European Hair Cut

Thought I'd add some fun in the mix of my re-caps.  Last week, I got a MUCH needed haircut.  With the help of a phone call from my Spanish madre Ana, I was able to tell the hairdresser that I needed my dead ends ("puntos" en espanol) cut ASAP.  Shorter than usual but definitely a lot healthier! (and European?)

Lo que será, será. (Whatever will be, will be.)

Welp, I’ve officially failed to keep up with my goal of posting each week. With an intensive week of learning Spanish vocabulary, a number of applications due back in the States, and various weekend trips throughout Spain (with and without my GRIIS program), I’ve been blessed with wonderful adventures and very little time for filling in people back home with stories via blog.

To complement my lack of promptness, I decided to name this post after something my roommate and I learned from our new new Spanish madre.  It is an expression of the inability to control what life may throw at you. “Lo que Será, Será.”  In English it means, “Whatever will be, will be.”

And so, although I meant to keep everyone posted on a regular basis, my cliff note version of the last three weeks will have to suffice.   (And a great apology to all those hanging on the edge of their seats each week!)

Two weeks ago, our program advisors took us on a trip to a small city in Spain called Ronda.  About a five-hour bus ride away from Granada, the town is located west of Granada and near the southern tip of Spain.   Our visit was only a half a day and yet that was enough time for me to fall in love with it.  The city is simply beautiful.  Quaint, with incredible views of the countryside, it was the perfect place to spend the day with the entire GRIIS (Granada Institute of International Studies) crew.

One of the coolest parts of our trips was our tour of a bullfighting arena.  We were able to walk throughout the entire facilities, from where the bulls were held before fights to the field grounds (arena?) itself.  While touring the stadium, our advisor told us of the history of bullfighting in Spain, specifically in the city of Ronda.  We learned of famous bullfighters and roamed rooms filled with traditional bullfighting garments and captured bulls.  It was really cool to learn the significance of the sport and of course, to act out a bullfight with the other students in the arena J (not gonna lie, it made the trip 10 times better.)

With pictures of gorgeous views and crazy animal poses, I really couldn’t have asked for a more fun day.

Ronda. Ronda. Ronda.  A completely unexpected treasure.  Both beautiful and pleasant and a sharp contrast to our next group trip to Madrid (see next post).

Hope you enjoy the pictures of my visit! If you don’t have a Facebook and would like to see more pictures, please feel free to e-mail me (or post below your e-mail) and I can e-mail you a link with more photos!

Until my next post (which is hopefully soon), hasta luego!

Couldn’t get enough of the beautiful views

 

 Touring the bullfighting arena

 Gotta love the bull pics :)

 Walking around town

By far, one of my favorite places we have visited so far

Found this site on a walk after lunch

Pictures from the Alhambra!

The pictures don't do justice for the incredible details of the palace.  To supplement them, I included historical information regarding its various features.   Hope you enjoy!

Bars and Palaces and Art, Que Guay! (How cool!)

Ay dios mio! (My God!) It’s been a week since I last posted, yet it feels like a month just flew by! 

In the past seven days, the GRIIS students and I experienced a unique weekend compared to the authentic night life in Spain, learned more about Spain's Arabic history, wrote papers (in Spanish might I add) about the Cathedral in Granada, gawked at one of the most famous monuments in Granada: The Alhambra, and explored the city through conversations with Spanish citizens, via class assignment.  With non-stop activities, Jen (roommate) and I kept our minds and body in check by embracing another aspect of the Spanish culture: taking siestas (naps). 

Our eventful weekend technically began last Thursday night, when a small group of Boston College students went to a bar a student's madre suggested.  The familias (families) have been great with recommending Tapas restaurants, bakeries, and discotecas, and one cute madre received coupons for a fun place located in the center of the city.  Excited to celebrate our first weekend night and drink some free mojitos, we arrived at the bar, only to find out that the party was hosted by a Dermatologist Company specifically for elders (which explains the invitation sent to our friend's madre).  After we laughed at the circumstances, we accepted the awkwardness, the free drinks, and the brochures, and spent some time listening to the Spanish tunes. 

