Mom and Dad in Europe!

Had an awesome past week with Mom and Dad here!

They arrived last Thursday (October 28th)and I peaced out of class to go to the airport to get them. We checked in at the hotel in Santa Fe (it was closer to the airport than staying in the city) and then headed into Granada. First stop was meeting Alicia and Jorge, my host parents. It was so fun, and made for an awesome afternoon.  Jorge was able to speak English to them, and I helped to translate to Alicia things that were being said.  Alicia gave us some sodas and tapas, and showed them the view from the balcony.  Mom and Dad loved it, and Alicia and Jorge were great as always.  We walked around just for a little bit, then went back out to Santa Fe to have dinner. Early to bed, early to rise, and totally pumped for Rome!

Flight to Rome landed safely, and we went to check in at the hotel, Best Western Springhouse right next to the Vatican! We hopped a train and headed for teh Trevi fountains, and then got a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe; which in fact is NOT where the hotel had claimed it was at on the map. However, being the lone tour guide, I was able to find it (not because I can speak Italian, but I was able to find some people that could speak english.  Mom and dad could not understand that Italian and Spanish are indeed different). Had a fabulous dish of mac and cheese with chicken and red peppers, then headed to some more monuments.  Later Dad and I went to get some coffee and dessert (he was really struggling with the difference in coffee in Europe and was on a mission to find it American style).

Saturday was our tour of the Vatican and it was awesome. Our tour guide for the day was so knowledgable, and made it so much fun.  Highlights were the Sistine Chapel (and stories about Michaelangelo), the hike up the Basillica (and Suz hypervenilating along the way), and alll the sculptures. We had to wait in order to see the Basillica because the Pope was preaching to a bunch of students inside! Couldn´t believe that we had missed him! Dinner was fabulous, even though we had a less than friendly waiter. Enjoyed some delicious gelato, then explored other churches.

Sunday was our tour for the Flavian Ampitheater, and even a little rain was not going to keep us away. Wearing the ever-so-stylish blue poncho, we hiked all around the Roman Ruins. It was sweet and I can´t wait to bring my brother back...yes mom and dad, you agreed that I could take him:) We also went to the Spanish Steps and as always it was flooded with a billion people.  Enjoyed another margarita pizza and, of course, more gelato near the hotel/train station. It was funny to watch my mom try to figure out where she was and in which direction we needed to go. She had no idea haha.

Our hotel had the GREATEST breakfast ever, and since I have not had a real breakfast since I left the states, I obviously took full advantage of it.  It poured in rain on Monday, so after visiting a couple churches, we decided dry up a bit in a restaurant; then back to the hotel for a nap haha. Back to the Trevi Fountains that night, as it had been one of our favorite places at night, and enjoyed some Italian pasta, then to San Crispino, which is said to have THE BEST gelato in all of Rome.  We went back to the Spanish Steps to find it much more quite than we had on Sunday.  We walked up them, then down them, then back to the hotel.  Stairs have been the greatest to joke about while in Rome.  The 5 hundred and somehting in the Basillica, the Spanish Steps, the stairs in our hotel, and many many many more.  It just made me that much more excited to take them to the Albaycin and Alhambra in Granada.

Tuesday we had the morning to spend in Rome and were blessed with great weather.  We went back to the plaza that had previously been washed away by rain the day before, and were able to enjoy it much more.  got some souviners for the fam back home, my favorite being the gift for my Grandpa Don, he is going to love it. Got back to Granada in the evening and enjoyed some delicious Mexican food, Haylie would be so proud. 

Overall, loved Rome. It was a truly beautiful city and so much fun!! Definitely ate too much gelato and pizza, but when in Rome...

Valencia

So, let me start by saying sorry for being the worst blogger of all time. My journal is great, it's really just this that I am struggling with haha!

Anyway, obviously things overseas have been keeping me busy! We went to Morocco (more on that to come in a later blog), I went to Valencia to see Miguel, and I started classes!

