the WONDERFUL week with my parents in Spain!

After an hour plane ride, I was in Barcelona with my parents!! Our plan was to stay one night in a beach resort just outside of Barcelona for the first night, and the next three in the city, but when we found out it was an hour and a half away we decided to stay in Barcelona all 4 nights. In Barcelona the people speak Catalan, and NOT Castellano (regular Spanish). I was nervous for us to find a hotel, but when I found out our cab driver spoke Castellano, I spoke to him and he found us a nice hotel. He was really nice and we talked a lot about Granada and its history, and about Andalucia in general. (Andalucia is a region of Spain, and Granada is a province within this region. Then Granada City is a city within the province of Granada...just like New York, New York) Any ways, my parents fell RIGHT asleep when we got to our hotel. Being jetlagged sucks!

The next morning we went for breakfast and switched hotels. Our hotel was absolutley gorgeous. After this we walked the street "Las Ramblas", a famous street in Barcelona. Lucky for us our hotel was in the center of it. Las Ramblas is a street lined with beautiful trees on each side, shops, restaurants, interesting performers, a market, and ends with the Christopher Columbus statue. We went into the market which was REALLY cool. There was every kind of fresh meats, cheeses, nuts, fish, and fruits. There were bakeries, ice cream shops, people making fresh pizza, and more. We got a bunch of little things like olives, nuts, fruit, and bread and sat down and had some wine with it! Afterwards, we continued to walk down the street, and ended at the Columbus monument. I read that you could go to the top of it, so we did! It was an extremley tiny elevator that took you up there and only about 5 people could be up there at once. It was really worth it tho because it was an amazing view of the city, and the port which was right at the end of Las Ramblas. After this, we were told that there was a good bar close by to get cheap drinks and food. We aimlessly walked around forever and couldnt find it! Everyone we asked didnt even know. Once we finally found it, it was awesome. It was a tiny place with only locals. They had wine and sandwiches. The wine was really good, and with a sandwich it was only 2.50 euro total! The reason it was so hard to find was because it had no sign with the name of it. It was funny, but cool. We called it the "Johnny's" of Spain. It was SO crowded and super small...just like Johnny's! Later that evening we walked around Barcelona, and then went to a restaurant with the most AMAZING paella ive had since ive been here!!

The next morning we bought tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus tour. It takes you around all of Barcelona and you can get on and off at all the main tourist sights. Our first stop was "La Pedrera." This is a house designed by Antoni Gaudi. He is a very famous architect that designed many buildings in Barcelona. The outside of the building itself is incredile. The building is designed into waves in stone. The beginning of the tour was kinda lame, but we were able to go on the roof and it was awesome. My dad didnt love this tour, but the roof was very cool to see. Afterwards, we hopped-on the bus and went to see La Sagrada Familia! This is the church that was designed by Antoni Gaudi. They said he dedicated his life to this church, and after over 100 years, it is still only HALF done. Its hard to fatham, but the church itself really is unbelievably gorgeous. It was acutally pretty cool to see it under construction, and to see their workshop of where all the molds and designs of the building are being created. Next we went to the FC Bacelona staduim! (FC just stands for futbol club) This was something very different to see since we were seeing all old buildings with history. I was really excited to see this stadium especially because my "Abuelo" in my house watches Barcelona soccer almost EVERY DAY, so I would always see the huge stadium on the televison filled with 100,000 people! It was a very cool tour because we got to go into the players lockerooms, go onto the level of the field, go into the press room, see all of their trophys, and a museum of the teams history. I really enjoyed it!

After this we went back to the hotel, and then went to a nice dinner! Before dinner my mom and I got delicious sangria from our bar (she got one EVERY day in Spain), and sat next to Tim Robbins, the actor from Shawshank Redemption. He was wearing a jean jacket, and looked like a loser. For dinner we went to a restaurant called 'Barceloneta,' a seafood restaraunt in Barcelona. Our food was SOO good, im happy I took pictures of it=) To walk off our dinner and dessert, we walked along the beach by all the clubs and bars. Of course, my 25 yr. old mother wanted to go in to the dance clubs, but my parents are OLD, so we just went to a bar for drinks.

