Week Number Two

I am sorry it has been so long since I last posted but the past week flew by and I have been incredibly busy.  I will go through the week day by day so you can get an idea of my general routine.

Monday

I typically start my day with a muffin or pastry from a local panaderia.  I then head to a cafeteria near the Centro de Lenguas Modernas (CLM), where I go to school, to get a coffee.  The Spanish typically start their day going to the exact same cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and talk with their friends. I have my intensivo class from 9:00 to 1:00, and then I typically spend about an hour with my friends at a tapas bar before returning to my house for lunch.  I am enjoying my professors and I am learning quite a bit of Spanish.  I normally eat lunch at my host family’s house around 2:30. 

After lunch, if I don’t have class, I typically do my homework, take an afternoon siesta, or go explore Granada.  Monday afternoon I took the opportunity to go explore and I stumbled upon a rose garden.  In the rose garden there was a pond that had swans, ducks, large goldfish and some other large fish.  I sat at the pond for about an hour just enjoying the view.  At one point some little kids came up to the pond and they began to throw bread crumbs.  They were chanting a song calling the “Great God of the fish.”  From what I could understand it sounded like there is a myth about this pond that a very large fish and if you see it, you will be blessed with luck for the rest of the month. 

I returned to my house that evening for dinner with my host mom and then I went to tapas with my friends at a local bar.  It is incredible to see the number of people that are out in the city of Granada at night.  During the day it is uncomfortable to leave the house due to the heat; therefore, the city comes alive at night.  Between the hours of 8 and 12 the Spanish come alive, eating tapas, meeting with friends and walking the streets of Granada.

Tuesday

            Same general routine: woke up, got a muffin, got coffee, had my intensivo, spent time with friends, lunch at my host house then a siesta.  However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have culture class.  During the class we are learning about the history of Spain and also about the culture.  After culture class I got tapas with my friends at a bar in the center of Granada.  Around 9 pm I returned to my house for dinner then did some homework and was in bed by 12, which is early in Spanish standards.

Wednesday

            Practically the same routine as the first two days.  I only had class in the morning so in the afternoon I spent time doing homework and with friends.  One of our favorite things to do in the afternoon is go to the best Italian Ice cream restaurant in Granada.  The ice cream is BETTER than what I ate while I was in Italy.  My favorite flavor is called Nata, it is basically a sweet, vanilla cream flavor.  However, their coffee ice cream could rival Huskey’s and their dark chocolate is sinful.  Nothing very exciting happened on Wednesday night.

Thursday

            The day passed at usual with class and lunch at home, then culture class in the afternoon.  After passing some time in the house, I went out with my friends to a karaoke bar near our school.  Supposedly, the native students of Granada prefer to go our Thursday night than Friday night so we figured we might as well join them.  We had quite a bit of fun singing and dancing.  There is a story in Spain that if someone sings badly then it will rain the next day so depending on how well someone sang the Spanish would scream “va a llover” aka it is going to rain.  It was quite an enjoyable evening.

Friday

            I had my morning class and went home for lunch with my family.  I also had my culture class and we discussed the importance of Toro’s in the Spanish culture.  Friday evening I spent time at my house with my roommate and my host mom. 

Saturday

            On Saturday, I went to Ronda with my program for the day.  It is a city about three miles east of Granada.  It is a famous city because it has the oldest plaza de Toros in all of Spain.  The city is also known because it is situated on top of huge cliffs.  It was probably one of the most majestic views I have ever seen in my life.  Our program pays for our food while we are traveling and for lunch we went to a very nice restaurant that was overlooking the valley.  We had salad with toasted goat cheese, roasted chicken and vegetables, and napoleon ice cream. 

            After returning to Granada, my friends and I went out to a discoteca to go dancing.  My friends and I went home around 3:30.  To put that into perspective, we arrived at the club at 1:00 and we were the first ones there and then I am pretty positive the first to leave.  The Spaniards don’t leave till 7 in the morning when they go get breakfast, sleep then repeat the next night. 

