Las zapatillas

              Hoy, we had our prueba de nivel (placement test) for our Spanish classes. It was a really long test and there were a lot of different types of sections. I’m glad it is over though because now I can look forward to my actually classes. After the test, Claudine and I visited some stores to look for a backpack, but we didn’t have any luck. We also stopped by Vodaphone for what seems like the 100^th time to ask about our saldo (the money on our cell phones that enables us to make calls).  When we walked in the girls behind the counter practically yelled “AGAIN!?”  It was a short visit, but we will be back tomorrow with our profesor (oy).

Then when we got to our apartment for la comida, something funny happened. There was a sock on the outside door, so Claudine and I sat outside, thinking that our señora must have just mopped the floors and didn’t want us to walk on it, or that she dried her socks on door handles (bizarre, I know, but we couldn’t figure out why it was there!) Then Kazuna came home and SHE didn’t know why there was a sock on the door…So the three of us stood outside the door for another 10 minutes until Encarnación came back from picking up her nieta, Cristina from school.  Encarnación was surprised to find us all out there…but not as surprised as us when we found out that she had just dropped the sock while doing laundry and she put in on the door before leaving! We explained that in the US, a sock on the door means don’t come in, but it was just one of the funniest instances of a cultural clash I’ve ever seen. 

We sat down for lunch, but before we ate, little Cristina gave me a present for my birthday from her and her family! It was such a sweet gesture and totally unexpected.  They also gave me a deep pink/ magenta scarf like Encarnación, but it is a little longer and warmer. It was really funny when they explained that they didn’t know that the other had gotten a pink pañuela for me, I guess great minds think alike! La comida today was delicious, as per usual. We had pasta with red sauce that had chicken and vegetables like eggplant and mushrooms.  There were also eggs sunny side up, but since I don’t eat eggs, I just had the pasta.  Of course, after we had our mandarinas (tangerines). [Seriously, greatest tradition ever]

After Claudine and I digested a bit, we went for a walk towards the center of town to see if we could find a few things.  We stopped by a bunch a show stores, but Claudine didn’t find any that she liked.  At La Puerta Real, we passed little stands in the plaza that were selling various things.. There were bags, jewelry, wine, bread and cheese, scarves, hats, etc…It is like a little bazaar in the plaza. There I found these great sunglasses, a small turquoise change purse, and….perhaps my greatest purchase of ALL TIME…zapatillas (slippers!)  There are warm and fuzzy and perfect for my cold pies.  I put them on as soon as we got home and have never been happier.  For dinner, we had croquetas again and chicken cutlet with a lemon breading. There was also a salad with lettuce, apples, pears, walnuts and raisins in a creamy dressing.  We watched Arrayán (a Spanish soap opera for a while) with nuestra señora, and now we are just relaxing and getting ready for our meeting tomorrow.

P.S. I went to Dunkin Coffee today to have a hot chocolate, only to find that un chocolate is the same kind in churros con chocolate, so it was very thick and strong and not like American hot chocolate at all.  It was good, but I think next time, I’ll be choosing a coffee!

Un día fantástico

Today was such a fun day! The day started at 9am at la estatua de Reina Isabella y Colon.  We then walked to the bus stop where our guide for the day, a literature professor at the CLM, Maria Carmen met us.  We got on the bus and then drove for about an hour to  Almuñécar, which is a small town on the coast.  There, we visited el Castillo de San Miguel.  We had to walk up a big hill to get to the castle, but the view from the top was amazing! It’s incredible to think that during the XI-XV centuries, people were able to make such massive buildings that still remain today.  The ruins overlook the ocean and the town so there were plenty of opportunities for some great photos.  

            After el Castillo, we got back on the bus to go visit Las Cuevas (the caves) in Nerja, a neighboring town.  The caves have these HUGE stalactites and stalagmites and it was so cool to walk through the cave and take some photos (sin flash, por supuesto).  Maria Carmen told us that during the summer, there are arias and flamencos performed in the cave…the acoustics must be insane in there and I’m sure it is a once-in-a lifetime thing to see a performance under the natural beauty of the cave.

             After our little trek, we had a buffet stlye lunch at the Restaurante de Las Cuevas.  We were with other Universidad de Granada students from UCONN so we all split up and sat each other’s tables.  Claudine and I met 4 girls who have been here since last Saturday and we spent lunch exchanging stories about our trips thus far. Lunch was a little strange because I didn’t know the names of any of the food I was eating, but I had a salad, some beef dish with peppers, a little chicken with saffron (I think!) and some pasta salad. For dessert, I had an apple and a taste of Claudine’s flan.  She also tried the pudding which had some shortbread-like cookie in it.  We had a beautiful view of the ocean and the town from our inclosed seating area so I enjoyed myself.  After lunch, it was time for… LA PLAYA!

