Saturday morning was pretty relaxed. I slept in, went for a run in the park, and uploaded pictures before siesta. During comida, I tried a dish with pumpkin in it; not my favorite. Later, I got ready to celebrate Tamara's 24th birthday. I met Trini around 9 and we drove to Tamara's house. She lives in a small pueblo called Armilla. Her house is very modern and tidy, and I really liked her family. I also met her girlfriends and shared in the glorious birthday feast. Tamara's mom prepared two delicious pizzas, and everyone else brought a different Spanish dish. We sang happy birthday, first in Spanish and then in English before digging into a homemade strawberry cheesecake. I was surprised to learn that one of the girls named Fer moved here from Mendoza, Argentina--the exact city where I almost studied abroad. Weird coincidence? After dinner, the girls gave Tamara a collective birthday gift and she reciprocated with small candies for her guests. Then we all got ready upstairs before heading out to the discoteca, Mae West. Named after the famous American actress, it's ironically the Spaniard's favorite discoteca. It was by far very different from the others discos that I have been to thus far. First off, it was packed. There were two enormous rooms (one playing salsa music, the other playing modern music) with two floors in each. Thus, there must of been hundreds of people there, which made it difficult to move, dance, etc. It was also a bit more classy and pricey (10 euro to get in plus two drinks). I found it interesting that it is right in the middle of the mall. But we all had a good time; definitely a place that I would like to go to here and there. I also met up with Paige and introduced her to my new Spanish friends. We left around 5am and I could not believe that there was still a huge line outside. I don't know how the Spaniards do it!
Needless to say, I slept in on Sunday before going on a walk. The weather was beautiful (sunny and upper 60s) and people filled the streets--taking walks, watching street performances, and eating gelato from the recently opened helado shops. Afterwards, I sat on the terrace with Aja and soaked in the sun. It felt amazing! We pulled ourselves away when it was time for comida, where we conversed about religion. José is quite opinionated sometimes! After comida, I met up with my Semana Santa crew to start booking hostels. We didn't have much luck though, because the wifi was not very reliable at the café. We agreed to meet the following day in IES. So Paige and I left and got gelatos. The displays of flavors in the shops are very artistic and beautiful. I managed to settle on passion fruit (el maracuyá). Of course, it was fantastic. As usual, Paige and I had a good talk, where we assessed our time in Spain thus far, and brainstormed ideas to try to make the most of the rest of our time here. Then I took it easy at home, where I blogged, journaled, skyped, and rested up for the upcoming week.Monday morning consisted of class, sketching, and a trip to the bank. It took me a while to find the right one, and the line was quite long, but I successfully converted my money to euros. I also ran into Javier at IES, who told me about his recent business trip to America and how happy he was to have been able to meet my mom! When I finally came home for comida, I met Eva for the first time. Eva is Delia's other daughter who lives with her boyfriend in a Sierra Nevada pueblo. I immediately saw the resemblance between her and Delia; exact same amber-colored hair and mouth. The only major difference is her eyes--they're a marvelous shade of light blue. Laura shares Delia's dark brown eyes, but more-so resembles her father in my opinion. Eva is 30 years old, but I would have guessed 22. She is easily one of the most beautiful women that I have ever met in person. She has also inherited many of Delia's gestures and mannerisms. I felt so blessed to be able to sit at the table amongst these three beautiful Spanish women. What a family! After comida, I took a siesta and did some homework before meeting my Semana Santa crew at IES to continue working out the details of our trip. We've successfully booked two out of three hostels. Afterwards, I went to Flamenco and then out for tapas with Paige.
Tuesday morning was packed with class. I returned home for a short siesta before going to my watercolor class, where we finally began working with watercolor--possibly my new favorite art medium! Afterwards, I went home to work on homework and trip plans.
As usual, I slept in and went for a run on Wednesday. By now, both Delia and Laura know that Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. Once I got back from my run, I had just enough time to shower and get ready for the Morocco orientation. Wow, I cannot believe how excited I am for that trip! Listening to Javier talk about the experience, cultural differences, and stories, made me want to leave tomorrow. But it's probably better that we're not leaving for another week because I have a few things to purchase and prepare for beforehand. I also talked to Jeff and Alba before I left, who gave me good advice about traveling to Portugal. Then I ran into the Moroccan store owner next to IES on my way out, and I told him a bit about the upcoming trip. Needless to say, I was in the best mood when I left IES. I returned home for comida to eat a delicious plate of lasagna. I was surprised to learn that it was made with tofu. Also, Aja made a pact to only speak in Spanish all week, giving me inspiration to try that soon. After comida, I went to Islamic Art and Architecture and Flamenco. Classes are finally starting to get semi serious seeing as I have exams in both of these classes next week.
