So I have been meaning to sit down and write but every time I go to do it I just get too overwhelmed because I feel like I have to write about everything so then I just decide to do it another day (this overwhelmed thing is something that im working on getting over). But then Bre threatened to fire me from the blog so here I am! But warning, this may be long but I promise I wont give useless details! Im going to split it up into sections to make it easier.
1. Life with Christina (host family)
She is AMAZING!!! She is an awesome cook (so are you mom) but every meal is homemade because everyone goes home for lunch, the siesta, but instead of napping they make a really nice big lunch, rest and watch the news and then the parents take their kids back to school around 5ish and then parents go back to work until 8. That is why their schedule is so different. Things open much later here, so lunch is anywhere from 2:30-4:30, then dinner is from 9:30-11 and then people stay up until all hours of the night! Basically Spaniards dont sleep! Which almost demolishes my hopes of ever being a Spaniard! But back to my host family, she has a 15 year old daughter that I was so nervous to meet because I thought she wouldnt like me (I heard spanish girls tend to not always like american girls). But she is super nice, kind of shy at first, but she is becoming more comfortable around me and talking more. I also have another student living with me, Megan. She is from Iowa and goes to a super small college but is SUPER nice! We are very similar in many ways which is such an answer to prayer!!! Summation: I LOVE where I live and my host family!!!
2. School/Classes
I am only taking 12 hours which is 4 classes, so I have 2 a day and they are each one and a half hours long and all in Spanish! The teachers are really good though and know to talk slow and enunciate their words so it is not too hard to understand them, whereas people on the streets speak very differently. They drop their "s" from words so "fiesta" turns into "fieta", which none of us knows what "fieta" is so that has taken some getting used to. But people have said that if you can understand Spanish in Granada then you can understand it anywhere! I'm still working on fully understanding my teachers but one of these days i will get the whole no "s" thing! Summation: love my classes and teachers, they are kind of long, kind of make my head hurt but I am learning a lot!!!
3. Random stuff I have done
I will try to not repeat the stuff that Bre has already mentioned, but we went to the Alhambra!!! BEAUTIFUL!!! This palace that is in Granada from before the Catholics overtook Spain! It is really fascinating! Then Kelly turned 21 last Wednesday so we all went out to the discotecas (night clubs) for her which was fun! We went to a flamenco show which was really cool! It is A LOT harder than I imagined! I thought you just randomly moved your feet and clapped things in your hand but it is way more than that! It was really fun to watch! I went to a soccer game where Granada played another team which I already forgot!!! SO FUN!!! I LOVED it!!! The fans are insane!!! There was a really bad call, i dont know soccer so I cant really have an opinion on this, but the whole Granada team was yelling at the ref on the field and fans ran down to the bottom rail by the field (where our seats were) and started yelling! Coolest, but kind of scary, moment of the game!!! And Granada won which was really cool to see!!! Then me, Bre and a girl named Shelby, goes to ISU but is studying abroad here for the semester, ventured out to an Evangelical church we have heard about! It was so fun! All the songs were in Spanish as was the sermon, but thankfully it was a basic sermon so I kind of figured out what it was about...i think! But I really enjoyed it so I have found a church in Granada!!!
4. Lord's provision
So I have always wanted to study abroad so in my mind I assumed the transition would not be hard at all because this is something I have always wanted to do...wrong! It is an amazing experience but the first few days with my host family was really kind of hard. But it has showed me yet again that I need to rely on the Lord! That I can't rely on myself and my own strength, because I'm just honestly not that strong! The Lord continually shows me that He will always provide! He has provided a wonderful and welcoming host family, a great roommate, wifi in my apartment(trust me...SUCH A BLESSING), safety, great new and old friends, a church, the miraculous ability for me to not get lost here...yet, and just a feeling of peace and comfort in such a foreign place. I have only been here a week and a half and I have already learned so much!
Sorry for this SUPER long entry. Things will settle down and the entries won't be long i promise! I love and miss you all!!!! God Bless!!!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
no class on fridays = love
Hola!
