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Friday, August 28, 2009
check out facebook for a full album of photos!
it's all in the title. i just made a new album of pictures, check them out!
Más photos
View of La Alhambra from the Sacromonte, the caves and white buildings north of the city where many gypsies live. 
Street in Sacromonte.
Plaza del Toros---the bullfighting ring. They have bullfights twice a week. Aahh I am not cool with that sport. 
Armelle, Kelsey, and I sitting in a tetería, an Arab tea shop. Beautiful and calming atmosphere, and out-of-this-world teas served in individual little silver tea kettles...
Intensive Language Program, Food, Cats, Pisos...
ILP CLASSES: So there are about 45 or so UC students in the EAP program here, living here in the Colegio Mayor and taking ILP (Intensive Language Program) classes for a month before we move out into our own apartments and start attending the University of Granada (UGR). We have class almost five hours a day, Monday to Thursday. We have oral comprehension, writing, reading, grammar, literature, and history. Lots of class! The professors are all UGR professors, and it's all in spanish. Thankfully, the professors speak a little slower and with a little less of that crazy beautiful-but-impossible-to-understand Andalucían accento. I love the history class--this is reassuring, as that's my major--I love the Spanish history, and the professor uses good visuals and maps and diagrams which I really appreciate. We have some homework each night, reading artículos and writing responses, etc. I am a little worried that the UGR classes are going to be WAY more difficult than this, but it's still nice to have this exposure before we're thrown out on our own to find out own way.
SO ADORABLE-- my window here on the second floor of the colegio looks out onto this little patch of cement; I guess you could call it a little plaza but it's very small and mostly used to house the garbage and recycling. But, a couple nights ago I was looking out and I saw this black cat and two adorable fuzzy little kittens! Black and white, rolling around playing with each other, and then hopping up and chasing down into the bushes...they are so cute! And they come out every night and play. I love it.
FOOD: So I must say that I am getting a little sick of the food served at the colegio already. :( I guess it's pretty much what I expected: breakfasts are always the same white roll toasted with jam. The same roll is served during lunch and dinner. I like these rolls, but they are huge and served all the time and I can't take them every time or that would be a carbo overload! And then there is always a soup for lunch and dinner, and then rice or potatoes and meat. It's not bad, but it's lacking fruit and veggies! I do have to realize that we are way spoiled in California, how I go to the farmer's market every sunday morning and get tons of fresh local produce. Like you order a sandwich here and it's the same bread roll with meat stuffed in, and that's a sandwich! I am just craving a big green salad so badly. I think once I am in my own piso and have my own kitchen I can prepare whatever I want, that'll be nice.
SEARCHING FOR PISOS: So basically we all have to find our own housing in the next few weeks, where we will move on September 18th. The drill is this:
-read the tons of white paper flyers on the walls that say "Se Alquila" (for rent)
-call the number, ask questions about the apt and location, etc. all in fast spanish
-rip out the map, march across the city and find the apartment
-press the button and get buzzed in
-meet the person and get the grand tour!
At first I was pretty nervous about making these cold calls in a different language, but once I did a few and realized it wasn't all bad, I felt a lot better. I actually spoke and understood on the phone a lot better that I was expecting. And most of the people could show the apt then, so today Henna and I called, found, and visited four different pisos all over the city in the deathly heat of the day! The first few were not too great; one was two 20 something men and I would rather live with women, one didn't have an exterior window...but they were good to go see, because we could then cross it off the list and we started to realize what things we wanted and were looking for.
I like the fourth place we went the best. It is located on a big street a little ways from the old downtown, and the street is known for having many bars and discotecas. I had to call the woman Cristina three times because we couldn't find it, and while I was talking to her the last time she asked "eres la chica rubia?" and she told me to look up, and there she was waving at us from the ninth floor, she had seen me on the street below. It was great. The apartment is on the ninth floor, so the view is incredible! This is what I loved most. From the window if you turn to the left you can see the top of the Royal Cathedral and the Alhambra in the distance! Awesome. Two Spanish women live there, early 20s, both studying political science. Cristina was very nice. And the best part: she has a cat, a tiny tiny dog named Gordo, and a parakeet named Olga! In this tiny apartment! I loved it, it made me feel at home. So I told her I liked it, and I am going to go back on Monday when I can meet the other woman who will be living there. So it is exciting to have liked an apartment, and to keep that in mind. I will surely go and see plenty more with my friends, but it's nice to have this option. So we'll see what more I find!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
photos
just a note: we don´t yet have internet where we are living here for the first month, so I´ve been posting from an internet cafe. So, I want to post some photos but I have´t yet figured out how to do that from a different computer. I guess I can try a flash drive...we´ll see. But just note that in the future photos will come, but for the time being use your imaginación! (Or google pictures of Granada and La Alhambra and prepare to be super jealous!!)