Aja and I woke up early Thursday morning to go to Consejo. I was pleased to see that the first edition of la Gaceta (IES's newspaper) had been published. I was equally excited to see the article that I had written, entitled "Los Ojos Bien Abiertos". It was about the barbecue that I went to on el Día de Andalucía. La Gaceta was filled with a lot of other interesting and fun information, recommendations, and photos. I hope to contribute to next month's edition as well. After Consejo, I had an hour to kill before Spanish class, so I went to the lounge to find it deserted (too early for the other students to be there). I read part of the newspaper, Granada Hoy, took a nap, and played the piano. Naturally, I printed out sheet music of my favorite piano song, The River Flows in You. It was so refreshing to play the piano, even though the keyboard was a bit tricky to use and I had trouble keeping all four sheets upright at one time--I made a mental note to bring tape with me next time. My headphones didn't work with the keyboard, but I was the only one in the lounge, so it didn't matter. Then I went to my two classes of the day, where I learned that it was the day of the woman. Afterwards, I met up with Paige to run a few errands before heading home for comida and siesta. A bit later, I found Jeff's new favorite café, La Qarmita. It was great! It reminded me a lot of coffee shops back home; comfy chairs, soft music, and cupcakes! Plus a wonderful library with books in both Spanish and English. I brought an English book with me that I picked up from IES, but reading a Spanish book is next on my list. After spending an hour or so there, I left knowing that I would be back again soon, especially since it's only a five minute walk from my house. When I came home, I took a nap and then went out for tapas, my friend Lauren's apartment, and then to Mae West. It was an interesting night to say the least.
On Friday, I woke up early to catch the bus to Málaga with my watercolor class. Usually, the weather is nicer and warmer there, but it was terrible; cold and cloudy. It didn't bother me too much though, because we spent most of the day in the museums. The first one that we went to was called Museo Carmen Thyssen, which had a great collection of Spanish paintings from the 19th century. After that, we visited el Museo Picasso, which was a cool museum dedicated to Pablo Picasso (he was born in Málaga). I really appreciate his unique style. At the end of the tour, the class participated in a workshop, where we etched a design into a CD and then used a machine to make copies of it--very cool! We had free time for the rest of the day, so everyone went to the beach--despite the bad weather--to eat our packed lunches. Of course, Delia made my favorite spanish tortilla sandwich. A bit later, my friends and I walked around the city, shared a liter of gelato (tiramisu, mango, and kinder), and met back up with the rest of the group to catch the bus back to Granada. Delia made me dinner once I got home, or as she called it, a "tapa"; a bowl of noodle soup and crackers with goat cheese and a sugary type of fruit. She's the sweetest! After I ate, I was so exhausted and passed out for the night.
I went to el Parque de las Ciencias with Trini on Saturday morning. Being the nerd that I am, I enjoyed every minute of it. It reminded me of the Pittsburgh Science Center, except it was much bigger. We visited the Biosphere Hall, the Hall of Perception, the Eureka Hall, the Astronomy Garden, the Observation Tower, the Tropical Butterfly House, a Tyrannosaurus Rex exhibit, and the Pavilion for Journey through the Human Body. We also watched the "Birds of prey in flight" exhibition. I could not believe that there was still much that we did not see--I could have spent days there. However, I do plan on returning to see the planetarium. Trini also told me that her and her friends saw the article that I had written about the barbecue, which made me very happy. We left in time for me to make it home for comida. Aja spent the day at a nearby beach, so I ate with Delia and José. Delia told me that Eva works in el Parque de las Ciencias in the afternoons, which is why I did not see her. Delia and José also told me about their plans to travel to Italy this summer. Delia prepared las patatas a lo pobre, which is my new favorite food! It was so rich and delicious. I hope she makes it again soon. She also made us eggs and a wonderful fruit and vegetable salad. We both agreed that I need to start eating healthier. After comida, I took a long siesta and laid low for the rest of the night. I watched a Spanish movie with Delia, which I was happy had Spanish subtitles. Knowing her, it was a romantic love story. We talked until after 3am, covering everything from love to pets. And then we finished with a solid English lesson. It's actually a lot more difficult than I would have thought to teach someone English. For example, sometimes it's hard to remember what's grammatically correct and what's colloquial, or which verbs are "irregular"; not to mention, it's tricky to switch between two languages mid-sentence!
This was certainly an eventful week. I experienced and learned a lot. Before I left the states, my Pittsburgh friend, Sarah, told me "eyes wide open" (los ojos bien abiertos). My eyes were certainly wide open this week, and I hope that they continue to be for the rest of my time here, and for the rest of my life.