Upon returning to Granada from Morocco, Sarah, Abby, John, and I decided to take a bus the next night to go to Valencia! A very last minute trip which was surprising because Sarah and I have been wanting to see Miguel since the day we arrived in Spain!  We left Wednesday Sept. 29th at 11:30 at night, really thrilled for the eight hour bus ride. We tried to sleep most of the way there, but as Abby stated about the bus, "it's as hot as hades in here!" We arrived to Miguel's and he made us some delicious warm Cola-Coa, basically like Nesquik but not so sugary) and we were catching up on everything. I fell asleep, but a short nap was necessary.  Then we went to explore the city: went to Miguel's school, the Paula de les Artes, downtown, and pretty much saw it all.  Back at the apartment we made dinner, a fabulous Spanish Omelette with some chopped tomatoes and Nes-Tea (we had previously had this at lunch and decided to buy a giant liter of it for dinner ha).  Following dinner we all got ready to head out for a night on the town.  It was also Miguel's first night out in Valencia, as he had only been living there for 4 days.  El Botellon in Valencia was so much more fun than the one in Granada.  Sarah and I decided that we liked it more because we were able to meet Miguel's friends and other Spaniards versus mainly talking to Americans in Granada.  Loved that they wanted to practice their English while we wanted to practice our Spanish.  It was like a mini Inter-Cambio!  We then headed to Betty Bop- Sarah's first discoteca of the trip and the best one ever!!!  Highlight of the night was when Miguel told me, "you two look so American right now," I replied, "Miguel, I AM American, and we are sure as heck having more fun then those Spaniard girls over there".  He couldn't argue with the because NO ONE was having as much fun as Sarah and I.  We left the club at 7 AM- time flies when you are having fun- and walked home amongst other adults that were on their way to work haha.

After 3 hours of sleep, Abby Lu, Sarah, and I were up and ready to head to the Aquarium for the day.  It was sweet, lots of tunnels that make you feel like you are in the tank and a great dolphin show.  It was worth staying for the dolphin show at 3:30 (the 3 hours of sleep had really started hitting us around 1) to see Abby Lu's excitement.  We also met someone from Iowa too! FINALLY! I had heard her say "Iowa" to a group of kids that she was taking a picture of, so I naturally responded, "Iowa? Go Hawks!" She laughed and said, "well I am actually from the Cedar Falls area," I said, "Even better, GO PANTHERS!" Small world, she even knew a couple people that went to Central! A great reminder of why I love being from Iowa.
It's a very special thing being from Iowa, and only Iowans can understand it:) Back at Miguel's a nap was necessary yet again, then after some snacking, we took the metro back downtown to go get some Horchada (a popular drink in Valencia-like cold eggnog but not eggnog). Got some real food for dinner, got my first Kebab and it was fabulous!  Back at Miguel's around midnight, Sarah and Abby Lu fell asleep, and following a movie with his roomies, Miguel to fell asleep.  I was left as the lone ranger to stay awake and make sure we got out on time haha! Lots of facebooking back to friends at Central- thanks for keeping me awake haha! Saw all the pics from the scrimmage on FB too, and it made me so sad:(. Finally around 4:30 or so it was time to say our goodbyes (goodbye until the following weekend that is ha) I was already falling asleep in the cab on the way to the bus station! I was out for good as soon as we found our seats!

Back in Granada, I walked in the apartment to discover we had three 15 year old Germans here for a week. Had lunch with them, then was in bed by 2 that afternoon.  Another nap before we all went out for Abby N's bday.  Didn't think I'd need an alarm, but whoops, woke up at 7:30 and we were meeting at 8:30 at Abby's hahah! Got ready quick, then we all went to a Mexican restaurant- no chips and salsa:( Her roommates joined us at the Chaputeria then to El Botellon and G10.  A fun night out, but I was definitely ready for a morning of sleeping in! Haha

Granada- 1st Week of Orientation, Albaycín, y Alhambra

So things went really great my first week here in Granada. Lots of things that are keeping us busy!  We have had a couple meetings with Veronica regarding how we are feeling and what to expect.  We also have learned about different service learning programs, I am planning on volunteering at a daycare center for children infant to three years old.  I actually just got back from touring there and the woman in charge was so nice, so I'm pretty excited to get my class schedule and plan the days I'm going to go.

