Thursday April 26, 2012
Mom and Dad arrived today! I went to one class this morning and skipped the other in order to pick them up at the airport on time. There were lots of hugs and tears when we met at the airport (all for happiness of course).
We took a bus back into the city, checked into the hotel, and ate lunch at Cafe Futbol. Mom and I had pizza and dad had paella. After that we walked over to Carmen's apartment (my host mother) so everyone could meet. I think mom and dad enjoyed meeting and thanking the woman I have been living with. They also got to see my room and the rest of the apartment. While I was packing some stuff for the week mom and dad fell asleep in the desk chair and the bed respectively. They were a bit jet lagged. :)
We all needed a nap after the day's excitement, so we napped till supper. For supper we went out for tapas at Cafe Europa. They serve larger tapas there, so it is much more filling. We had mini hamburgers and baked potatoes for our tapas. Delicious! We also ended up running into my friend Genevieve (she is in my program) and her parents who were visiting also. It was nice to meet her parents. After that we went out for frozen yogurt (this may be my new addiction ;). ). We all got different flavors so we could try each others...
We headed back to the hotel for the night. We were all exhausted.
Friday April 27, 2012
We slept in this morning and went out for breakfast at Cafe Nevada. I think mom and dad were a little surprised at how small the breakfasts here are compared to the U.S., but we made it work. Mom and I had toast and dad had eggs with a croissant. Dad and I both had coffee, but the coffees are small in Spain and we both drank the cup in a couple swallows. :)
Our goal for the morning was to walk up the Albaycin so Mom and Dad could see the beautiful views of the city, the Alhambra, and the mountains. We took our time, stopping when we wanted, touring the Arab bath monument along the way. We made it to the top eventually and I think they loved the view!
We walked down to the Cathedral and we walked past a stand selling spices and dried fruit so we stopped for mom to look. She bought some curry powder and dried cherries. The cherries were delicious! I am also looking forward to when she uses the curry powder in her cooking. I showed mom and dad the front of the cathedral next and explained some about the art and the history of it, then we meandered through the tourist shops for a while till we were hungry for lunch.
We ate lunch, then went and toured the cathedral. I believe they were in a bit of awe at the magnitude and the intricacies of the artwork and sculptures in the Cathedral. We sat down while in the Cathedral for a bit just to enjoy the beauty of it and Mom was so tired that she shut her eyes for a few minutes and almost few asleep! I scolded her. ;) we decided after that we should leave and go have nap time at the hotel.
That night we went out to supper with my friends, Tesla, Breann, and Sabrina. We went to a Mexican restaurant and ended up staying there for 2.5 hours talking. It was a lot of fun. After that we went out for tapas at Cafe Futbol and ended up staying there for about an hour talking more. I think mom and dad enjoyed meeting and talking with my friends. :)
Today I began developing a bad cold, which means that I started to lose my voice. At supper whenever I talked my voice would crack and squeak. It sounded awful. I was a little worried I would lose my voice, and then we would all be in trouble because mom and dad don't speak Spanish. Thankfully my voice held out.
Saturday April 28, 2012
Today was cold and rainy. We slept in, ate breakfast in the room, then went out shopping for a few hours. We stayed out till lunch, then came back and rested for a few hours. Mom and I went out to walk around after our naps. I showed her a pretty church and we ended up walking into a wedding ceremony. It was cool to see part of a Spanish wedding ceremony, but we didn't stay long out of respect for the couple. We went to the same church for weekly mass later that night. Mom and dad couldn't understand a word, but that was ok. We grabbed pizza afterword and ate it in the hotel room.
Sunday April 29, 2012
We decided this morning rain or shine we were going to go visit another city in Spain. We chose Malaga, a city about an hour an a half south of Granada by bus along the Mediterranean coast.
We took a tour bus around the city. We were able to hop on and off as we wanted. It was nice and we were all glad we did it, especially since it rained for a good part of the day. We started off the day walking down by the piers where we saw a handful of cruise ships, many sailboats and yachts, and one HUGE yacht the size of a small cruise ship. It was very cool to see.