First Impressions of Granada
When we were flying over Granada and about to land, we could see olive orchards everywhere. And we could partially see the Sierra Nevada mountains that are 30 min southeast of Granada.
We landed on the tarmac, and got to touch land to walk into the airport terminal. The heat was like a thick heavy hot wind. I turned to Kenneth and said "Welcome Home"! Man how weird is that? tight.
We are living in the Colegio Mayor de Isabel la Católica, and it´s so beautiful. It´s the same ornate style as many of the churches, and has gorgeous carvings and is tall and tan and pretty much amazing. I am worried I might start to annoy people with how often I say "damn this is just so incredible and gorgeous" about everything, but it´s hard not to. I can´t believe this is my home city this year, we´ve all shared the feeling that it seems like we´re on vacation and we´ll be flying home soon.
We had a brief orientation Saturday morning after we took our placement spanish test which was a breeze. During this orientation we met out Monitores, University of Granada students who will help us with everything we need this month to get accustomed and situated. Most importnantly they wil help us renew our visa and locate our alojamientos for the year, our rooms or apartments where we will live. My monitor Sergio is great, I talked him up a lot yesterday and he´s friendly and helpful.
I love speaking Spanish everywhere! And their Castillian, lispy accents are beautiful, we all hope we get them. I am already unconsciously lisping my C´s and Z´s so that´s a good start!
We tried to all buy moviles, cell phones, yesterday. However, there were like 15 of us in this one tiny corner shop of the phone company Yoigo, so it was crazy and hectic. After waiting for almost an hour, I heard that we needed our passports fpr ID and I had just taken mine out of my purse, so I ended up running back to my room a couple blocks away to fetch it. Picture this: the worst heat of the day, and me running in my skirt and my loud echoing sandals clutching my purse and notebooks and running running down the street. Various different Spaniards called out at me, haha I probably looked mad. Anyway, I got back to the store and I am sweating like crazy. I mean, I normally don´t sweat much at all, but I am just dripping. Anyway, I´m sure you can imagine haha. But, after all this, it turns out they have run out of phones and so we all have to come back on Monday when they open next to buy our phones. So the running was pointless! Ah.
My feet are so sore and I already have a couple different blisters from my different sandals. You walk so much here, on all hilly, dusty cobble'stoned streets, that your feet really get beat.
Oh, random- I bought some food at the Maxi mercado, and when I got home I saw that all the food I had bought was expired! I was surprised but decided I´d live life dangerously, and ate it. Only hours later after feeling rebellious and maybe sick did I remember that they write the dates differently here, with the day first and then the month. So all the food wa perfectly fine. Yay! Little victories.
By the way, here at the internet cafe the radio is playing and it´s mostly American pop and hip hop, but songs we know that have all been changed a bit, either made more techno or something added. We just heard a hip hop song that started with the Lion King´s circle of life and then there was rap! The four of us American girls looked at each other and cracked up. It´s awesome.
We walked around late into the night last night and explored. We saw the edge of La Alhambra illuminated in all it´s glory, which heightened my flabbergasted feeling of holy cow, I live here!? Ah!
Five of us finally chose a chinese restaurant for dinner at 11 last night and it was fun. So weird to hear the chinese servers speaking spanish. And I can see how they stay up so late here, the sun sets way later and so it always seems way earlier than it is, and you also have to walk everywhere so that takes time.
Tapas are awesome. Buy a drink for less than 2 euros and they bring out a tapa of their choosing, which is a substantial bit of food. I´ve had jamon pizza, tuna salad, tuna sandwich things...good stuff! And I like what they call Tinto de Verano which is sort of like Sangria but more fruity and less alcoholy, so I actually like it! I tried that last night. For lunch yesterday a group of 18 of us had tapas together, and I was the only one who ordered a non-alcoholic drink when I got a Coke. Haha. So it´s exciting to actually enjoy a drink here that´s not coke or fanta.
