Hey, it's been awhile!

So, sorry everybody for the lack of storytelling. I have been meaning continually to get on the dang computer and write, but when I do I usually get caught up on facebook and email and trying to figure out random stuff about being here. But here I am, finally! I recently Video I-chatted w/ Patty, which was so great to see and talk to her!

Things have been quite eventful. Basically, life in Granada has been fairly routine, there are a few things though that I want to make sure I cover.
1. My food experience, which I may just post a 2nd blog for as I sort of wrote a short little anecdote of it already.
2. My weekend trip to San Jose
3. The baby that basically lives with us
4. The Spanish movie that I went to see
5. Zaidin festival
Alright, here goes...

So, we have a baby pretty much living with us. Marí Carmen takes care of her grandson, David, who is 13 months old, Monday thru Friday, from like 7 am-7 pm. You see what I mean? And since lunch is the big meal here as opposed to dinner, David's mom and dad come to the house for lunch every single day of the week to eat with her parents (my host parents). Are you following me? Good. So we have an absolutely adorable little child living with us that pretty much only says, "Hola, guapa!!" Which is exactly what the Spaniard men cat call to us on the street when we walk around. No wonder these Spanish guys are out to get some, they're trained from birth, as we are witnessing! This baby is Marí Carmen and Pepe's pride and joy. He can do no wrong. He screams when he is held, when he is fed, when he is told not to do something. Awesome. Every day, without fail, my nap is woken up around 6:30 pm by little David screeching at the prospect of eating. It's alright, I love babies and I play with him sometimes, but it just gets a little old, especially when we didn't know a baby was going to be there at all. And we figured we would be free on the weekends, but Sunday night when we returned from our beach excursion, who was there? The child and his mom. They know no separation of familial ties here! Ha, but I suppose it's alright. It is España, after all. However, one strange thing here. I like to do my homework in my room with the door open so that I can hear the banter of my host family chatting in a sorry attempt to understand their Andalucian accents. Little David the baby always crawls into my room, "hola, hola, guapa...." and his mom always pulls him out of my room and shuts the door with an apologetic look on her face. I'm really not sure if she thinks he's bothering me or if she doesn't want him in my room period. Either way, it's strange, because obviously I don't mind the baby if it's not screaming, which it usually isn't if you're not touching it haha! Cultural difference, I guess.

OK, moving on. Last week we were given the option to see a Spanish movie with API. I figured I would go because it's part of what I paid for and a good experience to learn to comprehend Spanish better. We went to see the movie "Agallas," and I have honestly not been more horrified at a film in my life. It was about drug trafficking in Galicia, which is a region in northern Spain. I understood the gist of it, but they spoke SO fast. It was so hard to understand the actual words and the only words I could honestly pick out were "joder, mierda," etc. (Look them up if you must) I was really surprised by the graphic images of sex, violence, etc. In comparison to the US I felt like there was no censor. Which, also makes me think of the news here, which is actually REAL news. It's not the crap MSN, CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, etc. that we watch in the US that is just full of people bullshitting with each other and arguing about stuff we as viewers don't even have proof actually existed. The news here is oftentimes real footage, that is graphic and honest, be it violent, sexual, whatever. For news, I like it here better, because it's not a bunch of crap, it's what is really going on and you're not deceived by all kinds of pretty people debating with each other. ANYWAYS, back to the film. I just felt it was shockingly graphic, not to mention I wasn't really into the content. It was a good experience though, and I'm definitely going to continue to go to our Spanish movies every month because one, it's my only opportunity to eat popcorn, two, it's free, and three, it helps me learn my Spanish.

Last Friday a few friends and I made quite a hike across town to the Zaidin neighborhood for a free concert that our resident director Pablo told us about. What we encountered was a huge carnival/festival with rides, music, food, flea market, and tons of people! It was like the Puyallup Fair! Ha just kidding, the rides were mostly kiddy rides and sort of lame but the vibe was the same, except better because there weren't creepy carnies and the Spanish vibe to anything is always better! We moseyed around a bit and made our way over to the concert, which was rock music that I couldn't understand (even though they were British). It was loud and fun and I am not really into that type of music but the tunes fit the vibe of the locale, so it was fun. The hike back home was really long but I enjoyed chatting with people. I am loving the people in my program, there's only 18 or 19 of us total, so we've gotten to know each other pretty well.