                   I was skeptical that it would be warm enough to go on the beach but I was so wrong. The beach that we visited is called Calahonda, and it has a lot of tourists who visit.  Hopefully in a month or two, we will be able to go back when it is actually beach weather.  But today wasn't bad either! The sun really warmed everything up and there was a nice breeze that still kept us cool.  Some of the brave (or loco) souls attempted the water, but it was too cold for me.  I just put my feet in and was the resident photographer for the kids in the water.  After we spent some time just sitting on the beach with our toes in the warm sand (or in some cases, drying off), we walked back up the center of the town to get some postres.  I had a gelato limon because they didn’t have coffe.  (Actually, I thought there was a coffee gelato, but it turned out to be …RAISINS! [Mary, I almost died from laughter]) We walked down towards the water and ate our gelato overlooking the Mediterranean...it was perfection. 

                 Then, it was back to the bus for the hour & 15 minute ride home.  Thankfully, I was able to sleep almost the whole time and when we got back to the Granada, we went straight to nuestra casa. We have a prueba de nivel (placement test) tomorrow, so it is going to be an early night for everyone. Dinner will be ready soon, so I’ll leave with ¡chao!

 

 

Veintiuno en España

So the flamenco plan didn't really work out as planned because there was some miscommunication but it was still a wonderful birthday. Claudine and I were able to find this beautiful tapas bar called La Hacienda Plaza in the center of La Plaza Nueva which is a large center in the city. It is a local hangout because there weren't any other Americans, so Claudine and I spoke in Spanish the whole time. We ordered a glass of sangria and got a free tapa of croquetas, pan, tomatoes y pimientos.  Then, the Real Madrid vs Real Zaragoza soccer game started at 8pm and everyone in the restaurant turned their chairs to watch. It was so much fun to watch it in that setting with the locals! We then shared a tapas de chorizo y papas fritas...and of course, it was fantastico!  I'm looking forward to seeing a flamenco show with everyone soon though.

Tapas, sangria, y el partido de fútbol en una restaurante de tapas con mi mejor amiga para celebrar mi cumpleaños en España...no puedo preguntar para más.

Mi cumpleaños!

Ah, 21 in Spain! I can't believe it! It is surreal to be ringing in my birthday in a foreign country, but it has been fun so far.  I got to sleep in late which was a total blessing because I was so tired (jet lag and non-stop walking/class will do that to you).  Then when Claudine and I woke up and got dressed, our señora had a delicious comida for us. We had beef stew that had chopped up potatoes and little pieces of beef that were extremely tender.  She also had the same cheese and sweet dried sausage spread that we had the other night..incredible. Also, I forgot to mention that they served fresh sliced bread (like the Italian kind) with every meal and it was perfect to soak up the broth from the stew or make a tiny sandwhich with the meat and cheese.  There was also a "salad" of roasted red pepper, onion, tuna and boiled eggs...since I don't eat eggs, I just had a taste of the other ingredients.  Then, instead of our customary fruit, nuestra señora brought out a little cake for me that had a 21 candle on it! She and the other foreign exchange student Kazuna (from Japan) said Happy Birthday to me in Spanish! It was SO sweet of her and she also got me a beautiful pink scarf for the spring. The cake was so different than it is in the U.S. because it was like an ice cream cake, meringue, cream brulee, s'mores, and yellow cake rolled into one. I think it is similar to a baked Alaska (Mary, help me out here lol).  It was a layer of yellow cake, then a layer of hard chocolate, then cream, then chocolate ice cream, then a lemony meringue which was also broiled on top like a creme brulee. So delicious!
              Claudine also got me a gift and my mom sent on in my luggage too, so I was able to open them both and it felt like I was home with friends. Of course, I miss all my friends and family and wish they could have been here to celebrate with me too, but my Spanish friends and family are making me feel right at home :D (But I still want to have a celebration when I get home, ahem friends)
                So Claudine and I are now going to find a place to see a flamenco show tonight with everyone and then go to a tapas bar where you can get a drink and they give you a small plate of tapas (appetizer) for free! Apparently, it is a special Granada thing because in other cities in Spain, you have to pay for tapas.  But the people here are keeping with old traditions (which is AWESOME) Besides being traditional, the people in Granada are so friendly! Even when Claudine and I ask for directions on the street or ask our host family questions about words, they are more than willing to help us understand. Vamos a caminar con nuestros compañeros antes del flamenco y tapas (We are going to walk around with our friends before the show) so hasta luego!

