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| Me, first day here |
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| L to R: Me, Ariah (Roomie 1), Claudia, JoJo, Ciara (Roomie 2) |
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| Paella |
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| We visited the Alhambra |
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| Me at the Alhambra |
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| Club night!! |
Friday, October 5, 2012
My Roomies and I + A few Photos!
It sucks not being able to buy itunes when you have influenza!
So this week was madness at it's finest!
1st: I lost my wallet during a trip to Nerja with the group. Contents included: passport, drivers license, credit cards, insurance cards, and a brand new coach wallet my mom'd just bought for me before I came here. Well, first it was a big deal because I was supposed to head for Portugal for the Oct 5-7 weekend, so I really needed my passport. Don't ask why I took in to Nerja, stupidity at it's finest. I ended up contacting US Embassy in Madrid to get a replacement and apparently, you have to make an appointment to see them. I had school, so I don't know how that was going to happen. I can only miss 4 days!
Thankfully, a shopkeeper remembered me from purchasing all of the beach goodies from her store and sent an email to my school letting me know that I had left my wallet in her store! She shipped it to the office in Granada and I got it back! Yay!
2. I have had the worst sickness/cold for the past 2 weeks. It's been getting worse and worse but I have been trying to use home remedies as well as Ibuprofen to stop my throat from hurting. I came down with a rash on my face from eating strawberries and went to the 'Farmacia' to get some hydrocortisone cream. It works. So this cold, wasn't necessarily a cold. I found this out Thursday night, when I woke up and vomited all over the living room floor. My roomie had company so I just know I freaked her out! Talk about first impressions. That night including this morning I vomited 6 times. I called the ambulance, but they said I should take a cab to the nearest clinic. Hmm... if only I knew how to call one. Damn. I cried. For the first time on this adventure, I realized I was not offered the luxuries of being in America! I wanted to go home at that moment.
My roomie stepped in and called the cab, and he took me to the Clinic where the doctor interviewed me in her office/patient room, and looked at my throat and listened to my lungs... told me I had the a flu virus. I believe it.
3. I wasn't able to go to Portugal anyway. Darn! Maybe next time?? But I will be in bed most of this weekend. All I'm eating is bread and crackers... and drinking this solution the doctor gave me that tastes like orange gatorade mixed with pedialite for babies. Completely disgusting but it makes me feel a whole lot better!!
4. I can't seem to buy itunes, now that I canceled my cards when I realized my wallet was gone. I really want to see Scandal!!!
5. My classes were changed! My professor told me to take a final exam for the spanish level I was on and guess what? I completely passed! She was so proud of me. I told her that in the U.S. Spanish teachers mostly focus on grammar, not speaking. So just because I struggle speaking, doesn't mean I'm a complete dummy when it comes to Spanish! I'm actually pretty good! So bottom line is she boosted me up, and I smiled after that.
Hopefully, I feel a lot better after this weekend. Hopefully, I can purchase iTunes to watch Scandal. And, hopefully, I don't take my passport out again and lose it!
1st: I lost my wallet during a trip to Nerja with the group. Contents included: passport, drivers license, credit cards, insurance cards, and a brand new coach wallet my mom'd just bought for me before I came here. Well, first it was a big deal because I was supposed to head for Portugal for the Oct 5-7 weekend, so I really needed my passport. Don't ask why I took in to Nerja, stupidity at it's finest. I ended up contacting US Embassy in Madrid to get a replacement and apparently, you have to make an appointment to see them. I had school, so I don't know how that was going to happen. I can only miss 4 days!
Thankfully, a shopkeeper remembered me from purchasing all of the beach goodies from her store and sent an email to my school letting me know that I had left my wallet in her store! She shipped it to the office in Granada and I got it back! Yay!
2. I have had the worst sickness/cold for the past 2 weeks. It's been getting worse and worse but I have been trying to use home remedies as well as Ibuprofen to stop my throat from hurting. I came down with a rash on my face from eating strawberries and went to the 'Farmacia' to get some hydrocortisone cream. It works. So this cold, wasn't necessarily a cold. I found this out Thursday night, when I woke up and vomited all over the living room floor. My roomie had company so I just know I freaked her out! Talk about first impressions. That night including this morning I vomited 6 times. I called the ambulance, but they said I should take a cab to the nearest clinic. Hmm... if only I knew how to call one. Damn. I cried. For the first time on this adventure, I realized I was not offered the luxuries of being in America! I wanted to go home at that moment.
My roomie stepped in and called the cab, and he took me to the Clinic where the doctor interviewed me in her office/patient room, and looked at my throat and listened to my lungs... told me I had the a flu virus. I believe it.
3. I wasn't able to go to Portugal anyway. Darn! Maybe next time?? But I will be in bed most of this weekend. All I'm eating is bread and crackers... and drinking this solution the doctor gave me that tastes like orange gatorade mixed with pedialite for babies. Completely disgusting but it makes me feel a whole lot better!!
