Final thoughts on Spain...

Now that I’m no longer in Spain, I wish I never left. Sure the last month had been a bitch and Matt and I have been met with more then our fair share of shit, but I finally have over come my fear of speaking to people in Spanish and thinking about it too hard. Now conversations are flowing out of my mouth and I comprehend things without a blank look sweeping across my face for a couple of seconds before it get it.

I also know that Matt and I just picked a rotten time to come to Granada. Especially in August everyone is “Cerrado por vaccaiones” because it’s bloody hot and there is no business. I can almost guarantee that if we would have shown up in September or Janurary/Februray just when school had been starting for the semester our experience may have been a lot different and I guess one could argue a lot more authentic. Still, I’ve gotten lost all around the albycin and been to the chupiteria and have botellón-ed at paseos de los tristos. I’ve seen the sights, but also I have lived here. I’ve gone to the grocery store and the local tapas bars. The guy at the little corner shop with internet and phones recognizes my face every time I pop in there. I’ve experienced the crazy way Spanish people love their rebajas and zapatos and bolsos (sales, shoes, and handbags). This is the only place I’ve been that decides to have a sale at every single shop in the city for two solid months in the middle of summer. Seriously…shoes for 5 euros, sweaters for 4 euros, and dresses for 12 euros (that were originally 40)…even with our shitty US dollar it’s a bargain!

Sure people don’t always say “excuse me” and “thank you” and they give you funny looks when you say “perdon” and “por favor” but it’s their culture. And most definitely the andalucians have a horrible accent and if they know you’re a foreigner they will sometimes talk that little bit faster and will drop a couple more “s” and “d” then necessary, therefore “mas o menos” becomes “maomeno” and “Granada” becomes “Granaa.” I just keep telling my self that that is why Spain is Spain and if you don’t like it then leave.

Matt and I are talking about returning next summer, but I’m not so sure I’m keen on the idea. If I had the opportunity to come during the school year, I would most definitely take it, but the summer is too sleepy and hot. I would also love to experience a winter in the shadows of the Sierra Nevada….it would be awesome!!!!!!!

Speaking of snow…I met this girl who lives in the French Alps and has invited me there anytime. She’s live in the bay area before and is thinking of studying abroad for a year at Berkeley. I told here if she ever needs a place to crash in Tahoe, that she had a couch with her name on it. I expect she’d do the same for me in France.

Anyway…not so sure what else to write. I feel like my reflections on Spain should have been saved until my last blog entry, but oh well…I’m sure I’ll find something brilliant to write about. As usually is hot here…about 46 degrees Celsius I believe…you don’t even want to know what that is in Fahrenheit. But luckily for us there’s a storm coming!!!! I never thought I’d be so happy to have rain!!! Supposedly it’s supposed to be a big one with thunder and lightening and hail…the works…but we’ll see!

That’s it for now…hugs and kisses!!!

Back in England

Matt and I are back. If you need me my adress is:

120 Wigan Road
Hindley
Wigan
Lancashire
WN2 3DF
England

Phone Number:
+44 1942511322

Talk soon! Love you!!!

Four days and counting...and something to think about

That´s right only four more days left of classes and I´m done! (at least here in Spain!) I think it´s great that we´re going back to england and it will give me some time to get my grad school stuff together and work before going back home. I´m really excited about grad school now!!! If they had a place for me at Manchester this year and would give me money, I would be there in a heart beat. But that seems very unlikely.