Aqui!

                Estoy en Granada! My host family is wonderful, I can't believe how lucky I am! We had literally just arrived to a beautiful apartment and were served a delicious lunch (fresh home made french fries and chicken with a tomato and pepper salsa) and the extended family was there.  They were all so friendly and willing to explain things a little slower for us but overall, I had no problems understanding them (which is amazing.) We then met up as a group with our professor and took a tour of El Albayzín area of Granada. It is this breathtaking Arabic part of town with the most beautiful views. We saw the Alhambra from a mountain top and walked past a ton of cute restaurants and shops that I can't wait to explore.  It was great, the only thing that I didn't like was it was A LOT of walking up and down cobblestone steps...normally I wouldn't really mind because the view was so spectacular but the long plane ride and time zone change really knocked me out. 
                We then went to la oficina del programa (Fordham's office) and had a few appetizers and discussed the program with our profesor and Begona, the Spanish academic tutora (basically, she helps us with everything we need -- adjustment to Granada, classes, our homestays, etc. Then we came back to nuestra casa, and unpacked.  We have a ton of space with a large closet and drawers.  It is great because I didn't really want to live out a suitcase the whole time. For dinner (eaten at 9pm) we had croquettes, potatoes with olive oil and oregano, and a salad with tuna, black tomatoes (delicious!), avocados and olives. It was so flavorful and fresh, and then I finished unpacking and went straight to bed.


        This morning, we had a small breakfast of toast and jam and we bought some coffee on our way to class.  We had a little grammar review with Luisa, a profesora de Granada, and it went by really quickly because she made the class very fun.  At 1:00pm we went home for lunch and ate the most delicious paella with chicken, peas, this INCREDIBLE chorizo, and artichokes.  My mom will be so proud, I ate roasted peppers and onions with bread and I couldn't get enough of it because it was so sweet and mild but very flavorful. Then back to El Centro de Lenguas Modernas for another 3 hours and our profesora was Carmen. She was hilarious and we got to play Taboo (in Spanish of course) and it was really funny to try to see us explain words that we didn't even know! 


                        After the class ended at 7pm, Profesor Lamas y Begona took us to el Cafe Futbol for...Churros y Chocolate!  This desert/breakfast/snack food is a long fried dough stick and a small cup of hot chocolate that is really rich and thick. Usually you dip them into the chocolate and then drink whatever is in the cup after you are done with the churros.  I found out that in Spain, it is customary to have a light desayuno (breakfast), then tapas (or a little snack), la comida (which means both food and lunch in Spain), then la merienda (our churros con chocolate counted as this), and then cena (dinner).  


                It is kind of weird getting used to the meal times but I think after a few days it will be fine...plus everything has been so enjoyable that it hasn't bothered me too much! For dinner, we had lasagne but it reminded me of Greek Moussaka (Hey Kristen!!) because it had shredded meat, carrots, and was covered in bechamel sauce and cheese.  There was also sweet sausage, tomatoes and cheese on the table. I'm really glad I am in a homestay because I can have really authentic Spanish food and being Italian, I understand how important food is to a culture and a family. I've also been trying to ask questions about all the food we are eating to get a sense of the cultural perspective. The other cool thing I found out about Spain is that after dinner, they always eat yogurt, pudding or fruit.  When I told mi senora that I couldn't eat the pudding or milk because I'm lactose intolerant, she went and got me fruit, so I had a clementine. All the fruit is really fresh and I love oranges so I'm happy about this particular tradition. :)  I've uploaded some new photos from the trip and will keep adding as I have time. But the past two days have been wonderful and although I really miss all my family and friends, I think this semester is going to be one of the best experiences for me.  As they say in Granada, hasta luego!

Antes del viaje

Hola, mis amigos! This blog is to keep my family and friends updated about my travels in Spain during the Spring of 2012. It is also a way for me to record all my adventures in Spain so that in the future, I'll be able to look back and see all the places I visited.

Ah! Spain in exactly 7 days and of course, I am not even close to being done packing.  I plan to have everything done by Friday because I am going to visit Fordham one last time before I leave for the semester.  I can't wait to see all my friends again and to chat with Rebecca and Megan about their time spent abroad.  I am so excited and nervous to go to Spain but mostly excited.  It is going to be such an amazing cultural experience and I can't wait to really spend the time getting to know the local traditions and obviamente, the language.

Hasta luego!

P.S. the background of my blog is a picture of La Alhambra, a 14th century palace and fortress built by Islamic rulers and eventually occupied by Christian rulers. It is absolutely breathtaking and I can't wait to post some pictures of my trips there! (I visited when I went to Spain in 11th grade)