The streets are so lively here! There was an outside concert on a random plaza last night, with lots of people dancing....
I love it!
We landed on the tarmac, and got to touch land to walk into the airport terminal. The heat was like a thick heavy hot wind. I turned to Kenneth and said "Welcome Home"! Man how weird is that? tight.
We are living in the Colegio Mayor de Isabel la Católica, and it´s so beautiful. It´s the same ornate style as many of the churches, and has gorgeous carvings and is tall and tan and pretty much amazing. I am worried I might start to annoy people with how often I say "damn this is just so incredible and gorgeous" about everything, but it´s hard not to. I can´t believe this is my home city this year, we´ve all shared the feeling that it seems like we´re on vacation and we´ll be flying home soon.
We had a brief orientation Saturday morning after we took our placement spanish test which was a breeze. During this orientation we met out Monitores, University of Granada students who will help us with everything we need this month to get accustomed and situated. Most importnantly they wil help us renew our visa and locate our alojamientos for the year, our rooms or apartments where we will live. My monitor Sergio is great, I talked him up a lot yesterday and he´s friendly and helpful.
I love speaking Spanish everywhere! And their Castillian, lispy accents are beautiful, we all hope we get them. I am already unconsciously lisping my C´s and Z´s so that´s a good start!
We tried to all buy moviles, cell phones, yesterday. However, there were like 15 of us in this one tiny corner shop of the phone company Yoigo, so it was crazy and hectic. After waiting for almost an hour, I heard that we needed our passports fpr ID and I had just taken mine out of my purse, so I ended up running back to my room a couple blocks away to fetch it. Picture this: the worst heat of the day, and me running in my skirt and my loud echoing sandals clutching my purse and notebooks and running running down the street. Various different Spaniards called out at me, haha I probably looked mad. Anyway, I got back to the store and I am sweating like crazy. I mean, I normally don´t sweat much at all, but I am just dripping. Anyway, I´m sure you can imagine haha. But, after all this, it turns out they have run out of phones and so we all have to come back on Monday when they open next to buy our phones. So the running was pointless! Ah.
My feet are so sore and I already have a couple different blisters from my different sandals. You walk so much here, on all hilly, dusty cobble'stoned streets, that your feet really get beat.
Oh, random- I bought some food at the Maxi mercado, and when I got home I saw that all the food I had bought was expired! I was surprised but decided I´d live life dangerously, and ate it. Only hours later after feeling rebellious and maybe sick did I remember that they write the dates differently here, with the day first and then the month. So all the food wa perfectly fine. Yay! Little victories.
By the way, here at the internet cafe the radio is playing and it´s mostly American pop and hip hop, but songs we know that have all been changed a bit, either made more techno or something added. We just heard a hip hop song that started with the Lion King´s circle of life and then there was rap! The four of us American girls looked at each other and cracked up. It´s awesome.
We walked around late into the night last night and explored. We saw the edge of La Alhambra illuminated in all it´s glory, which heightened my flabbergasted feeling of holy cow, I live here!? Ah!
Five of us finally chose a chinese restaurant for dinner at 11 last night and it was fun. So weird to hear the chinese servers speaking spanish. And I can see how they stay up so late here, the sun sets way later and so it always seems way earlier than it is, and you also have to walk everywhere so that takes time.
Tapas are awesome. Buy a drink for less than 2 euros and they bring out a tapa of their choosing, which is a substantial bit of food. I´ve had jamon pizza, tuna salad, tuna sandwich things...good stuff! And I like what they call Tinto de Verano which is sort of like Sangria but more fruity and less alcoholy, so I actually like it! I tried that last night. For lunch yesterday a group of 18 of us had tapas together, and I was the only one who ordered a non-alcoholic drink when I got a Coke. Haha. So it´s exciting to actually enjoy a drink here that´s not coke or fanta.
The streets are so lively here! There was an outside concert on a random plaza last night, with lots of people dancing....
I love it!
We Made It!
