So in some of my relationships I have felt like the Alpha dog, good or bad,
but today my day treated me like a { female dog}.
First I tried to take money out the atm, and the machine ate that bad boy up. I got it back eventually, but Granada ATMs have put the fear in me. I shall only visit my local CitiBank ATM from now on. THEN, i got home, and my computer turned on to flirt with me then shut me down and refused to come back on. Brilliant little machine it is, just when I really wanted to talk to folks back home it decides to front on me.
When I woke up this morning I had a sneaking suspcision it was going to be a bad day. My ESPN ( Mean Girl reference foolie) was working on overdrive . First off, it was raining, which hasn't occurred thus far. Rain always makes things a little more gloomy, unless one is in love and in the rain, then it doesn't matter. I fixed my ATM debacle and was still battling my computer when my my host mom came home and said she had to talk to me when I was done eating the meal she just prepared. I was worried of course, thinking I had done something wrong. Instead it was a bit much worse.
My host mom showed me the contract CEGRI ( my school ) sent her and showed how much money the school aka me was paying for my stay here. Then she said " Es no tu , es mi" , famous words worldwide, then she continued saying that i was jovial, caring, linda, ...... and she really loved my company and me but she does not feel like she will be able to take care of me like she would love to and she feels its best i change. She continued by saying our schedules just clash and she is extremely busy and works a lot but doesn't earn a lot, and it is too costly for her right now to take care of someone else in addition her schedule.
My heart was sank a bit, and I definetely got teary-eyed, but I completely understand. My mom is pretty much solo dolo, she was married once for 3 months but otherwise its just been her, hence she fears she cannot provide for me in whatever manner. In addition, the economy in Granada is vastly more horrendous than America. Unemployment is 33 %, just to get an idea of the situation. Yet everyone lives their lives in a more relaxed manner, making sure to enjoy every bit of life.
My mom is constantly fussing over me ( in a good way ), and makes way too much food for me for every meal and takes care of me so well. I feel absolutely spoilt being here because of her care. She protests when I try to clean the house so I do it behind her back and she always tries to make sure I am completely satisfied. I feel that I am pretty easy to please, so the treatment I have been getting here feels in-excess but very much appreciated.
After her speech, she asked me if there was anything I wanted to say and if i could forgive her and try to understand. While there was a lot on my mind and I had half the mind to tell her to stop taking caring of me so well, I couldn't say anything. I don't want to inconvenience her or make her feel bad so I will just suck it up.
And like the perfect breakup , she told to make sure I still visited and keep in touch, visit often, and remain friends with her lovely niece. no doubt
Maria Helena,
I shall miss your cooking
I shall miss our nightly ritual of dinner, wine and watching some historial fiction or a fascinating documentary.
I shall miss your love for music and literature that we both share
I shall miss the artwork that line your walls.
I shall miss our conversations, most importantly. With my crippling Spanish and your divine patience.
I shall miss your ever present care.
You have made my first days in granada beautiful & peaceful
No other family will be the same.
But I wish you all the best , may God increase your wealth.
xx
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Ribs, Colloquial, and Tea
A Vale.
Hoy fue muy caro
Brevemente,
( Be warned , this post is a conversational. Its late and I need to sleep so off the top of the dome I go )
I hopped up out of bed and went to the country, pretty much.
During a late breakfast, Maria Helena ( my mom ) called her niece who wanted to meet and asked if she wanted to go shopping for boots with me. Elena, the niece, said of course, so we met up in the plaza. She was so sweet, very energetic and we had a great time shopping. Later, we went to una barra of her choice for tapas. She asked if i wanted to come over for lunch, duh. So to el campo we went.
Elena and her family live in el campo (the country) but that is similar to the suburb in the U.S.Surburbio is a negative connotation in Europe apparently , like the ghetto, so el campo is more acceptable. It was only about 20 mins from el centro de Granada. The house was beautiful , covered in painting and artifacts like Maria Helena's. TANGENT.Maria Helena has another sister who is a famous painter in New York so she sends a lot of her work to her sisters and brothers in Spain.
The whole family was welcoming, even their dalmatian Antonio. Elena's dad and eldest sister speak English but her brother, mom and eldest sister do not so the entire encounter was in Spanish solo. I was very nervous that the family would think i was some daft american who did not understand them but, au contraire.The first thing they told me was that they loved my skin & my hair & my face... 0_O. A lot of touching was involved as Spainards are very affectionate. So i returned the the affection with kisses and complemented their house and the beautiful family.
