Abroad in Granada

The Time of My Life

Mon, 30 May 2011 14:49:55 +0200

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

More music and dancing…

Sun, 29 May 2011 17:36:16 +0200

More music and dancing…

A little music and dancing up at San Nicolas

Sun, 29 May 2011 17:25:07 +0200

A little music and dancing up at San Nicolas

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Tue, 24 May 2011 01:04:22 +0200

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.

I know, I know, I still need to update about the past couple of...

Mon, 23 May 2011 14:47:44 +0200

I know, I know, I still need to update about the past couple of weeks. But until I get around to that, enjoy some Shakira, and pretend you’re soaking up the Spanish sun with me and Momo :)

Spent last night hanging out with my loves and enjoying the...

Sun, 15 May 2011 12:29:11 +0200

Spent last night hanging out with my loves and enjoying the gorgeous view from Sam’s terrace. Going to the Alhambra today with Maushika and will try to update tonight! :)

These few pics from the weekend are pretty much just of Sam,...

Tue, 10 May 2011 23:40:10 +0200

Making dessert!

delicious

happy to be in the sun

swimming in the soon-to-be-filled pool

These few pics from the weekend are pretty much just of Sam, haha

Weird.

Tue, 10 May 2011 20:34:06 +0200

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

Fri, 06 May 2011 13:29:03 +0200

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

Sun, 01 May 2011 19:42:29 +0200

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 :)

ABBEY ROAD ABBEY ROAD ABBEY ROAD

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 21:26:06 +0200

It was a good day today, people. I mean like, a really good day. Like, the best day ever pretty much. Where to start? I suppose the beginning is a good place :)

Well we were up bright and early once again because we wanted to fit in a lot today, and boy did we ever. We started out the day by checking out Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament Big Ben, and the London Eye. From there we metro’ed on up to the British Museum, where we saw the Rosetta Stone.

Before we hit the British Museum we made a lunch stop at a restaurant called Pret A Manger. It’s a big chain here and was recommended to us by my lovely friend Meaghan Leighton, hey, Meaghan. This place was GREAT. For those of you who don’t already know, I’m kind of a hippie sometimes. For that reason, this was the place for me. It was organic, natural and fresh. Everything was made right there that day. They use earth-friendly packaging and free-trade, Rainforest Alliance certified coffee beans. All the unsold snadwiches at the end of the day go to homeless shelters. And they even offer shot-term apprenticeships to homeless people looking for work. Imagine what a great place the world would be if every restaurant was like that?

Moving on from the liberal ranting…. After that we went to the National Gallery, which was by far my favorite. Anyone who’s been to an art museum with me before can tell you that I LOVE looking at paintings. And these were no exception. I could have spent days in there. Unfortunately we didn’t have time for that, so we just checked out the Van Gogh’s and the Monet’s. Let me tell you, they were absolutely amazing. Very glad we got to see them.

Right outside the museum was Trafalgar Square, where they happened to be filming the Today Show. Natalie Morales and Al Roker were there talking to somebody. We of course got in the background and took some pictures.

We took a quick cafe break and headed on up to ABBEY ROAD. That’s right people, the Abbey Road. As in where the greatest musical group of all time ever used to hang out. I was in HEAVEN. Between the excitement for Abbey Road and the two shots worth of espresso from the cafe I was brimming with energy. I pretty much sang the entire Beatles anthology to Corrin on the walk there. We of course took pictures and we even signed our names on the wall in front of Abbey Road Studios. It was a great moment for me. I’d like to send a thank you out to the guy who lent me his pen for making it happen :)

From there we took the tube on over to Baker Street, home of Sherlock Holmes, protagonist of one of my favorite books, The Hound of the Baskervilles. We took even more pics in front of the Sherlock Holmes museum and checked out the Beatles themed shop that happened to be next door.

After that it was Corrin’s turn to fufill her London dreams by going to Platform 9 3/4. As I’m sure you can guess, we took more pictures. There’s gonna be a lot of pictures to post later. A lot.

