What I've Learned So Far

The people of Granada have taught me a lot so far, even though they have no idea. I've only been here for 6 weeks, so I'm sure I have much more to learn from them, but here are four of my favorites:

1. Patience- Things will take forever here, you just have to deal. You want to mail a letter at the post office? It will take 30 minutes of standing in the wrong line before you get to the front and they tell you to switch to the other line and wait another 30 minutes. You go to a restaurant and want to eat quickly? It will probably take 40 minutes before they bring your food out. You want to cross the street? You need to wait 5 minutes for the light to change. Things just take a while, and it's okay because you'll get where you need to be eventually.

2. If you want it, ask- You go to a restaurant and want chicken but there is NEVER chicken on the menu? Then ask. They have chicken, they just expect you to ask. My favorite drink here, Tinto de Verano, is only on half of the menus, but every place I've been to has it. You want the check when you're out to eat? Nobody is going to bring it to you, even if you sit there for hours. You have to ask.

3. Enjoy the little things- There are so many great things about this city, but every city has great things and we always only see the bad. You have to slow down and enjoy what's right there in front of you. Orange trees line the streets so everything smells like citrus. Everywhere you turn there's a beautiful view of the Alhambra or the Sierra Nevada. When the sun is shining, sit outside and enjoy it. Every street has a few bakeries and coffee shops- savor the smells. In every moment, here or back at home, there's something to smile about.

4. No pasa nada- The people of Andalucia have a saying that has become a way of life. "No pasa nada," or "It doesn't matter, it was nothing." No matter what negative or annoying thing happens here, we all say "no pasa nada" and we move on. It's a very optimistic way of dealing with the bad cards in life, because in the end, it doesn't matter and everything will be okay.

As I said, those are just a few of the things I've learned. Thanks for reading!

El Teatro y Almuñécar

I'm taking a theater class this semester, which is something completely new for me since I'd much rather sequence DNA than interpret a play, but it has actually been a great opportunity. I've read a few plays by Federico Garcia Lorca, in all my 8 years of Spanish classes, and I'd always learned his life story but felt so far removed from it. For those of you who are not familiar with Lorca, he was from Granada and was, obviously, a famous playwright, and he was also homosexual. At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936), Franco had Lorca assessinated for being homosexual, and the town of Granada has mourned him ever since. He is an excellent playwright and I've always enjoyed his work, but learning about him never really did much for me. In my theater class we recently read his play, Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding), and this past weekend we went to see the play in a theater in Granada. How amazing to see a play by Lorca in his hometown in SPAIN! It made me feel more connected to him and his life story, and made me further appreciate this opportunity

In other news, I went on a daytrip to a nearby beach town called Almuñécar. It was gorgeous! The views of the beach and mountains were breathtaking. Being landlocked most of the year, seeing an ocean (or sea, in this case) always leaves me speechless. My friend and I had a picnic on the beach and stared into the horizon for hours. We also hiked up a cliff to see a 4th century castle, which was pretty cool. I attached a picture of myself on the beach, so you can all know what I mean by amazing views :)

Hasta luego!

Sierra Nevada

Last weekend I took a trip to the Sierra Nevada National Park. A bunch of the people in my program were skiing for the day, so we took the bus as far up on the mountain as we could to find snow. Once we got to the ski town up there, we found a lift that would take us all the way to the top of the mountain. It was hands down, one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen- we could see the whole city of Granada and for miles beyond it. Numerous meet of snow covered the top of the mountain, but it was probably 60 degrees up there. I'd never taken a ski lift before and figured I never would because they look so open and scary, but I was so glad to have the opportunity to ride one. We stayed for a while at the top of the mountain, quietly admiring the view. One thing we noticed was how silent it was at the top of a snow covered mountain. There wasn't a single car, siren, scream, person talking, or animal around, and any sound we made was instantly absorbed by the snow surrounding us. Even though I live in a quiet suburb and go to school in a tiny town, I still had never experienced such silence. It was so calming to sit there, not hearing a thing and looking out across miles of Spanish countryside. That was one of those rare moments in life that I will probably always remember.

Madrid and more Life Experience

Some friends and I took a very spontaneous trip to Madrid this weekend, and the city is huge! It reminded me of New York and was a lot more Americanized than any other Spanish city I've been to. We ended up eating lunch at TGI Fridays because after 3 weeks of traditional Spanish food, we needed a burger. That is probably the last time I'll have American food while in Europe, though, because it did not sit right in my stomach. We went to two different discotecas (clubs) this weekend, and they made me conclude that men here are way more persistent than most men in the States. I'm learning how to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle of staying out until 6am, but I can already tell I'm going to need to sleep for at least a week when I get back home! While we were there we also went to the Museo Reina Sofia, which housed a lot of Picasso and Dali. This is a picture of me in the Plaza Mayor, which is where they used to have bull fights in Madrid.

