These are the flowers I was talking about! What are they? They are so beautiful.The beautiful decorative arches...
A view from one of the outside walkways..
Friday, September 17, 2010
San Jose and La Alhambra
Last weekend the entire early start API group traveled to San Jose for the weekend and I have been neglecting to blog about the experience until now. Looking back at the pictures, I am truly jealous of the people who live in San Jose because they are able to wake up every day to the beauty of the National Park of Cabo de Gata-Nijar. In 1997 the area was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and since then it has been closely protected. To me, it was really unique to be able to look to my left and see the mountain range of Sierra de Cabo de Gata and then look to my right and see a beautiful stretch of crystal blue Mediterranean Sea. It was my first time swimming in the Mediterranean by the way!! On the path to one of the more secluded beaches in San Jose, the plant life that I saw was incredible. There were the most extreme looking cacti, thorny bushes, and trees and I felt like I was wondering through a new world. The climate is semi-arid and San Jose is actually one of the driest locations in all of Europe. Between the breathtaking white buildings (which reminded me of Greece), to the varying terrain and plant life, San Jose was more than just a hotspot for sun bunnies , although I must admit, I absolutely loved laying on my towel admiring the sea for pretty much the entire weekend.
Yesterday was the day that I have been looking foward to for over a year. My API group went to visit the Alhambra and it was just as fantastic as I imagined it would be. The day started with threatening clouds and scattered showers and may I add that every single day here so far has been clear blue skies. Needless to say, I was grumpy and bitter that the one day I wanted nice weather it chose to rain. By the time that we were walking to the Alhambra, it stopped raining so in the end I had nothing to complain about. Our tour guide Frederico was extremely knowledgeable and helped us to feel like we were foreign ambassadors who were visiting the various quarters during the peak of the Muslim dynasty in Andalucia. I found the entire tour extremely moving and I could not stop taking pictures although Frederico reminded us more than once that the best pictures to take are with the mind; fiddling with a camera may only leave you with superficial pictures that you have no real connection with.
I was semi-disappointed but at the same time semi-happy to see the restored lions from the Patio de los Leones. We could not take pictures in the room that they are in but at the same time, we were some of the first visitors to see the completed restoration process. The craftsmanship and detailing is amazing and the completed process allows visitors to mentally retain a truly authentic image of each lion. In addition to the lions, I loved walking through the gardens and I saw some flowers that I have never seen before. I took pictures and if anyone can identify the purple coral looking flowers please let me know!
I definitely plan on re-visiting the buildings sometime in the future because it is always hard to see everything when you are with a big group. I also want to go back at night when the lights illuminate the Alhambra in a way that I hear is mystical and beautiful. Well, I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures from my visit!
Some more interesting facts I have learned in the past couple of weeks…
1. Americans are considered to be very “smiley” people; in Spain and it is considered a romantic gesture to openly smile to a stranger. I was just told this today by one of my professors and I definitely will be changing the way that I walk down the street.
2. Spaniards do not accept invitations, drinks, food, etc on the first request. It is considered almost rude or easy (in the case of a man asking a woman to dance or to go on a date).
3. Everything is drenched in delicious olive oil. Raw veggies such as tomatoes and cucumbers are served with olive oil. The salads, soups, eggs, and pretty much everything is coated in it. Soooo yummy!
4. The hot water needs to be manually turned on in most houses. I have tried showering at different times in the day and sadly learned that my host Mom or Dad shut off the hot water earlier. It is really easy to take a quick shower when the water is frigid.
I am sure there are more but I cannot think of them right now. It is dinner time for me and tonight it is a salad of what looks like lentil beans, diced ham, tomatoes, green peppers and of course olive oil! Yummy!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Language Barrier
Today was another normal day for me in Granada. My day consists of waking up around 7:30 getting ready for school and then beginning what some may refer to a “hike” to the Center of Modern Languages for my class that starts at 9:00. Three weeks ago in RI, I would have abhorred the idea of walking 25 minutes back and forth to school and would have preferred to drive my car but I have become quite used to the walk and have actually come to enjoy it. I usually walk by myself in the morning and I find myself constantly window shopping; my route to school is in a main shopping district that is always bustling with people buying clothing, shoes, jewelry, you name it.