We have grammar class from 4-7 everyday, my professors are Aurelio and Susana.  Susana speaks REALLY fast, and Aurelio is simply hilarious.  We went to el Albaycín in Granada and got some fabulous pictures of la Alhambra as well as the city of Granada.  Aurelio was our tour guide, along with Veronica, so they led the way up the steep steps all the way to the top.  I went to my first discoteca in Granada...Granada Diez.  It was awesome and sooo beautiful inside.  Got lost on the way home with my new friend from school, Katherine, but I asked someone for directions and we managed to make it to our apartments haa.  We didn't have a meeting the next morning, so I got so extra time to sleep during the day haha- I decided it was a bonus siesta for being out so late the night before.  It was a bit cooler towards the end of the week which was a nice break from all the heat.

Had a HEAPING plate of paella (mainly rice, with some meat, veggies, and shrimp mixed in).  It is considered disrespectful if you throw food away in Granada, but I was big time struggling to eat it all.  Kelsey sat with me after everyone else had finished and left and said that I had gotten A LOT more than she did.  I managed to eat most of it, but could not eat it all, so I had to throw a little away but I tried to do so very discretely haha.

Went to Los Grifos and El Botellon on Friday night with some of the new girls I have met from class.  I learned about El Botellon in my Spanish class a couple semesters ago, so it was funny to actually be there.  It is basically a big plaza where young people gather to socialize and drink before they go to the clubs or bars.  It was sooo packed! Madness! But really fun with the big group of girls I was with!

Up early for our trip to la Alhambra.  It was so beautiful, and fun with Aurelio y Jose as our guides.  I really enjoyed the palaces and gardens, especially the Arabic writing on all the walls inside of the Alhambra.  I enjoyed my bocadillo (sack-lunch) in garden, then headed back to meet with my group.  We had to find Alhambra Teatro, and we did! It's right near el Centro de Lenguas Modernas (where we have class).

Thinking I should get a good nap in, I decided to go shopping instead.  I found a lot of cool shops, especially shoe stores:) There are sooo many here!!  Enjoyed dinner with Jorge and Alicia (Kelsey had gone out with friends), then met up with Mel, Sarah, and Abby Lu.  Feel like I haven't seen them in forever!! We went to Los Grifos (it's pretty much our place to go) and met up with others before Katherine and I took off to meet Abby N and her American roommates at El Botellon.  We went back to G10 and didn't get home till early Sunday morning.

Needless to say, my first Sunday in Granada got off to a slow start.  Ha! Had breakfast, went back to bed, had lunch, took another quick nap, then headed to the park to study a bit. Later that evening, Abby and I went to Paddy's (an Irish Pub that shows certain NFL games and soccer games) to watch the Cubs v. Cowboys game...go bears!:)

The start of this week has been similar, lots of class and random meetings. I think my Spanish is picking up a little, as I am beginning to understand more and more of what my host mom is saying.  She told me today that if I ever had an extra time that we could go and get some coffee sometime!:)  Excited to see the Flamenco show tomorrow night, then to Morocco on Friday through Tuesday!!! Hooray!!

