Musica!

So currently the most popular song in Spain is Ai Se Eu Te Pego by Michel Telo, which is actually a song in Portuguese. The song became popular as the result of when two Real Madrid football players Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo Vieira celebrated a goal by doing the corresponding dance to the song. The dance is now a very common goal celebration throughout the entire European football. The skyrocketing popularity of this song demonstrates the enormity of the cultural power football has over citizens in Spain. I really do enjoy this song it's very catchy and it's fun to do the dance! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcm55lU9knw

Another Song that is constantly being played is Danza Kuduro. If you go to a discoteca you will most certainly here this song more than once! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1TbLFPp8

They actually listen to a lot of American top 40 songs here, which I personally find entertaining as some many people here do not speak an ounce of English but know all the words to Rihanna's current hit. 

Ronda, Sevilla, y Cadiz!!!

Last weekend IES offered a trip to visit the small town of Ronda and then Sevilla! Ronda is a small town situated high in the mountains above the Tajo Gorge in a province of Malaga. It is home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain Plaza de Toros de Ronda as well as several Roman and Moorish ruins. We only spent a few hours in Ronda but every minute there was worth it; it is simply a mesmerizing place. We ended up taking a tour of the town learning all about its architecture and culture. One part of the tour that I found particularly fascinating was the Arab bathhouse. The Arab bathes were built in the 11^th century and were used up until the 17^th century. The bathhouses were broken up into 3 chambers: the first chamber was like a sauna, the second a hot room, and the third a cold room. They used water from a nearby river and the work force of mules to power bathes. The architectural design seemed so advanced for its time.

After the tour we had some free time to eat lunch and explore on our own and then we all piled back onto the bus to go to Sevilla (Seville)! Sevilla is the current capitol of Andalucia and home to almost a million people making it the third largest city in Spain. Sevilla is an absolutely incredible city with so much history, but I must say I am already biased and prefer Granada. In Sevilla we stayed in this beautiful hotel and I am not going lie I was almost more excited for the long hot shower than exploring the city jaja. Anyways, when we first arrived we checked into our hotel room and then went on a paseo alongside of the river until we came across the Plaza de Espana, which is the location of most of the exhibits of the 1929 World Fair in Sevilla. My words really cannot accurately reflect the incredible stature of the Plaza; thus, I’m just going to post a bunch of pictures.

After the paseo we grabbed some bocadillas (sandwiches) and went to a private viewing of a Flamenco show that IES had arranged for us. The show took place in an intimate setting and the entire performance consisted of only 4 performers. The sheer brilliance of the clapping, strumming, and stomping complimented by the fierce movements of the dancers took my breath away. The palpability of the female dancer’s passion and pain was nearly too beautiful to watch. Her movement’s consisted of a dangerous energy that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.  I cannot wait to see more Flamenco shows!

After the show a group of us decided to grab some tapas. We soon learned that tapas did not accompany our drinks for free, and thus we indignantly paid for both our tapas and drinks, complaining how expensive Sevilla is (really the food was very reasonably priced, Granada has spoiled us). Tapas are just one of the many reasons why I prefer Granada.

The following day we took 2 more tours of Sevilla: The Gardens of Alcazar and the surrounding palaces and the Cathedral of Sevilla!

Exciting news I have booked a trip to Rome and my parents and sister are officially visiting me over Semana Santa!

Wednesday was a tough day as it is every year. I was worried that yesterday would be the day when homesickness would finally set in, and I would find myself miles and miles away from my family with aching pains longing for home. However, to my delight, the day did not surmount to such a sickness. Of course, I missed my family and loved ones and wished that I could spend just Feb 15^th at home, and I would like to thank everyone who reached out to my family and I, it means the world to me to know that my brother has not been forgotten and that my family and I have such a robust support system.  Yesterday was difficult but I was not immobilized by emotions. In fact I found comforts in Spain that I did not expect to encounter. I found comfort in my padres, in the simple beauties of Spain, and in the fact that I am living and I am living life in Spain something I have always wanted to do. However, the moment when I really found an inner peace within the turmoil of my emotions was oddly at an open-mic night for IES and University of Granada students. One of the quieter boys on the trip marched up to the stage with his guitar in hand and started to play a familiar tune: Dave Matthew’s Ants Marching a song my brother loved. It seems silly but the song felt like a little hello and reassured me that everything will somehow be ok. 