By then the long day was starting to take a toll on us so we rounded off the day by checking out Fleet Street, where Sweeney Todd lives and works, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Now we’re back in our hostel for the night and getting ready for another fun-filled day tomorrow. I’m loving London and can’t wait to see more :)

Royal Wedding

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:10:48 +0200

‘Ello there! Cheers! I’m unbelievably happy to report that Corrin and I finally made it to London. There were plenty of bumps along the way, but after a long, stressful journey we made it to our hostel around 1am last night.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. But before I knew it six o’clock came and it was time to get ready. We hit breakfast and headed to the Underground. We’re pretty much gonna have it mastered by the time we leave here. We’re pretty much rockstars. We make transfers smooth as butter and we always ’mind the gap.’

As soon as we transferred to the line headed for Hyde Park we saw all the other spectators heading the same way. There were SO many people, of course, and everybody was hyped up.

We got some donuts and cocoa and found a place to sit. As soon as the royal family started making their way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey the crowd was on its feet, all heads turned towards the three jumbotrons.

Everyone was showing their British pride decked out in red, white, and blue, wearing tiaras and other festive hats, hiding behind their Will, Kate, and Queenie (as they call her) masks, etc. Every time the royal family came on the screen and at every big moment the crowd would break out in cheers and everyone (including me) would wave their flags excitedly. At the end of the ceremony confetti canons exploded and the crowd clapped and cheered some more. It was a great atmosphere, and it was a great feeling to be a part of it.

As soon as the royal family arrived back at Buckingham Palace, Corrin and I headed out of the park and found ourselves in a pub called The Duke of York. There we stood with the bar crowd and watched the royal couple’s balcony kiss(es). Then we headed up to the dining area and devoured some fish and chips.

The streets of London are filled with people celebrating the wedding. After we ate Corrin and I decided to head back to the hostel. So we hit the Underground once again, and now we’re sipping some hot drinks and doing some blogging before we game plan the next couple of days.

It was a great morning and I can’t think of a better way to be welcomed to London than by being a part of history :)

Sunshine and Candy

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:40:18 +0200

Today is a good day. Yes, it’s still early, and I don’t want to jinx anything, but it’s been pretty great so far.

First of all it’s Tuesday, which is my favorite class day. That also means I got to see my Jordan this morning for the first time since he got back from Norway, or as I like to call it (for no reason whatsoever) Norwegia. Tuesday also means cafe time with Corrin! Woo!

But before we hit the cafe this morning we stopped at the computer lab so we could print out tickets to LONDON. That’s right, London. I’m very hbetappy to announce that Corrin and I will in fact be leaving on Thursday for Jolly Old England. We’re excited and filled with Royal Wedding fever! Yipee! Can’t wait.

I’m also happy to report that after a rainy weekend, the sun has finally come out. As I soaked it up on my walk home I discovered that in front of the Corte Ingles (aka the Wal-Mart of Spain, but with had Macy’s level prices) was having a book sale! I perused the tables and made a selection. I picked up a book called Tres Metros Sobre el Cielo; it has a ‘best seller’ sticker on the front, so I’m hoping it’s good.

Upon arriving home I discovered the lovliest Easter package there ever was from the best Mom there ever was. It was chock full of delicious candy, my favorite magazines, ANOTHER coloring book, and some London maps for the upcoming trip.

I have to head back to class in a bit, and hopefully the greatness of the day will continue.

Now, for the five or so of you who actually follow this blog, I’ve almost wrapped up my Part II of the Semana Santa post. So, fear not. It shall be here soon.

Hope your day is as filled with sunshine and candy as mine is! But if not, I hope it’s still a good day anyways :)

Semana Santa - Logistics

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:54:34 +0200

Alright, I’ve been meaning to get to this for a few days now. So here it is my official semana santa post. It’s going to be a long one, so prepare yourselves; there’s a lot to go over. I’ll get through all the basic need to know stuff here and then I’ll write a separate post about my personal experiences, because goodness there’s a lot to go over.

