Arrival in Spain

Buenas Dias! I arrived in Granada late on Thursday night. I went directly to the apartment I will be staying in for the next two months. The family I will be living with consists of a mother, father and two daughters, aged 16 and 18. They are named, respectively, Angeles, Manuel, Eva, and Maria. So far they seem very nice. I am really happy with my situation, especially compared with my previous situation in Valencia five years ago. Angeles is very friendly and it´s nice to be staying with family where there is a lot happening.

Angeles and the Paella

I am immediately aware of how limited my Spanish is. It has been a humbling and frustrating, but fun experience so far. Angeles is wonderful and very patient. She knows just how to talk to foreing students: slowly and using lots of hand gestures. We have had a lot of nice conversations. I feel that I might seem a little boring to them, because I can´t say a lot. I found out that my classes don´t begin until next Wednesday so I have a little free time on my hands. I am excited to start the classes and begin learning more and meeting people. I am getting used to the Spanish way of life. The main meal is in the middle of the day (around 2:30 or 3:00 in this household). So far I have been eating wonderfully. On Saturday Angeles served up a stew with several kinds of meat and garbanzo beans. She says this is very typical Andalucian food. Angeles make paella every Sunday. In fact, her email address is paellapami@yahoo, which translates to paella for me. She showed me how to make the paella today. She made it with pork today although it can also be made with seafood or chicken or almost anything. Hopefully I will be able to recreate this when I get back into a kitchen.

Granada Cathedral in the Snow at Sunset

The next meal isn´t until about 9:00 and I´m usually somewhat hungry at that point. This meal is much smaller, more like lunch. I´m sure I will adjust soon.

Granada is one of very few cities where the Spanish tradition of getting tapas ´gratis´ when you order a drink is still going strong. In most cities you will be charged for your tapa, but Granada they are completely free! On Friday night, Eva and Maria went out so Angeles and Manuel took me out to several tapas bars. We were able to fill our stomachs and I got see some of the local places around the apartment. Granada is full of bars and stores. There is endless window shopping to be done. January and February are the months of the winter ´rebajas´ or sales so there is a lot of temptation.

My Room

On both Saturday and Sunday morning it snowed. This is very unusual in Granada. Manuel went out and took about fifty photos. Each afternoon the sky cleared and became a beautiful bright blue. It is fantastic to see the sun after a few days in England. It just seems so bright here. The clear weather also revealed the spectacular Sierra Nevada mountains which surround Granada. They are really breath-taking and peak out between aparment complexes. Of course the Alhambra looms over the central part of the city. Today I meandered around the Albacin, which is the old Islamic area of Granda. This area is on a hill adjacent to the Alhambra. The buildings are all whitewashed and crammed together with winding streets. The bright white contrasts with the red stone of the Alhambra. From Plaza San Nicolas in the Albacin, you get an amazing veiw of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada beyond. WOW! So far, Granada seems like a lovely city and I can´t wait to explore more.

Pruned Tree, Church, and Blue Sky

Snow-covered Alhambra and Sierra Nevada