Alicante, Spain

As we woke up Monday morning, our 5th week here, Jen turned to me and said, "Happy official one month in Granada!" Yes folks, I've survived 31 days in a foreign country where the prominent language is NOT English. Win! The girls and I celebrated by getting a cafe con leche at the cafeteria at school. Hey, don't judge,we're still college students on a budget. Maybe next month we'll splurge on an actual fiesta.

       I also had my first Spanish class on Monday. It went really well, so well in fact, that the teacher told me to move up from Level 2 to Level 3! The paperwork is now complete and I'm in the same Level 3 class as Jen and Karrie. We've only had two class sessions, but I'm really enjoying it. So far we've worked on a lot of vocabulary and just practicing speaking the Spanish language. Our teacher, Inez, is great. She has a lot of patience with us novices and speaks slowly enough for us to understand her. This is one class where I think I'll actually like doing the homework assignments!

         This week also brought a couple birthdays of people very dear to me, John Schumacher and my baby brother Joe. I had the opportunity to call John using Karrie's 'Magic Jack' and I'm so glad I did. I haven't been able to see or talk to John since before his diagnosis so hearing his voice and how well he's doing brought tears to my eyes! Joe is Mr. Busy with school, track, the musical and of course being a social butterfly, so I was only able to leave him a voice mail but I'll Skype with him soon enough. I hope you two had fantastic days--I love you both!

        We still hadn't heard any word regarding our internship, so that left another free weekend in Granada. So on Wednesday, I thought I would email the Cronins (parents of fellow parishioners from Prairie Winds in Sleepy Eye) just to inquire as to what they were doing the weekend of March 18th, wondering if they'd mind a house guest for a few days. I'd been given their contact information from my pastor and was hoping to get in contact with them during my stay in Spain. They responded within a few hours, saying they'd love to have a visitor. So, on Wednesday night, I just decided to go for it. I went online, searched around for a bit, and in the end bought a roundtrip bus ticket to Alicante, Spain and back!!! The impulse decision made me feel like I was livin' on the edge! After receiving my confirmation email, I immediately started packing because I was leaving in less than 24 hours!

         Thursday morning brought feelings of complete excitement and nervousness. Not only did I have a sizable to-do list to complete before my trip, but I had to find directions to the bus station and decide what my mode of transportation was going to be. Not to mention that I had never traveled on a bus anywhere, let alone to a city I'd never been to in a country I'm still learning about. After running some errands, I sat down to my computer and wrote out directions to the bus station as well as my ticket information. Because I bought them online, I had to make sure I got there early to allow plenty of time to print off a hard copy of tickets. The bus station was about 5km (approximately 3 miles) so I decided that I would save some money and get my 10,000 steps in for the day and walk there. Showered, backpack on, and suitcase packed, I was ready to hit the road at a little after 3 pm. According to Google maps, it was going to take me about an hour to walk to the bus station and I wanted plenty of time, in case I got lost (for those of you that know me, you're either laughing right now and/or nodding your head in support of my practical thinking). Props to me, though because I navigated myself just fine! I didn't quite follow the directions I'd written down, instead I looked at my surroundings and read the signs. Finally, after what seemed like walking all over creation, I had arrived! Getting my ticket was no trouble at all, and I now had a good 45 minutes until boarding time. I found a seat outside and did a little Spanish practice with one of the apps on my iTouch while I waited. 45 minutes easily turned into about 65, because we left about 20 minutes after departure time...Spaniard time...shoulda known!