This morning I just got back from Cadiz, which is a city off the coast of Spain. We went to Cadiz for Carnaval, which is 2 week long carnival in which the whole city participates. Everyone dresses up in costumes and disguises and there is plenty of food and performances by the chirigotas, which are well-known witty and satiric groups that train for the whole year to sing about politics, topics in the news, and everyday circumstances, while all of the members wear identical costumes. Instead of getting a hostel room, we took a bus that left Granada around noon and then left Cadiz to return to Granada at 6 AM, so I am definitely pretty spent and I couldn’t believe that when we left the party was still going on. Cadiz will definitely be memorable as there were thousands of people there dressed in elaborate costumes singing, eating drinking, being merry. Something I found odd was there was no central event or show or dance. It was simply a gigantic congregation of strangers ranging in both age and nationality. I enjoyed myself immensely as I met people from London, Malaga, Madrid, Finland, and Ireland. Although the night did become long as the temperatures dropped and the city was trashed with broken bottles and other rubbish. I cannot say I would go back to Cadiz as it really was a whole another world that I was just visiting for a moment, but I am glad I got to not only witness but partake in such a cultural event.Last weekend IES offered a trip to visit the small town of Ronda and then Sevilla! Ronda is a small town situated high in the mountains above the Tajo Gorge in a province of Malaga. It is home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain Plaza de Toros de Ronda as well as several Roman and Moorish ruins. We only spent a few hours in Ronda but every minute there was worth it; it is simply a mesmerizing place. We ended up taking a tour of the town learning all about its architecture and culture. One part of the tour that I found particularly fascinating was the Arab bathhouse. The Arab bathes were built in the 11^th century and were used up until the 17^th century. The bathhouses were broken up into 3 chambers: the first chamber was like a sauna, the second a hot room, and the third a cold room. They used water from a nearby river and the work force of mules to power bathes. The architectural design seemed so advanced for its time.

After the tour we had some free time to eat lunch and explore on our own and then we all piled back onto the bus to go to Sevilla (Seville)! Sevilla is the current capitol of Andalucia and home to almost a million people making it the third largest city in Spain. Sevilla is an absolutely incredible city with so much history, but I must say I am already biased and prefer Granada. In Sevilla we stayed in this beautiful hotel and I am not going lie I was almost more excited for the long hot shower than exploring the city jaja. Anyways, when we first arrived we checked into our hotel room and then went on a paseo alongside of the river until we came across the Plaza de Espana, which is the location of most of the exhibits of the 1929 World Fair in Sevilla. My words really cannot accurately reflect the incredible stature of the Plaza; thus, I’m just going to post a bunch of pictures.

After the paseo we grabbed some bocadillas (sandwiches) and went to a private viewing of a Flamenco show that IES had arranged for us. The show took place in an intimate setting and the entire performance consisted of only 4 performers. The sheer brilliance of the clapping, strumming, and stomping complimented by the fierce movements of the dancers took my breath away. The palpability of the female dancer’s passion and pain was nearly too beautiful to watch. Her movement’s consisted of a dangerous energy that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.  I cannot wait to see more Flamenco shows!

After the show a group of us decided to grab some tapas. We soon learned that tapas did not accompany our drinks for free, and thus we indignantly paid for both our tapas and drinks, complaining how expensive Sevilla is (really the food was very reasonably priced, Granada has spoiled us). Tapas are just one of the many reasons why I prefer Granada.

The following day we took 2 more tours of Sevilla: The Gardens of Alcazar and the surrounding palaces and the Cathedral of Sevilla!

Exciting news I have booked a trip to Rome and my parents and sister are officially visiting me over Semana Santa!