Orientation Week

Up early on Monday for our first day of orientation!  Jorge walked us to school, I felt like a little kid but it was fun!  Veronica gave us TONS of information about Granada, which was helpful.  We also got assigned in our excursion groups.  At first Abby and I were separated, but someone was willing to change with her so we could be together and avoid separation anxiety haha!  On our way home for lunch we stopped and got cell phones- first time we had to use our Spanish speaking skills in the real world.  It was a success!  Kelsey and I were not big fans of whatever we had for lunch.  First, we had some soup- I think it was some sort of beef soup? Very odd, but ate it with some fabulous bread so I managed to finish it all.  Then Alicia gave us what we thought were cheese sticks.  A fried crusty outside, with a cheesy inside.  Only when we asked Alicia what it was she said, “jamon” which is Spanish for ham.  Immediately we both looked at each other with looks of doubt on our faces.  We managed to eat a couple more, but could not finish them all.

After lunch, I met back up with Abby and her roommate to walk to class for our epically long Spanish pre-test. Blahhh! We finished the tests and had an hour to spare before our excursion, so we went and got yogurt smoothies and churros.  During the excursion, we learned about the history of Granada and saw some excellent places to shop.  After or two hour tour, we were finally able to go home and eat dinner.  Absolutely loved the hamburguesas:) Alicia showed us some pictures of past students that stayed with her and Kelsey and I both knew a couple of them! After that we were pretty beat, so Kelsey and I went to bed.

Woke up early for a quick shower and then enjoyed a fabulous muffin and roll as well as the usual cold milk.  At our meeting we found out our results to our tests! Hooray I’m in level 5!! Which is what I needed to be at to take the classes that I need to take.  We then got to sort out our classes; hopefully I’ll be taking 1 grammar class, 1 conversational class, History of Art in Spain, Spanish Literature, and Culture and Civilization of Spanish America.  Had our first day of grammar class today too, 3 hours long ah! But it went well and I really like my professors.  Afterwards, Abby and I and our new friend Katherine went to the local café to get some drinks and tapas.  Love the tapas here!  We then window-shopped for a bit and all headed back to our homes for dinner (a fabulous salad with bread).  After dinner I went to the internet café down the street from our house on de Ronda.  First thing I did was call my dad through Google! He was so surprised! I loved it! Afterwards I Skyped with my mom, then called my sister through Google who was also very surprised to here from me.  Abby messaged me and convinced me to go out with her and her roommate and Katherine, so we went to a bar for more sangrias and tapas.  The bar was great, two guys from la Universidad de Granada were there playing their instruments so we stayed out late to watch.  Got back home and back in bed in my stealth mode so I didn’t wake anyone up!

Bienvenido a Malaga y Granada!

We got up early to get ourselves packed for Malaga!  Both bags could only weigh 15 kilos (33 pounds), and I was freaking out that I was not going to make the cut.  Tim took us to the airport, so nice of him, and Abby and I found our way to the check in counter.  Both my bags weighed 14.4 kilos! Hooray!!  We got some lunch in the airport at Pret while we waited for the other girls, then we all headed to the gate to get on the plane!  It was the liveliest plane I had ever been on.  There was a big group of friends (Irish friends) that were in the back of the plane behind us that were crazy, but it made for a fun trip.  

Quite the change from English to only Spanish, but we managed to find a couple taxis that could take us to our hostel.  Abbs and I showered and decided to enjoy some well-deserved sangrias.  The other girls headed to bed, exhausted from their all nighters haha.  

We all got up the morning of September 11^th and headed to the beach.  It was awesome and I will definitely be going back while it is still hot in Spain.  Got a little burned, but that’s what happens when you fall asleep under the hot sun!  We got back to the hostel and took ICE COLD showers (the water was the coldest I have ever showered in and it was dreadful) then headed to our final dinner together.  After dinner I got to Skype Erin and Johnnie!!:)  Loved it!