         I took what was called the 'Eurobus' to Alicante, because that was the only one that fit the time slot in which I wanted to leave. Of course it cost more, but I got over it pretty quickly. As we drove out of the city, I looked outside my window and just about had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but I did gasp and my mouth was indeed open. The scenery that was gracing my eyes was absolutely incredible. The Sierra Nevada mountains, nature and trees everywhere, along with little cities dispersed throughout the ride. I had to resist my huge urge to whip out my camera and start snapping away because I didn't want to be 'that' tourist in a bus full of native Spaniards. No worries, though those breathtaking images are forever engrained in my memory. The busline ALSA also helped the extra eurobus cost matter by providing free headphones, water on the bus, and a ticket for a free drink and snack during the 30 minute pit stop (Again, Spaniards and their need for driving/smoke breaks). Naturally, I took advantage of each of these perks. As I sat down to my bocadillo con queso (snack sized sandwich with cheese) and Diet Coke, Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" came over the speakers. I don't know what else can be considered such an instant mood booster! As the 30 minute break ended, I boarded the bus and took my seat once again. About an hour later, we were driving into the city of Alicante. As we pulled into the bus stop, I tried my best to look outside to see if my hosts were outside waiting for me. I strapped on my backpack and purse and descended the stairs. About 30 seconds after I do so, an adorable couple approached me and simply said, “Nana?” “That’s me!” I replied. I was immediately embraced into giant hugs from two people who would quickly become very near and dear to me over the weekend.

Brian and Iona live in a neighboring town of Alicante, called Villajoyosa. They live out in the country, complete with 3 houses on the property, a pool, and lovely landscaping, not to mention the comfortable homi-ness that circulates in the air. These two live life to the fullest and are so energetic, not to mention genuine and selfless. My stay there over the weekend was one of the best weekends I have spent anywhere. They took me around to the Villajoyosa village itself which is filled with lots of history. Originally, this village was built within the walls of a castle that reigned from the 18^th-20^th century. It has since grown outside of these walls, but sections of the castle walls still remain. Villajoyosa is also located right on the coast. We also ventured up into the mountains to another little village called Guadelest. This village was also located within castle walls, where people made their own way of living. We toured a mock of what a typical house would look like. They had livestock, and separate areas for making homemade olive oil, wine, and bread, all in the same house! These people were so self-sufficient and such hard workers, it was a very cool place to see. We also wandered into various shops, looking at different Spanish arts and sculptures. After a café con leche, we headed back to the car and they took me out to a Chinese restaurant! My spring roll, sesame chicken, and fried rice definitely hit the spot (although I still have a hankering for my mother’s amazing homemade fried rice!). We then returned home for a relaxing evening and headed to bed early so we would be up and ready for church the next morning.

Church on Sunday was great! It was bilingual service, filled with tons of energy and praise and worship. It was great to see people, both young and old, get excited about God! The parishioners there were also kind, welcoming me with open hearts and arms. After the service, we came home and had a wonderful meet outside made by the Cronin’s neighbors, Jeff and Jill. Delicious! All too quickly, however, my stay was drawing to a close and we had to head to the bus station that night. I almost missed my bus, but we made it! The weekend was refreshing, one that rejuvenated me and seemed to be just what I needed!

Once again I’ve written another novel, so sorry! Besitos!

Cronin's pool by the house.

The coast of Alicante, Spain.

Look at these colorful flats!

The founder of the village Villajoyosa, Dr. Zaragosa.

The remains of the castle wall in which the village was built within.

The other side of the castle. Notice the bottom of the houses is the original castle wall.

Stopping for a cup of tea!

Sunset!

Mountains near the Cronins house.

The village and castle remains of Guadalest.

A look inside the village.

Brian climbed this mountain!

And the Adventures Continue...

                I can’t believe it’s already been 1 month since I set foot in Granada. To think that I’ve been here, in this breath-taking city for 5 weeks is almost surreal. I am so blessed!

                Much has happened since I last checked in. On March 4^th, I took the placement exam for the Spanish class I’m registered for. As previously blogged, I tried to do poorly. Let’s just say, mission accomplished!  J I’ll be in the Intermediate Level 2 class which will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-8 PM, along with an online virtual class on Fridays, to be done on my own time. I am very excited to start this class because I think it will be the most useful in helping my American self become bilingual!