The next morning we went back on the hop-on and off bus tour. There were 2 different lines, so this day we saw completley different things. Our first stop was Casa Batllo, another building by Antoni Gaudi. This is honestly one of the coolest buildings ive ever seen. Ive never seen anything like it. There is colored stone on the entire thing, and the roof is made to look like fish scales. Next we just toured beautiful Barcelona for a while on the top of the bus. We eventually got off when we saw the car cable things that take you over the top of the city. The views of Barcelona were gorgeous!! I am so happy we did this. Of course, it was time to eat, and we went to a cute little outside restaurant and got tapas (appetizers) and drinks! While walking back to our hotel, there was a group of entertainers (gymnasts) on Las Ramblas, and my mom pushed me into the center when they asked for volunteers..not nice. Anyways, I was in their demostration, and had a guy do a flip over 2 other people and then me! It was crazy. That night we relaxed a bit in the hotel, and then went to the Magic Fountain for our last night in Barcelona. It was so pretty and fun to see with all the lights and music! They played all american songs to the water and sometimes made the water look like smoke, it was sweeeet. I loved being there with my parents!!! Im so lucky that they were able to come visit me and that we got to travel somewhere in Spain, and see new things together!


The next morning VERY early, we were off to Granada, my home=) I was so excited to show them Granada and everything that I have been falling in love with! When we got to Granada, we settled my parents into their hotel, and then we went for a walk as I showed them both of my schools! It was such a beautiful day (the WHOLE week they were here was perfect weather!), but because it was a sunday, both my schools were closed, just like everything else in Granada on sundays! That night, we were lucky enough to get tickets to a Gypsy style flamenco show in Sacromonte(an area in the mountains in Granada). I was really excited to go with them because I loved the flamenco show I saw in Sevilla, and I wanted them to experience what I had. We got dinner at their hotel, and then took a bus up to Sacromonte. On the way to the cave that the show was in, the bus stopped at the Albaizin, a district in Granada. Here that is a great view of the Alhambra, and it was at night so it was really pretty. When we got to the cave it was so cool! It was super small, with pictures everywhere and authentic spanish pot hanging from the ceiling. It was so small that we were literally in their space, but thats what made it fun. The dancing was a different style from what I saw in Sevilla, but it was really cool! There were flamenco singers as well. At the end of the show, we got to dance with them. It was really fun, and I am so happy that my parents go to see something so cultural. Before going home, I took my parents to try churros con chocolate. I like them, but my parents werent really feeling it. Oh well, at least they got to try them!

The next day we went to see the Cathedral here in Granada. I waited to go in until my parents came so that it could be my first time too. I was excited to see it because it is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel are buried! They were the king and queen of Spain that funded Christopher Columbus's journey to America. The Cathedral itself was beautiful, and the monument for the king and queen was awesome. Then, you can go underground and see their tombs! I thought it was really cool. In front of their monument is a candle that has never and will never burn out. Afterwards, we went to the Alhambra. I hadnt been there yet either, so I didnt really know much about it which was my mistake. The Alhambra was gorgeous, but super croweded and no head sets to hear the tour left to buy. Me and my parents didnt really know what anything was, so we kind of just aimlessly wandered through the fortress. It was cool, but we had no clue what we were looking at, so it wasnt what I expected. After the Alhambra, I wanted to take my parents to a local bar that my friends and I go to alot for cheap drinks and tapas! We call it the "Chino" cuz its run by chinese people. We got sangria and tapas=) Then we went to a really good bakery near by, of course for my dad to check out the sweets, but I wasnt complaining. Then, my parents came up to my bedroom and we skyped micheal, joanna, and my grandparents. It was so cool having them in my room where I usually skype them! That night we went to a restaurant by my plaza for pizza.

The next morning my school was open, so we took another walk to see it! They got to go inside the building, and inside one of my classrooms! Afterwards was the big lunch at my senoras house, so we walked to buy my senora, and my abuela flowers, and then went to my house for lunch. At this point my parents had already met both my abuela and my senora, but my abuelo, tia (aunt), and her 3 children who spend a lot of time at our house were all there for lunch! It was SUCH a nice time. My abuela cooked a traditional spanish dish of paella. It was HUGE, with full baby lobsters in it! She also had food before, and after this! It was fun to translate for my parents, well mom, my dad did pretty well with his spanish. Curro, Marga and Jose (the grandkids) were all there. They sat by us, and were so cute by trying to show off and speak the little english that they learn in school to my parents! Curro can say the numbers 1-10 and Jose was taught how to say "Oh my god!" Then, jose asked me if I could teach him english with the CDs that he got from school because his mom doesnt understand them. It was soo cute! It was really nice that my parents and senora talked a lot after dinner. My mom and dad thanked them for taking care of me, and of course, Lor cried. It was SO fun having them in the house that im living in, and talking with my host family!

