Los Paraguas Rotos

There's not a lot of new things that happened this week except that it rained a lot and that I am still sick. I have also broken two paraguas (umbrellas): one was my host mom's and the other one was mine. Oh, and by the way, I've only been here in Granada for almost a month. Two umbrellas broken... UH-MAY-ZING. Anyway, I know you aren't interested about my umbrella rant so I'll just head onto some other things here. Let's fast forward to last Thursday. And, yes, I know that that was an oxymoron.

Thursday is the last weekday for us IES students. We only have classes from Monday thru Thursday unless we have a class trip on a Friday. Certainly we will be using, if not already have, our three-day weekend to plan more trips to explore Spain or the rest of Europe. So, my friends and I decided to just take advantage of the wonderful weekends and cheap bus tickets and flights; We decided to go to Madrid and Toledo next weekend. I've also booked a flight to London to see my mentor, and good friend, Alyssa Sorresso. I've never gone farther than Canada before so I am pretty psyched about this and it wont' be the last time that I would be! I am still looking up possible trips for the spring break and the free week that we have when half of the IES-Granada group goes to the first Marruecos (Morocco) trip. I am going on the second trip that's why I almost have two weeks of spring break. That same month I am gonna be seeing La Furia Roja play against Czech Republic here at the Granada soccer stadium. I have no clue how much tickets are gonna be but I am willing to pay to see my Spanish boys. Speaking of Spanish boys, I found out who my intercambio would be. His name is Alvaro and he is a UGR student. I don't know how intimidating it would be because I could barely look at any guy in the eye (Yes... I am a poet and I don't even try). But we'll see how it goes. I might be able to break out of my tiny shell and speak perfect Spanish. (And NO, mom, he is not a prospect... Haha! I miss you and dad so much! I am glad we were able to videochat on Skype today.)

This weekend went by slow but I don't think I've done anything else aside from the usual paseo,
doing my homework, and eating. Talk about eating... I think this weekend was the fattest weekend of my life. I did a bit of binge eating this weekend with a bag of chips, clementines, cheese, yogurt, and digestive cookies. I always watch what I eat but since I've been trying out so many types of food at once, I think I might have gained a pound or two... Or the opposite. My host parents told me my face was much fatter when I came here than right now. They said, " Su cara es más gordo cuando vino aquí. Pero ahora es más delgada." Spanish people are brutally honest and I totally love that they are. People should say what they need to say and I should learn how to do just that. My roommate, Dani, is the same thing. She tells me what's on her mind and it's refreshing because it's different from hearing someone without a filter. She says what makes sense and matters. So, that's a shout out for you Dani! =)

Now, I've got to go back to watching Being Human and Dawson's Creek with Dani because this weekend is a lazy weekend. I just wanted to update all of you about how life is here in Granada. I am sure I will have other exciting things to talk about soon. But for now let's lay low a little and let things sink in because it still hasn't for me. I might have adjusted already but I keep on getting amazed at the new things I do or see.

I wanted this post to be picture-less but I can't resist posting them:

This is my roommate Dani. Our host-dad took this picture while we were at the park where the statue of Boabdil is.

This is Virginia. We call her Virgi. She is one of our host parents' grandkids. She is only 2 years old but she is very bright and talks like an adult. She kind of reminds me of myself when I was little. =)

Everyday when I walk to class, I pass by this building. I never get tired of looking up and taking a picture of it from different angles. I think I've got about 5 pictures already.

Here in Granada they like to keep their figures slim. So, they have this "poor man's gym" at almost every park for people to use. It's GRATIS so one day I went there with my friend Matt after eating at the pasteleria. The next picture is what we ate.



This is called Fresas y Nata. We weren't sure what nata meant so we asked the camarero (waiter) what it was. He said it was "como un ice cream... eh.. milkshake..." So we just took his word for it and ordered one to share. Turns out it was a butt-load of whipped cream and strawberries.... So we got another dessert cause this did not satisfy us.


Now, this baby here is called gofres. It was so rich and decadent... I think I am craving for one right now but the pasteleria is already closed. Some other day... maybe.

This is just a random picture of pigeons outside at Plaza Nueva. It was a nice day and the lighting was nice. The picture turned out awesome.

Well, dear friends, I will end my post here. Until next time...

Hasta la vista, baby!

P.S. Dani and I also watched a Spanish movie. We watched the Spanish version of Pan's Labyrinth which is El Laberinto Del Fauno. It was a little creepy and sadistic but a good movie nonetheless.