El Día de Andalucía

I went for a morning run on Saturday and then took it easy until siesta.  Ki Ke was here for the weekend and Delia was about to leave with José to visit her mother in Málaga.  After siesta, I met Paige at our favorite hippie café.  We window shopped for a little, before I headed home to get ready.  I was excited to go out because the University of Granada final exams are finally over and a new batch of Erasmus students have arrived so the nightlife will be completely different from now on.  I met Trini (my intercambio) and we went to one of her favorite tapas bars.  It had great sweet wine and played flamenco music.  Some young people got up on the tables and danced flamenco--so fun!  When Trini went to the bar to get a plate of "pipas", similar to sunflower seeds, she slipped on her heel and fell.  Two men rushed over to help her up, but she was really embarrassed.  I felt so bad, but then I started eating the pipas and it wasn't until I had about 20 of them that I realized I wasn't supposed to be eating the whole thing; only the actual seed inside the outer case.  So I told Trini that we were even with embarrassing ourselves.  I had such a great time with her!  I also got a text message from my IES friend, Karen, asking if I wanted to take a day trip to Málaga the following day.  It sounded like the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I met Karen around noon on Sunday, and we walked together to meet her Spanish friends.  Sergi and Antonio are from Alicante (a costal city north of Granada) and Sam is from Romania but speaks fluent Spanish and is pretty good at English.  Sergi drove the five of us in his car for a fun, hour and a half road trip.  We stopped in the outskirts of Málaga to check out a historic archeology site called Conjunto Arqueológico Dólmenes de Antequera.  However, we didn't get to see much because it closed shortly after we got there, so we continued to the main part of the city.  Naturally, we hit the beach first.  The weather was beautiful (upper 60s), with many people soaking in the sun and a few even went for a swim.  We relaxed there for a while and ate lunch.  After we left the beach, we meandered through the city and did some sightseeing.  La Alcazaba de Málaga was very beautiful and reminded me of la Alhambra.  We also walked through the cathedral.  The weather cooled off after the sun went down, but it was still pleasant enough to sit outside a café in one of the city's plazas.  After getting coffee, we found our way back to the car and headed home.  I'm starting to realize how much I enjoy spending time with Europeans.  When I got home, it was so nice to see Delia and hear about her trip to Málaga.  Shortly after, I skyped with my "real" family for a bit.  Definitely an afternoon well spent.

Monday consisted of class, homework, and grocery shopping.  A sore throat prevented me from having much fun.  I knew it was coming though--all of the IES kids are sick, so it was only a matter of time.  But Delia made me a magical drink: a little hot water with a lot of honey and lemon.  I had hoped that this would do the trick to get me back to normal for la fiesta on Tuesday!

Tuesday was a day of fiesta: el Día de Andalucía.  This basically means that, in Andalucía, no one works, no one goes to class, and all of the stores are closed (similar to Sundays).  My throat felt a lot better (thank you Delia; and to think of all those times I relied on NyQuil), so I accepted my intercambio's invitation to go to her friend's barbecue.  I met Trini around 2pm and we drove about 10 minutes out of the city to a small pueblo on the outskirts.  We parked in front of a beautiful yellow "chalet" (something in between a house and a mansion).  It is the summer house of Trini's friend, Myriam--she lives in an apartment (a piso) in the city during the remainder of the year.  The house is gorgeous with an incredible view of Granada, a pool, and a tennis court.  Trini's friends were really nice and a ton of fun.  Many of them were eager to practice English with me, so they would talk to me in English and I would answer in Spanish, and we would correct each other when necessary.  It was perfect.  And Myriam's Moroccan boyfriend, Driss, asked if any of my American friends would ever want to practice English with him over coffee or a walk.  I couldn't think of any IES kids who wouldn't be interested.  The rest of Trini's friends live in Granada or one of the surrounding pueblos.  The food was great, consisting mainly of hamburgers, and different types of sausages and meat.  I tried almost everything, and afterwards, they would tell me what I actually ate.  There was also a huge jar of delicious homemade sangria.  My cup was labeled "Trinidad's friend from USA".  After lunch, we started a paddle tournament, where I put to use my high school tennis skills.  And the music playlist set a perfect backdrop to all of this; some Spanish, mostly English, everything from oldies to modern to Sweet Home Alabama.  Other than it being a bit windy with a few clouds, the weather was pleasant.  Although, of course, it cooled off at night.  Still, we played board games on the porch and made another small barbecue.  It probably wasn't the best thing to be outside all day when I was on the verge of being sick, but I figured that it was worth it (vale la pena!).  Everyone helped clean up before heading home.  I got back around midnight, when I talked to the family before going to bed.  Delia saved me a plate of pasta and salsa from comida that day since she knew it was my favorite.  I was thrilled and told her that I would eat it the next day for dinner.  Aja also came home from a weekend trip to Portugal.  I was glad that she had a good time.  I'm still hoping to make it there at some point this semester, but I was glad to spend the long weekend at "home".

Thank goodness I don't have class Wednesday mornings!  After I woke up, I went for my usual morning run before getting ready for the day.  However, instead of wandering through the Albaicín, I found my way to García Lorca Park.  What was once the countryside surrounding the home of poet, author, and playwright Federico García Lorca is now an enchanting park named after him.   It's the perfect place (and a bit safer) to go for a run or take a stroll.  It's a huge maze of secret paths lined with trees and bushes.  I can't wait to see it once the trees and flowers start blooming.  The weather has been beautiful and in the 60s this week.  However, it thundered a little later that day, and the forecast showed light rain on Friday.  After siesta, I sent off some postcards, went to Islamic Art class, and bought three pretty red flowers for Delia.  She was so excited when I gave them to her and understood that Aja and I wanted to cheer her up.  She assured me that she is content and happy; just slightly weighed down with typical "woman problems".  Then she showed me her most recent finished painting, even though she's not 100% certain that she's finished with it.  I think it looks incredible!  Afterwards, I finished up some homework and heated up Delia's spaghetti from the previous day before heading to Flamenco.  On the way, I passed the biggest protest that I've seen yet, with droves of people marching down Gran Vía.  Later, I met Paige for drinks--it had been far too long since I spent time with my best friend in Spain.

I was in disbelief when I realized that Thursday was March already.  Even though that meant warmer weather was on the way, it also meant that I have to leave the month after next.  I immediately quieted these thoughts and made a pact with Aja to only speak Spanish when we're together.  The morning routine was packed with consejo and class.  I had watercolor class outside in el Jardín del Carmen de los Mártires, which gave us a chance to try our hand at nature drawings.  Siesta marked the start of my weekend.  How did it start?  With a nap!  I also caught up with Grey's Anatomy, finished some homework, and got my stuff together for Córdoba before making something to eat.  Nutella is my new best friend.  Afterwards, I met Paige to hang out with our Italian friends for the night.