Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda...
I spent the weekend in Granada, Andalusia. And for all you sober people back in the states, that's in the south. It is an absolutely gorgeous, albeit wet, city. It rained nearly the entire weekend, and even with that, I still loved the city.
We started off our Friday much earlier than most of us would have preferred. 7 am flights entail waking up at 4:30, then being groggy and hungry the rest of the day. We hit up a cathedral or two in the morning, and had a menú del día (traditional Spanish lunch, 3 courses and you choose from a select few for the day. Usually a pretty good deal). I tried gazpacho twice this weekend, just to make sure I really didn't like it. I really don't. Something about soup is just supposed to be hot. I don't do cold food well. Like meat? I can't eat it if it isn't hot... I try. Then my body tells me to stop, for the love of God, stop. So I do. ANYWAY....
We went to Arab baths, and had Arab tea. I like Arabs, they think of the best things. There were 7 Arab baths all at different temperatures ranging from colder-than-Antarctica to Am-I-in-hell? And it was absolutely delightful. In a room next door there were pots of Arab tea. The tea is mint and honey served piping hot. I may have bought some while I was there... But! To finish off my lovely spa-time, I had a massage that left me knot-less, oily, and completely tranquil. I highly recommend Granada to anyone looking for a cheap honeymoon. It was much less expensive than Barcelona, and has a more intimate feel to the city.
And to top it all off, the Alhambra. Contested to be one of the new 7 wonders of the world, the Alhambra is a beautiful palace atop the hills of Granada. (Do I sound like a travel book yet?) If you really want to see what I think of it, just look at my most recent photos in my Mobile Uploads album on Facebook...I took at least 200 pictures this weekend. It's fantastic.
I will have been here officially 2 months on the 30th. I will write a post that day to reflect on the best 60(ish) days of my life. Love you all! Besos <3
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Ode To Carmen
I have the best homestay in Spain. No, really. I'm pretty positive.
Because I'm the only person in a homestay at my huge school, I don't get to talk to other students about homestay experiences very often. However, whenever the rest of the program joins up with us, I get to have really interesting conversations about living with a Spanish family. There are certain people that say, "I don't get to eat dinner with the rest of the family" or "My señora and I don't really talk." For some reason, all of the stars aligned and I got the most wonderful family to live with.
I'm not saying they're perfect, I'm not saying that the boys don't drive me crazy from time to time, but what I am saying is that I have a family. I have a mom and a dad who love and care for me. I have two brothers that I argue with and steal the remote from. I have people who will go to the metro station to beat up the machine that stole my money. I have familiar faces that welcome me home from my trips. When I open the door, I can unwind, flop on the couch and talk about how I hate the pluscuamperfecto. (which I do) But the heart and soul of my house, is Carmen.
My wonderful, incredible señora...nay, mi mamá. I love her, and she loves me, and we have a great relationship. She is never afraid to say what she thinks, which is always comical. One night when I tried to wear my high heels out, she told me to go change because men don't want to marry a tower. And as soon as I changed she told me I was beautiful and sent me on my way. Not only can this woman cook, but she feeds me to the point where I nearly explode, and with really good food. She justifies this by saying, "sometimes you eat very little, so when you're at home, I will make sure I balance that out." She is the kindest, sweetest, and most honest woman I've ever met in my life.
Over this week, Carmen went to visit her daughter in London with her other daughter (the twins' birthday was this week) and I was left in the house with Jesús and David. Which I don't mind in the slightest. The boys are great...but they are ridiculous. I love them as much as I could love a brother, if I ever had one. But the second I saw Carmen's face back home today, everything got better. She brings such a warmth and happiness with her, that you can't help but smile. She gave me a ginormous hug and we talked about her trip, and everything was back to wonderful. And to top it all off, she bought me a present in London, a magnet with the Union Jack and Big Ben :) She's so incredibly sweet, and I love her so much.
I know that's a lot of love for one blog post, but what can I say? I love my family and they make my life here complete.
Because I'm the only person in a homestay at my huge school, I don't get to talk to other students about homestay experiences very often. However, whenever the rest of the program joins up with us, I get to have really interesting conversations about living with a Spanish family. There are certain people that say, "I don't get to eat dinner with the rest of the family" or "My señora and I don't really talk." For some reason, all of the stars aligned and I got the most wonderful family to live with.
I'm not saying they're perfect, I'm not saying that the boys don't drive me crazy from time to time, but what I am saying is that I have a family. I have a mom and a dad who love and care for me. I have two brothers that I argue with and steal the remote from. I have people who will go to the metro station to beat up the machine that stole my money. I have familiar faces that welcome me home from my trips. When I open the door, I can unwind, flop on the couch and talk about how I hate the pluscuamperfecto. (which I do) But the heart and soul of my house, is Carmen.
My wonderful, incredible señora...nay, mi mamá. I love her, and she loves me, and we have a great relationship. She is never afraid to say what she thinks, which is always comical. One night when I tried to wear my high heels out, she told me to go change because men don't want to marry a tower. And as soon as I changed she told me I was beautiful and sent me on my way. Not only can this woman cook, but she feeds me to the point where I nearly explode, and with really good food. She justifies this by saying, "sometimes you eat very little, so when you're at home, I will make sure I balance that out." She is the kindest, sweetest, and most honest woman I've ever met in my life.
Over this week, Carmen went to visit her daughter in London with her other daughter (the twins' birthday was this week) and I was left in the house with Jesús and David. Which I don't mind in the slightest. The boys are great...but they are ridiculous. I love them as much as I could love a brother, if I ever had one. But the second I saw Carmen's face back home today, everything got better. She brings such a warmth and happiness with her, that you can't help but smile. She gave me a ginormous hug and we talked about her trip, and everything was back to wonderful. And to top it all off, she bought me a present in London, a magnet with the Union Jack and Big Ben :) She's so incredibly sweet, and I love her so much.
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