Abroad in Granada

The Time of My Life

   Well, I can’t quite believe it, but the end is finally here. Back In January when I got here, I started to cross the days off on a little calendar I kept on my bulletin board. I remember looking at five months worth of days to cross off and thinking, “May is forever away.” Boy, was I wrong.

   People aren’t kidding when they say time flies. Now that calendar is all packed away with the rest of my things in a suitcase. I worked some serious magic today and managed to fit all of my stuff in my bags. Minus a few things I decided to leave behind.

   I’m gonna warn you right now, you’ve reached the touchy-feely, emotional part of this post, so you may just want to skip the rest. I’m not sure I even know where to start as far as how I’m feeling goes. I’m of course excited to see my friends and family, and dog, again. At the same time, I feel like I’m not at all ready to leave. I feel like there is still so much more for me here. This has become my life, and I don’t feel ready to leave it all behind.

   Saying goodbye is never easy, and today is no exception. I’ve come to love so many people here (some of whom have left already), and it’s hard to think I’ll probably never see some of them again. I’m beyond grateful to Mamache and Rafael for giving me such a great place to live, and so many good memories. The same goes for each of my many housemates. I couldn’t have done it without them, or without the friends I’ve made here.

   I could go on and on about my time here, and how hard it is to leave, but I’ll spare you all the details. Just know, that as cliche as it may sound, I really have had the time of my life here. I’ve had many ups and downs, and I’ve learned more than I thought I would. In the end, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, and I’ll never forget it.

   I’ll try to update as I make my 24 hour journey home today. Tonight I fly to Barcelona, and in the morning I’ll board my flight to Philadelphia. After a few more hours of waiting, I’ll finally fly home to Minneapolis.

   Thanks to anyone who actually took the time to read this blog of mine. Hope you enjoyed it (although I’m pretty sure it was mostly boring).

   Besos, Sarah

So Much to Do, So Little Time

   Well I’m finally updating! There wasn’t much time for blogging during finals week, but thankfully that’s all over now, and I have plenty of time on my hands :)

   I actually only had three finals, all last week, and they weren’t too bad in the end. Truthfully, I wasn’t really concerned about them. Something about my time in Spain coming to an end brought me to a place where finals didn’t seem so important. This mindset, although it sounds like a counterproductive one, actually worked in my favor, I think. I wasn’t really all that stressed about them; I studied a little bit before each and just went in and took them. I think they each went pretty well, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

   The last day of finals for everybody is Tuesday this week, which means a lot of people are heading out on Wednesday. I on the other hand have until the 30th. I’m glad I booked my flight for a few days later, because now I feel like I have some time to just relax and really enjoy Granada before I have to go.

   For me, this means getting in everything that’s great about this place one last time before I head on home. Corrin and I had a great chinese food date and coffee date last week. The other day I enjoyed yet another order of churros con chocolate with my new housemates. I’ve been walking around the Albaycin, and checked out the Alhambra, during the day and at night. Saturday night was spent out at the botellon and dancing at Camborio. Sam and Corrin did some shopping with me at an outdoor market, and Jordan and I had some more great conversations over ice cream. Countless nights I’ve been over to Sam’s place, enjoying the gorgeous view and some good company.

   I know that the previous paragraph has zero flow, and isn’t exactly very eloquent, but that’s not the point. My point is that as I look back on the last few weeks alone, I can see just how great this place, and my time here, has been. I still can’t believe January wasn’t just yesterday, it sure feels like it.

   I leave in a week, and I still feel like there is a lot I want to do before I go. Today though I relaxed at home, sitting outside and soaking up the sun with Momo. It’s gonna be hard to start the goodbyes this week, and I have a feeling it’s all going to be very bittersweet. So, bare with me, because from here on, my posts are probably going to be a little on the emotional side. I’ll be leaving a lot behind, but there’s a lot to look foward to, as well.

Weird.

   Well I officially only have 20 days left here. The fact that I’ve reached the point where I’m counting in days instead of months is totally weird. Time has flown by much too quickly, and despite missing my family and friends, I don’t feel ready to leave just yet. I feel like this is my life now, and it’ll be weird to go back to what feels like ‘my old life.’

   I guess I shouldn’t say things have quite settled here considering things have been changing. As you may recall, after Maushika (first housemate) left Sam moved in. Well not unlike Maushika she opted to leave for a more affordable, better located apartment. So here I am on my own again. But not for long! Mamache informed me that a couple of girls will be joining us on Sunday. They’ll only be here until the 30th though. Oh wait, so will I…. Weird.

