Vida y otras cosas en Granada

I am having a relaxing afternoon in my apartment, sipping on coffee, watching the buildings on the hill across from us reflect the slowly descending sun, and listening to a local Spanish TV show. Today was one of the first days that the sun has emerged since we’ve been here. It has rained almost every day we have been here, which apparently is VERY odd. Normally it rarely rains here, but it has rained so much people are getting depressed and staying inside all day. It is very discouraging to constantly be wet and have umbrellas break. It even snowed a couple days ago! It didn’t stick, in fact it didn’t even make it to the ground, but it was cold and very strange for the area. Many of the sidewalks are made of tile, so it makes for a slick walk when the rain comes down. Luckily, none of my slips have ended with me on my butt. However, it has been so cold in our apartment. Everyday that Nati comes for lunch she finds me curled up in a ball with a blanket around me, saying “tengo frio!” The heat doesn’t turn on until the afternoon, and the apartment doesn’t have carpet or very well sealed windows. Nati always laughs and makes fun of both Caroline and I saying, “Son norte americanos!” In other words…we should be used to much colder weather. Colder weather, yes, but warmer houses tambien. (Here is a picture of the street I live on, and one of the front of our apartment.)

I don’t have much of a routine at the moment, because I am STILL waiting for classes to start. When I first arrived I had “review courses” which was a three-hour class every night going over basic stuff we have already learned. Then I took a placement exam to figure out where I needed to go. I ended up placing in a different program then I applied for, but it’s fine because all of the classes are approved by BSU and I will still get my credits. So, since the placement exam I have had five days off. I don’t even start classes for another two days! It is kind of crazy. I have been trying to get a schedule and run every other morning or so, but it is hard. At first I couldn’t sleep at night, now I sleep way too much! The directors of my program tell me it’s my reaction to change of environment and dealing with a new language. It is mentally draining to constantly be translating everything you hear and everything you want to say. It’s even more draining when you can’t say what you want to say, or don’t understand what others are trying to say. (Here's a view of the river, which is really close to our apartment and has a path along it where I sometimes run.)


Caroline and I received a new roommate the other night, Mari, from France. Up until now, we have been referring to her as Frenchy. As in, “Soon, Frenchy will be here.” Or “I wonder if Frenchy will think we are stupid Americans?” (This last part spoken with a phlegmy French accent, “stoopid Amereecahns”). So far, she has been a good roommate. But Caroline and I still refer to her as Frenchy, just not to her face. However, I’m hoping to change that soon, and once I feel it is appropriate, I will ask her if it’s okay.Not surprisingly, Frenchy doesn’t speak English. But, she does speak some Spanish, about the same level as Caroline and I. We are able to have conversations, but not necessarily go in depth. So when we come to words we don’t know, its funny because either one of us dashes for a dictionary, or we just try to explain what we want to say in Spanish. Mari is 24 years old, and is taking a month of Spanish here and then going to Peru for three months of Spanish. Her whole family is French and only French, and she said it is frustrating because people in France only speak one language-- French. Caroline and I told her it’s somewhat similar in the US, but she said they are worse off, because French isn’t an international language. She said for her job she needs to learn both Spanish and English. However, I’m not sure what her job is, or if she just wants a job in which these languages are necessary.

We were curious how meals would work out, since Caroline and I have “special needs”, but it ends up Frenchy doesn’t eat with us. She makes her OWN meals! Apparently she had a cheaper option of making her own food instead of having Nati make it. The first day Frenchy was here we explained to her that because we are weird and can’t eat gluten, we can’t use the same side of the toaster for our bread. I explained to her which side we use and which side she should use. Her eyes filled with panic as she tried to explain in Spanish, “I already used that side!” Poor girl felt really bad. We explained it was fine, we would just clean it, and from now on we needed to use different sides. I am glad Nati makes us food because her cooking is AMAZING! I love her food. I realized today that I haven’t had such a large variety of food since before I found out I was gluten-free. She uses very basic ingredients, but makes so many different things. We almost always have meat (mostly chicken) broccoli, potatoes, a soup with either Garbanzo beans or lentils, and fruit. So we are getting quite the balanced diet, and she always makes the meal differently. She has even ventured into making us gluten-free pizza and breaded chicken! She makes it all from scratch, too. We constantly shower her with compliments and thanks, and she giggles and tells us how easy we are to please. Apparently, some of the other kids won’t eat her food. What a bunch of crazies!

Even more bizarre, I just received an email from a guy named Tyler. Tyler went to school at Boise State and lived with my host family in Costa Rica right before I lived there. So, Yami gave me his email and facebook contact and I friended him and asked him questions about his time there and such. Apparently, he lives in Cordoba right now with his wife, which is in the same providence (?) as Granada. Weird! I guess when people have similar interests they end up doing similar things.

As usual, I am overflowing with things to say, but am trying not to overdo it in one blog. I may have to write these more frequently! I still wanted to talk about the Alhambra, which I went to see earlier this week. But, since I have come to my personal limit, I will leave you with this photo of me in the gardens, and will write on the Alhambra next time!