As usual, I slept in on Wednesday before running at Lorca Park. I was pleased by the sunny and warm weather. Once I showered and cleaned up, I caught up with a few things and then ate delicious fajitas for comida. It was a relief to have the morning to recover from Portugal, my first class being post-siesta. I also only missed one day of of class during the trip because Tuesday classes were canceled for Spain's fiesta del trabajo. That afternoon, my watercolor teacher, Ana, led our Islamic Art visit to la Casa del Horno de Oro, which is now la iglesia de Santa Ana in Plaza Nueva, and la Madrasa Yusufiyya en the Albaicín. On my walk home, I stopped by Munira's leather shop in Plaza Nueva--I knew I would be back there! A bit later, I uploaded Portugal pictures and went to Flamenco. I was still struggling a bit with some of the steps but my teacher, Maria, stayed with me after class for a few minutes to go over the routine with me. She's the best! Afterwards, I worked on a little bit of homework before calling it a night.
Friday morning I walked to Carmen de los Martíres and wrote a poem about Granada. I'm not a poet to say the least, but Aja loves it and inspired me to give it a shot. I lost track of time and unfortunately missed IES's visitor: none other than a matador. Oh well! In the cold rain, I walked home for comida. As Laura left for Sevilla, Delia left with José to go to Málaga and bring her mom back with them. After showering, I went to one of my favorite cafes, La Qarmita, to write my Portugal blog. Later, I went to Paige's neighborhood on the other side of the river. It was great to get out of the center of the city for a change and explore another neighborhood. I got tapas and drinks at Paige and Matt's favorite place, Bar Rome. Once we closed the bar, we went to Vogue with the bar employees; it was definitely a Spanish night, having not left Vogue until 5am!
Saturday was Cinco de Mayo; too bad I was in the wrong Spanish country to celebrate it! It was probably for the best though, because I was very lazy that day. Perhaps the reason was behind the cold and rainy day, but Aja and I never left the house--not something that I planned on doing again anytime soon! I slept in past noon, and was disappointed that I missed the Saturday morning gypsy market; I hoped that I could find another free Saturday to go. I showered and blogged before comida, which is when I met Delia's mom. I love her! She's such a sincere, real person, not to mention she reminds me of Delia in some ways. And she made the most amazing tortilla española and told me that she'd show me how to make it! She brought a lot of other food with her too; I couldn't wait to see what she'd make the next day. After lunch, I worked on homework, water colored for a bit, made myself dinner, and caught up with Grey's Anatomy. Then I watched TV with Delia and her mom. They told me about the famous Spanish singer, Rafael, as we watched a program about him. They also filled me in about the soccer game that had just happened; Granada took an embarrassing loss to Real Madrid.
Sunday marked the day from which I would leave Granada in exactly three weeks... no comment. On a happier note, it was also Mother's Day in Spain. Aja and I bought pink tulips from the shop in the plaza and gave them to Delia and her mom. Then I happily went for a run at Lorca Park because the weather had cleared up. I also worked on homework and talked with Delia's mom and aunt. Both women joined us for a delicious couscous comida! After lunch, I met my watercolor class at Neptuno mall to catch our bus to el Valle de Lecrín. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Javier's English friends' house to paint the natural landscape. Javier and his two children joined us for the trip
(I think I've met the perfect family). We drove about 20 minutes outside of Granada to the Andalucían countryside. The bus dropped us off at a mirador and we walked through almond trees to a house that was tucked away in the beautiful landscape. Upon seeing the house, I immediately made it my dream to live there someday. It was a gorgeous country house with a tennis court, pool, orange fields and farm animals: chickens, cats, and dogs--one of which was enormous and named Florence. And of course, the views were spectacular. The couple took us on a tour of their property before we were turned loose to find a spot to paint. I found a quiet spot in the warm sunshine and gleefully painted an intriguing part of the landscape. After I finished my painting, which I'm actually rather proud of, I walked down to the pool area. Apparently the kids had been swimming in it earlier. Also, the couple had made us a plate of mouth-watering homemade chocolate chip cookies and orange cake. Little by little, the rest of the class and family was joined around the pool, enjoying the atmosphere. We reluctantly left the humble family around 8pm, but took the Granada soccer team bus back to the city--leather seats and everything! Why was I not surprised to find out that Javier knows the team's driver? Needless to say, it was the perfect Sunday afternoon, not to mention one of my fondest memories in Granada. I said goodbye to Javier and Ana before grabbing a tapa with Paige. Then I returned home to find that Laura was back from Sevilla, and that Eva was at the house too. It was so cute to see all of the Espinar women eating dinner together for la día de la madre. While they ate, Aja and I tried to fix the broken extension cord in our room, but we ended up making it worse... I can't believe how many things we've broken in the house! Afterwards, I worked on some homework before skyping my mom and sister, Anna. While I was skyping them, Delia popped in my room to give me a tapa: a slice of pizza and a blended fruit drink. It was priceless to see both of my mothers wish each other a happy mother's day!
