This past week has shown me that as a student abroad must be two people: a Spanish citizen and an American citizen at the same time. With a 9 hour time difference between Monterey, California and Córdoba, Spain, it has definitely been confusing. For those who have Windows 7, just FYI, Skype hasn’t created a version for your computer that will actually work. So for the past month my extremely patient boyfriend, family, and friends have had to put up with approximately 4-6 minute intervals of working video chat before it freezes and I have to restart it (As if long distance communication isn’t difficult enough).
I had my first Valentine’s Day with a significant other, which was lovely just the same, even from 6,000 miles away. I want to thank everyone close to me for supporting and helping me through this fast paced and extreme learning experience. I’ve learned lessons one can only have when put in this position, and it has allowed me to grow in so many unexplainable ways.
On another note, my weekend trip to Granada: HUGE success. It was amazing. We visited the Alhambra, one of the last remaining castles on the mountain ridge of Southern Spain. The Spanish Sierra Nevada was breathtaking. The city is charming and full of life. It was incredible to stand in the exact room where Queen Isabel I and King Ferdinand II gave Columbus the okay (and the skrilla) to sail the ocean blue. We also saw the magnificent Cathedral they built, and the acoustics in it were awe inspiring. Their tombs also stood on their own in their “small private chapel,” which is a grand building in itself. To top off my educational excursions in Granada, several mates and I toured the house of Federico García Lorca, a famous Spanish writer and playwright. I am currently studying some of his works in my Spanish Literature and Cinema class here, so it really brought my experience into a full circle.
Now for the fun part! Granada is known to have a much younger, livelier vibe to it than sleepy Córdoba; this was no lie. For one of my fellow EAPer’s birthday, we ventured to a discoteca slightly on the edge of town called Las Cuevas, which means “the caves.” Go figure, the club was built in caves! True, it was not as epic or adventurous as my imagination had anticipated, but I enjoyed my free gin and tonic (yay to under-21 legal drinking age) that came with the cover charge and danced like a fool with my large group of Americans. Note to Americans coming to Spain: Spaniards don’t dance; they sway back and forth, drink in hand.
Spaniards also love their American pop music. I’ve heard more Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna here than I did in the States, and they all know the words better than I do. I do enjoy the occasional Kylie Minogue throwback or Usher’s “Yeah,” I can dig.
It seems like every other day – if not every day – I think to myself, “Holy crap I live in Spain, Europe, across the world!” It’s a trip. I can’t believe a month has already come and gone. It was a reminder/wake up call that I really have to take advantage of my time here. I’m kicking my Spanish listening ears into high gear and am going to really try to speak to more people, NOT in Spanglish. The best part is I’m finally able to make (some) jokes again… I have a personality again! Phew. I thought this day would never come (Well not really, but it sure has been rough). I’ve met some more friends, explored some new places, and am rolling with the punches as each day comes and goes.
¡Hasta luego!
Katie