Next, we went down by the beach. Unfortunately the sand was wet and muddy so we decided not to walk in the sand so we wouldn't get dirtier than we already were. We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant along the beach. During lunch it started raining cats and dogs so we took the tour bus for the rest of the day instead of walking around. We went up by the castle and saw an aerial view of the city, port, and ocean. It was gorgeous. We also travelled via bus through the older part of the city. I enjoyed seeing all the architecture on the buildings.
We hopped off the bus and saw the old Roman Theater, and a gorgeous rose garden. I was in heaven in the beautiful rose garden. There were so many different types of roses with so many different colors. My favorite was a flower called "Julio Iglesias" and it was a rose with swirls of white and magenta. Stunning!
We took the tour bus back to the bus station and then took another bus back to Granada. We relaxed and watched Au Pair on tv in Spanish for the rest of the night.
Monday April 30, 2012
We took another day trip to Salobrena today. Salobrena is a small city an hour bus-ride to the east of Granada on the Mediterranean coast. We arrived around 12pm and right away climbed a large hill to reach to castle where we witnessed fantastic views of the city, the ocean, beach, farmland, mountains, and surrounding countryside. I think mom and dad loved it.
We climbed down the hill to the beach where we ate lunch at a restaurant on the beach. It was fun to eat and enjoy a view of the ocean. After that mom wanted to put her feet in the ocean, so she and I took off our shoes and rolled up our pants and went in the cold water. Mom almost fell over at one point and dad was almost on the ground rolling around because he was laughing so hard. It was a great moment.
After the beach excitement we walked back to the bus station stopping at a few stores along the way. We returned to Granada, ate supper, and watched The Incredibles on tv in Spanish. It was soooo much fun to watch!
Mom and Dad arrived today! I went to one class this morning and skipped the other in order to pick them up at the airport on time. There were lots of hugs and tears when we met at the airport (all for happiness of course).
We took a bus back into the city, checked into the hotel, and ate lunch at Cafe Futbol. Mom and I had pizza and dad had paella. After that we walked over to Carmen's apartment (my host mother) so everyone could meet. I think mom and dad enjoyed meeting and thanking the woman I have been living with. They also got to see my room and the rest of the apartment. While I was packing some stuff for the week mom and dad fell asleep in the desk chair and the bed respectively. They were a bit jet lagged. :)
We all needed a nap after the day's excitement, so we napped till supper. For supper we went out for tapas at Cafe Europa. They serve larger tapas there, so it is much more filling. We had mini hamburgers and baked potatoes for our tapas. Delicious! We also ended up running into my friend Genevieve (she is in my program) and her parents who were visiting also. It was nice to meet her parents. After that we went out for frozen yogurt (this may be my new addiction ;). ). We all got different flavors so we could try each others...
We headed back to the hotel for the night. We were all exhausted.
Friday April 27, 2012
We slept in this morning and went out for breakfast at Cafe Nevada. I think mom and dad were a little surprised at how small the breakfasts here are compared to the U.S., but we made it work. Mom and I had toast and dad had eggs with a croissant. Dad and I both had coffee, but the coffees are small in Spain and we both drank the cup in a couple swallows. :)
Our goal for the morning was to walk up the Albaycin so Mom and Dad could see the beautiful views of the city, the Alhambra, and the mountains. We took our time, stopping when we wanted, touring the Arab bath monument along the way. We made it to the top eventually and I think they loved the view!
We walked down to the Cathedral and we walked past a stand selling spices and dried fruit so we stopped for mom to look. She bought some curry powder and dried cherries. The cherries were delicious! I am also looking forward to when she uses the curry powder in her cooking. I showed mom and dad the front of the cathedral next and explained some about the art and the history of it, then we meandered through the tourist shops for a while till we were hungry for lunch.
We ate lunch, then went and toured the cathedral. I believe they were in a bit of awe at the magnitude and the intricacies of the artwork and sculptures in the Cathedral. We sat down while in the Cathedral for a bit just to enjoy the beauty of it and Mom was so tired that she shut her eyes for a few minutes and almost few asleep! I scolded her. ;) we decided after that we should leave and go have nap time at the hotel.