I have to say, I am continuing to notice how much I'm learning and growing from this trip. One reason I wanted to come to Spain alone was that I wanted to become more independent. I know I've always been a relatively independent person, but there are some things that terrify me to do alone. Here is a list of adventures I've conquered in the past three weeks:

1. Planes- I have traveled alone a few times, but only direct flights and within the United States. The idea of taking three separate planes to multiple European countries freaked me out, but now that I made it here I know I can make it home.
2. Busses- I managed to figure out the Spanish coach bus system, even though nobody at the bus station spoke English. Arriving in Madrid successfully was such a satisfying feeling.
3. Metros!- The subway or metro has always intimidated me because it's so confusing and big, no matter what city you're in. However, knowing that I could navigate the metro in Madrid- in Spanish- makes me comfortable taking such transportation in America. The worst part of this experience was when we were running behind for our bus back to Granada and we took the metro to the bus station. Of course the metro broke down mid journey, and we sat trapped in the dark just praying it would start so we could make our bus. We managed to make our bus just in time, but the experience was crazy.
4. Taxis- The hard part about taxis for me is pretending like I know the city so the driver doesn't rip me off. The girls I traveled with this weekend don't know much Spanish, so they left me to figure all of this out, and I succeeded. Confidence is key.
5. Making decisions without my parents- Usually when I purchase anything major, like a plane ticket, I call my parents and ask for advice or if it's a good idea. Calling home whenever I want to do anything here would be really expensive and unreasonable, so I've been making decisions all on me. I decided to drop a class and take a new one, which is definitely something I'd normally ask my dad for advice on. I've purchased at least 5 plane tickets, without consulting my parents at all. I overheard a girl today in class saying she wants to book her plane tickets for Spring Break, but needs to talk to her parents first and ask them what to do. It was a good feeling to know that I planned my whole Spring Break trip without even telling my parents.
6. Credit card problems- Along the same lines as making decisions without my parents, I've also had to deal with my credit card problems without parental advice. Some travel companies don't take American credit cards online, so I've had to call a lot of companies to convince them to use my credit card. Calling companies always scared me, but doing it in a foreign language is even more intense. Figuring that out was a big accomplishment for me. My credit card company also decided to freeze my credit card, and I had to deal with that on my own as well. When I first got here, I had the constant urge to call my parents and ask them for help, but after just 3 weeks I've lost the need to ask them as many questions.
7. Sense of direction- I used to always get lost. No matter what. Living in a foreign city where you can't call anyone and ask them to look up your location on Mapquest has definitely forced me to develop a sense of direction. Now I can pretty much find my way back from anywhere in Granada, and I had the same experience in Sevilla and Madrid. I've also learned to ask for directions when I need to. Strangers can be nicer than I thought!

That list is just the tip of the iceberg of life lessons. I already feel more like an adult than I did before. Independence here I come!

Ronda y Sevilla

We took a 3 day trip this weekend to Ronda and Sevilla, two other Andalucian towns (Andalucia is the province the Granada is in). They were the most beautiful cities I've ever seen! Ronda was a tiny town in the mountains, and every where we looked we found a gorgeous view. Although southern Spain has been in a drought for years, of course it's been raining nonstop since I arrived two weeks ago. This actually worked in our favor for Ronda, though, because the grass and trees covering the mountains and plains around the city were all the perfect shade of green so the views were even more spectacular. Luckily, for Friday and Saturday we had clear blue skies and 60 degree weather during the day. At night and all day Sunday, it poured rain.

We got to Sevilla late Friday night- another amazing city! Although it was clearly Americanized, the city still had the Spanish and Arabic charm. We went to the Palacio Real, which was the palace and home of many Spanish royalty. If I could live anywhere in the world, I would choose the grounds of this palace. The Islamic culture centers around peace, tranquility, and the journey to be closer to your personal God. This was evident all over the palace and its gardens. It came completel with a napping house, many incredible fountains, a shrubbery maze, orange and lemon trees, and plenty of courtyards within the palace. Something interesting about the architecture of the palace was that when you first enter it, the decor is very simple, and as you get closer to the center, the architecture and decor gets more elaborate. This is supposed to help you feel like you're leaving your mortal desires outside and gradually get closer to God.

Another strange thing about the architecture was in the cathedral in Sevilla, which is the world's largest Gothic cathedral. Inside the structure of the Catholic cathedral was an Islamic mosque. This shows the struggle between Catholicism and Islam in Spain. Many of the churches we've seen are attached to mosques. It's so strange that even though the two religions caused many wars in the country, their buildings of worship are able to be attached. My professor was telling us the symbolism of the cathedral, and it showed how different Catholicism is from Islam. The ceilings were unyieldingly tall and the entire building was just huge, so it made anyone who walked into it feel like they were tiny and insignificant. The talls ceilings were to make Catholics feel like God was very far away from them. All of the walls and ceilings were covered with beautiful and complex designs. It seemed so different from the tiny mosques we toured, with simple white and gold walls and a focus on tranquility. Don't get me wrong- I don't plan on converting anytime soon, but it really made me think about the power of the Catholic church.

We also saw a flamenco show in Sevilla, which is an absolutely beautiful dance. Of course we visited many tapas bars and a discoteca, to remind ourselves that we're still college students. They were, as usual, a great time :)

On the drive home, our busses stopped at Spain's idea of a fast food truck stop. It was the most disorganized and stressful experience. It made me really appreciate American culture. Everything I experience here makes me compare the two cultures, which has been a great learning experience. There are many things that Spain could learn from America, and also many things that America could learn from Spain. It baffles me how different the two cultures are, even though they are both developed countries. Although adapting to this new culture can be very frustrating, especially when I barely understand what anyone is saying to me, I am loving learning from it and I think everyone should try to spend an extended period of time living in a different country just to learn. Everyday I learn a few new Spanish words, something new about the culture and people here, and something new about myself. My roommate and I were saying that if we were to go home today, we'd already be changed people. I can only imagine how much I'll have learned by the end of May, and I can't wait to continue learning and changing!

Attached is a picture of me in the Plaza de Torros- the bull fighting ring in Ronda. So Spanish of me!