My class is small; there are about 10 or 11 people; most are from the U.S. although there are two students from Israel, one from Germany, and there is another international student as well. I have class for 4 hours every day and have already benefited from the explicit grammar/linguistic activities that we engage in every day. Although I have placed level 6 which is considered “advanced,” the content of our class is appropriate for any level speaker; there are so many grammar rules that I remember after I have said something incorrect and it is very frustrating but it is all part of the learning experience.
After class I usually head back to my house for a siesta with my host Mom Carmen, her husband Pepe, their daughter Mari, her husband David, and their 2 year-old son David. Although I try so hard to understand what they talk about at the dinner table it is really hard because not only do they speak rapidly, most of their words are slurred together with dropped endings (something I have noticed about most of the native speakers here in Granada) which makes my ability to understand significantly weaker. Usually I don’t speak at all while we are eating because I don’t want to contribute some random topic that has nothing to do with that they are talking about, however; today I made what I consider to be a break through! I mentioned how I would love to contribute more to their conversations but I find it quite difficult to understand them when they speak so fast. We all got some laughs from my comment and it ended on a positive note with them telling me that they will try to speak slower so I can understand them so we shall see how this goes.
The hardest thing that I have experienced since arriving in Spain is the habit of speaking English with my American friends. It is such a bad habit and it is so instinctive that I do it without thinking about where I am and why I am here; I NEED TO PRACTICE SPANISH ALL OF THE TIME! I need to discipline myself to speak only Spanish because right now I feel like I am almost stuck in the middle of two worlds and I need to constantly change gears instead of setting myself on Spanish cruise control and living completely in a Spanish –speaking environment. It is something I will be working on and trying to convince my friends to work on as well. That is all for now. Hasta luego.
My class is small; there are about 10 or 11 people; most are from the U.S. although there are two students from Israel, one from Germany, and there is another international student as well. I have class for 4 hours every day and have already benefited from the explicit grammar/linguistic activities that we engage in every day. Although I have placed level 6 which is considered “advanced,” the content of our class is appropriate for any level speaker; there are so many grammar rules that I remember after I have said something incorrect and it is very frustrating but it is all part of the learning experience.
After class I usually head back to my house for a siesta with my host Mom Carmen, her husband Pepe, their daughter Mari, her husband David, and their 2 year-old son David. Although I try so hard to understand what they talk about at the dinner table it is really hard because not only do they speak rapidly, most of their words are slurred together with dropped endings (something I have noticed about most of the native speakers here in Granada) which makes my ability to understand significantly weaker. Usually I don’t speak at all while we are eating because I don’t want to contribute some random topic that has nothing to do with that they are talking about, however; today I made what I consider to be a break through! I mentioned how I would love to contribute more to their conversations but I find it quite difficult to understand them when they speak so fast. We all got some laughs from my comment and it ended on a positive note with them telling me that they will try to speak slower so I can understand them so we shall see how this goes.
The hardest thing that I have experienced since arriving in Spain is the habit of speaking English with my American friends. It is such a bad habit and it is so instinctive that I do it without thinking about where I am and why I am here; I NEED TO PRACTICE SPANISH ALL OF THE TIME! I need to discipline myself to speak only Spanish because right now I feel like I am almost stuck in the middle of two worlds and I need to constantly change gears instead of setting myself on Spanish cruise control and living completely in a Spanish –speaking environment. It is something I will be working on and trying to convince my friends to work on as well. That is all for now. Hasta luego.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Becoming accustomed...
Well I just woke up today and I can tell it is going to be quite the scorcher here in Granada. So far the weather has been beautiful and pretty similiar to what it is back home although the extreme heat today reminds me that I am not in RI. My stay here so far has been full of learning opportunities and I continue to learn more and more every day. My host family is great and it is clear that I am not the first exchange student that they have had because most host Mom speaks to me clearly and with much patience. Since we have been in Granada we have toured t Sacromonte as well as Albaicin and the extreme Morrocan influence that I have been eager to see was definitely evident. The Arabic writing on the doors, the music being played, the way the people dress, everything has a sharp Morrocan flavor and it seems like we are in a different country. I saw many cuevas where Flamenco shows are held and other cuevas where many gitanos (gypsies) live secluded from the rest of the world. While we have not yet toured El Alhambra, on our tour we had the most breathtaking view of one side of it and just that glimpe made me have to sit down on the rock wall and just stare. It was truly amazing. We will be going on a tour with the whole API group later on in the program and many tours are offered through the CLM (Center of Modern Languages) where I am studying. Well if I wrote down every single thing that has interetested me so far it would take up far too much time and space so here are some things that I have learned about Spain, some specific to Granada.