To start, let’s go over what it is exactly. Semana santa, or holy week, takes place the last week of lent, from Palm Sunday to what we know as Easter Sunday. The point of this week long celebration is to commemorate the last week of Jesus’ life.

How do they celebrate it you ask? Good question. Every evening/night of semana santa there are processions, which are basically parades about Jesus. All of the churches do processions and all of the processions follow the same basic pattern.

Generally the procession is led by a group of people wearing hoods and cloaks. These people, despite appearances, have NO affiliation whatsoever with the KKK. I must say, as Americans, it’s a little weird to watch at first. But after a few you start to get used to it. Anyways, each church/procession has its own colors. As such every night they’re dressed differently. These people march their way along carrying staffs, crosses, candles, etc.

Following the hooded folk are generally more people in religious robes and such of the same colors. They’re also carrying a variety of things. Often there are little kids carrying baskets filled with candy (not that they throw it or anything), water bottles (to hydrate their fellow procession-ers), and lighters (obviously to keep all those candles lit). Next we usually find a big ol’ group of women dressed in all black and lace. They’re usually carrying candles and rosaries, and they’re generally wearing heels, too. I don’t know how they do all that marching in those heels, but somehow they pull it off.

Then comes the main event of the procession, the pasos, which are essentially floats. Each procession consists of two pasos, one of Jesus followed later by one of the Virgin Mary. The ones of Jesus depict him in various ways, at the last supper, on the cross, etc. The ones of Mary on the other hand, are all pretty much the same. They always have a sad, crying Mary knelt down praying in front of rows and rows of candles. And she’s always ornately dressed, too.

These pasos are carried from underneath by a bunch of guys marching in unison. These guys are referred to as costaleros, and boy do they work. Every once in a while the procession stops and every time it does, these guys have to get down on their knees to lower the paso. Then when it’s time to get going again, a man on the outside signals them with a knocker and they all jump up at once. At this point everyone claps because getting that thing up again in one piece is definitely a feat. They’re generally made of wood, heavy, and everything on them jumps when the costaleros do. It’s definitely a sight to see.

Following the pasos is always a marching band playing religious music and keeping the beat for the marching. People of all ages and sizes participate in the processions, including little kids. The best are the little drummer boys marching alongside guys three times their size. And with that you pretty much have a procession! I’ll post some pictures/video so you can get an actual sense of what it’s like, and as I said before, I’ll post on what I’ve seen this week later. Adios for now!

I Spy...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:41:25 +0200

Saturday was science museum day for Sam and I, and boy did we see a lot. Thankfully one of our “host sisters” works there and got us in for free. Yay connections!

We spent a good five and a half hours walking around and we didn’t even see everything. But we did see most of it. Some of the highlights included the butterfly house (awesome), the taxidermy exhibit (floating animals = awesome), and a pretty cool M.C. Escher exhibit. If you don’t know who he is, you should Google it. His work is fairly incredible.

Yesterday we did some coloring outside and a little walking around. We also hit up the first of the semana santa processions, which I plan on blogging about tomorrow. But first, we have to get through the other things on my “things to blog about” list. Yay blogging.

Anyways, this week in one of my classes we watched the movie Hable Con Ella, by Pedro Almodovar. For those of you who don’t know him, he’s a famous Spanish director. Some of his other works include Volver, Abrazos Rotos, and Mujeres al bordo de un ataque de nervios. Now, I understand that you probably haven’t seen any of these, but I have. And I think I can safely say that Almodovar does some interesting work. The premise of Hable con Ella was two men who meet in a hospital, both of whom are there because the women they love are comatose. As per usual with Almodovar, it had it’s weird moments (including a miniature man climbing into a woman’s vagina, and no, I’m not going to elaborate on that), but overall I thought it was a really good movie. And if you find yourself in the mood for some spanish cinema, check it out.