Wednesday was a tough day as it is every year. I was worried that yesterday would be the day when homesickness would finally set in, and I would find myself miles and miles away from my family with aching pains longing for home. However, to my delight, the day did not surmount to such a sickness. Of course, I missed my family and loved ones and wished that I could spend just Feb 15^th at home, and I would like to thank everyone who reached out to my family and I, it means the world to me to know that my brother has not been forgotten and that my family and I have such a robust support system.  Yesterday was difficult but I was not immobilized by emotions. In fact I found comforts in Spain that I did not expect to encounter. I found comfort in my padres, in the simple beauties of Spain, and in the fact that I am living and I am living life in Spain something I have always wanted to do. However, the moment when I really found an inner peace within the turmoil of my emotions was oddly at an open-mic night for IES and University of Granada students. One of the quieter boys on the trip marched up to the stage with his guitar in hand and started to play a familiar tune: Dave Matthew’s Ants Marching a song my brother loved. It seems silly but the song felt like a little hello and reassured me that everything will somehow be ok. 

This morning I just got back from Cadiz, which is a city off the coast of Spain. We went to Cadiz for Carnaval, which is 2 week long carnival in which the whole city participates. Everyone dresses up in costumes and disguises and there is plenty of food and performances by the chirigotas, which are well-known witty and satiric groups that train for the whole year to sing about politics, topics in the news, and everyday circumstances, while all of the members wear identical costumes. Instead of getting a hostel room, we took a bus that left Granada around noon and then left Cadiz to return to Granada at 6 AM, so I am definitely pretty spent and I couldn’t believe that when we left the party was still going on. Cadiz will definitely be memorable as there were thousands of people there dressed in elaborate costumes singing, eating drinking, being merry. Something I found odd was there was no central event or show or dance. It was simply a gigantic congregation of strangers ranging in both age and nationality. I enjoyed myself immensely as I met people from London, Malaga, Madrid, Finland, and Ireland. Although the night did become long as the temperatures dropped and the city was trashed with broken bottles and other rubbish. I cannot say I would go back to Cadiz as it really was a whole another world that I was just visiting for a moment, but I am glad I got to not only witness but partake in such a cultural event.

Ronda, Espana!

Lucia and I at the Plaza de Espana

The Bull Fighting Ring

The River in Sevilla

Plaza de Espana

Me, Jackie, Carmen

Que Bonita!

Along the walls of one of the exhibits at the Plaza de Espana was a Mosaic of each of the cities and provinces in Spain

Simply Breathtaking

The Flamenco Show!

My palace jaja 

The Cathedral

View from the Cathedral

My Disguise for Carnaval!

Sunset in Cadiz

Carnaval 

The bathhouse

Ronda

First Week of Classes!

So it’s been a little while since I have written so I guess I’ll talk about some of the highlights. I have experienced many things these passed couple days between watching the Superbowl, eating Paella for the first time, and starting classes!

FOOD:

My host parents still give me so much food. I do not understand how they remain so thin. We eat different types of soups quite frequently, and I must say they still are not my favorite, but I am growing to not mind them as much, and it has become a lot easier for me to finish a bowl. The cheese and breads are just as delectable as when I first arrived! We eat bread and fruit with basically every meal, and I’m glad we eat a fair amount of fruit so that I feel like I’m eating somewhat healthy. Commonly at lunch we eat pork, eggs, salads with oil and salt as a dressing, and sausages. Last week, my madre Espanola made us paella, which was absolutely delicious! Her paella was made with pork, vegetables, some sort of crawfish, rice, and of course saffron. Granada is famous for its paella, and now I understand why it’s delicious, and I am hoping she makes it again soon! Another favorite dish of mine is churros con chocolate. The churros are these strips of fried dough with a flakey exterior but moist inside in which you dip into hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is basically the richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted; imagine melting a Ghirardelli chocolate bar and drinking it. I definitely have a soft spot for churros con chocolate. This past week I ate a Mexican restaurant and an Indian restaurant. I find it rather humorous that I came to Spain and ate Indian food as I have never eaten Indian food back home, so why try it in Spain. A bunch of us from IES went to this Indian restaurante to celebrate someone’s birthday. I was definitely a little nervous to try the Indian food, but this experience is all about stepping out of my comfort zone. To my surprise I actually really enjoyed it. I think I will be eating more Indian food in the future.