1. Never touch fresh produce at the market to see if it is ripe. It is considered rude and there is a worker who will choose your produce for you.
2. Don't take a piece of fruit or muffin back with you after a complimentary breakfast at a hotel. That is also considered rude and you will be told to put it back.
3. In Granada some bars and cafes give you free tapas with EACH drink you order! Once I had three plates of tapas in front of me from merely ordering 3 cokes...not even beer!
4. Always keep both hands visible while you are eating. Unlike the U.S. where it is considered to polite to keep one hand folded in your lap, in Spain, the tradition of keeping both hands visible was developed to ensure one was not holding a weapon at dinner!
5. People who drive mopeds are more aggresive than people who drive cars. Beware of them!
6. You always need to ask for the bill because unlike the U.S., waiters and waitresses do not try to rush you out; they give you lotssss of time.
Well, that's all I can think of for now.
Here is a picture someone took of all of my friends and me during our tour of Albaicin. This is the awesome view of the Alhambra I mentioned!!
1. Never touch fresh produce at the market to see if it is ripe. It is considered rude and there is a worker who will choose your produce for you.
2. Don't take a piece of fruit or muffin back with you after a complimentary breakfast at a hotel. That is also considered rude and you will be told to put it back.
3. In Granada some bars and cafes give you free tapas with EACH drink you order! Once I had three plates of tapas in front of me from merely ordering 3 cokes...not even beer!
4. Always keep both hands visible while you are eating. Unlike the U.S. where it is considered to polite to keep one hand folded in your lap, in Spain, the tradition of keeping both hands visible was developed to ensure one was not holding a weapon at dinner!
5. People who drive mopeds are more aggresive than people who drive cars. Beware of them!
6. You always need to ask for the bill because unlike the U.S., waiters and waitresses do not try to rush you out; they give you lotssss of time.
Well, that's all I can think of for now.
Here is a picture someone took of all of my friends and me during our tour of Albaicin. This is the awesome view of the Alhambra I mentioned!!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Some pictures...
Me with the statue of Goya in Madrid next to El Prado! I don't know why I am making that face but at least you can see the entire statue.Me in front of El Escorial! It was beautiful inside but we were not allowed to take any pictures. :(
delayed post
Well I am here in my room in Granada writing out this blog in Microsoft word so I can then transfer it to the internet when I am able; my house does not have wireless. Well to start, my family is wonderful! I am staying with a married couple who have two vacant rooms where their children used to live when they were young. Carmen and Pepe have been welcoming and kind and have made me feel comfortable living so far away from home. I have my own room which looks out to my street and when my open my window at night the noise fills my room to remind me that I am definitely in a city. While bustling with people (at all hours of the night), Granada is still a quaint city although not as easy to navigate as I originally though. Now I know that I am not good with directions no matter where I am but I have walked in circles here and I am trying my best to become more familiar with the streets and their orientation on the map. Today we took a walking tour with the API group and I guess I was too busy looking at all of the shops and people to actually try to form a map of our route in my mind. It seems strange that just yesterday we were all in Madrid thinking about what life would be like in Granada and now we are here. In Madrid our group toured El Escorial which I found fascinating. We were actually brought into the chamber where all of the tombs of the Bourbon Kings and Queens of Spain reside! We also visited El Palacio Royal and El Prado which were both stunning. Yesterday on our way to Granada we stopped in Toledo; also known as the “City of Three Cultures” and I saw sights that blew my mind away. The region in picturesque to say the least; El Rio Tajo flows through it and brings a serenity that made it easy for me to imagine the region as it was in the mid 6th century as the first capital of Spain. Well what can I say, my stay here so far as been nothing short of amazing.
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