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I've had a pretty awesome weekend! In my last blog I wrote that I had something exciting for this weekend. Well it didn't quite turn out the way I thought it would have. There were 2 things I was thinking of when I made that comment and neither of them happened. I was going to go to this amazing beach about an hour away, OR get FREE tickets to the Davis Cup in Madrid. haha...well neither happened, but I still managed to do some sweet stuff here in Granada.

Thursday night wasn't all that exciting, but the rest was fun.

Friday: First I had to wake up at 8 am to go to a walk with my art history class. We went to the museum at the Alhambra, which is built in Charles V's palace he built when he conquered Granada. After the museum we went to the
"banuelos" or arab baths from the 11th century. I believe they are the oldest baths this well preserved left! So far I've seen 2 different sets of baths, the first one (in Ronda) was bigger, but this one was prettier. I didn't bring my camera, but it pretty much looked the same, just more quaint. After my walk, Carrie and decided to take another walk just around our neighborhood. We went to this really nice park called "Parque de Garcia Lorca". Its really close and its so pretty. Perfect for runners and making out people hahaha....in Spain so many people just like get in on in public. Apparently its totally acceptable (to a point of course). We talked about it in class, and think it has a lot to do with the fact that kids here live with their families sometimes till they are 28-30 so they need to get out and have some fun other places! haha Anyway, we found some really fun playground equipment to play on and met this cute little boy who showed us how to use this sweet "zip line" that the park had. I would say it was about 15 yards long. It was sooo fun, and i got so dizzy cause the rope you jump on, you twist before hand so when you are done it unwinds. Anyway I was so dizzy i just fell off. Carrie got some great pictures of me! haha
That night we went to this great arabic restaurant called "Kasbah", apparently its pretty famous because it was mentioned in Rick Steves book about Granada. It had a great atmopshere and was delicious! After that we went to this great tapas bar called 380. The tapas were so good and the atmosphere was young and modern! That was pretty much the night

Today (saturday): we woke up at like 12 and didn't do anything much until after lunch. but the weird thing was that it turned out that our senora's son, Dani, came over from Madrid last night, and today her daughter and husband, and grandaughter came over, but our senora served us lunch and then reset the table for her family. We felt kinda like we were kicked out or something....but whatever, we had work to do
The best part of the day came later. We had found out that there was a fashion show going on, so around 8:30 we went to Puerta Real ( a plaza) and checked out the free outside legit fashion show. We saw pretty dresses, normal street clothes, and then BOY IN UNDIES!
After the show, we went to this amazing music festival on the outskirts of Granada, technically another city, but it was only a 10-15 min ride. It was SOO hippie. I was dressed so inappropriately wearing a white button down shirt and jeans and flats, while everyone else was wearing the hippiest clothes ever, but it was still saaawweeeet. It was called Mujeres del Mediteraneo (women of the Mediterranean). It was celebrating women musicians pretty much. We saw 3 bands preform and the crowd and everyone was just soo great. we were dancing like crazy, so hot, and so fun. Carrie and a bunch of other girls in the program got a chance to go on stage and dance with the musicians!!! there were like 1,000 people there so that was pretty CRAZY! I took so many pictures! hahah
We were all so hungry and so when we left we got these things called "Shwarmas" - its like a pita with meat/fallafels and veggies and sauce and deliciousness. It was the perfect end to a great night!!! it tasted sooo good.
Tomorrow we plan on just doing more homework and sleeping.
HOpe all is well!!
miss and love ya'll hah
Kate

Bueno,

so we started classes on Monday and I have been sooo busy with them. It is so tiring taking 5 classes in Spanish that when I get home, and after we eat lunch, I either have to work or I pass out.

Here is my schedule

Monday: Grammar class in the morning, then an hour break, then Islamic Civilization then lunch at 2:30

Tuesday: Grammar, Flamenco Practice, Experience of the Other (all right in a row) then I eat lunch at the center because I don't have enough time to go home, and then Flamenco theory at 3:30

Wednesday: Grammar, Islamic Art, Civilization, (all in a row) then lunch(2:30)...then I come back at 4:45 for Art again but this is like fun walks/visits around the city

Thursday: Grammar, Flamenco practice, Experience of the Other then lunch at 2:30

I guess most people have more night classes than that, but whatever. Monday and Wednesday I start a 9:50 am, but Tuesday and Thursday I start at 8:40 ewwww.

It's kind of overwhelming having all my classes in Spanish so I might drop one and add Women in Mediterranean Film in English, I haven't decided.

As for buying books, it wasn't too bad. I only had to buy one real book for 21 euros for my grammar class. The other material were all like photocopied packets that all together probably cost 31 euros, soooo I'd say thats pretty damn good compared to the states!!!

All the teachers are awesome. Fabiola, my grammar teacher, is really hard to understand, but she is super nice. She doesn't shave her arms which is kinda funny, but she is short and cute. My flamenco teacher is SOOO fast. She like doesn't understand we can't follow that speedy haha but she is also really sweet and sexy (at least when she is dancing). My Civilization teacher is awesome. He has this sweet glasses and kinda reminds me of a thin Robin Williams cause he always has these sneakers on, glasses, and his arms are hairy.