I am done with my first week of classes! They are actually really great. I am taking oral spanish, grammar, spanish art history and spanish culture. Yeah they seem easy right now but I think its more because it is all so fascinating, interesting, and as nerdy as this sounds, really fun to learn about! I enjoy going to class and learning 10+ words/class. Although sometimes it is a tad overwhelming for my brain, but I know it will all be worth it. I've been filling my free time with shopping (rebajas will be the death of my bank account), walking, exploring, researching trips, and watching tv I don't fully understand with Josefina. It's wonderful, I'm learning how to relax which is a weird concept for me. Kelsey and McKenna have helped me to become unstressed and slow down, what great best friends :) Oh backtracking... rebajas- sales going on in the stores here in Granada. They have sales starting the 6th (or maybe 7th) of January because it is after they do Christmas gifts, they celebrate with gift giving on the 6th because that's when the Wise Men brought the gifts to baby Jesus. A cool cultural difference. And this info might not be 100% accurate because I asked Narea (assistant program director) about it and she explained it to me in Spanish, so that was my interpretation! And on my way home from school I basically walk by the entire shopping district and they always have great window displays so sometimes I get lured into the shops. Don't worry mom and dad, i've been spending responsibility. I got a pair of awesome, fitting, comfortable jeans for 7 EURO! Now that is a find.
My good friend from Chi O turned 21 on Wednesday so it was time to experience our first Chupeteria and discoteca visit!! La Chupeteria is a shot bar with over 100 types of shots and each cost 1E, very interesting place, kind of fun! It was cool seeing the bartenders mix all of them, you could tell they had it down like a science, very fast and methodical. Then we went to the discoteca, a little early then when you're supposed to. We were told that the discotecas don't get popular til after 2. But we got there and it was ladies' night! A very interesting crowd I must say. The discoteca is called Granada 10 (Granada Diez) and it is like an old movie theater that is a night club, very beautiful looking inside. But a VERY strange thing at this discoteca... it REEKED of sulfur. It might have been the worst smell I have ever smelled, it was almost vomit inducing, it was that bad. But we danced to some great american music (everywhere you go there is american music, its kind of refreshing to hear english!) Kelly had a wonderful 21st birthday, and most of us were home around 4am or later. I had to wake up at 7:30 to get ready for class at 9. Let's just say I think my discoteca days will be limited because I don't think I'm cut out for staying out that late! But hey, it was so fun, can't wait to go back!
On tuesdays and thursdays I have art history with Monica. On tuesdays we are in class learning about different spanish art styles and artists but on thursdays we usually take 'field trips' to really see the art. I love this class already!!! In Spanish 4 in high school we really learned all about Spanish culture and art, so this isn't the first time I'm hearing it. It's nice already having a little background info on things. So on thursday we went to La Capilla Real - The Royal Chapel. It is a chapel (almost like a small cathedral) that was 'sponsored'/paid for/dedicated by the Catholic Kings (Los Reyes Catolicos). It is a gothic -ish chapel and is absolutely stunning. Everything is extremely detailed and kept up very nicely. In the front of the chapel are the bodies and monuments of Los Reyes Catolicos - Isabel and Ferdinand and Juana la Loca y Felipe el Hermoso. What a sight to see. It is unreal that I've studied all of this but am now actually experiencing the things I read about. In the museum ish part of the chapel are old items of the royal family. I was about 10 inches away from Queen Isabela's crown! There is just so much to see and do here in Granada, I'm so glad I came here. One thing I've been thinking about lately though, concerning the history of Granada, is how all of these historical things from los reyes catolicos are stunning, all of the symbols and creations of their reign are just beautiful. I want to marvel in all of that and the meaning of religion they are associated with but I can't help to think of what had to happen for them to gain all of that power. Granada had tons of mosques because it was a very muslim city but then los reyes catolicos came in and replaced almost every trace of that history with catholic churches. And even forced the muslims to convert or else they exiled them out of Granada. It's so strange to think that religion was such a political force at one time and how those things just don't align. I still am in awe of everything I am seeing though. It is so humbling, I love being in a beautiful place. We went to a flamenco show last night in el Sacromonte (caves where some gypsies live) and they are nice caves made into houses and restaurants. The flamenco dance and music is really beautiful. I'll try to post a video of it somewhere.
Well tomorrow is my day of exploration. I'm going to some random market with a bunch of girls from the program to shop and then tomorrow night we are going to try to go to a Granada futbol game, I am SO excited for it. It'll be such a fun thing to see!
Love you and miss you all
-Bre
I am done with my first week of classes! They are actually really great. I am taking oral spanish, grammar, spanish art history and spanish culture. Yeah they seem easy right now but I think its more because it is all so fascinating, interesting, and as nerdy as this sounds, really fun to learn about! I enjoy going to class and learning 10+ words/class. Although sometimes it is a tad overwhelming for my brain, but I know it will all be worth it. I've been filling my free time with shopping (rebajas will be the death of my bank account), walking, exploring, researching trips, and watching tv I don't fully understand with Josefina. It's wonderful, I'm learning how to relax which is a weird concept for me. Kelsey and McKenna have helped me to become unstressed and slow down, what great best friends :) Oh backtracking... rebajas- sales going on in the stores here in Granada. They have sales starting the 6th (or maybe 7th) of January because it is after they do Christmas gifts, they celebrate with gift giving on the 6th because that's when the Wise Men brought the gifts to baby Jesus. A cool cultural difference. And this info might not be 100% accurate because I asked Narea (assistant program director) about it and she explained it to me in Spanish, so that was my interpretation! And on my way home from school I basically walk by the entire shopping district and they always have great window displays so sometimes I get lured into the shops. Don't worry mom and dad, i've been spending responsibility. I got a pair of awesome, fitting, comfortable jeans for 7 EURO! Now that is a find.