4. I can't seem to buy itunes, now that I canceled my cards when I realized my wallet was gone. I really want to see Scandal!!!
5. My classes were changed! My professor told me to take a final exam for the spanish level I was on and guess what? I completely passed! She was so proud of me. I told her that in the U.S. Spanish teachers mostly focus on grammar, not speaking. So just because I struggle speaking, doesn't mean I'm a complete dummy when it comes to Spanish! I'm actually pretty good! So bottom line is she boosted me up, and I smiled after that.
Hopefully, I feel a lot better after this weekend. Hopefully, I can purchase iTunes to watch Scandal. And, hopefully, I don't take my passport out again and lose it!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
First Week in Spain
First Week in Spain:
Getting to Spain was easy. Preparing was very stressful. Arriving felt rewarding.
I arrived in Madrid after flying for 8 hours. The flight wasn't all that bad. I spent most of my time watching American sitcoms, movies, and listening to music on the complimentary Delta screens. I really recommend flying Delta for international flights. When I arrived in Madrid, I wasn't quite sleepy, but tired from the flight, of course. I walked around Madrid's airport for a 4 hour layover to fly Iberia to Granada, Spain. I had to wait 30 minutes before my flight to Granada to find out which gate I was supposed to be. That was so confusing.
Once I arrived in Granada, I was immediately greeted by Jorge, who is the Student Life Advisor of CEA in Granada. He was standing there smiling with a sign that said CEA. Smart move. There was one other girl by the name of JoJo who rode with me to our housing. I was designated to the apartments and she was in the residency hall. When we arrived at the apartments and felt at home. Well, I had no choice. I was staying here for 3 months, with no option of leaving and going home.
Hours later, I met my roommate, Ariah, whom I met before I got to Granada via Facebook. She was excited, scared, and reacting the same way I was. I'm glad we met beforehand, that was the greatest Facebook stalking move that paid off tremendously.
I then ran into Ciara, another roommate who was lost. Ariah and I walked outside unknowingly meeting her to welcome her inside. That was awesome because we were worried about her getting to the apartment. I even went the extra mile and contacted everyone on her Facebook page. Another Facebook stalker move that paid off, tremendously.
For the next days our group of 5 took tours around the city, getting acquainted with the school, classes, and the neighborhood. The non-highlight of my first week was taking a Spanish placement. Rant begins... Well, our whole day was filled with walking around the city, eating a lunch, and taking a tour around our spanish classroom building. At 4pm, we were escorted to a room where we had to take a placement test that determined where we would be placed in classes. For some reason, we weren't being told that this test determined the required classes we took. So, I bummed. I was tired, jet-lagged, and full from the great pizza I'd eaten moments earlier.
Not to give excuses, but come on. You cannot expect the best out of those conditions. Anyway, they ended up putting me in elementary spanish because of it, and I was not having that. My spanish level is way higher than that! I was never qualified for elementary spanish in college, so I definitely knew i could do better. After consulting with the student life advisor and the head of studies, she agreed that I would get permission from my professor to be moved the first week of classes. Still stressful, but I'll take it.
We visited the Alhambra, which is the Muslim castle that towers Granada. It was very beautiful. The towers give you a full view of all of Granada, including the mountains and scenery. Was like nothing I'd every seen in real life. I took a boat load of photos, bought a ring, and forgot to buy postcards. Oh well... I might go back just for that.
I also took a shopping trip with Ariah and Ciara. I love the shopping world here. Directly next to high end stores, you may find a really discounted store to get boots for 18 euros and less. I bought some rain boots, totally worth it, for 18 euros. I bought these cute pants for about 15 euros, and a fur vest from H&M. Yes, they have H&M! Brilliant move Granada, just brilliant. They also have Zara, one of the popular stores here. While we are on fashion, Jorge insisted that I leave the "tracksuits" at home. He says that Spaniards do not walk around looking like they are always going to the gym. And he's correct. They walk around dressed to impress, every and all day. This is something I will most definitely have to get used to.
I experienced a little of Granada's club scene on Friday night at this club called, Los Camborios. We can never remember the name, but people here call it 'The Cave'. Rightfully so because it's literally a cave. I have two funny moments you must never repeat about Friday night. One was, I was alerted via Facebook that I had been selected to receive a free champagne bottle for my friends and I. Feeling like that meant I was on some sort of VIP list, I went right up to the door and told that man, I was VIP. He looked at me very strangely and said, we do not have VIP here. Mhmm... I thought maybe this guy didn't understand English. I then told him I was, 'Muy importante persona". He laughed, a couple of other people laughed, and I was annoyed. We finally got inside and I was able to redeem my promo, and enjoyed the champagne anyway. The second really funny thing was, I had one too many. I started dancing to Beyoncé's Single Ladies, in which my subconscious mind knew every dance move to the video that was playing on the projector. John and I were battling it out on the floor, doing the Beyoncé dance while everyone watched and pumped us up. So embarrassing! Oh well...