On Sunday we headed to the bus station and hopped on the bus to Granada!  I was so nervous to meet my host family, but they are great! Their names are Alicia (my host mom) and Jorge (my host dad).  My roommate’s name is Kelsey Howard, and she is so nice!!  Very happy to have lucked out with a great family and roomie! She is also dating the grandson of the infamous Central Softball fan, Leroy.  Small world!  We got our suitcases unpacked and then took a siesta!  I met up with Abby afterwards to see how things were going in her new house.  She has Internet right near her place, so I got to Skype with my mom, then we went back to the house for dinner.  We had hot ham and cheese sandwiches, and they were fabulous!  Alicia is a great cook!  She also talks a whole lot, which I love, but I’m a little slow at understanding everything she is saying.  I feel like most of the time I just nod my head and say “si”.  

Mudeford Beach!

We woke up around 11:30, lounged for a bit, then went downstairs for lunch with Tim and Stuart (another friend from Abby’s trip to South Africa).  We played some four square- football style- and surprisingly I didn’t suck as much as I thought I would.  Kat got home soon after and we had to quickly pack for our trip to the beach!  Abby and I fell asleep in the car on the way to Tim’s mom and dad’s house.  A person coming to the beach cannot actually drive to their homes unless they have a special permit, so the best option is to take the ferry across the strip of water to where the houses are.  Well, we drove to where the ferry was supposed to drive us across, but come to find out that the man decided to close an hour early today! We had to drive to the opposite side of the beach, and load ourselves up for the 1.5 miles trek on the bike path through the woods.  It was exhausting but well worth it once we got to the house!! 

The hut, known as Water Rats, was too cute! We watched the sun set, enjoyed some fabulous fajitas that Kat made, and played Jenga and Articulate.  Abby and I struggled a bit playing Articulate because we didn’t know many of the people because they were English, but it was still real fun.  Most memorable words will be “crabs” and “sycamore tree” hahahJ.  Since there are no bathrooms in the hut, you have to walk to a community bathroom about 10 huts down.  It made for a fun walk with Abby, Tim, and Kat as we searched for the big dipper amongst all the stars.

The next morning Tim’s mom and dad, Nina and Jon, and Crosby joined us for breakfast.  Delicious egg and bacon sandwiches!  Nina went sailing with her friend while we all lounged around, then we went on a long walk around the island.  It was sweeeet.  We stopped at Hiker’s Café for a lunch- baked potato and salad.  Feeling completely stuffed, we got back to the hut to play bat and ball- like cricket.  We stayed a little later to watch the sunset, then proceeded to eat EVERYTHING because we didn’t want to carry anything-back hahah! We cleaned up and made our trek back to the car.  I was in charge of the flashlight as we walked through the woods, which was completely black.  It was a little freaky, but we made it to the car! That’s when Tim realized he had forgot his wallet haha.  While we waited, Abby, Crosby, and I played B-U-T-T-S with the football.  When you make a mistake, you get a letter, and the first person to spell the words “BUTTS” has to bend over and the others get to throw the ball at your butt haha.

Paris!

We found our train and boarded, eager to go back to sleep.  Taking the EuroStar Train was great, only took us 2 and a half hours to get to Paris.  We arrived around 8, and made our way to the kiosk to purchase our train tickets.  Oh joy, neither one of us had change and our cards would not work.  We stood there dumbfounded until the woman behind us offered some help; she bought both our tickets and we paid her (she even gave us the right change back!) and thanked her many times.  Again, THANK YOU woman at the station for helping us!  In the station in Paris, there are people that walk around with red vests on that offer help, so we decided to ask one of them what our best option was in taking the train to the hostel.  She highlighted it on her map and then gave us the map, so nice!!