On Monday, I worked on homework at IES between my Spanish and flamenco theory classes. During my walk home, I could sense that the good weather was here to stay (JOY). At comida, we ate leftovers for a change, but they were still great. Afterwards, I went with Aja to her class at the University of Granada. Since I chose not to take classes at UGR, I wanted to see what the University was like and how it differed from Pitt. We caught a bus up to the University campus, Cartuja. All of the buildings are spread throughout the city, as opposed to having one defined campus. Aja thought that I was crazy for being so excited as we entered the Economics building; apparently the novelty had worn off for her. But it was such a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by a mound of college students again (and even better that they were European)! The building was a bit ugly, but it still had that "university" feel to it. Before class, Aja and I grabbed coffees-to-go in the cafeteria--an obvious mark of an American. She introduced me to her friend before class started, which is when I realized that the professor was the same one who taught the Economics class that I dropped at IES. He's an adorable old man, who's easy to understand, but I was still bored by the topic, thus only following part of the lecture. Still, I was so content to be there. I know that taking a University class would have meant much more school work, but it also would have been a great opportunity to make more European friends. Aja had another class afterwards, so I took advantage of the nice weather and walked home instead of taking the bus. It was nice walking through an area that I don't see everyday. My early afternoon with Aja was certainly better than it would have been if I had gone to pilates! Once I made it home, I took a nap, blogged, and ate a bowl of cereal. Then I headed to Flamenco, where we finally finished our routine! However, I'm glad we still have a few more classes to practice before our final show...
Tuesday morning was back-to-back classes. My last one, Islamic Art and Architecture, always leaves me feeling a bit stressed; I hope to start studying early for the final. On a good note, I picked up my leather work from Munira that morning, and it turned out great! After comida, I helped Delia take pictures of her five most recent paintings in case one of them gets sold. No wonder she had been so tired lately--they looked amazing! Afterwards, I went to el Conjunto Monumental de la Alhambra with my watercolor class. It was overcast, but a good afternoon to draw nonetheless. When I returned home, Delia's art exhibition was just ending; I think it went well. I worked on homework for a bit before heading to Realejo to David and Pablo's apartment to watch the popular Spanish movie "Volver". Their apartment is so cute and about how much I pay for my house in Oakland... Paige and Danielle joined us for the movie too. The five of us ordered delicious pizza--so happy to know that ordering food is a cross-cultural thing)--and shared a bottle of wine. The movie was great! The Spanish subtitles helped me understand the complex plot, but I knew that there were some subtle lines that I did not pick up on. A relaxing night out of the house with friends was exactly what I had been needing. 
The weather had finally hit the 80s on Wednesday! No jokes this time. After getting a few extras Zzz's, I went for a run in Lorca Park and then came home to lay out on the terrace. The people who live on the 4th floor joined me. Once I got cleaned up, it was time for comida. After we finished eating, I said goodbye to Delia's mom, who was leaving to stay with more family in Madrid and Galicia. It made me sad to think that I might never see her again. I would miss her dearly; she is so sweet and caring. However, next time I'm in Málaga, she told me that I'll have a place to stay! During my Islamic Art and Architecture visit, we went to the Royal Chapel and the Cathedral of Granada. Even though I've already been to the Cathedral, it was still an interesting visit. Plus, seeing the tombs of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand was really cool. Afterwards, I shopped around for a bit. Then I returned home to take a nap, grab something to eat, and get ready for the last IES open mic night. Many students performed and all of the acts were great. I read a poem about Granada that I wrote on my walk a few weeks prior. Everyone loved it, and Javier asked me to read it again in Spanish at the final IES dinner. Trini and Tamara came to the open mic, but they couldn't stay long because they had to wake up early the next day. So I went to Granada 10 with some friends afterwards.
I rolled out of bed for Consejo on Thursday, which was followed by a long morning of class. We painted at the Alhambra again during Watercolor, and as I was leaving, it was heart-breaking to think that may have been my last time in the Alhambra before I leave. I walked home in the scorching heat for comida, and then took a nap afterwards. A bit later, I went to IES to work on a group project for my Spanish class. Then I went to Flamenco since I switched days with someone in order to go to open mic on Wednesday. Afterwards, I helped Delia make tortilla de francés (my favorite) for mine and Aja's bocadillos the next day. She always knows how to cheer me up when I'm down. Then I showered and packed for the last IES excursion to Cabo de Gata!
