Hotel Royal Costa Torremolinos

... Today was a day of reflection on what I did last night, and also on the month that I have been here. In all honesty, I should have led this month much different. I have not quite been myself because I have been so stressed by not knowing the language of the people that I am surrounded by and because Malaga has not been what I expected it to be. Right now I do not feel very connected to Malaga and I pray that this changes. On my day of ...

... New little bars and restaurants opening up
as well as beautiful small hideaways! One of which is the newly opened Hotel Claude!
A Haven of Hotel Chic! Truly a boutique hotel, as they should be! Small, elegant, personal and warm! Hotel Claude Marbella redefines the boutique hotel concept with luxurious accommodation, five-star amenities and a very personal touch by the owners!
It feels as if you are staying at an ...

... in Malaga yet (locals) but I am really hoping that I do. That and studying vocabulary are on my priority lists. I also can not wait to explore Andalusia and figure out what "Spain" truly is. I have an idea so far....easy going people, siestas, friends, partying, staying up extremely late to party, but I have yet to put my finger on "Spain". I ...

... now I have four roommates but there will be two more soon:
Zoe: She´s German and very nice but quiet. I really haven´t talked to her a whole lot. She is here as an Erasmus student (the European study abroad) and she is studying tourism and learning Spanish.
Roisin: She is from Ireland and really cool. She has a great taste in music and is very fun. She is doing the same program as I am and works in Málaga.
José: He is renting the rooms to us ...

... view of the town with all of its white washed houses and the Moorish castle on top of the hill. The owners of the hostel are adorable, especially Pico who sits in a chair on the street all day and talks to every person that passes by. I asked him if I could borrow a plate one day and he brought up a plate, glass, utensils, and a napkin for me! Que amable! They have an apartment that I could stay at for 300€ a month but again, I think Málaga would be a better place ...

... I wasn´t so sure if this is part of the legal code in Spain or not, and I don´t want to miss my flight tomorrow because I am rotting in some jailcell. Sometimes you just need to know when to fold them and stand back.

Even with her car rocking this woman just stayed on her cellphone and made no attempt to move it so the rocking got more intense. Let me tell you, the chassis and suspension on a Benz has some play ...

Kurikuulsasse gängsterite linna jőudsime Málagast väga ruttu, kuna sinna oli sőita vaid 20 km. Kiirtee kulges suhteliselt mägiselt ja kaugelt vőis juba silmata igasugu huvitavaid villasid mäe otsas, täiesti uhkes üksinduses. Tundsime neile kergelt kaasa, et kőik elutoimingud tuleb teha autoga, aga ilmselt see ongi neile ainus eluviis 8-)

Marbella vanalinn jättis meile kőigile ...

... taking care of us for the next 4 months. My roommate was also pointed out to me, who was sitting just a few rows behind me. Her name is Lauren aka "Aryian" Lauren, seeing as there are 3 Laurens in our program and she is the blonde, blue-eyed one. [Brief Bio: Ayrian Lauren hails from Columbus, Missouri and has never taken a Spanish class up until now. She has a twin sister and a younger sister and goes to school in Des Moines, IA. YEAH IOWA!]

... very fast once the numbness sets in. Hmmm.... Well, it was only noon. Maybe with a little daytime heating the water would warm up a degree or two. Ha! The day before, I had found a little tintoreria (a laundromat) not far from our hotel, and after hanging out a bit at the beach, I decided to go see if my colada (load) was ready. I checked, but the lady said the clothes still had half an hour, so i went back to the hotel, saw Steve, and we decided to go ...

... the beach, most times I am supposed to go with them! So a typical scene each day is me walking out the door in my bathing suit, sarong and sunglasses, while the two housekeepers (hk's for short) in their uniforms are vacuuming, ironing or cooking. Extremely weird! So the other day the two hk's were out somewhere, and in the house were me, the kids, the mom, some friends and their mom. Usually when there are guests over some snacks ...