Nothing much is new here. I just keep meeting more american tourists everyday that are clueless. After being in Europe for so long I know realize why people don´t always like us...we are spoiled rotten. We´re not happy with only one television in the living room, there has to be one in each bedroom. One computer isn´t enough for the family now a days, each teenager has to have thier own as well. I´ve started realizing this and it actually has made me sick to this that we are a culture of materialistic consumers who constantly live beyond thier means. I mean here I am living in Spain on money that I worked hard for and saved up every dime I could, with only a few euros in my pocket and living off 10-15 euros a week, and sitting next to me at the internet cafe were two american girls who were my age and thought that 320 dollars for a hotel for three nights in Barcelona was a good deal. We are a generation who has been raised, god help us, to not have any concept of the value of money. To them it is literally something that grows on trees. Any we wonder why millions of people are up to thier eyeballs in debt and our economy is in the toilet. It´s easy to point the fingure at that clown we have for a president, who has by no means helped our nation´s situation, but just look in the mirror. If anything is going to change it should first off be the way we are brought up to think about money. Every 16 year old in the country should be a bagger at the grocery store instead of chatting on the internet and updating thier Myspace. People all over the world think the states is this great land of opportunity and everyone has a deram and the right to pursue it, but something has to be said when there is an entire generation of young people, who freely live in this land, and don´t realize or value what they have at thier fingertips. It makes my stomach turn and I'm sad to say that at one time I would have even considered myself a bit clueless and I only was able to open my eyes when I moved outside the snowglobe we know as the USA. It´s not that I don´t love my contry or don´t value being american, Matt will be the first to say I´m the most patriotic american he´s ever met, I just want what´s best for it, and at the rate we´re going we´re making our nation ill.

Anyways...off the soap box. That´s about it. It´s cooled down here becasue there´s a storm coming. Matt siad there was thunder and lightening in the mountains last night. Nothing down here, even though it´s only 40km away...go figure. Hope all is well. Talk soon!!!

2 weeks went by fast....

That it did becasue it´s now the first of August! Matt has been well...working his butt off. He came home one night becasue he had the night off and didn´t tell me. All I heard were the keys in the door and I thought some pyscopathic spanish rapist was after me.

He just went back to the work today after having four days off. In those four days we drank a lot of cerveza amuzed ourselves in Paseo de los Tristos playing card in the shadow of the Alhambra and general marriment. We got a flight back to Britain on August 21 at one in the morning, so again no one should be too bothersome on customs and immigration -- i hope.

Sorry I haven´t written in a while, the computers at school don´t work thatt well and I´ve been busy getting stuff together to apply to grad school!!!! That´s right Matt and I have decided to apply for 2008 to pursue our Masters degrees in Britain and Manchester is showing a lot of interest...which is good becasue it can lead to things like scholarships!!! But that´s a year away yet....first we have to get in.

I only have 7 days of classes left and I feel like my spanish is improving by the day. I feel like I´m finally getting over the confidence barrier of opening my mouth and letting the words come out.

That´s about it for now....talk soon.

love you all!!

HOT HOT HOT!!!

It´s soooooo hot! I´m melting. I don´t even spent time in my apartment much because it never cools down. It´s a constant 82 degrees in there. Matt was here for one night over the weekend and then went straight back to work. It´s such a tease to spent time with him and then know I probably won´t get to see him again for two weeks. I´ve just been going to class, and spenting time at the school because they have air conditioning. Trying to get my cell phone sorted ans it just seems to be eating away at my money. I only really use it to call Matt, but it turns out I was paying 35cents a min. So I went to the shop and got it sorted, so now I think I´m only paying 35cents for 60minutes! Dispite getting mayor (old) confused with major (better) -- which I corrected myself on, I wanted the better plan, not the older one -- not not being able to remember the verb for to change (cambiar) I held the whole conversation in Spanish....full sentences and all! Geez...I´m really starting to feel like I´m five years old...stringing sentences together and having to think about which word is my subject and verb. It´s like being in kindergarten again...excpet I´m 5´5" and I don´t have my mom make me a lunch.

I´ve been spending a lot of time walking around town at night. I would go out with people, but no one seems to want to be my friend -- pathetic I know. I´ve totally put it out there..."If you all want we can hang at my place..I have tele and a whole piso to myself." I´ve even tried the, "Oh you should ring me later...do you have my number?" and I actually had one girl say no and instead wrote down another girls number instead of mine. Now ten years ago I would have been really offended and would have run home to mommy crying "why am I such a dork??" Truth be told...I´m still a dork, but I love that about me. I think this whole situation just goes to show how people are stuck in high school. Granite most of these kids are younger then me and have just graduated high school, so I think that explains a lot. Not to mention that I´m really outspoken in class and I think that that turns a lot of people off, but it´s not my problem if they don´t like me--I didn´t do anyting wrong. I´m just having a hard time relating to people here. I don´t feel like I´m a stranger or that I don´t belong, I just feel like a loner. Right now my best friends are my camera and mobile. Even my intercambio blew me off. Sorry I can´t make it...let´s reschedule....then nothing. Just goes to show that you can never count on anyone except yourself.

