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 much love I have so far for Granada, España.  The city is simply gorgeous, the streets are bustling with activity and life is so incredibly different and laid-back.  As they say in Spain, “no pasa nada” - no worries.  Everyone rides scooters and little motorbikes, children play soccer in the little side streets and alleyways and it takes you two hours to have a meal at a restaurant.  Wine and beer are as common as water and are often ordered with both lunch and dinner.  I have come to adore “tinto verano”, a red wine mixed with just a splash of Sprite.  Fountains and statues are on every single corner.  Older people walk slowly down the sidewalk while the younger crowd speedwalks past them.  

I could go on forever about how great it feels to finally know the big streets by name and how to get there without using a map, and the fact that I know my way to school without asking for any help is amazing.  I remember where big landmarks are and know which stores to enter to find different things.  I even found my Citibank on the main road about 2 blocks down from where our hostel was!  Our study abroad group has already found a few great little bars and restaurants. We know the “good” things to order in a restaurant and how we should ask for them to be cooked.  A few NEW favorite foods/drinks of mine so far: tinto verano, café con leche (shot of espresso with milk), gazpacho (a cold, refreshing tomato soup with veggies), tortilla con patatas y jamón (spanish omelette with potatoes and ham), and an apple & cream cheese salad that I forgot the name of.

I’m already completely moved in to my host family’s house and totally unpacked.  I just arrived today and it feels really good to not have to live out of a suitcase like we did at the hostel for 3 days.  One of their cats is napping next to me on the bed - I’ve never lived with cats before but they are adorable.  My host family is so incredibly nice: my mom, Margarita, gave me the traditional two kisses (one for each cheek!) when she met me and we took the bus to her apartment.  I met her kids, Olga and Pablo, who are 18 and 15 and really helpful.  Olga helped me set up my internet right away and we chatted for a little bit too.  

Right now my host mom is spending so much time in the kitchen but I can smell something wonderful - she won’t let me help her.  In Spain, food is taken very seriously and women are very proud of what they cook for their guests.  Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and served in the late afternoon, while dinner is much smaller and served at around 9 or 10 pm.  The sun doesn’t set here until 10 pm; the mornings are cooler and the mid-day is so hot and humid!

Yesterday we took a “touristy tour” of the city, so instead of walking around learning all the street names and important places, we visited a barrio neighborhood high up above the city (where I took that picture below) and old cathedrals and monuments.  We took so many stairs and walked on so many uphill alleyways that my legs were burning by the end of it - what a workout!  Tomorrow we are off to see the Alhambra, a very famous castle above the city - it’s a 5 hour hike there and back!  My legs better be toned when I leave Granada from all of this walking :)

I miss you all at home!  I’ll put up more pics on Facebook and here soon.