So far classes have been going pretty well. I’m happy to report that midterms weren’t bad, but I’ve definitely discovered that a couple of my classes are a bit boring. On the other hand, I’ve grown to really like my other ones, so I really can’t complain too much. Plus this week is our spring break. Woo. Most people (including my Corrin and Jordan and Maushika) are travelling, but thankfully my housemate Sam is here to keep me company.

Today we went for a little pre-dinner walk and found ourselves sitting on a park bench shooting the breeze, so to speak. And poor Sam found herself being exposed to some male genitalia when an old man decided to whip it out and relieve himself nearby. Ah the things you see in Spain. Sometimes you see a man climbing inside a woman, sometimes you see a man peeing in the park. Never ceases to amaze me.

FRIJOLITO!

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:38:55 +0200

Well Sam and I have officially dubbed Friday nights “Sangria and Frijolito” night. Last Friday night as we sat down to dinner we did some channel surfing and stumbled upon what is now our new favorite show, Frijolito. It’s a latin american show about a little boy named, you guessed it, Frijolito. He’s pretty adorable and now that we’ve seen it a whipping two times, we want more. We just have to know what happens to our little Frijolito! (Sidenote: Frijolito translates to “little bean”).

As for the sangria, we went on a walk earlier in the afternoon and ended up at the Mercadona. We ended up getting some sangria for tonight only to come home and be informed by Mamache that there is already in fact a TON of sangria in the house, haha. Thus we figured we better start drinking it at least weekly. So why not drink it on Frijolito night? Perfect combo.

Sometimes, Spain can be a weird place. You’ll find yourself walking down the street one day, like today, and all of a sudden a man walking a pig strolls on by. That’s right, a pig. On a leash. He was a pretty decent sized pig, too. True story.

And sometimes you’ll find yourself in the Mercadona checking out all the different kinds of mermalada, only to realize that none of than Billy Ray Cyrus is playing over the speakers, singing about his “Achey Breakey Heart” to a bunch of people who really have no idea what he is saying.

Ah Spain, how you never cease to amaze me. I hope the amazement continues tomorrow as Sam and I are planning on heading to the Parque de las Ciencias, or science museum, for some fun. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, yay learning.

Another highlight of today was Mamache pulling me and Sam aside to give us bracelets she bought for us. She told us it was for being such good girls :) And so that we could have a little something to remind us of Mamache when we’re back in the states. We also did some more dancing and yoga in the kitchen. Who said being home for Semana Santa wouldn’t be fun? :P

Oh Sweet Jesus...

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:50:00 +0200

So today a couple of high school girls from Jersey showed up at our house. They’re here on break and didn’t like the house they were at, so until Wednesday they’ll be staying here.

Needless to say it’s going to be an interesting few days. Good lord I forgot what teenage girls are like. And I was one not too long ago. I already feel like a grandma around these two.

They’re already talking about going out to clubs and bar hopping. But don’t worry, they can’t get into too much trouble because they have a curfew. Yeah, they’re so little they have a curfew. And yet they’re going out to spanish clubs at night were old spanish men will be on the prowl. Boggles the mind doesn’t it.

You know you’re old when a seventeen-year old uses the f-word and you find yourself wanting to go, “excuse me? What’d you just say young lady?” Good god I am such a grandma. They talk like at like a million miles and hour and I can’t keep up. I should probably just go take my damn arthritis meds and a nap.

Too tired to type an actual blog post tonight, so here’s...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:39:24 +0200

Too tired to type an actual blog post tonight, so here’s some spanish music instead. Enjoy :)

Momo doesn’t like Mondays either.

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:52:25 +0200

Momo doesn’t like Mondays either.

Here’s the ladies playing cards Saturday night, meanwhile...

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 23:13:21 +0200

Here’s the ladies playing cards Saturday night, meanwhile I was skyping with the fam :)