Sunday

            In Granada, everything shuts down on Sundays.  Therefore, my friends and I went to the beach for the day.  We returned to Nerja and laid on the beach most of the day.  We also swam in the Mediterranean (no big deal) and played a Spanish version of racket ball.  After exploring the town a little and taking some photos of the breathless Mediterranean, we returned to Granada for dinner and homework.

Monday

            And my week has started over! I will try to be better in the future about posting more often than once of week. I am going to bed and I will post pictures tomorrow! I am having an amazing time and I am finding it hard to believe how fast the time here is going.

One week in Spain

I have officially spent one week at my host family in Spain and I am LOVING IT!  Granada is the most beautiful city that I have ever been in.  Currently in school we are in our intensive course for one month where we have class for four hours everyday working on grammar, our speaking abilities and writing.  We had our first class on Friday and my professors, Maria and Carmen, are the funniest teachers I have ever had.  Our class was four hours long, it felt like one hour and I think we laughed for a good half of it. 

Yesterday, about ten friends and I went to a local beach for the day.  It is named Salobreña and because Europe is now done with its vacation season, the beach was nearly empty but we still had a blast.  The wind was really strong so we did some great body surfing and most of us all got pretty sunburned.  We went for a short hike to get to a viewpoint and I am so overwhelmed by how beautiful the Mediterranean is.    We ended our day by having a drink and eating some tapas before getting back on the bus.  Oh the joys of being legal!  The Spaniards favorite drink is called “Vino de Verano” or “Tinto de Verano.”  It is a mix of red wine and Fanta served over ice with a lemon wedge.  It truly is quite delicious!

Today, we went with our class on a small fieldtrip to a neighborhood in Granada called the Albaycín.  It is the oldest neighborhood in Granada and is known for its Arabic influence and heritage.  The neighborhood is up in the hills of Granada and has one of the most beautiful views of the city and the Alhambra.  I love the city of Granada because there is always another beautiful view or building around the next corner.  Today we also visited the Baños de los Arabes, aka the location where the Arabs, when they lived in Granada, used to go to shower.  In the Arab culture people would often spend more than one hour showering because it was considered a socializing time.  How things have changed…

I start my first full week of classes tomorrow and I am very excited to learn more about the language.  As for right now, I have been procrastinating all day so I really need to do my homework! Hope everyone is having a good September so far.  I also posted pictures on Facebook so you can see all of my past adventures.  

The Alhambra

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.  

 The Center of Granada

 Alfonso: one of our professors

 The Alhambra

 Our room, my bed is the one on the left

View from my house at night

First night in Granada

Hello my friends and family.  I have officially arrived in Granada and I am moved into my host family’s house.  Everything is wonderful.  My mother is very kind and she loves to feed my roommate and I, also named Katie, copious amounts of delicious food.  I am going to come back to the states as a gordita aka a small fat child!  I arrived to my host house around 5 after Renee and I came to Granada by bus from Nerja.  Our last few days in Nerja went very well.  We spend quite a bit of time on the beach, swimming in the Mediterranean and we had a fun time getting to know the city.  The hostel that we stayed at was very nice and I would recommend it in the future, it was called Hostel Azahara. 

Now that I am in Granada I have begun to speak Spanish all of the time.  My host mom tells me that I speak very well, but it will be interesting to see how I do on the placement test that I will take in a few days.  I do have a bit of a headache from processing the language but for the most part I understand what people are saying to me! The next few weeks will be difficult but I am very excited to master the language.  My roommate is very good at speaking Spanish (and a very nice person in general), and it very helpful when it comes to learning new vocabulary and describing things to me. 

 A little bit about my living situation.  My host moms name is Elvira and I would say she is in her 50's or 60's.  We are on the fifth floor of an apartment building, which is pretty nice.  My host mom has two children, however, both are older than us by quite a few years.  I do not believe either of them live at home.  She has two dogs, which is nice considering I have been missing my Lucy quite a bit.  The house is a good size, consisting of three bedrooms, two living rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen.  From the sounds of it I believe my host mom has had many students from the program before and she actually works at the CLM, which is the language university that we will be attending.  She is very kind and very interested in learning about Katie and I.  I feel very lucky to have the situation that I do. 