After the introduction,we had tapas as Elena's mom finished dinner.For dinner,there was a side dish, Migas alpujarreñas, (fried bread crumbs seasoned with garlic and paprika) eaten with a variety of things, my favorite taste was with the melon.Then there was the ribs,which was of course called something else, but nevertheless divine.I enjoyed the meal very much and the chocolate and cafe afterwards as well. The family was so welcoming and i understood them and attempted a steady conversation. The Father said something to me that was a little interesting. He said that there is no racism in Andalucia against black people but the word negro (black in Espanol) is used to describe a black person and he hopes I do not take offense if anyone else says that when describing me.Well, that didn't bother me at all , i am more bother by black people calling themselves the n word constantly than someone from another country being politically incorrect when describing my skin color, i prefer oscuro :)
Afterwards, more interesting conversations ensued then we relaxed in the salon and watched some movies and chatted about life and such. Elena's sister Maria, who is my age, asked if i wanted to go to the center with her to a teteria (tea shop). Wonderful Idea, the tea shop was precioso and they showed me different shops and told me places I need to go during my stay. I really enjoyed our time at the teteria , not only because my pakistani tea was exquiste but also because Elena and her friend spoke english, so we were switching back and forth between the two languages and i learned a lot of colloquial terms, my favorite being hortera :)
I returned home and somehow managed to stomach another meal, but only because it looked so good.
Ay, Granada is going to make me una gordita. Oh well. Tomorrow voy a la iglesia con Maria y su amiga.
Estoy exictado.
xx
Hoy fue muy caro
Brevemente,
( Be warned , this post is a conversational. Its late and I need to sleep so off the top of the dome I go )
I hopped up out of bed and went to the country, pretty much.
During a late breakfast, Maria Helena ( my mom ) called her niece who wanted to meet and asked if she wanted to go shopping for boots with me. Elena, the niece, said of course, so we met up in the plaza. She was so sweet, very energetic and we had a great time shopping. Later, we went to una barra of her choice for tapas. She asked if i wanted to come over for lunch, duh. So to el campo we went.
Elena and her family live in el campo (the country) but that is similar to the suburb in the U.S.Surburbio is a negative connotation in Europe apparently , like the ghetto, so el campo is more acceptable. It was only about 20 mins from el centro de Granada. The house was beautiful , covered in painting and artifacts like Maria Helena's. TANGENT.Maria Helena has another sister who is a famous painter in New York so she sends a lot of her work to her sisters and brothers in Spain.
The whole family was welcoming, even their dalmatian Antonio. Elena's dad and eldest sister speak English but her brother, mom and eldest sister do not so the entire encounter was in Spanish solo. I was very nervous that the family would think i was some daft american who did not understand them but, au contraire.The first thing they told me was that they loved my skin & my hair & my face... 0_O. A lot of touching was involved as Spainards are very affectionate. So i returned the the affection with kisses and complemented their house and the beautiful family.
After the introduction,we had tapas as Elena's mom finished dinner.For dinner,there was a side dish, Migas alpujarreñas, (fried bread crumbs seasoned with garlic and paprika) eaten with a variety of things, my favorite taste was with the melon.Then there was the ribs,which was of course called something else, but nevertheless divine.I enjoyed the meal very much and the chocolate and cafe afterwards as well. The family was so welcoming and i understood them and attempted a steady conversation. The Father said something to me that was a little interesting. He said that there is no racism in Andalucia against black people but the word negro (black in Espanol) is used to describe a black person and he hopes I do not take offense if anyone else says that when describing me.Well, that didn't bother me at all , i am more bother by black people calling themselves the n word constantly than someone from another country being politically incorrect when describing my skin color, i prefer oscuro :)
Afterwards, more interesting conversations ensued then we relaxed in the salon and watched some movies and chatted about life and such. Elena's sister Maria, who is my age, asked if i wanted to go to the center with her to a teteria (tea shop). Wonderful Idea, the tea shop was precioso and they showed me different shops and told me places I need to go during my stay. I really enjoyed our time at the teteria , not only because my pakistani tea was exquiste but also because Elena and her friend spoke english, so we were switching back and forth between the two languages and i learned a lot of colloquial terms, my favorite being hortera :)
I returned home and somehow managed to stomach another meal, but only because it looked so good.
Ay, Granada is going to make me una gordita. Oh well. Tomorrow voy a la iglesia con Maria y su amiga.
Estoy exictado.
xx
Thursday, January 20, 2011
vamos a los cuervas
Hoy esta un dia bellisima.