That night we went out to supper with my friends, Tesla, Breann, and Sabrina. We went to a Mexican restaurant and ended up staying there for 2.5 hours talking. It was a lot of fun. After that we went out for tapas at Cafe Futbol and ended up staying there for about an hour talking more. I think mom and dad enjoyed meeting and talking with my friends. :)
Today I began developing a bad cold, which means that I started to lose my voice. At supper whenever I talked my voice would crack and squeak. It sounded awful. I was a little worried I would lose my voice, and then we would all be in trouble because mom and dad don't speak Spanish. Thankfully my voice held out.
Saturday April 28, 2012
Today was cold and rainy. We slept in, ate breakfast in the room, then went out shopping for a few hours. We stayed out till lunch, then came back and rested for a few hours. Mom and I went out to walk around after our naps. I showed her a pretty church and we ended up walking into a wedding ceremony. It was cool to see part of a Spanish wedding ceremony, but we didn't stay long out of respect for the couple. We went to the same church for weekly mass later that night. Mom and dad couldn't understand a word, but that was ok. We grabbed pizza afterword and ate it in the hotel room.
Sunday April 29, 2012
We decided this morning rain or shine we were going to go visit another city in Spain. We chose Malaga, a city about an hour an a half south of Granada by bus along the Mediterranean coast.
We took a tour bus around the city. We were able to hop on and off as we wanted. It was nice and we were all glad we did it, especially since it rained for a good part of the day. We started off the day walking down by the piers where we saw a handful of cruise ships, many sailboats and yachts, and one HUGE yacht the size of a small cruise ship. It was very cool to see.
Next, we went down by the beach. Unfortunately the sand was wet and muddy so we decided not to walk in the sand so we wouldn't get dirtier than we already were. We ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant along the beach. During lunch it started raining cats and dogs so we took the tour bus for the rest of the day instead of walking around. We went up by the castle and saw an aerial view of the city, port, and ocean. It was gorgeous. We also travelled via bus through the older part of the city. I enjoyed seeing all the architecture on the buildings.
We hopped off the bus and saw the old Roman Theater, and a gorgeous rose garden. I was in heaven in the beautiful rose garden. There were so many different types of roses with so many different colors. My favorite was a flower called "Julio Iglesias" and it was a rose with swirls of white and magenta. Stunning!
We took the tour bus back to the bus station and then took another bus back to Granada. We relaxed and watched Au Pair on tv in Spanish for the rest of the night.
Monday April 30, 2012
We took another day trip to Salobrena today. Salobrena is a small city an hour bus-ride to the east of Granada on the Mediterranean coast. We arrived around 12pm and right away climbed a large hill to reach to castle where we witnessed fantastic views of the city, the ocean, beach, farmland, mountains, and surrounding countryside. I think mom and dad loved it.
We climbed down the hill to the beach where we ate lunch at a restaurant on the beach. It was fun to eat and enjoy a view of the ocean. After that mom wanted to put her feet in the ocean, so she and I took off our shoes and rolled up our pants and went in the cold water. Mom almost fell over at one point and dad was almost on the ground rolling around because he was laughing so hard. It was a great moment.
After the beach excitement we walked back to the bus station stopping at a few stores along the way. We returned to Granada, ate supper, and watched The Incredibles on tv in Spanish. It was soooo much fun to watch!
Tuesday
May 1, 2012
Today
is the beginning of May! I can’t believe it! This semester has gone
sooo fast. I remember when it was January/February and I thought May
would never come.
Today
with Mom and Dad we had a pretty chill day. We slept in, ate another
relaxing breakfast at Café Nevada and went to change my suitcase for
my book bag at Carmen’s apartment (my host mom). I had to change
bags because I have classes on Wednesday and I needed my books, and I
needed another change of clothes as well. When we arrived to the
apartment Carmen wasn’t there, but Amy was and the four of us ended
up talking about a variety of subjects for about an hour. It was
nice.
