Christiane's Clamor's: 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!