A cheese sandwich mi madre espanola made for me

Futbol and Futbol Amerciano

Soccer is huge in Spain, which of course makes sense considering Spain did win the last world cup. It seems as if most everyone in Granada is either a Real Madrid fan or a Barcelona fan. I equate this to being either an Eagles fan or a Giants fan. I am really enjoying watching soccer. It is such a graceful sport, and it is fun to be around the passionate fans especially in a tapas bar when all of the sudden there is an eruption of cheers or moans from the crowd. Granada does have a team as well as Malaga and many other cities in Spain. The Granada team is a relatively young program, so the people here support the team but remain loyal to Barcelona or Madrid. Indoor soccer is also a professional sport here, which I did not know, but the other day I was watching a game with Rafa. Only 5 players play at a time and Rafa says that the players are the older players meaning in their 30’s who cannot keep up with youth who play in the outdoor league. I’m hoping to get to go to a game! Moreover, I actually got to watch some of the Superbowl here. I wasn’t that intrigued by the game as I do not care for either of the teams, but I loved the idea of watching the superbowl in Spain. A bunch of us went to an Irish pub and bar that was showing the game. It was a lot of fun to see the dynamics of something so American exist in a European country. Most everyone at Hannigans was American but there were so Spaniards amongst other Europeans.

TELEVISION

The television is always on during lunch though it really is more like background noise. My host padres like to have the news on. I definitely have a difficult time comprehending what is being said on the news as they are always changing topics and I am not in the know when it comes to current events, but I do think it is helpful to watch at times. Many American shows and movies are voiced over into Spanish. For example, just the other day I watched Forest Gump in Spanish with my madre Espanola, and I watched the end of Charlotte’s Web with my padre espanola. I find movies that I have seen to be excellent tools to practice listening comprehension as I understand the story without understanding every word, which in turn helps me develop my vocabulary.

TIME FOR SCHOOL

Classes started this week. My schedule is not solidified but as of right now I am taking a Spanish grammar class, Islamic Art and Architecture, Islamic Civilization in Spain, and Mediterranean Ecosystems. On Monday, I only had one class which was my grammar class. My professor is so cute as he has a dynamic personality and is so animated when he teaches. I definitely think my language skills will grow as a result of taking his class. On Tuesdays, I have all of my classes; however, I woke up with a fever and was completely exhausted. I ended up not going to any classes and basically sleeping the entirety of the day away. It was really strange being sick away from home. I came to the realization that I have never been sick at college, so this was the first time I have been sick away from home without my mom to take care of me. I am really lucky though because Conchi is such a wonderful mother figure and took excellent care of me. She made me tea and soup and made sure I stayed hydrated; she basically did all the things that my mom would have done for me. She told me that “he is my mom in Spain and she is going to make sure I get better soon. It was so comforting knowing I had this wonderfully caring woman taking care of me. On Wednesday, I felt much better and went to class. For my Art and Architecture class, we actually explore the city on Wednesdays visiting the sites that we discuss in class, which is really a cool opportunity. Right now that class is pretty tough because Spanish-wise the vocabulary is pretty out of my realm, but I hoping as time goes on I will get more and more out of each class and gain a sense of the history that surrounds me. 

TAPAS

Almost every night I am still going out for tapas which really seems to be the cheapest way to eat dinner and be social. I really enjoyed going out to tapas with Carmen who is a student at the University of Granada who works with IES. She took 3 of us to this great tapas bar with huge portions and the food was delicious. It was kind of funny though because the bar was decorated with all sorts of NYC posters, and they were playing the Spice Girls and Michael Jackson. My favorite part though was we spoke in Spanish for the entirety of that night! 

My "Starbucks" in Spain! This is what the coffee place across the street from my school looks like!

Los Jardines de Triunfo (I walk through here everyday on my way to school. 

One of my favorite places to run

Life in Spain

Que tal! I figured I would just write a brief synopsis of the last few days. On Saturday, I went on a hike with many other students from IES through La Apujerra, which is a part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The mountains are absolutely breathtaking, and my words really cannot do their beauty justice. It was simple serene. The hike started in a small town Pampaneira. We then hiked to Bubion, and then to Capileira. The hike in total took 3 hours, but we stopped 90 minutes in to eat lunch, which by the way was delicious. Mis padres espanoles had packed me a lunch consisting of a cheese sandwich that just so happened to be made on an entire baguette, and being the Spanish way of course there is more. They also packed me 4 oranges, 1 banana, 2 packaged coffee cake-esque desserts, and an apple juicebox. SO MUCH FOOD. The hike was definitely a workout, but it was a great opportunity to meet others students from IES and some local students!