The next morning (Saturday, the 12 of September) we left for San Jose with the entire program. After a 3 hour bus ride we finally made it to our oasis, heaven on earth. (Refer to facebook for pictures, if you don't have one, get one.) We stopped at a supermarket to grab water, snacks, etc, and walked 30 minutes to a HUGE, secluded, beautiful beach called La Playa de Genoses. This particular beach happened to be nude. I saw many body parts that I would have preferred not to see, but to each their own I suppose! Laying out in the sand and swimming in the Mediterranean with the sun blazing down on me, I was in heaven. For me, that is the ultimate vacation. I don't like to bother with museums and tours and fees, I just like to be one with the sand and the sea and the sky. That's all it takes. Eli, our other resident director brought her mom with her and we had fun on the beach just talking in Spanish. It was kind of interesting, we started discussing health care in Europe and the United States and it was really interesting hearing their perspective and us giving our opinions. This was all in Spanish, keep in mind! After 4 or 5 hours of ultimate relaxation, we made the hike back to the town, and showered and went out to dinner at a delicious Italian pizza place. Following dinner, the entire group went out to the beach again. Now, I have never been to the beach at night until then, I realized right away. What a shame! How romantic and relaxing and exciting and everything else wonderful, right? I will live near a beach someday. (The Puget Sound doesn't exactly count, unless all the rocks miraculously turn to sand). We all sat and drank and laughed and played "Never have I ever" (learning some interesting things about people, might I add), and I just looked around and realized how much I love this, how much I love being here, and how it is so crazy that I was afraid of not meeting people and making friends. The group of us are all SO unique, but we have in common the fact that we're here, and I love it, because it's what really brings us together. It will be so strange when the rest of our group arrives in a few weeks. Anyways, eventually, a few people left, and I suggested the best idea ever: skinny dipping. Now, I have skinny dipped once in my life prior to this, on an unbearably hot evening in Bellingham when 5 of us decided to sprint into Lake Padden in the nude. It was completely exhilarating. I was not about to pass up the experience of doing the same thing in the Mediterranean Sea, with awesome people and a bit of sangria in my system. Upon the presentation of the idea, some people were skeptical, others were all for it, as we saw quickly when Tony promptly stripped and sprinted into the water. Michelle followed suit quickly, as did Sam. Eventually we were all in the water, cracking up at how our actions in the US would be completely taboo but here in San Jose, at 11 pm at night, with probably 10 other people on the same beach, our actions were completely normal and probably not worth such an excessive amount of laughter. Eventually the chilliness took it's toll and we all lumbered out, not really caring that we were all naked and standing on a beach laughing and shivering. We got dressed, some went home, and I went out with people and bar hopped and danced the night away. :) Cliche, I know! The next day was essentially another beach day, but this one much cooler and completed with an intense game of futbol (soccer) in the sand where we all discovered just how out of shape we are but it was still a blast. I love soccer so much, I wish I was better at it though! We left the beach and were all out on the bus, totally exhausted from the weekend and ready to head back to home, Granada. Upon arriving the weather was freezing. (I'm sure it was like 65 or 70 degrees fahrenheit, but hey it felt dang cold!)

Since then the weather hasn't really been hot anymore, I've worn jeans all week to school, and sweats after class. Feels like home? There was a downpour for maybe a half hour today, it was kinda nice because it felt like home. I still love it here. I don't think it'll ever stop. We're in the process of trying to organize trips to Morocco, Barcelona, Portugal, and Belgium. We can fit it all in! I am making the most of my time here, I want to do so much, it's tough to fit it all in. Oh! Last thing, I discovered a bar right next to my apartment that has free WIFI if you buy a drink, for as long as you want, which is so much of a better deal than the dang internet cafe because you get a drink, a tapa, and internet! I love Spain. Anyways, much love from me to you, hope the US is treating you well. I heard about Obama's bomb speech, Kanye's Taylor Swift intervention, and Patrick Swayze's death. Guess what, I'm still glad to be here! :) haha. OK. hasta luego!
MacKenzie