After this we did a bit of shopping. Then later that night, rachel came home from paris, and we went to dinner with her and my friend laura and her mom. Then I wanted to take my parents to this ice cream parlor that we go to sometimes. Its called Los Italianos, and its not as good as ice ceam in Italy, but its real good. Sadly, it was my parents last night in Spain, and I had to start school the next day. I got up early, and had breakfast with them, and then had to say goodbye after an AMAZING week!! It was hard to say goodbye knowing I wouldnt see them till christmas, but also I only will do this one time! Im so happy that they came to visit me. I wish Michael and Joanna could have been there to experience Spain with us, but one day we will just have to come back=) I miss my family lots, but seeing my parents recently has definitley made it easier. I love them all so much and am so lucky to have the family that I do=)

MY PARENTS ARE HERE!!

I havent posted a blog in a long time because I have been super busy with school and enjoying spain=) I took my final exam yesterday and found out this morning that I got an A on it!! Im really proud of myself considing my exam was 12 pages long! Theres SO much that I want to say and write in here about the past couple of weeks, but I will next time I blog. I just wanted to write that MY PARENTS ARE HERE!! My dad just texted me and said that he and my mom have arrived in Barcelona. I am finishing up packing right now, and my senora is driving me to the airport. After a one hour flight I will get to see them!

ps. even though i havent been blogging I have still been adding pictures for people to look at!

adios=)

half day!

so today one of my teachers had to go to the doctor or something so we only had our first 2 hours of class! I guess we could have gotten a substitute, but in spain they like to make things relaxing=) On my walk home I decided to take a new route and explore some places that I havent seen yet. I really like being by myself sometimes. It is very relaxing. Im happy that I went this new way becasue I found a really cute plaza. It had fresh fruit markets outside, bakeries, a pretty ountain in the middle, restaurants, and kids playing everywhere. When I was walking through i saw a puppy that looked JUST like bella!! It made me sad=( so I stopped to watch it. This dog was barking like crazy (just like bella) and chasing all the birds. It even made that stupid sneeze noise that bella makes. After this I found a cool shop with spanish jewlery. Then I was back in the plaza that i live in: Plaza de la Trinidad. During class today we discussed certain topics from newspapers and it made me think that I should buy a few different news papers from Granada. Not only to read, but also to use in my classroom one day. I bought 'El Pais' and 'Granada Hoy'. Im going to read them on my free time to learn new vocab words. In a few hours my friends and I are going on a tour of Sacromonte. I dont know too much about it, but its a seperate neighborhood that homes a bunch of the gypies in granada. It also has really cool caves. Im excited to see it. Ill post pictures soon to show you what it really is tho!

Sevilla!

This past weekend I went to Sevilla, Spain with 6 of my friends and had such a wonderful time=))

We left right after our classes on Friday for our 3 hour bus ride. We got into Sevilla around 7 pm, and checked into our hostel. Walking through Sevilla was so beautiful. This was my first time staying in a hostel and was a little nervous. Our room had 8 beds in it with only 4 being my friends! It was pretty small and crammed, but i guess you get what you pay for. After getting settled we went out for dinner. Then we got lost. The streets in Sevilla are horrible and change names every 3 blocks. When we finally found our way we went to a cheap bar for drinks. After this we decided to go back because my one friend Nicki made us a jam packed itinerary and we wanted to be ready to see all of Sevilla!

Our first stop was the Bull Fighting Museum. We bought tickets for a show and we wanted to be knowledgeable on what was actually going on, so we went to the museum for information. It was really cool beacause we got to see the stadium and take pictures really close up when no one was there, and it was nice since our seats for the actual fight were on the top section. The museum was really neat. We especially liked it beacuse the tour guide did the tour all in spanish. She told us about all the stages of the bullfights, we got to see the clothing that they wear, see paintings and sculptures, and see where the horses stay before they are needed in the fight. I took tons of pictures because I thought it would be somehting cool that I can use in my classroom when i teach!