That´s about it. I know the last part sounds a bit depressing, but I´m fine really. I´m just doing what I do best, drowning myself in my studies. Hope all is well back home...miss you!!!

The Sierra Nevada

Spent the weekend up in the montains. It was beautiful! Despite the lack of trees and things to do. I was going to go up to the top of the mountain, but the gondola ride was pricey and i didn´t give myself enough time to do the hike in the afternoon.

The town consists of a bunch of expensive massive four star hotels, only three of which are open in the summer. And a bunch of ski schools and rental places....all of which are closed. But it was still nice to get of Granada for the weekend and see Matt. Thanks to Carlos (Matt´s boss) I was able to stay the night in this awesome four star hotel, free of charge, becasue he´s friends with the owner. The kids were kids, loud and annoying. There was one little girl who took a liking to me and told Matt yesterday, "Tu novia es muy muy graupa." (english: your girlfriend is very very pretty.) Too cute!

Everything else is good. It´s well over 100 degrees everyday! Welcome to Spain! Gotta go to class talk soon!

¡Hola!

Hope all is well. Everything is fine here. Studying a lot and am making plans to visit Matt this weekend in Sierra Nevada. Class is really hard and making my head hurt everyday, but I´m learning a lot. I can actually carry on conversations with people and they understand me!!!! It´s really exciting. No blank stares!

Fourth of July was rather uneventful. The thing about an Independance day is that no one seemes to care about it unless you´re in that country. In all honesty I didn´t even want to do anything because I feel like poo. I´ve felt sick for the last two days and all I really want to do right now is go to bed, but if I miss more then one class I fail!!! Intense I know. That´s about it. Chat soon. Love you all.

Contact Details...again!

Only to clear up any confusion because some people whom shall remain nameless can't count or spell (Mom):

C/Recogidas, 12
Planta: 3, Puerta: Izq.
18002
Granada
Espana/Spain

Remember: Granada is spelt exactly how it sounds and in no way does a "7" resemble a "2"

Mac n Cheese isn't worth $30 but a postcard or letter is always appreciated. That is all. :)

Glastonbury....etc

Glastonbury was amazing!!! It doesn't even seem a week ago and I was there! It is definately an experience and I can't really put it all into words...it was that amazing. There were lots of laughs and mud....It was great!

Matt and I got back to Spain last Wednesday and Matt left today for his job in Sierra Nevada, while I'm here in Granada, starting classes again tomorrow. Photos are here: Part 1 and Part 2

As you can see, my camera has died a truely heroic death. It has lived a long and prosperus life, but sadly fell to the hord of people bouncing around the Pyramid stage Sunday afternoon and met his fate with a pool of mud. I am sad, but I look at it as an excuse to buy a new camera (as soon as I have the pennies). And if I buy over here in the EU...I don't have to pay tax (bonus!) but then again the exchage rate is so crap it doesn't make a scrap of difference!



That's about it...I'd love to tell you more about Glastonbury but I just don't know what to say...except that it was awesome!!! I have plenty of memories and stories but they're the kind that you kinda don't get a chuckle out of unless you were there.

Hope all is well back home...I was glad to hear that I still have a house!

Laters...

One down.....

four to go! I finished my first class yesterday and I'm off to britain tomorrow!!! I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!! Matt has gotten all his stuff together for work and we're packed to head to glasto.

All is well and hopefully a job will fall into place for me when I get back. Not much else to say, just wanted to let you all know how excited I am. I'll be back with all the details and pictures from glasto on the 27 june.

Adios!