My good friend from Chi O turned 21 on Wednesday so it was time to experience our first Chupeteria and discoteca visit!! La Chupeteria is a shot bar with over 100 types of shots and each cost 1E, very interesting place, kind of fun! It was cool seeing the bartenders mix all of them, you could tell they had it down like a science, very fast and methodical. Then we went to the discoteca, a little early then when you're supposed to. We were told that the discotecas don't get popular til after 2. But we got there and it was ladies' night! A very interesting crowd I must say. The discoteca is called Granada 10 (Granada Diez) and it is like an old movie theater that is a night club, very beautiful looking inside. But a VERY strange thing at this discoteca... it REEKED of sulfur. It might have been the worst smell I have ever smelled, it was almost vomit inducing, it was that bad. But we danced to some great american music (everywhere you go there is american music, its kind of refreshing to hear english!) Kelly had a wonderful 21st birthday, and most of us were home around 4am or later. I had to wake up at 7:30 to get ready for class at 9. Let's just say I think my discoteca days will be limited because I don't think I'm cut out for staying out that late! But hey, it was so fun, can't wait to go back!
Me and Kelly the birthday girl! Oh and thank you Grandma for buying me this great dress for Christmas, I love it!!!
On tuesdays and thursdays I have art history with Monica. On tuesdays we are in class learning about different spanish art styles and artists but on thursdays we usually take 'field trips' to really see the art. I love this class already!!! In Spanish 4 in high school we really learned all about Spanish culture and art, so this isn't the first time I'm hearing it. It's nice already having a little background info on things. So on thursday we went to La Capilla Real - The Royal Chapel. It is a chapel (almost like a small cathedral) that was 'sponsored'/paid for/dedicated by the Catholic Kings (Los Reyes Catolicos). It is a gothic -ish chapel and is absolutely stunning. Everything is extremely detailed and kept up very nicely. In the front of the chapel are the bodies and monuments of Los Reyes Catolicos - Isabel and Ferdinand and Juana la Loca y Felipe el Hermoso. What a sight to see. It is unreal that I've studied all of this but am now actually experiencing the things I read about. In the museum ish part of the chapel are old items of the royal family. I was about 10 inches away from Queen Isabela's crown! There is just so much to see and do here in Granada, I'm so glad I came here. One thing I've been thinking about lately though, concerning the history of Granada, is how all of these historical things from los reyes catolicos are stunning, all of the symbols and creations of their reign are just beautiful. I want to marvel in all of that and the meaning of religion they are associated with but I can't help to think of what had to happen for them to gain all of that power. Granada had tons of mosques because it was a very muslim city but then los reyes catolicos came in and replaced almost every trace of that history with catholic churches. And even forced the muslims to convert or else they exiled them out of Granada. It's so strange to think that religion was such a political force at one time and how those things just don't align. I still am in awe of everything I am seeing though. It is so humbling, I love being in a beautiful place. We went to a flamenco show last night in el Sacromonte (caves where some gypsies live) and they are nice caves made into houses and restaurants. The flamenco dance and music is really beautiful. I'll try to post a video of it somewhere.
The view from La Alhambra... what an amazingly beautiful place.
Flamenco en el Sacromonte
Room 6 goes to Granada... our sorority girl pose!
Love you and miss you all
-Bre
Monday, January 17, 2011
mi vida con josefina!
Hola :)
Before I take a short siesta I just wanted to do a short post, my posts may be more like lists because I want to enjoy my time in spain and not always be on the internet :) i decided that before i go to bed instead of chillin' on the internet i would get in a routine of doing a few things. 1) Read my bible/or this devotional book I'm doing with McKenna. 2) Go through a letter in the spanish-english dictionary and pick out words that I use in my daily vocab and write them down in my notebook to expand my vocabulary 3)write in my personal journal or e-mail my parents/a few select friends :) and i'll do a blog post at least once or twice a week!
