These past few days have been such a blur that I don't even know where to begin... So the rest of my connecting flights to Spain went relatively smoothly. I sat next to a quirky old man on my flight to Chicago who shared his life story with me. Very seasoned and wise. What a gem! I had a four hour layover before my next flight so I stopped to eat. My last meal in the states? None other than McDonalds!
We left for Madrid around 5:30pm. The flight was just under eight hours so they gave us dinner, turned off the lights for a few hours, then woke us up and fed us breakfast, even though the sun wasn't up yet. I was extremely thrown off by the time difference. First I gained an hour in Chicago and then lost seven hours upon landing in Madrid.
Unfortunately, we left Chicago late and arrived in Madrid with an hour to get through customs, security, and find our next gate. Next thing I know I'm sprinting through the airport with a few kids that I met from my program, hoping and praying that we wouldn't miss our flight. Needless to say, the Spaniards that we passed gave us baffled and disapproving looks. We ended up making it just in time though--thank god! But we were all sweating and out of breath from running with 50+ pounds of luggage. Never doing that again.
It was a quick one-hour flight to Málaga. We landed around 10am and a few of the other students and I caught a taxi to the hotel--Hotel Silken. When we got there, I felt jet-lagged, exhausted, and dirty. But there was no down time. The IES staff took us on walks around the city where we got cell phones and stopped at a small restaurant for lunch. Everyone that I've met so far is super cool; a lot of different personalities. I'm the only one from Pittsburgh so everyone kept asking me how "U of Pitt" is. The waiter told us we needed to practice our spanish, but apparently constructive criticism is normal in Spain (one of the things that I already love here). The food was... interesting. But good! It'll definitely take some getting used to though. I tried fried calamari for the first time (Málaga is on the coast so seafood is popular there), and I told myself it was an onion ring, but it took everything in me to swallow it. I also ordered my first Spanish "cerveza".
When we got back to the hotel, I took a much-needed shower and had some down time. Later we went for another walk around the city. It was fairly big with an interesting mix of old and modern buildings, and a nice beach. Something that I noticed right away--Spanish guys are very attractive. Ay dios mío... The weather was perfect; sunny and warm (without a jacket). It definitely cooled off at night though. Some friends and I went to a restaurant for "tapas", which is similar to an appetizer (typical dinner). We shared a jar of sangria and walked back to the hotel. Fairly certain that I passed out before my head hit the pillow.
The next morning my roommate told me that she woke up in the middle of the night and apparently I was mumbling in Spanish. We joined the rest of the group at the hotel's breakfast buffet and then learned all about culture differences, safety, traveling, etc. And of course, ice breakers. Some of my favorite things that I learned included:
- The usual saying in Granada: "no pasa nada." Equivalent to "no worries".
- Spaniards are not as "polite" (i.e. they don't apologize for every little thing like we do), but rather are more blunt and honest.
- They also don't share the same concept of personal space; brushing past each other on the street is very normal. The amazing program director, Javier, told us that, to Spaniards, "the street is their living room." Unlike Americans who typically focus on the destination, Spaniards are more focused on the journey there, seizing opportunities to converse with people on the streets.
- Spaniards don't drink alcohol without food; they don't drink to get drunk.
- A piece of advice to get adjusted more smoothly: transform frustration into challenges.
Afterwards, we ate lunch (biggest meal of the day) at the hotel around 2. Something that I noticed--coffee here is much stronger than in the states! Then it was information overload again, followed by another walk, and then we finally left for Granada.
The bus ride was just over an hour. Part of the scenery reminded me of something you might see in southern California, but it definitely changed as we neared Granada (higher in the mountains). It was dusk by the time we got to the city, so it was difficult to see it clearly, but I was so excited to just be there. The bus dropped us off where we met our host families.
My host mother is named Delia. The moment I saw her I was blown away by how beautiful she was. Delia, my roommate Aja, and I took a taxi to the apartment, which was the entire third floor of a building. I regretted having over packed once again (no elevator). The building sits in a beautiful plaza with historic-looking buildings, a fountain, and little restaurants and pubs. And I will be living here for the next four months?! The apartment is BEAUTIFUL. It's so charming and historic, like out of a movie. The architecture and paintings are brilliant (Delia is a painter). Aja and I share the cutest bedroom with a window that overlooks the Plaza Bibrambla. Oh and the window has those classic shutters that you open from the inside. Delia told us that we can see the mountains in the background when the sky is clear. Aja and I gave her gifts from home and she made us dinner--noodle soup, tortilla (my new favorite food), and a tomato and mushroom salad. She is the sweetest thing! She hardly understands any English, and is extremely laid back. We also met her daughter Laura (27 years old) who is busy studying for a final exam this Saturday. She seems just as sweet and relaxed. Her other daughter Eva doesn't live there anymore since she is 30 and married.
After dinner, Aja and I went to a bar for the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid soccer game. Aja goes to school in California and is awesome. We ordered drinks and got free tapas--the only city in Spain that does this. Even from the brief walk, I noticed how cute the narrow and winding streets are. I can't wait to see the city in the day light tomorrow. We eventually found our way back home, which is where I am now. Another early start tomorrow, so it's off to bed for me. My time schedule is still way off so hopefully I can fall asleep... Buenas noches!
