks everywhere here, which explains why there are very few overweight individuals. Our day started at eight o'clock with my Senora rushes us through breakfast and out the door, telling us to walk fast, very fast. She is wonderful, in a full of energy, never stops talking kind of way. Although I don't understand everything she has to say, it really is not a problem because with a simple head nod or a "Sí, sí" she is on to her next long explanation or tangent. It's great. At some point I am determined to end her long dialogues and turn them in to conversations. I'm confident my roommate and I can do it, but it certainly will take some time and getting used to. So after we were whisked out of the apartment, María Carmen (my Senora's name), walked us to school like little first graders on their first day of school. It was precious. I loved every minute of it. We met up with four other girls in our program on the way to the IES Center who coincidentally live in our apartment as well. I also found out later that one of the boys from Grinnell lives right down the hallway also. Crazy! Following our walk to school, we spent the day in Spanish class, working on the basics and simple survival tactics in Granada, as well as touring the IES Center, which is gorgeous and had the most amazing view from the rooftop terrace.
At 2 our classes ended and we headed home for our lunch prepared my María Carmen. It was a yummy creamy soup, chicken, salad, and fruit. We eat so much fruit! It is amazing. Apart from the typical apples, pears, bananas, oranges, we eat fresh figs (which beat fig newtons any day!) these small yellow plum things (not sure what they are called), and several other interesting and fresh fruits that grow here in Granada. After lunch we happily engaged in our first siesta! Boy do the Spaniards have is right. Not only are naps in the afternoon socially acceptable, but they are the social norm and everyone takes them. How wonderful! After our siesta, my roommate and I hit the streets of Granada. She needed a computer charger, so we set out to find one. Our first true test of navigating the city all on our own, with no idea where we were going. We successfully found the Mac story, with some help from some employees at El Corte Ingles and a map of course, only to find it closed because we were on the tail end of the daily seista when most stores are closed. Go figure. Such a different and interesting concept. After our adventure came to a halt we navigated the streets back to the IES Center. where we were to meet for our tour with our Professora. We toured the area by the Center. which is an Arab community in which many gypsies live as well. This was my favorite part of the day. It was beautiful. This area is a steep winding labyrinth of gorgeous white houses, or Carmens as they call them here, with amazing wooden front doors and beautiful courtyards. They are absolutely amazing and I would love nothing more than to live in one someday. At the top of the labyrinth was the most beautiful view of the city and of the Alhambra, which is a humongous Moorish palace and fortress. Breathtaking is all that can be said to describe this view and tour.
After our amazing tour, we traveled back down the winding streets and headed off for some tapas, such a great concept. Here in Spain, if you buy a drink, say a beer, wine, or even coke, you get a free tapa, which is kind of like a little appetizer of some sort. I got two drinks and two tapas for 4 euro last night. Granted, this doesn't quite fill you up, but it is very cheap and a nice way to spend your evening. After tapas, which I would like to add, typically range from about 9 to midnight in Spain, we headed home to get ready for our night which started at midnight. The crazy thing is midnight is actually an early night to go out in Spain. I have heard some clubs don't even open until 2 or 3. A handful of hours later we ended a wonderful day.
All I can say is that, as the Granadadinos say, "En Granada, todo es posible." I couldn't agree more!
xoxo,
Ashley
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Mi senora
Mi Senora
Hola,
I met my Senora (house mom) today. She is a lovely lady, who speaks often and quickly. Right now my roommate and I are doing our best to pretend we understand every word that comes out of her mouth. That is, however, quite far from the truth. I understand about half and at this point am more concerned with understanding what she says than making many worthwhile comments. I will try to talk to her more tomorrow, I suppose. The apartment I am living in is small but very nice. I have my own room with a desk and plenty of space. Having no air-conditioning will take some getting used to but I don't think it will be too bad. I learned today that Spaniards sometimes have two breakfasts, one early and another a couple hours later. Boy did I pick a good place to study. Everyone I have met is so nice. Like I said, I met like ten or so kids at the Madrid airport before we even got to Malaga (where we stayed last night before traveling by bus to Granada), and everyone else I have met are great too. I haven't met anyone on my program I don't like and my roommate is awesome as well, Danielle. Tomorrow we start orientation here in Granada and will travel to the IES center for the first time. I can't wait to explore Granada!
xoxo
Ashley
Hola,
I met my Senora (house mom) today. She is a lovely lady, who speaks often and quickly. Right now my roommate and I are doing our best to pretend we understand every word that comes out of her mouth. That is, however, quite far from the truth. I understand about half and at this point am more concerned with understanding what she says than making many worthwhile comments. I will try to talk to her more tomorrow, I suppose. The apartment I am living in is small but very nice. I have my own room with a desk and plenty of space. Having no air-conditioning will take some getting used to but I don't think it will be too bad. I learned today that Spaniards sometimes have two breakfasts, one early and another a couple hours later. Boy did I pick a good place to study. Everyone I have met is so nice. Like I said, I met like ten or so kids at the Madrid airport before we even got to Malaga (where we stayed last night before traveling by bus to Granada), and everyone else I have met are great too. I haven't met anyone on my program I don't like and my roommate is awesome as well, Danielle. Tomorrow we start orientation here in Granada and will travel to the IES center for the first time. I can't wait to explore Granada!
xoxo
Ashley
Friday, September 3, 2010
La primera día
Just arrived. It's scary and exciting all at the same time. I made like ten new friends at the airport. Everyone is so nice. I love it here. It hasn't hit me I am in Spain, maybe tomorrow.
Love ya,
Ash
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)