my stay with josefina: I love Josefina! As most of you know MaryPat (my pledge mom in Chi Omega) stayed with Josefina last year and loved her so I requested to live with her and so far it was a great decision! She may not be the warmest/cuddly/outwardly affectionate lady but she is SO caring and helpful. She has already made me feel at home and comfortable.. as comfortable as I can feel without being able to communicate very well. She insists I eat whenever I want (WIN) and she also eats very healthy (perfect for me!), but still a lot of food :) another thing i've noticed in spain is their food is SO fresh. Josefina said that it is normal for families/women to get groceries per day for the meals, not weekly or biweekly like we do in the U.S. I have fruit about 2-3 times a day and its great. Meal times are as follow: Breakfast, whenever you wake up - very small, for me- toast, bread, cafe solo (black coffee), and these like dried fruit things that josefina says have a lot of vitamins but I have no idea what they are haha! then lunch - 3pm a big lunch! then dinner at like 10:30. a very big change from america!!
well i will post more later. my mom is distracting me on skype. someone please teach my mom how to skype, lol it is an interesting experience! she can't hear me so i just type to her and and she talks to me, haha.
anyways, have a wonderful start to school in the u.s. i miss you all!!
-xoxo bre
Before I take a short siesta I just wanted to do a short post, my posts may be more like lists because I want to enjoy my time in spain and not always be on the internet :) i decided that before i go to bed instead of chillin' on the internet i would get in a routine of doing a few things. 1) Read my bible/or this devotional book I'm doing with McKenna. 2) Go through a letter in the spanish-english dictionary and pick out words that I use in my daily vocab and write them down in my notebook to expand my vocabulary 3)write in my personal journal or e-mail my parents/a few select friends :) and i'll do a blog post at least once or twice a week!
my stay with josefina: I love Josefina! As most of you know MaryPat (my pledge mom in Chi Omega) stayed with Josefina last year and loved her so I requested to live with her and so far it was a great decision! She may not be the warmest/cuddly/outwardly affectionate lady but she is SO caring and helpful. She has already made me feel at home and comfortable.. as comfortable as I can feel without being able to communicate very well. She insists I eat whenever I want (WIN) and she also eats very healthy (perfect for me!), but still a lot of food :) another thing i've noticed in spain is their food is SO fresh. Josefina said that it is normal for families/women to get groceries per day for the meals, not weekly or biweekly like we do in the U.S. I have fruit about 2-3 times a day and its great. Meal times are as follow: Breakfast, whenever you wake up - very small, for me- toast, bread, cafe solo (black coffee), and these like dried fruit things that josefina says have a lot of vitamins but I have no idea what they are haha! then lunch - 3pm a big lunch! then dinner at like 10:30. a very big change from america!!
well i will post more later. my mom is distracting me on skype. someone please teach my mom how to skype, lol it is an interesting experience! she can't hear me so i just type to her and and she talks to me, haha.
anyways, have a wonderful start to school in the u.s. i miss you all!!
-xoxo bre
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mi primer semana
So I have been here for almost a week and my classes start tomorrow so I thought I would try out this whole blog thing. Im not sure Im cut out for this so I have Bre to fall back on (thanks honey), but I will try!
My first adventure was leaving my jacket on the airplane from Chicago to Madrid! I ran back to the terminal, Jeanette was a sweetheart and waited for me, and knocked on the terminal door, pushed some security buttons but nothing got their attention. Asked a help desk (in my awful broken spanish) and no luck there either. So first purchase in Granada...a coat! But I did get something out of it...I now know the Madrid airport very well!
The hostel we stayed in was really nice and our first week has been full of tours and sightseeing!!! Which has been amazing!!! I dont think my words could do this place justice! Its BEAUTIFUL and just so unique!!!
I moved in with my host family yesterday and she is so sweet...and very patient with my lack of spanish speaking skills!!! Which is SUCH A BLESSING!!! She has a 15 year old daughter who is kind of shy but super nice!
I could go on and on but i will stop because this is getting way too long! And i have to save some funny stories to tell when I get home! In summary...this place is wonderful!!! I have felt some homesickness but it is really just more a missing of my family and friends! I wish I could just fly everyone out here and share it with them! I love you all and I promise my next post wont be nearly as long!!! God Bless!!!
My first adventure was leaving my jacket on the airplane from Chicago to Madrid! I ran back to the terminal, Jeanette was a sweetheart and waited for me, and knocked on the terminal door, pushed some security buttons but nothing got their attention. Asked a help desk (in my awful broken spanish) and no luck there either. So first purchase in Granada...a coat! But I did get something out of it...I now know the Madrid airport very well!
The hostel we stayed in was really nice and our first week has been full of tours and sightseeing!!! Which has been amazing!!! I dont think my words could do this place justice! Its BEAUTIFUL and just so unique!!!
