All Nighter...

I decided not to sleep before I leave for Morocco so I can try to sleep through the 8-11 hour journey there. Can't decide if this is a good idea or not..but we will find out!! Africa here I come! Gateway to the Middle East! Definitely going to be a culture shock but I am so excited to see and experience this way of life that is so new and foreign to me. I can hide a little bit in Spain (expect when I run cross walks...I really need to stop that...) but I am going to stick out like a sore thumb for sure in Morocco. This will be a whole new experience for me and I am excited to see how I will adjust.

So, I have had a crazy week! I had a presentation in my Latin American class today and I have been spending all week working on that.

I spent this past weekend in Barcelona. We left extremely early on Friday morning to walk to the bus station to catch a bus to get to the airport to take a plane to the train station to take a train to the metro that would take us to our pension. Trains, Planes, and Automobiles x 10!! However, it was surprising easy to get around. Everything here is set up for very convenient travel. We stayed the Pension Sagre right in the center of town. We had a really nice 3 person private room that was relatively cheap. Honestly, my trip to Barcelona is a blur. We arrived and literally didn't stop moving for 48 hours. There was just so much to see. Barcelona is such a beautiful city. I know I say that about EVERY city, but if you are ever in Spain, please please please go there. Hands down my favorite city besides Granada which will always have my heart, of course. For me, it was an urban paradise with so much culture and places to go and explore. There was always something interesting that caught my eye. I had no problem walking around all day because I was just so excited to see what else I would find.

On the first day we went to the Picasso Museum... for 45 minutes...I know its a travesty but it is what happens when you have 48 hours in a city. We also went to this huge market in the center of the city. It is like the West Side Market in Cleveland only a lot bigger. There were so many types of fresh fruits and vegetables. It was so incredible! We even stumbled upon a vegan stand in the market. Sometimes it is just nice to take a break from fried meat with a side of fried something dipped in a gallon of oil along with a side of a huge baguette. Yay healthy detox lunch!

Day 2 was simply packed. We started the morning at Camp Nou, the futbol stadium home to FC Barcelona. I am in no way a "futbol" expert, but being in Spain really has made me interested in the sport and I've really enjoyed watching games while I've been here. It was a hard choice deciding between Real Madrid and Barca...but I think I made the right choice :) We took a tour of the stadium, got to see the changing rooms, press box, VIP section, and other places of sport-type importance. At the end of the tour,we got to hear all the fan chants and see Barca's finest futbol victory moments. It was just really awesome to see the city's enthusiasm and pride for their team. Kinda reminded me of Cleveland :)

Well, that is where I am going to stop for now. I have a limited amount of time and I feel just making a laundry list of everything we did does not do justice to this incredible city. Until next time!!

Long Time No See..

Gah!! Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been really busy with school and everything. This weekend was crazy. Saturday I soaked up some much needed sun at the beach in Nerja. It is a very tourist-y city about an hour away from Granada right on the coast line. Basically, you go there if you want to practice your English. However, it was absolutely beautiful and seemed like paradise. I have never considered myself a beach bum person, but I guess that is because I have never been to a real beach. I know, sad but true. My "beach" experiences stop at Lake Erie. I have never seen such blue water in my whole life. The day was absolutely beautiful and clear. While I still prefer the action of the city, I think I could get use to the beach life. Simply relaxing and watching the waves..it doesn't get much better! I'm very fortunate.

A beautiful view of the water!

Even Muzzy had a fun! Thanks for sending him, Mom!

Oooo ps: I didn't get sunburned! To my surprise, the Mediterranean sun did not consume me alive! For my skin, I am actually getting quite a nice tan! Not saying much...but I hope when I come back people can at least tell I have been somewhere other than Ohio :)

The next day my host mom took my roommate Tasha and I to the "campo." Our host mom is always talking about "el campo." Going to the campo, all the work to do on the campo, campo, campo, campo. The "campo" for you all of you not Spanish speakers is like the country side. A lot of rolling hills, valleys, trees, flowers, so on and so on. I was extremely happy our host mom invited us to see "el campo." My host family is very big so sometimes I feel a little uncomfortable speaking to them. Also, my Spanish speaking is pretty rocky. I am at the point in my language skills where I can speak and  make sense (more or less), but I don't feel like I have a personality yet in Spanish. I am really not sure if this makes sense, but I will say something and it doesn't seem natural. It is kind of like stating the obvious and not really have true feelings or thoughts behind what I say. Also, I don't know how to make jokes in Spanish. Believe me, I have tried and no one thinks I'm funny. That is probably the case in English as well, but that is not the point! Anyway, I suppose I just feel embarrassed talking to my host family, so having the opportunity to get out of Granada and experience and see something that is so important to my host family was quite the honor. They own this breathtaking 100 year old home in this pretty much deserted "campo" 30 minutes or so outside of the city. My host dad, Jaime, and his 12 brothers and sisters all own it together. I asked him a lot of questions about it.No one actually lives in the house permanently. They farm there, but it is not a business, just for personal use. It is simply for relaxing. There were so many members of the family there. They were all really nice and got me out of my comfort zone. They had a lot of questions about my culture, as I had a lot for them. We sat outside in a garden under the shade and just enjoyed the day. Lunch was amazing. In Spain, Sunday lunch is definitely the most traditional. We had a round of tapas followed by turkey soup and chicken. The uncle told me I was brave for eating the turkey...not quite sure why...then proceeded to talk my ear off the whole lunch. He was funny though and made a huge deal about how his farm has the biggest Cyprus in all of Spain. Then proceeded to make fun of me for eating too much and for the fact I can't ride a horse. He said my Spanish wasn't bad and I am able to think on my feet quickly...so that was nice :)

After lunch, we went cherry picking with my host dad. We drove up a huge hill and through a valley at high speed. Tasha and I were hanging on for dear life, but they all assured us that Jamie was a fantastic driver. I got sunburned while cherry picking. Everyone proceeded to call me the "blanca" all day and comment on my "rojo" skin.

