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!