Living The Life

So, I apologize again for not writing as often! I have just been getting caught up in life and school and traveling. It gets difficult to sometimes just sit down and think about what is going on. Soooo....school has been good! I have midterms this week and next week which are no fun at all but I am glad to get them over with before Andy visits next week!!! yay!! :) The professors are much more laid back than anything I have experienced, even than high school! They realize why we are here, what kind of lives we are living and what things we want to experience. They know we are traveling on the weekends and really don't have school too much on our minds, so they have that taken into account for the exams. For example, for my history exam we have covered history from around 1500 BC to around 700 AD and its only midterms! Its a ton of information and basically our exam on Thursday is a series of 5 broad essay questions about certain social groups....muy facil!

As for traveling, last weekend I went to Granada and had a great time! It is a smaller city than Sevilla sitting right at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains...loved it! Sevilla is in a pretty flat area of Spain so being able to see mountains and climb hills for amazing views was just what I was craving! The culture of Granada was so different that Sevilla too. It has had an enormous Arab and Muslim influence from history so while walking through the Albacyn (an old Arab neighborhood with tiny pathways, stores, and cafes) I would walk by tons of little cafes with Morroccan food, hookah, stores selling genie pants, and handmade scarves. By the way, genie pants are IN for the youth in Spain. Not sure if it is the hippie, rebellious kids trying to be different, but girls where them with heels! Pretty crazy! Would be very surprised if they make it to the US. Granada is much more of a hippie town, with a lot of character. Sevilla is more of the fancy, shopping, and richer kids town, even though there is a lot of character either way! I was actually looking at a program in Granada before I came here and decided on Sevilla since it is a bigger city. I am really happy where I am but really think I would have loved a semester in Granada too. Andy and I are going back there during his trip here so I cannot wait to show him around. In Granada there is also a great Arab fortress that was lated conquered by the Christians called the Alhambra that sits on top of a mountain overlooking all of Granada. I have pictures on Facebook to see the amazing views I got from there. Definitely a city with character and personality!

This weekend I am going to Madrid with my Art History class to see a lot of famous artwork and buildings. We are seeing El Museo del Prado, el Museo Reina Sofia, el Museo Thyssen, and the Palacio Real. I am going a day early with a friend to visit the small towns north of Madrid, Segovia and Avila. Should be fun and really fun to see such amazing works of art by Dali, Picasso, and many more! :)

Just like at home, I sometimes get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the things that make up my life. I have to stop myself and really think about how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place, with the opportunity to better my Spanish speaking skills everyday. I don't always realize where I am because I have learned to call this home. I have become so comfortable in this culture that I forget that I have to leave it eventually and this life is going to be in the past. I must "stop to smell the orange trees" more. I realized this this morning and want to share with you what my morning was like before class...

This morning, it was drizzling a little. The first cloudy day in about a month so it would seem a little dreary. Everyday I pass my friend who works at the kiosk across the street from my house. Everyday he greets me with a smile and "Hola Guapa!" or "Buenos Dias Guapa!" Not in a creepy or sexual way whatsoever, but in a friendly, familiar way. Even if he is helping someone else he always greets me as I walk by his kiosk and I always leave with smile. What better than to leave your house and to be immediately greeted by a friendly face as you enter the social world! :) Gotta love it! Anyways, that was a side note, so I just got this great book for my literature class called "Beatriz y los cuerpos celestes" by Lucia Etxebarria that I absolutely love even though I have only read a few pages. (Translated to: "Beatriz y the celestial bodies") Its an existentialist theory novel about how the world is a big solar system and we, as individual people, are like stars, planets, and galaxies that have aversions and attractions to each other and interact with each other in different ways. Very interesting! Well, I rode the bus to el Centro and was walking down the main road Avenida de la Constitucion. I was early for class and a little hungry so I stopped in a cafeteria for a capuccino and a bolleria (little breakfast pastry). The place was packed as it was still morning with expresso machines buzzing and people chatting to eachother. I sat there, drinking my coffee, reading my book, and just stopped to look around me. I smiled to myself at how much I love Spain. How much I love the culture, the food, the people, the fact that I can have a conversation with a complete stranger next to me about my opinion of the bolleria. The fact that the group of women next to me ordered straight shots of expresso but took their time to enjoy them and eachother's company. Instead of just throwing it back and rushing to their next appointment. It just felt so perfect to be there, reading this book about relationships and human interaction and realizing how I was interacting everyday with this new culture that I never had appreciated or knew before 2 months ago.

Though it was drizzly, cloudy, and the cobblestoned streets had so many puddles that by the time I made it to school my shoes and socks were soaked through, I arrived at class so happy to be here and to be living a life so full. I don't want you to think that I have completely forgotten about the good ol' USA. HOWEVER, I think the only thing I miss about it is my family and friends. I really have no desire to return to the US except for incredibly missing my family and friends and the things we do together. I miss the moments and memories of my relationships with people I love in my life. I miss the familiar things, the traditions, and good home cooking. I know by the time it comes around for me to go home, it will be so incredibly bitter sweet. I love this place so much but at the same time miss my family and friends. I will definitely need some help because thinking about serving and dealing with stuck up Americans this summer at Via Cafe, kinda makes me rethink my summer job choice.

Well, sorry I wrote an essay! I just needed to get you all up to speed with my thoughts, my travels, and my life here! I hope that since I am telling you a lot through this blog as I go, I won't bore you with stories when I get back. Cross your fingers!

Gotta go prepare a presentation about literature of the realismo era in Spain! :) Wish me luck tomorrow! And for all of you who asked before, yes, we do have Daylight Savings Time...its this Saturday! I am looking forward to Andy's arrival next Thursday more than anything and its the only thing getting me through these next two weeks!! Can't wait!!! :)

With lots of love and kisses,
Con mucho amor y besos,

Betsy