España 2011: Walking, Walking, just keep Walking....

I have now completed my third day of school at the Centro de Lenguas Modernas in Granada. We are currently attending orientations and our culture class. Tomorrow we are taking our pueba de nivel (placement test) that will place us into a level of Spanish for the next month. This level will be determined through three sections: grammar, written and oral. We find out our levels within the next day so by Friday we will actually be taking classes that correspond to our correct level of Spanish.

I have been enjoying my time at school a lot (other than the homework). The three professors that I have met thus far are in charge of our culture class. Mark and Maria are a married couple that are the directors of the program and two of our professors. Alfonso is our third professor and he is probably in his 30’s. All of our classes are taught in Spanish and I am surprised that thus far I have not been having many problems understanding the language. I expected the accent to be a lot thicker.

I am settling into my house and routine more everyday and I am beginning to realize how lucky I got with my host mom. I truly don’t think I could have asked for better. For one, her food is amazing and she understands that when we are full, we don’t want to eat more. Talking to some of my friends here, it is a blessing to not have a mom that forces food on you. She also is very interested in helping us learn about the culture of Spain. She has taken us out to tapas bars, shown us where the best ice cream is in the city, described historical points around the city, helped me with my Spanish, and whenever we are on a new street she makes sure we know its name. She seems like a person with a pure heart. Her daughter was also here to visit this weekend and she was very kind as well. She helped us get cell phones, answered questions that we had about the culture and was also very helpful with Spanish. If you cant tell, I am enjoying my living situation currently.

I already know that I am going to love this city. There is something interesting around every corner. The other day we went on a walking tour with one of our professors and he took us to the edge of the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located on the hills above Granada build in the mid 14^th century. It is make almost completely of red bricks and over the next few weeks we will be continuing to explore it in its entirety. Including its vast gardens and palace walls. The day that we went on the walking tour I easily must have walked over 6 miles. I am walking so much I already feel like my legs have become firmer and I come home every night with sore feet.

My favorite part about Spain thus far is the culture of Tapas Bars. You can go and order a drink and you get free tapas, or snacks. They consist of breads, cheeses, meats, fruits, etc. And after sitting in class for two hours, it is the perfect environment to go sit down in and talk with friends to relax. Granada is the only place in Spain where they give free tapas with a drink.

I am off to bed. Hope all is well in the states. If you have any questions about my experience right now let me know and I would be happy to answer them.