Last night was really nice. Carrie and I went to tapas with some friends and sat out side. It was really nice. I really like Julia and her roommate Katie, and then Brady and Will. I have discovered the BEST drink EVER. Its Coconut Malibu with Pineapple juice. DELICIOUS!!!! And the tapas were pretty good too...these little burger things and tortilla espanola and some other things.

Today we had an orientation for our trip to Morocco! It was CRAZY. This trip is gonna blow my mind. We aren't doing the touristy things. We are going first to Gibraltar and spending the night there and seeing the MONKEYS! Then we go to Morocco on a ferry and end up in Rabat (the capital). We are spending 2 nights with Moroccan families!!! There will be like 4 people per homestay. The families like don't speak any English or spanish so it's gonna be interesting.

People there really do wipe themselves with their left hand and shake/eat with their right! GROSSSSS. We were told we have to bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Some of the homes might also not have showers or toilets or some combo or something. We probably won't be showering much on this trip! Also they eat with their hand, not utensils, so they have to use their right hand! It's like weird to use their left (duh, it's gross and dirty! hahah). SO I am not supposed to use my left hand while eating there so it's gonna be tough since I am SOOO left handed hahah.

This is gonna be quite the experience and I am sooo psyched yet terrified at the same time hahaha.

I'll try and put some pics up soon of Sevilla and Ronda.
I have some interesting plans for this weekend, but I will reveal them later depending on what happens..... I know it's bothering you isn't it! hahah

Hope all is well in the USA. Please email me or leave a comment or something! I love hearing from people.

Oh and today I went shopping and bought a dress for like $19 and a little purse thing for 9!! not bad huh?!

LOVE
Kate

Buenas,

We just got back from our trip to Sevilla and Ronda. It was a really good trip. Ronda is so cute. It is pretty much built around these huge cliffs and so there are tall bridges spanning over the canyon. It's a very typical cute old Spanish city. Lots of cobble stone streets and tiny areas. The homes were built first before the streets so the streets just curve around and follow the homes. We saw the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain and took a nice long walk throughout it. I got some great pictures of scenic views from Ronda!

We only spent a few hours there and then continued our drive up to Sevilla. When we got to Sevilla we just relaxed until dinner and most of us took little naps. Dinner was really nice though. It was "cocktail" styled (they just say Cocktail here!! haha) so it was standing the whole time. If I had known that I wouldn't have worn heels. My feet hurt the rest of the trip! haha. Anyway, the food was really tasty. We got a little taste of all sorts of Spanish food. I don't really know the names of anything but there was a little spoon of paella, a cup of gestpacho, and some other weird things that were, well, all very foreign! haha.

On saturday we got up early and took a walk to los Reales Alcázares, which is like the palace of the kings of spain. It was amazing. Truly incredible. There were parts that looked very arabic but they were actually christian because they were destroyed by an earthquake but the Christians had this tradition of keeping the castles they conquered and keeping them the same way to show their power over that culture. So they rebuilt the palace/chruch/ area in the same style it was before just without the Islamic meanings. The tile work was ridiculous. I took so many pictures. We split into like 4 groups and our leader (Lupe) was/is sooo nice. She is going to my teacher for Islamic Art and Architecture. In this palace area, in the garden, there was a Labyrinth!! It used to be a lot bigger and much harder to get lost in but with the city being so built up now, they have cut it down to a tiny one. But we still got to through it. It felt like we were in Harry Potter! haha it was so sweet.

After that we went to the 3rd largest Cathedral in the WORLD! la Catedral y Giralda. It was of course amazing. The "giralda" is a tower that is right next to the Cathedral that holds the bells. Its really tall so we could go up and see amazing views of the city. There aren't stairs going up just a ramp because they used to take horses up to the top so they couldnt have stairs. By the time we got to the Church though my batteries died and I had left my extras in the Hotel. I'll steal photos from other people! Inside the church was mind blowing, but it was interesting to hear that it is thought that the bones of Christopher Columbus might be buried in the church, they could also be in Costa Rica i think she said. Bones are being tested in the lab right now.

After that we had free time to get lunch, nap, and walk around. We got lunch and then shopped at H&M for a bit and then napped. But afterwards was so much fun! We went to a Flamenco show. There were 4 people, a guitarist, a singer, and 2 dancers. The dancers mainly danced on their own. I didn't realize how much of an individual dance it was and how much tap was really involved. I am a little scared for my class now, but still super excited. The guy dancer really impressed us all moving his feet faster than I thought was humanly possible. After the show we went to a professional soccer game of Sevilla's team. It was pretty impressive but to be honest it didn't even compare to the craziness of a PSU vs OSU/U of M football game! hahah. Most of the IES students were amazed by the fans and how much noise they made and the excitement in the air, but man they should come to Happy Valley and see the real deal. It was still a really good game and Sevilla won, 4-3. After the game some people went out, but I just went back to the room because it was already 1 am and i was tired. Oh and we watched Entourage (HBO show) in spanish!