This Sunday, well today, we took a bus to Nerja Beach and Frigiliana. Nerja reminded me of a smaller version of Miami Beach, Florida. Nerja is located an hour away from Granada and the weather there is much different from Granada. It was 79 degrees today on the beach and I did not bring any summer clothes whatsoever. It hit me off guard, but I still had a great time in the water, with my people, and eating ice cream. Yum.
Getting to Spain was easy. Preparing was very stressful. Arriving felt rewarding.
I arrived in Madrid after flying for 8 hours. The flight wasn't all that bad. I spent most of my time watching American sitcoms, movies, and listening to music on the complimentary Delta screens. I really recommend flying Delta for international flights. When I arrived in Madrid, I wasn't quite sleepy, but tired from the flight, of course. I walked around Madrid's airport for a 4 hour layover to fly Iberia to Granada, Spain. I had to wait 30 minutes before my flight to Granada to find out which gate I was supposed to be. That was so confusing.
Once I arrived in Granada, I was immediately greeted by Jorge, who is the Student Life Advisor of CEA in Granada. He was standing there smiling with a sign that said CEA. Smart move. There was one other girl by the name of JoJo who rode with me to our housing. I was designated to the apartments and she was in the residency hall. When we arrived at the apartments and felt at home. Well, I had no choice. I was staying here for 3 months, with no option of leaving and going home.
Hours later, I met my roommate, Ariah, whom I met before I got to Granada via Facebook. She was excited, scared, and reacting the same way I was. I'm glad we met beforehand, that was the greatest Facebook stalking move that paid off tremendously.
I then ran into Ciara, another roommate who was lost. Ariah and I walked outside unknowingly meeting her to welcome her inside. That was awesome because we were worried about her getting to the apartment. I even went the extra mile and contacted everyone on her Facebook page. Another Facebook stalker move that paid off, tremendously.
For the next days our group of 5 took tours around the city, getting acquainted with the school, classes, and the neighborhood. The non-highlight of my first week was taking a Spanish placement. Rant begins... Well, our whole day was filled with walking around the city, eating a lunch, and taking a tour around our spanish classroom building. At 4pm, we were escorted to a room where we had to take a placement test that determined where we would be placed in classes. For some reason, we weren't being told that this test determined the required classes we took. So, I bummed. I was tired, jet-lagged, and full from the great pizza I'd eaten moments earlier.
 |
| The great pizza I'd eaten earlier. Yum. |
We visited the Alhambra, which is the Muslim castle that towers Granada. It was very beautiful. The towers give you a full view of all of Granada, including the mountains and scenery. Was like nothing I'd every seen in real life. I took a boat load of photos, bought a ring, and forgot to buy postcards. Oh well... I might go back just for that.
 |
| Me, R1, R2, Jojo, Claudia, and Juan (Tour Guide) |
I also took a shopping trip with Ariah and Ciara. I love the shopping world here. Directly next to high end stores, you may find a really discounted store to get boots for 18 euros and less. I bought some rain boots, totally worth it, for 18 euros. I bought these cute pants for about 15 euros, and a fur vest from H&M. Yes, they have H&M! Brilliant move Granada, just brilliant. They also have Zara, one of the popular stores here. While we are on fashion, Jorge insisted that I leave the "tracksuits" at home. He says that Spaniards do not walk around looking like they are always going to the gym. And he's correct. They walk around dressed to impress, every and all day. This is something I will most definitely have to get used to.
 |
| 18 euro rain boot (I did get the other foot for free): win |
I experienced a little of Granada's club scene on Friday night at this club called, Los Camborios. We can never remember the name, but people here call it 'The Cave'. Rightfully so because it's literally a cave. I have two funny moments you must never repeat about Friday night. One was, I was alerted via Facebook that I had been selected to receive a free champagne bottle for my friends and I. Feeling like that meant I was on some sort of VIP list, I went right up to the door and told that man, I was VIP. He looked at me very strangely and said, we do not have VIP here. Mhmm... I thought maybe this guy didn't understand English. I then told him I was, 'Muy importante persona". He laughed, a couple of other people laughed, and I was annoyed. We finally got inside and I was able to redeem my promo, and enjoyed the champagne anyway. The second really funny thing was, I had one too many. I started dancing to Beyoncé's Single Ladies, in which my subconscious mind knew every dance move to the video that was playing on the projector. John and I were battling it out on the floor, doing the Beyoncé dance while everyone watched and pumped us up. So embarrassing! Oh well...
This Sunday, well today, we took a bus to Nerja Beach and Frigiliana. Nerja reminded me of a smaller version of Miami Beach, Florida. Nerja is located an hour away from Granada and the weather there is much different from Granada. It was 79 degrees today on the beach and I did not bring any summer clothes whatsoever. It hit me off guard, but I still had a great time in the water, with my people, and eating ice cream. Yum.
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