Got to the hostel, only to find out that we couldn’t check in until 17:00 (5:00 PM) so we quickly loaded Abby’s backpack with things we didn’t need, placed it in the luggage room, put our contacts in, and booked it out the door.  We needed to meet our bike tour at the Eiffel Tower!  After running most of the way there, we made it.  The day tour was great- not a tough workout at all since Paris is all flat.  A little cold during lunch, but when we were moving around it didn’t even faze us!  We decided it would be a good idea to get a nap in before we headed back for the night tour, but we got lost on the way back to the hostel.  After a couple hours we finally found it, with just enough time to throw our stuff in our room and head out again.  The night tour was UNBELIEVEABLE!  As said by our tour guide, “I hope you are wearing three pairs of socks because this is going to knock the first two off”.  The Courtyard in the Circle Louvre was breathtaking- and note that I am not one to be at a loss of words when seeing something beautiful, but this place took the words right out of my mouth.  The other favorite part of the night was enjoying some wine on a boat with the entire tour, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle.  I could’ve looked at it all day long. 

On our way back we were starved, so we stopped at McDonalds- to everyone I criticize at Central that goes to McDonalds all the time- it is still gross, but indeed if you are hungry enough you will eat there.  Back at the hostel (we asked for directions the second time and our guide outlined it on a map for us hahaaa) we were asleep before our heads even hit the pillows.

Our second and final day in Paris we debated getting up for breakfast, but decided a free meal was probably in our best interest.  We got downstairs and discovered that the breakfast was a hard piece of hoagie bread with some jam, but they did give us orange juice so it was worth it.  Back in the room we decided to take a nap then a quick shower before we had to check out.  Had a very interesting roommate who decided that it was necessary to turn on all the lights and open all the blinds in order to find his things and check out.  We left the hostel, loaded with all of our things, and made our way to Luxemburg Park.  Trying to save ourselves some money, we bought some cheap sandwiches from a café, then decided to get our vitamin D for the day.  Taking a nap in the reclining chairs of the park was the best idea we have had to date.  So peaceful!  We made our way to Notre Dam (after I pointed us in the wrong direction for a solid 10 minutes) and even got to go inside!! It was stunning: high ceilings, big stain-glass windows, statues, artwork, all of it was amazing.  Hard to believe that the Parisians would ever want to tear it down (we learned on our tour that Parisians hate new things so each time something is built, they want to tear it down.  Including the following: the Eiffel Tower, Tunnel of Triumph, Notre Dam, Veteran’s Hospital, most recently the pyramid in front of the Louvre, and many others).  Abby and I concluded that they are idiots.  After our tour through Notre Dam we enjoyed some crepes on the sidewalk.  In Paris, there is a fence along a bridge near Notre Dam that people lock a lock on.  It signifies their locked love for all eternity.  Obviously Abby and I decided that we MUST lock our love to the fence.  We wrote a note, locked the note to my luggage lock, and then proceeded to lock the lock on the fence.  After a few pictures, we threw the keys in the riverJ (Mom, I may need a new luggage lock as mine is now locked in Paris forever). 

Originally our plan was to walk to Paris Nord station, but our heavy bags began to take their toll, so we decided to take the train.  And wouldn’t you know it was on the day of the Metro Strike!! Hahah! I have never seen so many people waiting to get on a train, as well as squeezing in a train already full of people.  We locked hands and made our way to the front.  When the doors opened I busted my way through all of the people, dragging Abby with me.  A man was yelling at me in Spanish to let go of her, but I wouldn’t and said “she is with me and she is getting on this train!”  We managed to both squeeze in and then the laughter started.  I don’t know what was so funny, but I could not even look at Abby without laughing so hard that tears would roll down my face.  It made for a better ride in the train though because people began laughing at us as we laughed at each other.  We even made a couple friends! One man, who could only speak French, was laughing and then began talking to us.  The only thing we managed to understand was when he pointed to our backpacks that we were wearing on the front of us and said, “Bebe?” It was sooo funny.  We got to the station and were really craving some ice cream.  Since we were not about to pay 8 Euros for some, we decided to check outside.  Behold those magical golden arches…again. Hahahah!

We boarded the train and I wrote in my journal for 2 1/2 hours trying to catch up on my days ha!  Tim and Kat picked us up from the station and we headed back to their house for some much needed shut-eye.