La Alpujarra.

This past Saturday, we went to a valley in the Sierra Nevada called La Alpujarra. It's really beautiful and has a great view of the first part of the mountain range. We took a two hour hike through the valley and learned a bit about the culture of the place. It reminded me of pictures of Ireland with a lot of greenery. After we hiked, we shopped at the local shops and FINE, I got a rug for my room next year. I loved the small town (pueblo). There was also an authentic chocolate factory there where we tried a few different types of candy bar. Overall, the trip was amazing.

Later on that night, a bunch of us went to get tapas and went to a discoteca called El Camborio. There was a snow machine and needless to say, it was pretty awesome. They played a lot of American music and even played some songs from the movie 'Grease.' I had an amazing time and got home at about 5:30 am. We left this disco at about 4:30 and people were just showing up! I can't imagine staying out this late every weekend, but I guess I'll have to try.. :)

Here are some pictures of La Alpujarra:

Overwhelming but fun

The past couple of days have been very intense. A lot of language courses and learning about the city around us. Also, I got to begin exploring the world of tapas and drinks with some of the IES students. It's insane to me that you get food free with drinks, because in the United States, that would never happen. Also the service in the restaurants and bars is much different. The waitress and waitors are not paid tips, but a constant, fair salary, therefore, they don't need tips. It's hard to get their attention and they aren't very fast about filling up your drinks/food. The whole culture of Tapas is the socialization aspect. People come together to enjoy their drinks and food, rather than shove them down their throats in a hungry hurry, like some people in America.

I got very overwhelmed today with the Spanish and all the changes. I really miss my family and friends but I'm really trying to work it out and make the best of it. I know I am just homesick right now and then I won't want to go home at the end. It's getting better everyday. I am starting to know my way around and have tested a lot of differents tapas and ice cream and coffee so far.

My host mom is amazing. She lets me be independent and also cares how I am doing at the same time. She's really fun and is in the music industry. She organizes concerts and festivals through her work.

Granada is such a walking city, I don't think I will even need to work out here because I live about 30 minutes walk from the IES center. I will update soon, hopefully with some pictures!

First Day in Granada

So, I am finally in Granada. It has been the longest few days of my life. So many lay-overs and unnecessary flights. But I finally met my host mother, Soledad, and she is amazing. My spanish is very bad and she is very patient with me and helps me learn new words, which is awesome. I am already speaking in Spanish more than I thought I would be able to without taking it for almost two years. I was so nervous but now, I am a little more at ease. I don't have a Spanish phone yet which worries me, mostly because I don´t know my way around the city yet and have already gotten lost. But I am slowly being immersed in the culture and can't wait to learn more Spanish and about the culture in Southern Spain

Besos (kisses)!

Pre-departure

Hey y'all,

I'm leaving in two days and I am already all packed. I don't know what I'm going to do with my time right now. But I'm really excited to go to Granada, Spain for the semester (even though my Spanish could use some improvement!). I'm flying into Munich, then to Barcelona and finally to Malaga. It'll be a lot of travelling but most definitely worth it. I'm living about a half hour walk from the program center that I'll be going to classes at (IES Abroad Granada). Once I get to Spain on Tuesday night, I'll defintely upload some pictures if I can get some shots. Until then, I'll be reading a lot and doing some last minute packing! Can't wait to update you all on my travels :)

Buenos noches!