Tuesday was great weather! Unfortunately, I had class all morning. I was struggling to find a good balance between putting forth enough effort towards schoolwork and enjoying the cultural aspects of the city. After siesta, I went to la Casa de Porras and switched into the pilates workshop! I thought that that class would be more easy-going than Photography. Then I had a great watercolor class, after which I walked to Realejo with Paige. There I got my nose pierced at Pupa Tatoo Art Gallery: happy early birthday to me! Afterwards, I headed home to work on some homework, pharmacy stuff, and eat dinner. Laura and Eva immediately noticed my new nose ring, but it was so funny to wait for Delia to notice. A bit later, I skyped with one of my best friends, Kelsey.
My last day of being a teenager! Unfortunately, my Wednesday morning off was disrupted by an IES meeting. We met in small groups to discuss how everyone's semester was going; what we liked, didn't like, things we still wanted to do, etc. It was fun to open the letters that we wrote to ourselves during orientation week, and I was pleased to find that I had completed most of the goals that I had made for myself. Afterwards, I went shopping! Apparently I had decided to celebrate my birthday all week long. After comida, I went with my Islamic Art class to our last visit to the Alhambra. There we explored and learned about the palaces of the Nazarí sultans. The weather was brisk, but luckily, no rain. I was surprised that not one of my classmates noticed my nose ring; it must blend in more than I thought! Then I came home to finish up a few things before eating dinner and going to Flamenco. Later, I started my birthday celebration at Hannigan's (probably the most American pub in Granada). At midnight, everyone sang "happy birthday" to me, and then the bartender me a very complex shot that continued for seven minutes! All I can say is, I love my friends!
Thursday marked the beginning of my TWENTIES! Part of me felt so old! I intentionally missed Consejo and unintentionally missed my next two classes; recovery after a night of fiesta. Nevertheless, I pulled myself together for watercolor class. I was slightly bummed that it was cold and rainy. After class, I walked home to skype with my mom. During our conversation, I opened the package that my family had sent me. The best part were the cards: one "normal", one "fun", and one "funner" (which sang to me). They also sent me a beautiful scarf that will be great for Spring--if it ever gets warm and stays warm. In addition, I was pleased to hear that the Pens had a great game the night before; it's nice to hear what's going on at home from time to time. Afterwards, I ate comida with the family plus Josh, who stayed with them two years ago and is now living in Granada--so jealous! After we ate, Laura brought out a delicious truffle cake with "20" candles on top, and everyone sang to me in Spanish! Delia and Laura gave me a cool flower piece for my hair and Aja gave me a hilarious box of macaronis from Florence. After comida, I did a few things on my computer before taking a long siesta. Later, I got myself ready and met up with the people I love: Paige, Clarissa, Trini, Lauren, Bethine, Matt, and Kelsey. And they had with them a delicious chocolate mousse cake for me! Trini also gave me a cute purse, horseshoe charm, and sunflower seeds (inside joke)--she's the best! We went to a tapas bar called Babel, which I had been wanting to try, and it was wonderful. They had a unique variety of international tapas. There we also dug into my birthday cake. Afterwards, we tapa-hopped for a while longer, before heading home because everyone was still tired from the night before. Thus, it was a more "tranquila" night, but in good company.
The weather had finally cleared up by Friday; it seemed as though good weather was finally on its way! I went on an early morning run in Lorca Park, before returning home to shower and get ready. Then I went back out to run a few errands and check out the book fair that was set up outside in the surrounding areas. The week-long book fair celebrated el Día del Libro on April 23rd, which marks the death of two great writers: Cervantes and Shakespeare. There were so many books to choose from, and reading a Spanish book was on my list of things to do! I also stumbled upon a cute chocolate shop called Abuela Ili, which had a plethora of different types of homemade chocolate; after trying every sample, I felt obligated to buy an almond bar. I returned home for comida, then blogged and worked on homework. Afterwards, I got ready and went out for tapas before joining Javier's theatre class to watch La Avería at el Teatro Alhambra. Originally written in German, Die Panne translates as "the breakdown". I found it both interesting and bizarre, but the acting was fantastic. However, it was a rather long performance, and I had to fight off sleep during certain parts. After the play, I joined friends at a karaoke bar and then went pubbing with Tamara, Fran, and his cousin.