                This past Monday brought our 3^rd week of class. We finally had the Metodologia Condicion Fisica class meet (better late than never!). This course may have easily become my new favorite for a few reasons. One, we only meet for an hour versus the 90 minutes class is supposed to be held. Two, after introducing ourselves, our whereabouts, and reason for studying here in Granada, our professor replied to us in English, “So, go Packers, huh?” This guy clearly knows his stuff! (*Disclaimer: The previous statement is in no way supporting the Green Bay Packers – I am still Switzerland on the subject. I was just merely happy to see that our professor liked futbol AMERICANO!). We also had our Lab on Thursday and let me tell you, I think that’s the most entertained I’ve been and the hardest I’ve laughed in a long while. First, the professor launched into this 15 minute introduction, all in ridiculously fast Spanish mind you, about what we were going to be doing during the lab that day. I must have had the same blank stare on my face as when he started, because as he finished speaking he walked over to us three girls and asked if we understood. All three of us did the classic smile and nod gesture, trying to cover up the fact that we had no idea what was going on. It worked because he proceeded to speak to the rest of the class in Spanish. All of a sudden, people were ripping off their sweats and began running around the weight room. With confused looks on our faces, we followed suit, jogging around the various equipment and machines. Then the professor started yelling instructions and the class would act out what he instructed which was anything from high knees or walking on tip toes to wrist exercises and the grapevine. Between re-living 6^th grade gym class during this warm up and laughing so hard, both my extremity muscles and abdominal muscles were warm and ready to go. We had to test our max strength with certain lifts and he specifically told us that we couldn’t partner up with each other. I didn’t even have time to be anxious about partnering up with someone because one of the guys came right up to me and asked to be my partner! His name is Chema and I discovered that he speaks English really well because he worked at a restaurant in England this past summer. He’s a gymnast here at the University of Granada, so I’m going to go watch him in one of his meets two weeks from now. Chema was very helpful and I thanked him profusely for his patience.

                I finished out the week with a purchase of some cute earrings and shoes that I decided to walk 4 miles in the first time I wore them, hence I have some cool blisters on my feet to prove it. The girls and I also went to tapas at our favorite 3 for 1 tapas bar with Petra and her friends Dominika and Nikki. Dominika is also from Slovakia and Nikki is from Iowa (small world?!).

                We also bought bus tickets to go to Carnival during the weekend! For 22 euro we got a bus ride to Cadiz and back, along with a chance to win various prizes. As you’ll see in my pictures, it was quite the event. I was all too excited because it was just like dressing in costume for a musical! I managed to make it through the night, thanks to the help of two Red Bulls and an amazing giant baked potato filled with all sorts of yummy-ness like carrots, mushrooms, corn, salsa, ham, and a tasty sauce that topped it off. The amount of people there was insane, and the event itself was very grandiose. My favorite costumes of the evening were a jellyfish and a dad dressed as Little Red Riding Hood while his daughter was dressed as Belle. Throughout the night, I managed to meet someone from Richfield, Minnesota ( again, small world right?!) and two Germans who were absolutely hilarious to talk to! We also got to sight see the ocean for a good hour, which made my night complete.

                I hope all is well with each and every one of you - Love to Mom, Dad, Joe, Elese, 2-2 and J, Krumbachs, Campos’, Brooke, and Sara Zee…I miss you all!

Amor de España,

Nana

A GIANT tub of Nutella. Yummy.

More cool architecture on our way to hike.

A view looking back on the city of Granada.

Smiles!

After scrapping the heck out of my shin.

Beautiful building atop the hill at Sacromonte.

All dressed up for Carnival Cadiz!

Driving into the city of Cadiz.

The coast of Cadiz - que bonita!

Did my own make-up.

This is so pretty.

Only the best baked potato I've ever had.

People...

...and more people!

Different lights like these were dispersed throughout the city streets.

7 hours into Carnival-ing. And on Red Bull #2.

Beautiful church lit up at night.

Home Sweet Home

Well, well, well, here I am once again with more updates on my adventures here in Granada. Since I last wrote to you all, nothing extreme has happened, but exciting experiences have taken place none the less! I feel like I’m getting past the point of just thinking this trip is a short vacation because it’s starting to sink in that I will be here for 5 more months. Granada is beginning to become my new home.

