Baby Steps, a Beautiful City, and a Big Decision

Hello All!

It's been far too long! I'll start with the small things first. I've taken a large step in my Spanish life: a telephone call. This may seem entirely insignificant, but for a girl who breaks into a cold sweat when ordering a pizza in the United States, this is a milestone. There's something about the high probability of misunderstanding,especially when speaking a non-native tongue, that get's my adrenaline going and leaves me feeling extremely anxious. Having said this, you can imagine my terror when I was sitting in my bedroom reading a book when Manolo (Lola's man-friend) entered holding the telephone. "It's for you," he said (in Spanish of course). I had no idea WHO could be calling, as I have given nobody the number to the house. I timidly answered the phone and was promptly greeted in Spanish by a woman who began to say something about "Alison" and the internet contract that I had with their company in September. Given that I arrived in February, and have purchased no such contract, I quickly put the pieces together that this woman was LOOKING for an Alison who had been studying the semester prior to me. I politely explained that I was not Alison, and did not know any Alison's here in Spain. After I hung up, I silently patted myself on the back for having a relatively comfortable conversation in Spanish. Basking in my small success I explained the situation to Lola, thinking she had been confused as well. My feeling of accomplishment was immediately extinguished when Lola responded to me saying, "OHHH, I thought YOUR name was Alison." So as it turns out I can talk my way out of an internet contract, but can't effectively communicate my name to the woman with whom I have been living with for 7 weeks....

I'm not sure if Lola knows my name now or not, but I do know that I had a BEAUUUUTIFUL weekend in Granada to lift my spirits! Granada is a city that is about a three hour bus ride from Sevilla. All the rain and clouds were no where in sight, which made for a marvelous view of the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountain range that shined brilliantly against the bright blue sky. I started my trip with an embarrassing, YouTube-worthy run in with a small pillar in the sidewalk that is SUPPOSED to offer protection from cars. All I was offered was the comfort in knowing that I will never again see any of the people who saw me run directly into the waist-high pole (Let your imaginations run wild with this image). My minor injuries did not prevent me from taking an extensive tour of Granada's main attraction, La Alhambra, which served as the primary fortress during the eight-century Arab rein in Spain. the views were picturesque and the pictures I have included do not do it justice. Upon returning to the hotel, we took a luxurious shower, (normally the showers we take have time/hot water limitations) and practically collapsed from exhaustion. Saturday morning brought about more cultural visits to the crypt in which the first Catholic queen and king, Isabel and Fernando, were buried. Unfortunately no photos were allowed on this tour, but trust me when I tell you that it was fairly cool to see the coffins of two of the most influential figures in Spanish history. We then visited the Catedral of Granada and relished the sunshine after exiting it's frigid, marble-covered interior! Overall it was a fun overnight to take in a gorgeous little city, on a day that was no less than perfect. Rough life, huh?

Cute little houses on the Granada hillside

Gardens in La Alhambra

The Sierra Nevadas!

Reflecting on the word "Granada," which interestingly enough translates to "pomegranate."

Sitting precariously on the edge of the tower. Please note the really cool headphone in which we all wore to listen to the tour guide (named Nacho)

Top o' the tower

Apparently this incredible effect of the reflection was designed purposefully so that anyone coming to visit the king wouldbe sufficiently intimidated *GULP*

Inside of the Catedral. They could have paid a little more attention to detail....

Sunday afternoon was spent basking in the sunshine by the Guadalquivir river, but I won't rub it in too much. Yesterday I finally made the decision that I had been considering for over a week now: roller blades. I have become bored with the 35 minute walk and I wanted to spice up my travels to school a little bit. I haven't thrown on a pair of in-line skates in about 10 years, but I was raring to go! I have successfully made two round-trips to and from school WITHOUT falling on my face, although I've come close. So far the only shameful moments I've had was an 8-year-old passing me, and a near-disastrous encounter with a couple of fallen twigs. I'm determined to practice, however, despite the rebellion of all the muscles in my lower half!

Ok, I'll rub it in a LOT. Nice to let the feet breath a little.

In conclusion, I've had an interesting 10 days, including the extremely unfortunate discovery that I had booked a flight for the completely wrong day and was required to pay 200 euros (approx. $250) to make the necessary changes. Yikes. My second weekend trip to Barcelona this weekend better be EPIC.