I am off to bed but a little story about my travels to my host house today.  Renee and I actually ran into another girl from the University of Portland at the bus stop and we all took the same cab to our host houses.  I was the first to be dropped off and when I rang the bell to my supposed house a lady answered and then informed me that I was not at the right house.  So there I was in the middle of Granada and I had been dropped off at the wrong house!  So I started to talk to people that I met on the streets.  Finally, I found a nice old woman that was able to point me in the right direction; she even walked me to my door.  That demonstrates the type of people that I have met here thus far.  The Spanish are very approachable and very open to helping people find their way!  Buenos Noches! I will try and post some pictures of Granada as I take them!

Seattle-London-Madrid-Nerja in 36 hours

            For those of you that don’t know, I am traveling right now with my friend Renne.  We had a very smooth flight from Seattle to London, where we sat next to a very pleasant British man.  We had a great conversation with him about sailing and how to maneuver the Heathrow airport.  Once we landed in Heathrow, we had a two hour layover in which we ate some lunch and walked around the London airport, which truly feels more like a shopping mall.  Our second flight took us from London to Madrid and was only about 2 hours.  Once in Madrid, we took a very expensive taxi ride to our hostel, costing about 50 euros… Our hostel had a retro feel to it, painted in bright colors, with black and white doors and very blue-polkadot bedspreads.  We liked the hostel a lot because it was situated on the main drag of Madrid, was very clean and the staff was very pleasant.  

            The following morning we woke up early to go to the bus station and head out for Nerja.  We almost missed our bus because none of the reader boards included our bus number…We then found out we had to board the bus to Granada, which would then continue onto Nerja.  It was a very close call.  The 7+ hour bus ride through the south of Spain was BEAUTFUL.  Most of it reminded me somewhat of Eastern Washington in that it is very dry, slightly mountainous and was mostly composed of farmland.  Once we arrived closer to Granada, we started to see more green vegetation.  Our bus stopped briefly in Granada and I am very excited to live there for four months.  The city is full of orange tiled houses, making it very beautiful and unique.   

            We are currently in Nerja, a small Mediterranean coast town.  It was the very last stop on the bus route, but by far our best decision yet on this trip.  The city is primarily composed of houses made of white stone and it is situated right next to the Mediterranean Sea, which is a beautiful, teal blue color.  The beaches are covered with people.  We had our first nudist sighting yesterday, actually multiple of them, but I suppose it is all apart of the culture.  Since being here we have finally adjusted to the time change, spent some time laying on the beaches and ate a lot of really good food.  Also, yesterday we went to “Las Cuevas de Nerja.”  These caves were amazing, very ancient and beautiful.  Last night we met two girls in their late 20's from the states.  One of which has lived in Granada for about three months now.  It was really nice spending time with them particularly since they answered some questions of ours about the Spanish culture.  I love the way you meet new people when you are traveling.
            Today we are planning on spending some time on the beach and getting ready to head to Granada tomorrow.  I thought the past few weeks in Seattle have been hot, but the weather here is in the 90’s every day.  We typically don’t go to bed until at least 2 in the morning because it is too hot to sleep.  I am beginning to understand why the Spanish eat dinner so late and come alive so much at night.
           We meet our host families tomorrow afternoon and I am getting very excited!  I have uploaded some pictures of my time here so far. I will be posting more photos on Facebook than on my blog because it is an easier process.  Feel free to friend me if you wish to see them.  Hopefully, when I arrive in Granada I will have better internet access and will be able to be online more often. Hope all is well in the states! Adios!

IN MADRID

IN NERJA

THE CAVES-IN NERJA

Departure

I depart for Spain tomorrow, Tuesday the 23rd, at 6:55 pm.  Throughout the semester I will be posting pictures and messages to my blog to keep everyone updated on my adventures.  I arrive in Madrid, Spain around 5:30 pm on the 24th.  I will be spending one night there then traveling by bus down to the Mediterranean Coast to a small town.  My friend Renee and I will be spending three nights on the coast then we will be continuing on to Granada on the 28th, which is the official start date of my program.  I am getting really excited and finding it hard to believe that my departure date has arrived! See you all in four months :)

¡Adiós!