So I am writing from the "Ciber Seven" internet cafe on a small alley street here in the incredible Granada. Dang it is absolutely gorgeous in this city! It is the perfect size that you can walk around all day and it´s big enough that it´s not boring, but small enough that you start to recognize things you´re passing every now and then. And it is such an old and historically rich place, there are breathtaking huge formidable stone carved churches on so many corners it´s overwhelming! And every single building is notable, with it´s ornate carvings and beautiful grated windows...and the street lamps on the main street, El Gran Vía del Colón (the great way of columbus), are these awesome rubix-cube like glass shapes. Cool.
It is so super hot here! However, our nice rooms in the Colegio where us UC students are living this month have AC, which is heavenly. But the only moment all day when you are cool enough is during your cold shower.
So the flight here wasn´t too bad. The first leg to Philly went quickly, I talked with my new friend Kenneth the whole way, sharing life stories. He´s fun. And then the flight to Madrid was long but doable. I listened to the new Third Eye Blind CD Ursa Major on repeat. I LOVE IT. Just have to put that out there.
So exciting story when we arrived in Madrid. Both Kenneth and I had to take out weight from our suitcases because they were too heavy. So I put random heavy things in my purple striped laundry bag, and had to lug that around. And of course, without thinking I had taken out my treasured peanut butter jar that I had hidden away. For those of you who don´t know, brace yourself...they don´t have peanut butter in Spain. I know, right? Tan horrible. SO, we had to go through security again in Madrid, and they confiscated my PB saying it was un liquido, and they threw it away right before my eyes! AHH he probably didn´t even know what a calamity he had just committed.
It is so super hot here! However, our nice rooms in the Colegio where us UC students are living this month have AC, which is heavenly. But the only moment all day when you are cool enough is during your cold shower.
So the flight here wasn´t too bad. The first leg to Philly went quickly, I talked with my new friend Kenneth the whole way, sharing life stories. He´s fun. And then the flight to Madrid was long but doable. I listened to the new Third Eye Blind CD Ursa Major on repeat. I LOVE IT. Just have to put that out there.
So exciting story when we arrived in Madrid. Both Kenneth and I had to take out weight from our suitcases because they were too heavy. So I put random heavy things in my purple striped laundry bag, and had to lug that around. And of course, without thinking I had taken out my treasured peanut butter jar that I had hidden away. For those of you who don´t know, brace yourself...they don´t have peanut butter in Spain. I know, right? Tan horrible. SO, we had to go through security again in Madrid, and they confiscated my PB saying it was un liquido, and they threw it away right before my eyes! AHH he probably didn´t even know what a calamity he had just committed.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Third Eye Blind show!
The show was incredible.
1) The Fox Theater in Oakland is gorgeous! It was built in the early 1900s and then shut down for a while, and was renovated and newly opened in February 09! So it is tight. Indian style carvings on the wall, the ceilings, Persian rugs on the walls, and two crazy big Buddha-like statues on either side of the stage who had glowing white eyes! Ah.
2) This was an album release show, as their new album was released today. So they played their wonderful old songs but played a lot of great new songs too!
3) The singer Stephan Jenkins went to Gunn, the high school I attended! sweet. I just like sharing that fact.
4) They played Motorcycle Drive By, which is always a spiritual, beautiful experience for me.
5) I met up with my friend Pumba from UCSD and his new friend Laurel from BART, so we had a fun group. And of course I went with Duncan, one of my favorite concert buddies :)
6) Stephan, the singer, had a nice top hat that he wore for most of the show. Ha.
Great show! What a perfect way to end my time here before I ship off to España. Hopefully I'll continue my concert obsession there, seeing Spanish bands in fun European clubs and venues....vamos a ver!
Monday, August 17, 2009
prepping for takeoff!
I am all packed, in my large bright purple suitcase. There'll be no problem recognizing that one.. :)
My grandpa is driving all the way down from Sacramento for lunch to say goodbye before I leave. I really appreciate that. My mom made Gazpacho for the occasion, the popular Spanish cold tomato soup.
And then, to end my time here in California with a bang, I am going to the Third Eye Blind album release show at the Fox Theater in Oakland tonight! They are one of my all time favorite bands. I saw them in San Diego in December and it was epic. I know every one of their songs, and it was just wonderful. So I'm super stoked like a super soaker!
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