I moved in with my host family yesterday and she is so sweet...and very patient with my lack of spanish speaking skills!!! Which is SUCH A BLESSING!!! She has a 15 year old daughter who is kind of shy but super nice!
I could go on and on but i will stop because this is getting way too long! And i have to save some funny stories to tell when I get home! In summary...this place is wonderful!!! I have felt some homesickness but it is really just more a missing of my family and friends! I wish I could just fly everyone out here and share it with them! I love you all and I promise my next post wont be nearly as long!!! God Bless!!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Estamos Aqui!
Hola!!! We have arrived in Spain. I must say.... I think I'm in love already. Granada is breathtakingly beautiful. The flight wasn't even that bad! I sat next to a student from Madison and we talked a little bit which made the plane ride go faster then I watched The Hangover on my laptop... I forgot how funny that movie was, kind of embarrassing that I was laughing out loud but whatever! We got to Granada and I had had roughly 10 minutes of sleep for that 24 hrs since I had left my house to drive to O'Hare, but surprisingly I didn't feel that bad. We met Narea y Miguel Angel, our program directors. They are the nicest people and I have only been here for like 1 day, they are just so nice and cooperative and understanding and upbeat! A great attitude to have when working with over 70 US Students. So yesterday we got to our hostel, I'm staying with McKenna, Kelsey, and two other new friends from our program, one from Wisconsin and one from U of I! And we briefly explored the streets, and wow. It's just so different here. I guess the best way to describe it is a city feel and structure but at the same time a small, comfortable, neighborly town. For some reason I had some weird assumption about Europe before coming here. I don't think we learned much about it in high school and so I never really knew ANYTHING about it. But as for now... I like what I see! Also, the spanish speaking is going well. It's really just getting in the mindset and being comfortable enough with yourself and just going for it. It's very scary, but hey, practice makes perfect. This morning we had breakfast which was just coffee and bread, but perfect for starting the day. Then we had orientation and took placement tests, etc. Had a great lunch (interesting lunch ;) ), went on a 'survival tour', which consisted of all the popular places we need to know including banks, meeting places, shopping places, monuments etc. I can't wait until we're all moved in with our host families and feel a little more settled. Living in this hostel is great, but it'll just be nice to be able to be independent once we know a little more about the city. Tonight about 10 of us girls went to try out the Tapas Bars. You can go to a tapas (food kind of like appetizers) bar and if you order drinks, you get free tapas. So drinks are around 2-3 euros and then you get a plate of tapas for your table. Not the most filling things but they do the job for dinner. I had my first drink of Sangria tonight with basically a ham and cheese sandwich for the tapas and then at the next tapas bar we went to I tried Tinto Verano which is a lemonade/red wine/carbonated water type drink... I liked it because it didn't taste like alcohol! I guess wine is just an acquired taste that I'm not used to yet. So now a few of us came back to relax a little before we go to bed. I'll save trying out the discotecas for later when I am a little more rested and acclimated to the culture!
Well I think I am done for the night because I need to get ready for bed then write a few e-mails, but I wanted to post here and let everyone know that I am LOVING it, and I know this city and trip are going to be amazing for me. Thank you for everyone who has supported and encouraged me and everyone who is thinking and praying for me back in the states (or my other friends in Europe)
Also, I'm not very good at taking pictures but I promise I will get better. So here is a sneak peak of something I saw in Granada! A beautiful Cathedral... La Catedral de Granada.
Love you all!
Adios!!! -- Bre
Well I think I am done for the night because I need to get ready for bed then write a few e-mails, but I wanted to post here and let everyone know that I am LOVING it, and I know this city and trip are going to be amazing for me. Thank you for everyone who has supported and encouraged me and everyone who is thinking and praying for me back in the states (or my other friends in Europe)
Also, I'm not very good at taking pictures but I promise I will get better. So here is a sneak peak of something I saw in Granada! A beautiful Cathedral... La Catedral de Granada.
Love you all!
Adios!!! -- Bre
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hola a todos!
Due to my extreme case of anxiety, excitement, and nerves, I can't sleep, so I decided to get the blog all set up! I am about to embark on an amazing adventure with strangers, acquaintances, and best friends this Spring semester. Tomorrow (in ~12 hours) our flight will take off and we will eventually make it to our study abroad destination: Granada, Spain! I'm not sure if I'll keep up with the blog (hopefully McKenna will make up for it if I don't) but I hope that I can share with my family and friends all of the amazing experiences I am so fortunate to have at my fingertips. Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers, and support of me during this trip. Next time I update this, I will be in SPAIN!! xoxo - Breanne
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