After this we went to the Flamenco Museum. It was very artsy and more hands on than he other one. In each room they had screens of flamenco dancing. We were all in awe just by the video, and it got us so excited for the show. This museum had paintings and actual shoes and clothing that is worn for flamenco dancing.

Our next stop was the Cathedral. It was absolutley amazing. It is the 3rd largest church in the world, and Christopher Columbus is buried there! I had no idea. Im honestly learning so many new things everyday=) I took tons of pictures, but they do not do it justice.

After the cathedral, we went to our hostal and got ready for the Flamenco show!! We went to a smaller show that held about 90 people. I enjoyed it so much more because it was a lot more personal, and we were super close to the stage! A guitar player and a singer to started the show. They were both so different and cool. After that the girl came out. She was INCREDIBLE. She was so intense and passionate about the dance it was amazing. I wish I could have taped it. The man went after her and he was just as great. I never wanted it to end! I really never expected to enjoy it that much.

Next we got tapas and wine! We then went on the bar crawl with our hostel. The bars were really cool. They were all outdoor and had weird decorations. It was fun to be outside and not crammed and hot inside of a bar. It was fun, but we are pretty sure that we went ended up at a gay club...

The next morning we went on a walking tour of Sevilla. The tour guide (who was also the owner of our hostel) explained to us not only all the buildings, but behind the scenes stories that we would never have been able to know. We saw different"neighborhoods", as well as the university of sevilla, and La plaza de espana. This plaza had a scene from star wars taped there! It is also in the shape of "open arms" that face the plaza americana. This is supposed to symbolize that spain will always have open arms to america, and that they are sorry for their past with christopher columbus.

We then got lunch,where I had really good salmon, and went on a tour of Alcazar. This is the governors palace in Spain. It was really beautiful, but sadly from walking around all day,while carrying our backpacks, we were so tired that we didnt really enjoy it as much as we could have.

Finally, it was time for the bull fight in La Plaza de Toros. We were all very excited, but we didnt know what we were in for. After going to the museum, we were aware that there were 6 bulls that were killed in each fight, but when the first one came out we were all REALLY sad. After the 3rd bull we were used to it, but it was hard to watch at times. I am glad that I got to experience it and take pictures for my classroom tho. Our tour guide said that it was really good that we went to one. She said now because of animal rights and everything that this tradtion could be completely stopped within the next couple of years. All in all it was really cool to be a part of their tradition. The pictures are pretty graphic so if you dont wanna see them, skip those ones!

I had such a great time and I learned a lot about the culture of Spain. Cannot wait to see more of spain and europe!

esceula y mas

Hola! By now I have been in my intensive language course for about a week and I am loving it! I feel like I am learning a lot already. The professors are SO great and some of the students in my class that I have met are really cool. So far we have been reviewing and brushing up on our grammar. Today was fun because we discussed our opinions and views on certain topics. The teachers are very patient and help us out a lot when speaking. I am really going to miss having only two classes a day after this month is over!!

Rachel and I are now in a different building so it takes us about 20-25 minutes to walk to class. It's an easy walk but it can sometimes be hard to get there in a hurry due to all the Spaniards that walk SOO slow! It's weird. One of our teachers said that he can always tell who is from the United States by how quickly they are walking. I really do love their way of life. The Spaniards are all so at ease, and dont worry about anything. Our favorite saying now that everyone in Granada uses is "no pasa nada!" which basically means "dont worry about it, its fine, its nothing" We constantly here it from our teachers and senoras. Its so great to see that they dont think anything is a big deal. Another big reason i love their way of life is SIESTA!!! My favorite word ever. In Spain they eat a larger lunch than dinner (although in our house it seems our dinners are just as big), and when they do the entire city shuts down from 2-6pm. It is really cool, but also kind of annoying at the same time. If you want to go anywhere or need to pick something up, especially at school, you cant. And if they dont feel like opening after siesta, they just dont! We eat lunch in our house at about 2 30 and then sleep every day until 6. It is absolutley wonderful.

Last night we ate dinner over in our "abuelas" house across the hall. She is our senoras mother, and the woman who cooks for us. She is really nice, and funny! She actually told us a dirty joke last night! We were all very caught off guard, but it was great. Its cool when I see how relaxed and open my host family is.

