July 2009
7 posts
“Give something to the poor blind man, because there’s nothing crueler in...”
– Famous saying, which is found on numerous artisan crafts. This could not be more true.
IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...
Here we go.
CLASS: 1 day = 2 classes (1 presentation and 1 quiz left)
GRANADA: 4 days (I can’t count Monday as a day because I arrive at the airport at 5am and our flight leaves at 7am)
My thoughts… where did the time go?! I think I’m almost ready to come home though and see my family and friends and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Today after my morning class, I did some more...
"I'll give it to you for 15€ sweetheart, because...
This quote is my reference to a store owner who offered me a rug for 15 euros because I was “beautiful.” I don’t need a rug, sir, and I’m pretty sure that’s the same price you give everyone. I’m not easily fooled.
Since it is a non-traveling weekend, I have been able to relax in Granada with friends and do things within the city the past few days.
On...
“God, I’m not tipsy, I’m just FUN!!!”
– Katie, whom I love (picture below).
Almost to SINGLE DIGITS?
Still having a blast in Spain, but things have calmed down. I’m done traveling to far-away cities and neighboring countries, and from here on out (11 days left!!!) I will be enjoying every little thing about Granada before I leave.
This week has been full of tests, presentations and an interview (which counts as the final exam for my Oral Spanish class). I’ve been busy studying...
June 2009
24 posts
“We have a problem. I have to leave the bus with your passports because...”
– The real tour guide, who scared the crap out of us until we realized it was a joke.
Henna, camel-riding and couscous...
Morocco was absolutely amazing!!!
We left Friday afternoon after a torturous hot walk to find the tour bus on the other side of the city. After finally loading everyone in, we began the long drive to Algeciras, which is the southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. It was a 4 hour drive, and we made a stop in Málaga to rest and buy some snacks. As luck would have it, the bathrooms...
You better believe...
that I’ve been working super hard on this tan
that I am obsessed with going out for ice cream here
that one of my host cats might go through separation anxiety when I return home in 2 weeks
that I WILL NOT miss the crazy long walk between my apartment and school
that I WILL miss the smells of fresh bakery items on every corner
that I cannot leave Spain without trying the Burger King...
mozzarella, karaoke and maybe some camels in my...
So sorry I haven’t written for days! This was the first weekend in awhile that I have been able to relax and sleep in a little later than usual and get my body back to normal after running around for so many weeks.
On Thursday after my evening class, a group of girls went out for the birthday of one girl in our group… we went to this cute Italian restaurant near our school. My...
Comfort zone.
Thomas: You're too close Lenny, too close.
Lenny: But the space bubble is smaller here! We're in SPAIN!
Thomas: Yeah but I'm still American...
“You know what they say about students with big English-Spanish...”
– A Spanish professor.
Host family updates.
Margarita: my host mom. She and I are getting along really well these days. We have long conversations about a large variety of topics, ranging from her asking me questions about why I don’t drink more, to discussing her favorite cities as a child. Today she made a point after lunch that her son (more details in a minute) was not trying to “date” me, in case I was unclear...
I can hold really long conversations with native...
I knew it was just a matter of time before I would notice changes in my fluency :)
Sevilla [España] & Lagos [Portugal]
Hello everyone! Sorry I’ve been away for so long - but I just spent this past weekend in Lagos, Portugal! What a beautiful town. Well… let me start at the beginning.
On Wednesday night we went to La Feria until 3 am, and then I had to pack just one backpack’s worth of clothes and necessities for the weekend! On Thursday morning we took the bus from the Granada...
La Fiesta de Granada - La Feria
This week in Granada, everyone is celebrating the week of summer celebration. It’s called “la feria” (the fair) and it’s basically like a week-long party full of carnival rides, stands with food, balloons, and decorations all over the city. Tonight I am going to this fair and I’m really excited to see what it’s like! It will be a long night though -...
“It amazes me how the tour guide is smoking cigarettes during our picnic lunch...”
– Yes, this was me speaking. The tour guide was a toned, slender woman who had absolutely no trouble climbing the mountains… let’s be honest, I had some trouble, and I never smoke cigarettes.
Sore thighs, hiking scrapes and the Mediterranean...
This is one incredibly sore girl writing to you all! This weekend was very busy but also so much fun. On Friday, about half of our study abroad group traveled to a region of the Sierra Nevada mountain range called Las Alpujarras. We took a bus ride to a lower peak of the mountains and near the end of the trip, I felt sooo sick! It was quite a ride - rising altitudes and twisty turns every 20...
Traveling woman.
Hey all! Hope everything’s great back in the good old USA! I can’t believe how busy we’re getting here in Granada… we’re all planning weekend trips to other cities or countries. So far, I have a lot of traveling to do!
The program directors organized an overnight trip this weekend (Friday morning to Saturday night) at the Alpujarras, one of the lower peaks of the...
Just some midnight silliness...
We went to an outdoor café around midnight last night, and it was probably the funniest night I've had in awhile.
Me (to Alexa, who lives right by me): Ohhhh it's already midnight, and we wanted to be home by 12:30 right?!
Thomas: Ohhhh GOSSSSSHHHHHH!!! Who did I come out with, the kids from Barney?
Classes, no maps (!) and flamenco.
For a number of reasons, today has been a very successful day. First of all, we started classes at our school, CEGRI, which is a school specifically for students studying abroad to get class credit in the Spanish language. We had to get to school by 8:45 am to see when our classes would be - I have Culture of Spain at 9, Intro to Spanish Art History at 4:15 and Oral Spanish at 6:30. Each class...
Tours galore.
Yesterday was the LONGEST and most DIFFICULT hike of my life! We all went to see the Alhambra, an ancient castle in the hills above Granada. Despite wearing very good walking gymshoes, my legs were not happy with me as we trekked up into the hills. The incline was about 45 degrees - no joke! I was leaning so far forwards that one wrong step could have sent me falling to the ground in a face...
May 2009
3 posts
Bienvenidos a Granada!
I am not afraid to say this. This post will be extremely long and probably really detailed!!! It’s been days since I could blog because the wifi at the hostel we were staying at was insaaane and I couldn’t get on many websites at all, not even Facebook.
These last few days have been exhausting but exhilarating all at once. There are no words in the world I could use to describe how...
Here we goooooo!
Tomorrow afternoon, I leave for Granada, Spain. My luggage is packed and everything is ready to go. It’s really hard to believe that after months of filling out forms and questionnaires for study abroad, figuring out course registration and talking about flight itineraries, that tomorrow is the day. I’m here in my house thinking about how I won’t be sitting in this family room...