Later in the day, I made friends with this 82 year old woman. She just came up to me and started complaining about cars and how the ruined the concept of family because now people move far away and never come back. She thought I was Spanish. Then she asked me what kids my age do on Sundays. I proceeded to tell her I was from the States, so it is a lot different. Then we talked about America and the importance of practicing languages. She would just randomly ask me "how do you say this in English?" then she'd try to repeat it and then teach me how to say it in Catalan as well. She was just really nice and welcoming and I felt comfortable taking to her. Her great grandson thought I was from Madrid. I wish!

Overall, it was my favorite day here in Spain. I got to know a really great Spanish family and explore some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. It made me miss home a bit because I know my father would have loved it there. It was just so peaceful and tranquil. A perfect relaxing day in Spain.

Update coming soon!!

Sorry for the lack of action around here lately. I promise x 10000 I will update tomorrow. I did a lot of really amazing stuff this weekend = )

I am truly lucky and blessed to be here. <3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMIaYXxLnUA

10 days until...

Barca :)

Sevilla!

I spent this past weekend in Sevilla. It was such a fantastic time! After we arrived, ISA pretty much let us have Saturday to ourselves so we could explore. It was a pretty random day of walking around Sevilla...which are the types of trips I happen to like best :)

First Stop: Plaza de Espana. The architecture  here was absolutely beautiful! The plaza ran in a half circle and in the middle was a little river where people where spending the day rowing little boats. It was right by the park and just the perfect little get away from the city. 

We wanted a "fun" picture so we started posing in front of this fountain. The on-lookers in the city thought we were hilarious...

Exploring the city some more!!

Had to stop to purchase my favorite Spanish drink, Aquarius. Basically, it is the European answer to the sports drink. I'm pretty much addicted.

Paella for dinner. Words cannot describe how amazing

It is really not okay that I eat gelato everyday in Spain

Well, this kinda turned more into a food journal than a blog post....

We spent the rest of the night simply roaming the streets and it was incredible! Sevilla was wonderful. However, I was kinda surprised by how much I missed Granada on this trip. What can I say...Granada unexpectedly has special place in my heart. However, it was lovely to have a full length mirror in the hotel ;)

Day 2 I fell ill and there are no pictures because I was miserable. Sorry! hahah.

School is going well. We have the coolest assignment ever in my Language and Grammar class. We have to go out and eat tapas! Well, it is a little more complicated than simply eating the tapas, but I am so excited! We have to go to 3 tapas bars and write about the history of the bar, the areas of interest around the bar, how the tapas tasted and what they were made out of...everything from the tiniest detail of what music was playing. I am sure the professors at BW will love reading this :)

Hasta luego a todos!

PS: I paid for my Morocco trip today. SO excited.

Ready for the Weekend!!!

Ahhhhhhh....just finished my first week of class. I have to say, so far so good!! I am exhausted from such an intense week, but tonight I am going out with my friends to the movies so it will be a great way to unwind!! The professors here are really fun and didn't give any homework for the weekend because they knew people would be traveling. How lovely and perfect!! This weekend I will be going to Sevilla and Cordoba with ISA. Sorry if you didn't want to know this, but at my homestay we can only shower for 10 minutes because water is so expensive in Spain. I have to say, I am excited to go spend the weekend in a hotel where I can shower as long as I please! Ooo the simple things. :) I will miss my Spanish mom's delicious food though...just as much as I miss my real mom's home cooking, of course!

So, I have to say, I feel like I am really getting to know Granada. I have had so much fun here. There is so much to do here and there is plenty more I want to explore. However, there are some things I absolutely love about Granada. Teterias (tea room) being one of them. Let's eleborate:

I love tea. I love tea more than I will ever love coffee. I also love Middle Eastern music. So, putting the two together is pretty much a done deal for me. Teterias are Middle-Eastern inspired tea rooms. You walk in and the walls are all decorated with gold and Arabic writing. There are colorful silk tapestries and big red couches and traditional music playing....just to die for! It is like stepping in time. Anyway, you simply walk in, sit at a couch with all your friends, and order a bunch of tea. They have hummus and other little plates to enjoy as well. You can do hookah if you want, too.  My friends and I have gone to a teteria in the middle of town a few times. They even give us free stuff now!

At the Teteria

Ooo, I am working on postcards as well. They should be in the mail soon. Keep a look out!! :)

Update!!

Sorry it has been so long since I have updated! I just started classes here on Tuesday and I have been trying to get a routine going. Also, I have had homework every night and have been working hard to keep up in class.

I have 3 classes a day, everyday. The first two are Spanish Literature and Latin American Culture. They are each an hour. I walk to school in the morning at around 8:30 and have class from 9-11. Then I go back and work on homework until lunch and then I go back to school at 4 for my grammar and language class for 2 hours. So far my classes are going well! I will give 2 small presentations this month, but I am excited about it! Of course, the most important part of studying abroad is studying so I am really trying to do my best :)

This weekend I am going to Sevilla!! Should be a great time!

Yay...tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!