Since I last wrote (5 days ago, I believe) not too many events have occurred...but I'll write down what I remember:
-On Saturday, some of my friends and I hiked part of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Monachil, a quaint town 30 minutes from Granada. I was a little nervous when crossing the wobbly bridges strung across tall cliffs and even more so when crawling along the edges of cliffs (which I did at snail's pace), but the stunning views of the dramatically angled mountains made the strenuous parts worth it. Plus we got to see sheep and mountain goats! Returning after nearly four hours, we scarfed down bocadillos con tortilla (long subs with eggs, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes inside) and then enjoyed the warmth of the bus ride home after the chilly wind.
-That night, I met up with some friends at a bar and watched a Spanish band perform while sipping wine and eating olives. It was a very Spanish experience...aside from the fact that the "Spanish" band unfortunately only performed American songs.
-My roommate and I wanted to go to an archaeology museum on Sunday, but it was closed due to renovation. However, our disappointment didn't last long because we noticed a large crowd of people heading somewhere and followed them. We arrived at a festival for some saint (I never found out who) where there was music, dancing, paella, candy, and policemen on horseback. So that definitely made up for the closed museum. That afternoon I took advantage of the skating rink's last day of the season.
-Classes started on Monday. I'm taking Spanish Theater, Culture and Civilization in Spain, Spanish Renaissance Art, Translation, and the obligatory speaking/writing skills class. Even though I'd been out of classes for almost two months, I wasn't exactly anxious to start again and definitely wasn't missing the work and stress they entail. So I can't really say I'm excited that classes have started, especially when I'm in such a beautiful place and all I want to do is roam around, but all things considered, the classes seem interesting and the professors seem competent. I especially enjoyed my Spanish Theater class this morning when we read an act of a play in Castellano and had to try and figure out what the words mean in Spanish. It's really satisfying to go through and decode--I felt like a detective.
-Monday night, I had the best tapas ever. They were just bread with tomato/pepper/cheese, but the simplicity was the key to their deliciousness. I think the sangria I had with them might have gone to my head because on the way home, after being given a free sample of pipas (sunflower seeds) I said "hola" instead of "gracias" ("hi" instead of "thank you"). I've been taking Spanish since Freshman year of high school and I'm in the advanced classes at the University of Granada so I'm not sure what my problem was...but that is definitely up there as one of my most embarrassing moments.
-Last night, I had more great luck with food (it's easy to have great luck with food here). I had a milkshake at a teteria (tea shop) and one of the ingredients was avocado, which I though would be disgusting, but I was peer pressured into getting it and it ended up being the best beverage I've ever had. That sounds like an overstatement but it's not.
-As of today, I think the cat has stopped being in heat. She still moans every so often but doesn't scream and gurgle in agony anymore, so that's a good sign. I'm looking forward to sleeping through the night.
Time to go sit outside in the sun. Adiosssss.
-On Saturday, some of my friends and I hiked part of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Monachil, a quaint town 30 minutes from Granada. I was a little nervous when crossing the wobbly bridges strung across tall cliffs and even more so when crawling along the edges of cliffs (which I did at snail's pace), but the stunning views of the dramatically angled mountains made the strenuous parts worth it. Plus we got to see sheep and mountain goats! Returning after nearly four hours, we scarfed down bocadillos con tortilla (long subs with eggs, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes inside) and then enjoyed the warmth of the bus ride home after the chilly wind.-That night, I met up with some friends at a bar and watched a Spanish band perform while sipping wine and eating olives. It was a very Spanish experience...aside from the fact that the "Spanish" band unfortunately only performed American songs.
-My roommate and I wanted to go to an archaeology museum on Sunday, but it was closed due to renovation. However, our disappointment didn't last long because we noticed a large crowd of people heading somewhere and followed them. We arrived at a festival for some saint (I never found out who) where there was music, dancing, paella, candy, and policemen on horseback. So that definitely made up for the closed museum. That afternoon I took advantage of the skating rink's last day of the season.
-Classes started on Monday. I'm taking Spanish Theater, Culture and Civilization in Spain, Spanish Renaissance Art, Translation, and the obligatory speaking/writing skills class. Even though I'd been out of classes for almost two months, I wasn't exactly anxious to start again and definitely wasn't missing the work and stress they entail. So I can't really say I'm excited that classes have started, especially when I'm in such a beautiful place and all I want to do is roam around, but all things considered, the classes seem interesting and the professors seem competent. I especially enjoyed my Spanish Theater class this morning when we read an act of a play in Castellano and had to try and figure out what the words mean in Spanish. It's really satisfying to go through and decode--I felt like a detective.
-Monday night, I had the best tapas ever. They were just bread with tomato/pepper/cheese, but the simplicity was the key to their deliciousness. I think the sangria I had with them might have gone to my head because on the way home, after being given a free sample of pipas (sunflower seeds) I said "hola" instead of "gracias" ("hi" instead of "thank you"). I've been taking Spanish since Freshman year of high school and I'm in the advanced classes at the University of Granada so I'm not sure what my problem was...but that is definitely up there as one of my most embarrassing moments.
-Last night, I had more great luck with food (it's easy to have great luck with food here). I had a milkshake at a teteria (tea shop) and one of the ingredients was avocado, which I though would be disgusting, but I was peer pressured into getting it and it ended up being the best beverage I've ever had. That sounds like an overstatement but it's not.
-As of today, I think the cat has stopped being in heat. She still moans every so often but doesn't scream and gurgle in agony anymore, so that's a good sign. I'm looking forward to sleeping through the night.
Time to go sit outside in the sun. Adiosssss.
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