I had my art class durante la tarde and we went to the Cathedral where Isabella and Ferdinand are buried alongside their daughter and her husband. The place was beautiful of course, no pictures, and I loved hearing about the history of the church and the royal family and the significance of the paintings , architect and sculpture. Ever Since I went to the Milan Duomo and the Cathedral in Lucerne , Switzerland, no me recuerdo el nombre, I have loved Gothic Cathedrals. So i was very attentive during the tour , though i didn't understand everything my teacher was saying.
After my art class is my Spanish writing class which I absolutely love because of the teacher, Nerea, who is just a peach, but also the class which is intimate and very interesting. I hope to retain a lot that I am taught from that class, as well as my others, of course. The only thing I hate about Thursdays are that my clases end so late (8) but I have a six hour break from my morning class to my early night classes.
Also, tonight the group had an excursion to the caves to see the flamenco dancers at 9:30. Entonces, that was a bit of a problem because i live 30 mins away walking (which i usually do because the bus comes at odd & inconsistent times at night ), and my mom makes dinner early for me as it is ( 8:30) . Missing her dinner would be such a shame because she is an amazing cook, so i always want to go back home. This little conundrum ensured that i would be late to meet my group so i had to search up the mountains to find the cave. After wandering to two other caves and asking locals, I finally found the correct cave.
I do not even understand how people navigate their way through the caves, though they are a fascinating mirage, they all exist on winding hills and look similar.Well, the flamenco show didn't start till about 30 mins after i got there, we got sangria , and the spectacle begin. I enjoyed the show muy muy mucho. Un poco diferente pero the dancers were simply amazing and moved with such force and speed. Oy , interesante. Cultural Experiences of the day elevated my being a bit. Me gusta mucho.
I had my art class durante la tarde and we went to the Cathedral where Isabella and Ferdinand are buried alongside their daughter and her husband. The place was beautiful of course, no pictures, and I loved hearing about the history of the church and the royal family and the significance of the paintings , architect and sculpture. Ever Since I went to the Milan Duomo and the Cathedral in Lucerne , Switzerland, no me recuerdo el nombre, I have loved Gothic Cathedrals. So i was very attentive during the tour , though i didn't understand everything my teacher was saying.
After my art class is my Spanish writing class which I absolutely love because of the teacher, Nerea, who is just a peach, but also the class which is intimate and very interesting. I hope to retain a lot that I am taught from that class, as well as my others, of course. The only thing I hate about Thursdays are that my clases end so late (8) but I have a six hour break from my morning class to my early night classes.
Also, tonight the group had an excursion to the caves to see the flamenco dancers at 9:30. Entonces, that was a bit of a problem because i live 30 mins away walking (which i usually do because the bus comes at odd & inconsistent times at night ), and my mom makes dinner early for me as it is ( 8:30) . Missing her dinner would be such a shame because she is an amazing cook, so i always want to go back home. This little conundrum ensured that i would be late to meet my group so i had to search up the mountains to find the cave. After wandering to two other caves and asking locals, I finally found the correct cave.
I do not even understand how people navigate their way through the caves, though they are a fascinating mirage, they all exist on winding hills and look similar.Well, the flamenco show didn't start till about 30 mins after i got there, we got sangria , and the spectacle begin. I enjoyed the show muy muy mucho. Un poco diferente pero the dancers were simply amazing and moved with such force and speed. Oy , interesante. Cultural Experiences of the day elevated my being a bit. Me gusta mucho.
que yo llevaba
In the morning it starts out being 30-40 degrees F,
then in the afternoon it becomes 50-60. And at night, depends.
Thats Granada for you. But no complaints at all.
What I wore for the first week of school.
There's no school on fridays so i shall be in
my pj's.
xx
Go where the wind blows
Ladies & Gentlemen, we have found a Tuesday night ritual
Twas' Abbeys first time.
And i enjoyed my conversation with the ladies
Very much :)
xx
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Day 5. The fountain of youth
Today was the wonderful six hour tour through the Alhambra. We only visited 2 of the 6 castles in the place, just so you can get an idea of how grande it was. The Alhambra is a city within the city of Granada. Now its used for tours but back during Muslim rule, royal families resides within the walls of the magnificent palaces. The hike up was remarkable as well ;) Thanks to the genius of my madre after the long hike and long day, I had an arab bath waiting for me at the Hamman. The massage and bath was glorious, definitely suggest it to anyone.
* My art class will be visiting the alhambra a couple times so i didn't take tooo many pictures. kinda
xx
* My art class will be visiting the alhambra a couple times so i didn't take tooo many pictures. kinda
A third of our group !
xx
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