After dancing to America’s (and Spain’s?) latest favorite hit "Call Me Maybe,” we left and walked around the city, hoping to find people our own age.  We had no idea where we were going and found very few places that were hopping.  By happen chance, we found a cute bar called “Poe” hidden amongst the streets of the central shopping area and enjoyed speaking in English with the London owners for the rest of the night.  Both were completely unexpected events, yet both fun and certainly memorable!

On Friday night, we took the safe route and joined in on our fellow GRIIS students’ plans.  We went to our first discoteca (club) which was hosting a “Welcome to Granada” party for all the American students.  The club played a mixture of Spanish and American songs and served free drinks until 12:30.  Que bueno! (How nice!)  It was really fun to hang out with more GRIIS students, to meet other American students, and to feel like we weren’t outsiders crashing in on someone’s fiesta (party)!  The discoteca also has a beautiful view and is located in the Albaicin, a place we visited the very next morning!

The Albaicin is the oldest neighborhood in Granada.  Our advisors took us on the walk which was absolutely gorgeous and by far one of my favorites so far!  Filled with beautifully built buildings and artistic paintings, the neighborhood is pleasing to the eye everywhere you look.  (See attached pictures)  During our walk, we learned about the formation of the neighborhood, which began when gypsies decided to avoid Christian rule, and toured the Christian Church, famous for its weddings.  In love with the view and the Muslim street art, the students and I took a TON of pictures and ended the night at a fun and cheap Tapas place in the neighborhood.  Fun and informative, the trip made me want to go back soon!

Monday morning, our teacher surprised us with a pop-scavenger hunt.  The students were divided into different groups and given different places to explore. These places included the library, the City Hall, Tourism Offices and University of Granada.  My group was assigned the City Hall and Tourist Offices and while we had no idea whether the people would respond well to our visit, we were certainly excited to get out of class early!  It ended up being a fun experience in which everyone was challenged to speak with foreign faces and with different vocabulary.  It also gave us a big confidence boost when we recognized where we were going around the city and spoke pretty clearly to complete strangers!

Our school week also consisted of a field trip to the beautiful Alhambra.  The Alhambra is a palace that was built by a Muslim king who dreamed of the Prophet Muhammad’s home.  Wanting to recreate what he imagined, the king ordered for the palace’s construction.   Throughout history, different kings, both Muslim and Christian, lived in the  palace and added to its magnificence.  At one point, the building was forgotten about and many artisans who were unable to pay their rent resided there.  Although it was raining and foggy during our visit, the Alhambra exceeded my expectations!  Everything about the building was breathtaking, from its intricate ceilings to its large reflective pools.  The Muslims were known for their artistic abilities and detailed architecture, and the Alhambra is by far one of the best testaments to this statement.  (Pictures are too come).

The week was filled with fun times, silly moments, and a whole lot of art and history.  Each day here is filled with something new and informative, and  I’m really enjoying my experience so far the various areas!   I’m excited for another weekend in Spain, and for our next school trip to the City of Ronda. Hopefully, the sun we’ll shine for the visit tomorrow and that we can experience some authentic Spanish night life tonight! 

Until my next post, hasta luego!

Jen (roommate) and Johnny dancing up a storm at the Dermatology Fiesta.

Starting our walk in the Albaicin

BC students in front of the Alhambra

 The Alhambra- more photos to come!

 La Iglesia

Their waiting list for wedding lasts 3 years!

Inside La Iglesia. We were able to climb the Church tower!

 The Best Bakery in the Albaicin

Some of my favorite photos from the Albaicin!

 Roommate shot at a beautiful look out point 

with our BC friend Titi and new friend from University of Delaware Bridget!

 Granada at night