So I'm not really good at this whole "posting in a timely manner" thing...but I'm going to get better. I promise. After flights from Glasgow, I arrived in Madrid on May 31st! The LSU group met in the airport and we took a bus to Granada (5 hour bus ride). The scenery from the bus was very desert-like. A few of us agreed that we were actually driving through Arizona. I slept most of the way, but our director woke us all up when we got to the mountains. It was beautiful! At that moment, as I looked from the bus into the rocky mountains that seemed to have no end, I knew that this experience was going to change my life. I knew that I was in for a hell of a lot more than I signed up for, and couldn't have been more excited about it!
Our host mothers met us at the bust stop in Granada. My two roommates (from LSU) were meeting us in Granada later, so it was just me and Rosa. Rosa Perez Rodriguez...straight out of a movie. She walked me to the house and showed me around. As I got settled I realized I had NO way to communicate with anyone else in the group. I didn't have a phone (international plans are OUTRAGEOUS), my computer was dead, and I wouldn't have roommates for another 5-6 hours. So, I spent most of that evening reflecting and brushing up on my Spanish. Speaking of Spanish, the language barrier has been a LOT harder than some of us imagined it would be. I realize that I don't know as much Spanish as I thought I did. And most people in Granada do not speak English. Sometimes I feel helpless when I can't get across what I want to say and don't understand their reply. It gets a little better each day, though. Slowly, I'm beginning to understand more and my vocabulary is (very slowly) improving. I only have trouble when I don't have my friends around. Usually with two or three of us we can make out the sentence. LOL.
Home life is pretty interesting. We are asked to keep our showers to less than 1o minutes (not a problem for the guys) and are only allowed one per day. Water is very expensive here, so the Spaniards are VERY conservative of their resources. We are fed 3 meals a day by Rosa. The food here is pretty good. We've had a lot of soups, pasta salads, other salads, etc. They use tuna A LOT here. And I like tuna, so that's okay. Lunch isn't served until about 3 pm and dinner at anywhere from 9-1030 pm. That took some getting used to, but we all seem to be adjusting well. For the most part, Rosa stays out of our way. We don't really get much as much interaction with her as most of the others do with their families, but it's still good. This seems to be her only source of income, so it's almost like we're guests in a hotel. But like I said, still a good experience!
On our first full day in the city, my roommates and I went exploring. Less than an hour into our excursion I heard, "LSU, huh?" from behind me. I turned around to see an American man staring at my LSU vs. VT gameday shirt. Turns out he graduated from LSU in 1996. His wife, who was in a nearby store, was actually from Baton Rouge. Talk about SMALL WORLD!!! I'm over 3,000 miles away from home in a foreign country and I'm STILL meeting Tiger Fans. I couldn't believe it.
That evening the group met up for a meeting with our director. She walked us to the school where we'll be taking classes. After that, we all went and got tapas. Tapas (pronounced top-uhs) are small portions of food. In Granada, if you order a drink, usually tapas come free. Usually tapas include a few slices of French bread (depending on the number of people in the group) and something to put on top, whether it's crab salad type stuff, or pork, etc. However, as a few friends found out, tapas can also be mixed nuts and gum drops! The next day we had orientation. After that, a few of us went and got pay-as-you-go phones! They have been a lifesaver. I'll still use Skype to call home, but for us to get in touch with each other, they have been a Godsend.
Classes started on Wednesday. They're going pretty well so far. I have class from 12-1 and 1:15 - 2:30. We've explored the nightlife a little bit! Our first outing was on Monday (the day after we arrived)...Apparently, Granada isn't really a happening place on Sunday-Tuesday. But we still had fun though! However weekends are a much different experience. Most people don't arrive at discotecas (clubs) until about 2:30 or 3 am here! If you leave at 4:30 am, people are STILL arriving. The discotecas don't close until around 7 or 8 IN THE MORNING!!!! I still have trouble believing this. It's crazy.
Our first weekend, we went and toured the city of Córdoba. The city was beautiful! One of the sites we visited included a Mosque, that 0nce Spain was taken BACK by the Christians, was converted into a Catholic church. Very, very interesting to see both the Arabic and Christian themes inside the cathedral. We had class Monday and Tuesday the next week than a break on Wed. - Fri. I left for Amsterdam Tuesday night to meet my mom for a little vacation! I'm actually in the Madrid airport on my way back to Granada now.
Also, I've experienced some unexpected homesickness. Just a little twinge though. Mostly, it's just that I miss everyone from home. I feel like I'm missing out on something, but I'm NOWHERE ready to leave Spain. So, maybe not homesickness. I want them HERE! hahaha. I try my best to keep in touch and stay involved with everyone though, which could be part of the problem? I have a good bit of free time during the day, and I'm no
t always with someone from the group. Living in a city is much different from touring it. It's not go go go all the time. I'm not always busy running around. When I take time to myself, I find that I do miss people and am ready to see them....not so much ready to go back...but kinda. It's confusing I know. I'm having an incredible time, I just wish I could be in two places at once.
Overall, I'm absolutely loving Spain. The weather is much like Louisiana, but not quite as humid. We spend a lot of our time trying to figure out free things to do. Everything is so expensive here. The exchange rate isn't too bad (1 Euro = about $1.40), but cokes are like 3 euro. That's $4.50 American dollars!!! It adds up quick! There's a nice park close to most of our houses. And a beer isn't too expensive, so we get tapas a lot. Oh, and I almost forgot. Siesta is from about 2:30 - 5 pm. Most of the shops close and reopen. It's like nap time built-in to your day!! INCREDIBLE! Going to catch my flight back to Málaga, then bus to Granada. Will be updating on my trip to Amsterdam VERY soon. Stay tuned!
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