After dinner we went out for a little bit for my friend Heather's birthday. Heather introduced us to her other roomated, Kristine, who is from Germany. She spoke perfect english. It was very interesting to talk to her. She knew so much information about American politics, television, movies, music; everything. After talking a while I asked her what Germans thought of Americans. She said "most Germans think americans are stupid." She went on to tell me that someone from the US once asked her if in Germany they had electricity. I laughed, but it really is pathetic. Its sad that I keep on getting reminded through studying here on how ignorant Americans are to the rest of the world.

ANYWAYS...Im REALLY looking forward to my trip to Seville this weekend with my friends! Were going to be touring the city and seeing a flamenco show so im very excited!
ok, im gunna go siesta now and then finish up my homework so that i can go to Granada Diez tonight!! ill put up pictures soon=)

Starting School

I cant believe I have only been here for a little over a week! I feel very comfortable and settled already. Its been a very exciting first week (basically a vacation!), but now its time for school to actually start. Thursday was my first day of class. For the entire first month I am here, I am in a Language Intensive course. It is one class every day for 4 hours a day. The time goes by pretty quickly because we have a little break in between (not to mention some of the teachers give other cigarette and coffee breaks!) I am very excited to start this course because I can actually apply it to my real life. Right now I can understand almost everything that my host family says, but I still need to break my nerves when it comes to speaking! Charo (my senora) seems to think that I speak well already, but I know that I still have A LOT to learn.

Rachel and I and a bunch of the other girls just planned a trip to Seville! We are going next friday till Sunday. Seville is a city about 3 hours from Granada, and is supposed to be gorgeous. We are very excited to start traveling=)

I cannot believe my parents come in less than a month! Im excited to see them, show them around Granada, and introduce them to my host family!! Im very lucky that my parents are able to come and I cant wait to spend a week with them in Espana=)

IN GRANDA!!

Being in Madrid was awesome. Our final days there were spent touring the city and experiencing the night life. One of my favorite things that we did in Madrid was tour Palacio Real. This is the Palace in Madrid that all the Kings of Spain lived in. It was absolutley GORGEOUS. I got a few pictures that I wasnt supposed to take, so look at them! I had such an amazing time with all the girls from my group there. We all get along so well and have so much fun together!

After Madrid, we took a bus to Granada, and were then sent to our host families. Rachel and I have been SO lucky to get the senora that we did. Her real name is Rosario, but she says that she doesnt like that name, so that we should call her "Charo". She is super nice and actually pretty young from what we were expecting. When we first arrived there were 2 students living here: one from New Mexico, and one from China. It was really nice beacuse they explained to us how things work around the house, and what to expect. Where we live is called "La Plaza de la Trinidad". It is where all the main shopping is, and many cute restaurants for tapas! We have a pretty fountain right in front of our house, and live literally a 10 minute walk from school. Some of the other students from my group walk 30-45 minutes! We have a ncie room with our our bathroom in it, and our own balcony!! Most of the other students said that they do not have their own bathroom so we are very lucky. We also WI-FI in our house! A bunch of the other students have no internet access, so its really nice for us to be able to skype our families, and keep in touch for emergencies, and also to blog=) Charo's mother lives across the hall from us, and she is the one that actually cooks for us, so its nice beacuse if we dont like the food, or dont want to eat too much, Charo doesnt mind! Also, her sister lives in the building next door with her 3 nieces and nephews. They are sooo cute. Curro, Marga and Jose, and they are THE cutest kids. Its fun to have them around the house to play with.

It has been really cool practicing my spanish here. Charo does not speak a WORD of engligh, so its going to be very good for Rachel and I. Our host mom is very laid back and good to us. Rachel told her yesterday that I am Italian, so for dinner she had her mom make pasta! Then after dinner she took us and her nephew out for ice cream at an italian gelato place. She is soo cute.

I have already done a bunch of shopping here (no regalos! lo siento). In the store in Spain they only have 3 sales a year called "Rebajas". They last for about a months time, and the final day of the 2nd Rebajas was yesterday so you know I couldnt pass that up! I got some really cute stuff. I took some pictures and will post them up.

Today I took my placemt exam. We had an oral, multiple choice grammar, and a written exam. It wasnt bad, but we will see tomorrow!

Granada is soo beautiful. Everytime I walk outside and see the sierra nevadas in the background im taken back. i LOVE it here!

ok im done. sorry that I wrote a novel!! miss you all=))