We
ate lunch at a pizzeria, and then headed back to the hotel for a nap
before the bull fight.
At
5:30 pm we had to meet my director and many other people from my
program at the bull fighting stadium. We were going to a bull fight!!
I was pretty excited to experience it. The bull fighting stadium is
circular (similar to the Collesseum in Rome). It is shaped this way
so there are no corners for the bull to hide in. The show began with
a parade of sorts, bringing out all the people that are involved in
producing the bull fight, this includes: the bull fighters, their
helpers or decoys, two people on horseback that harpoon the bull
during part of the show, and a few others. Once the parade concluded
the show began.
The
actual bull fight is divided into 3 parts. First, the bull is
released and the helpers/decoys use brightly colored blanket-like
material to wave and flash so the bull sees it and runs toward them.
They then scamper behind wooden paneling in order to be safe from the
bull’s horns. They do this for about 5 minutes in order to tire to
bull.
The
second part is when two men on horses enter the arena and the decoys
uses their “blankets” to attract the bull near the horses in
order for the men to harpoon the bull. They harpoon the bull in order
to weaken it, so it is easier to kill in the end. The horses are
covered with a thick material that almost looks like something
similar to metal plates in order to protect it from the bull. Its
eyes are also covered so the horse will not be spooked by the bull.
Finally
in the third part is when the matador or bull-fighter appears in the
arena. In this part he does the classic bull fighting where he is
waving a red cape and the bull charges him. This is also the part of
the show where people shout, “Ole”! Depending on the bull-fighter
this part can be the best part fo the show or it can be incredibly boring; it all depends on how entertaining they are. At the
end of the third part of the show the bull fighter takes a sword and
stabs the bull between the shoulder blades right through the heart.
This is the worst part of the show because you literally sit there
and watch the poor animal die. Many a time the bull took almost a
minute to die, but eventually blood would start pooring out its mouth
and it would keel over, dead. One of the bulls was twitching and
jerking as it died. I felt so sad for the poor animal that it was
murdered for no reason.
As
you might have already noticed through my writing we watched more
than one bull fight during the show. We actually watched 6 in total.
There were 6 bull fighters in the entire show, one for each bull.
Each bull fight followed the same sequence of parts as I described
above. A couple of the bull fighters were boring to watch because
when they were in the area they would basically turn in a circle
waving their red cape at the bull. Others would be more entertaining,
running around the stadium with the bull chasing them, kneeling on
the ground to bull fight, etc. One of the bull fighters was kneeling
on the ground when the bull entered the arena and the bull charged
him and started roughing him up a bit. The bull fighter was fine, but
I was cheering for the bull at that moment because by this time it
was the sixth bull and I was tired of watching the sensless killing
of bulls.
Overall
I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience the atmosphere and
culture of a bull fight and to learn more about it and what goes on
during it. Would I ever go to another bull fight given the chance?
Probably not. I enjoyed every part of the bull fight except the
senseless killing of the bull at the end. Why can’t they let the
bull live? There is no sense in taking the animal’s life. For this
reason and this reason only I probably would not attend another bull
fight.
Wednesday May 2, 2012
Mom and dad left me this morning. :( I'm sad to see them leave, but happy that they came. I enjoyed their trip. We woke up at 5 am to make it to the airport by 8 am. We probably didn't need to wake up that early, but oh well. We made it and they are traveling home as I write this. I have classes today (I will probably miss my first, but ahh well...), and in 2 days I will be traveling to Lagos, Portugal for a weekend on the beach. I'm excited!
Mom and dad left me this morning. :( I'm sad to see them leave, but happy that they came. I enjoyed their trip. We woke up at 5 am to make it to the airport by 8 am. We probably didn't need to wake up that early, but oh well. We made it and they are traveling home as I write this. I have classes today (I will probably miss my first, but ahh well...), and in 2 days I will be traveling to Lagos, Portugal for a weekend on the beach. I'm excited!
Thanks for reading! Sorry this was such a long post, but I did have a lot to tell. I will update my blog again soon!
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