When we got back from the hike, Liz and I both showered, siesta-ed, and then met some friends for Tapas. We went to a few tapas bars, where we met someone from Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland! It was really cool to meet other international students. Interestingly enough, I found the international students’ Spanish accent much easier to understand than  actual Spaniards’. After tapas, we went to a discoteca called Camboria. Camboria is awesome! It is located up in the mountains that surround and encompass parts of Granada. The coolest part is the actual discoteca is located in the caves where the gypsies used to live! Que guay!

Sunday was a day of rest. It was the first day that I was actually able to sleep in! When Liz and I finally got up, we decided to go for a walk and do a little bit of shopping. Right now every store in Spain is having gigantic sales. For example, you can buy a pair of leather boots for only 15 euros! Sunday the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was 55 degrees without a cloud in the sky. To our surprise though, all of the stores were closed, but venders were opened, so we strolled through an area almost like a flea market. It was a pretty easy going day. We ate lunch with our padres espanoles and then later in the evening like always we went out for tapas!

Monday I went to class, which was pretty cool because we went to an enormous shopping mall to practice using words that are associated with shopping. After class, we had lunch with our padres espanoles and their grandchildren. They have 2 grandsons one is 19 and the other is 15. It was most enjoyable to meet their grandchildren and witness the unconditional love that Rafa and Conchi have for them. However, the language barrier was pretty evident during the lunch. There were plenty of awkward pauses throughout the entirety of the meal. After we ate, the older grandson started to play a game on his phone. I then retrieved my phone and showed the younger grandson how to play Temple Run. He had never played before, but it was a fun bonding moments because I guess you could say that video games are universal throughout the modern world.

On Tuesday, after class and lunch, IES hosted guided walks throughout different areas of the city. A few friends and I chose the walk that went to part of the Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex located in the mountains above of the city. I feel as if I am repeating my self but like everything else in Granada, the Alhambra is gorgeous. The fortress is incredible, and the view of the city from the Alhambra is just breathtaking. It is always so awe-inspiring when you go to places like the Alhambra and you can just feel the history that surrounds you. It is exciting because I will be taking a class on Islamic Art and Architecture this semester, and we will be going to the Alhambra several times for free!  I cannot wait to learn more about the history that surrounds me. After the walk, I joined several other IES students along with some locals in a game of futbol!

         

LIFE IN SPAIN:

SHOWERING:

Showering is pretty rough in Spain as Spain is undergoing desertification, and thus, it is imperative that as much water as possible is conserved. As a result, we take navy showers, meaning we turn the water on get wet, turn it off, shampoo your hair and what not, and then turn the water back on and rinse off. The whole ordeal should take under 5 minutes. It wouldn’t be so terrible, but the homes are pretty cold, so when you turn the water off, you cannot help but shiver. I definitely miss hot showers.

CLEANING DAY:

In Granada, most Spaniards have a cleaning day when they clean their entire home in one day. Monday cleaning day, and so on Monday mis padres espanoles had started cleaning at 7 AM. They were dusting, vacuuming, doing wash, cleaning windows all before the sun was up, and they do this every Monday. They clean every nook and cranny, including my room and my roommates’. Therefore, I am making a grand attempt to keep my room impeccable, so that I do not make them clean around my mess, and I don’t offend them. BONUS: they do my laundry!

DOGS:

It is absolutely unbelievable how well behaved dogs are in Spain. You almost never see a dog on a leash when going for a walk. When a dog is on a leash, it is usually a puppy that is being trained. An owner will tell a dog to stay as he or she goes into a market to buy some groceries or a bar for a drink, and that dog will sit very still with perfect posture until his owner returns. It is really unbelievable

CHILDREN:

Little kids in Spain are adorable. I don’t know what it is whether they are more well-behaved, dress better, or the fact that they speak Spanish that makes them cuter than American children, but they are so much cuter. They really are well-dressed. Most toddlers dress better than I do. They are little fashionistas. 

SPANISH:

I cannot believe how much my Spanish has improved already!!!

Juice box from the lunch mis padres espanoles packed me. 

My roommate Liz and I during the hike.

SO BEAUTIFUL 

Look at the size of the door to enter part of the Alhambra

The architecture is just amazing!

A view from the Alhambra of the city!

Inside part of the Alhambra