   Anywho, things were pretty chill this past weekend. Even though Sam moved out she’s still a (welcome) prescence in the house. On Saturday she and I cooked lunch for the family. Mamche, Rafael and Jesus (host brother) were big fans of our omelettes and hash browns. Then on Sunday we surprised our padres along with Mariajo (host sister) and Sergio (host brother-in-law) with some dessert. Needless to say they were big fans of that as well. Who doesn’t love ice cream?

   As my time here is winding down so are classes, which means plenty of end-of-the-semester homework and studying to do. I’ll try to update when I can. Although now that time is slowly running out, there won’t be too much more updating to do… :(

Best Bus Ever

   Well, I finally cleaned out my London suitcase today, so I figure I might as well do my last post about the trip while I’m at it.

   As per usual it was another bright and early morning for us on Monday. It was one to remember, too. Corrin got up and ready before me and headed downstairs for breakfast. When I went down to meet her she told me about the Osama Bin Laden killing. I hopped on my facebook and sure enough there it was on everyone’s status. It was definitely not the start to the morning I had anticipated, and I’m just going to leave it at that. I think everything that can be said, has been said, and I’m not usually one to broadcast my views on the internet.  

   Moving on, after breakfast we hit the tube together one last time before parting ways. Corrin’s flight didn’t leave until the next day, so she was off to see a few more sights while I was on my way home.

   As it turned out, all the lines running to my underground station where the airport bus was leaving from were closed. So, I found myself at the Liverpool Station contemplating how to get back to the airport. Turns out I was in the right place because there in front of my was a train headed directly to the Stansted airport. So I bought a ticket and hopped on the train. It kind of sucked having to buy yet another ticket for this trip, but I got to ride through the english countryside and write some postcards, so I can’t complain too much I suppose :)

   My flight made it safely back to Malaga and I caught a taxi to the bus station, where I got on the best bus ever. Little did I know I had purchased a ticket for the ‘supra economy’ bus, which in laymen’s terms basically means extra special. As I got my ticket checked I was handed a little paper bag (as was everyone else who boarded the bus). As I took my seat I opened my bag to find snacks, a bottled water, and headphones. There were little tv’s all over the bus that showed where exactly we were on our route, and there was a plug-in on the seat in front of you to listen to the radio (hence the headphones). The seats were extra comfy and best of all, there was an abundance of leg room. All you fellow tall people out there know hoe much that means after countless trips on cramped airplanes and buses. I sat back, cracked open my complimentary bag of peanuts, and enjoyed the ride.

   It was one of the best trips I’ve taken, and it was a little bittersweet to be back. Not just because it meant having to leave London, but also because it meant facing how little time I have left here. Just like I’m not really one to alk politics on the internet, I’m not really one to talk about my feelings either. But I have to say, I can’t believe how time has flown, and it’s weird to think I’ll be home before I know it. To me, this is my life now. This is where I live. But I have a feeling that once I’m back home in my old routine, it will all feel like a dream. Thankfully though I have this lovely blog to remind me that all of it did in fact happen :)

Tubular

   Well it was another jolly day in London town. The weather was a bit chillier, but still not bad. We were of course up early as usual, but we took our time with breakfast today and just relaxed a bit. We even saw a fox outside while we were eating!

   Anywho, we kept the chill morning going with a long tube ride and a stroll down Portobello Road, where we did some shopping around and saw Orson Welles used to live. On our way there the tube was stopped, and a pigeon just waltzed on in. He looked around for a bit, and made his way out. He probably just got on the wrong train by accident.

   After that we made a lunch stop at the Covent Garden market before heading to the Vicoria and Albert Museum. They have a theatre exhibition there that Corrin was excited to see. It was pretty neat, and we even got to play dress up with some costumes (pictures to come later).

   Right by that was the Natural History Museum which we visited briefly. We also paid a brief visit to the Tate Modern art museum. But seeing as we’re not big modern art fans, we just checked out the Picasso’s and called it a day.

   The sightseeing continued with a stop at The Globe Theatre, Shakespeare’s old stomping grounds, Millenium Bridge, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. By then we were spent and needed a pick-me-up, so Mcdonalds it was for some Cadbury Creme Egg Mcflurries. Just what we needed.

   Corrin and I have become masters of the tube. We sure get our money’s worth out of our daily passes, and we’ve been on a lot of the lines and tons of the stations. It’s super easy and efficient to use. I don’t know what we’d do without it.

   Overall it was another pretty good day. This trip has turned out to be pretty great and I’ll be sad to leave tomorrow. But I’m thankful that we were at least able to fit a lot in during our short time here :)