This past weekend we had our very first visitors! Carli Gustafson, Jocie Lemus, and Lexie Bales visited us from Barcelona, Spain. Carli is a soccer player from UWL and is good friends with my Athletic Training classmate Jen Werner. Both Karrie and I knew Carli beforehand so it was nice to see a familiar face. The other two girls were great as well. Jocie is from Miami, Florida and Lexie is from Wisconsin. It’s so fun to meet other people that are from around the United States as well as native Spaniards. So, we packed all 6 of us into our apartment and had a great weekend! We walked all around the city and took them up to the Albaycin along with sight-seeing a portion of the Alhombra. I also bought myself a very Euro black and white scarf that I wear all of the time now! Many pictures were taken, fun memories, and great food was eaten. Speaking of food, I have found my new favorite Spanish food! It’s called “pan tostada con tomate y aceite.” Essentially, it’s a baguette sliced in half and toasted with tomato paste and olive oil drizzled over it. So simple, yet so delicious! We also found our favorite eatery to get schwarmas. These are amazing filled with chicken, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, olives, corn, carrots, and a delectable white sauce that had me hooked within the first bite. This schwarma will be my guilty pleasure for the remainder of my stay here (along with yummy European chocolate)!  Overall it was a great time had by all of us girls filled with borrowing each other’s clothes, shoes, and accessories and doing each other’s make-up and hair. Kind of like a weekend-long slumber party. J

I’ve also started taking baby steps in attempt to improve my knowledge of the Spanish language here in Granada. The girls and I went out for tapas to our favorite tapas place that I talked about in my previous blog and by now the workers there recognize us. After chatting it up with them for a while, we’ve come to an agreement that every time we go there, we are going to be forced to speak Spanish. The host, Jose, bartender Alvador, and cook Miguel said that they will help us with our Spanish if we help them with their English. Sounds like a deal to me! These guys are really nice and I’m excited to get more help with my Spanish speaking abilities!

If that’s not enough, I’ve made friends with a few of the students that study here at the University of Granada. We met Petra and Pedro one of the first nights that we were here in Spain. After exchanging contact information, we decided to all go out for tapas on Monday night. We all met up and walked through the Albaycin again and stopped at a tapas place on the way home. It was a solid two hours of being forced to speak in Spanish! Petra and her friends know English too, so it is really nice because if I don’t know how to say something in Spanish, we can figure out what I mean in English. J It’s another situation where I’ll be able to help them with their English, while I’m getting help with my Spanish. Win-win!

Jen, Karrie, and I are also going to be taking a Spanish class that will meet for 3 hours every Tuesday and Thursday until May. This class is offered through the university and specializes in being taught as a foreign language. This past Friday, we had to take what I would call a placement exam. This exam will determine what the class level of Spanish that we’re going to be in. This was also the first exam that I’ve ever tried to do poorly on! No worries, there was a rhyme and reason for me doing this. First off, my Spanish abilities are nowhere near where I’d like them to be, so being put in a lower level will help me get a solid base foundation to build on. Secondly, the lower levels of the Spanish class are about half of the price as the upper level. Either way, getting into some sort of Spanish class will help improve my lingual knowledge tremendously.

Here are some more pictures that I’ve taken, captions included. I’m still in awe of the scenery that I am blessed to see around me each and every day. Enjoy!

More Tapas!

Some beautiful grafiti on our walk to a park

Views from where the park where I run

Flower pictures from the park

Riverwalk!

Our visitors from Barcelona

Jocie, Carli, Lexie, Karrie, and myself

On our way to the Albayzin again to get some sunset pictures.

A universal phrase :)

Caves where the gypsies live.

Sunset on the Albayzin!

Look how close the clouds are to the Sierra Nevada mountain top.

So. Pretty.

My roommates Karrie, Jen, and I.

Overlooking the city.

One of the buildings across the street from Plaza de Isabel el Catolico

At our favorite tapas place! They have tons of seafood and yummy dishes to try. Here you see I'm actually eating a sardine! (I did, however, pull the tail off before indulging in it).