Today we went to the Fine Arts museum in Sevilla. It was a beautiful museum because it used to be an old church and convent. It was pretty small and I think the building impressed me a little more than the art. It was all very religious art which for me gets kinda boring after a while. I still liked seeing all the beauftiful paintings but I have enjoyed other museums more.

Tomorrow is our first day of classes and I am pretty excited. I am ready to have a regular schedule and see who my teachers and classmates are.

Alright, thats all for now. everything is going well and hope all is also well at home.
Miss everyone
love
Kate

Hola,

so yesterday and today we had our language level placement exams. Today was the oral/interview part. The teacher said I would probably be placed in 377, which is like the middle class. There is an intermediate level that is 6 credits and thats for people who have taken very little Spanish, then there is another class and then mine, and then like 3 more levels. So I am right about in the middle. Sounds about right to me.

Tomorrow we leave for Sevilla and Ronda, but tonight we are going out. Salir de marcha they call it...it's when you go to a pub and then to a discotecha very late into the night. I am excited for tonight and more so this weekend in Sevilla.

Here is my itinerary...its in Spanish but I'll make a few comments

Viernes, 12
9:00
Salida de Granada
11:30 Llegada a Ronda --> arrive in Ronda
12:00 Visita guiada del puente, el casco antiguo y los baños árabes --> Visit some monuments and the Arabic Baths
14:00 Tiempo libre para comer (Pic-nic) --> Free Time and FOOD
15:15 Visita de la Plaza de Toros --> Visit Plaza de Torros, I think we will see a really old bull fighting ring
16:30 Salida de Ronda --> Leave Ronda
18:30 Llegada a Sevilla: Hotel Bécquer (Reyes Católicos, 4)
21:00 Salida del hotel para la cena--> eating dinner in Sevilla...we are going to a kinda nice place supposedly
21:30 Cena en el Restaurante Río Grande

Sábado, 13
8:45 Desayuno en el Hotel
9:15 Salida del Hotel hacia los Reales Alcázares --> visit Alcazares...i dunno?!
10:00 Visita a los Reales Alcázares y paseo por el Barrio de Santa Cruz
12:30 Tiempo libre --> free time
13:25 Visita a la Catedral y Giralda --> visit church
14:45 Tiempo libre
19:30 Espectáculo flamenco en la Casa de la Memoria --> We are going to see a sweet Flamenco show!!
22:00 Partido de fútbol entre el Sevilla F.C y el Sporting de Gijón --> We are seeing a professional "futbol" game
SALIDA directamente desde el espectáculo flamenco hacia el Estadio

Domingo,
14 hasta las 10:25 Desayuno en el Hotel
11:00 Tiempo libre. Visitas opcionales en Sevilla
a. Museo de Bellas Artes
b. Torre del Oro y parque de María Luisa
c. Tiempo libre
15:30 Salida desde el Hotel
18:30 Llegada a Granada

Ok and finally I uploaded some pictures on to my blog. I'll add some here to this entry, but to see more go http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/stream/size/M/photoID/301106/users/katesobel/
I hope that works...if not you have to go to my profile and click on my photo album

hi ya'll,

so I tried to put pictures on this blog, but this site doesn't handle pictures well. it froze up my computer totally, so I will try again some other time.

Yesterday and today have been pretty normal. Class, lunch, relax, each dinner/go out, sleep and do it again. But there are a few interesting things I have noticed. I don't know if I have mentioned it on one of these blogs yet or not, but people in Spain really don't use the words please and thank you or excuse me often. The teachers/organizers always have to remind us NOT to be so polite! hahah. Also obviously we know lunch is a big thing here, well the last two days we have been late for lunch (2:30) because our classses have gone a bit long. We called and told our host mom that we would be late, and both times we would get home around 2:45. Yesterday our host mom and brother started without us, and today they had completely finished without us! It was so weird. Its like they couldn't wait those 15 mins for us to get home. We learned that lunch is really important and that people don't start eating until everyone is there, its the big family meal, they do it at the same time all the time....but like couldn't they have waited for us?! haha

I don't really care, we still ate the food, it was just weird.

Yesterday we went on a walk of Sacramonte. This is the part of Granada where the "gypsies" are known to live. Its also the area of los cuevos (caves). Lots of the homes, bars, disco techas, etc are built into the caves. they are soo cute. They have all been painted white and you can;t even tell they are caves from the outside really, but when you go in, it totally is cave like with little rooms and rocky ceilings and small arches. That was pretty cool, and the area also has some great views of the Alhambra. Sacramonte is located right next to the Albayzin and looks pretty much the same, just poorer...so i liked the Albayzin more. There is one disco techa in Sacramonte that I want to go to. It's built into a cave and its called Cambodia. It's supposed to be a really nice one. Someday I will have to go there.

Tonight I am going to watch a movie at the IES center on the roof top. i don't know what movie it is, but it's in spanish, s the title wouldn't help me anyway.

Tomorrow we are taking a language placement test that will put us in a specific grammar class for the semester. I think its a two day test! And then this weekend we go to Sevilla y Ronda for 3 days! That should be a lot of fun. I won't be able to write while I am there of course, but I will let you all know all about it afterwards, then on monday we start classes!

Last night after the walk, we went to a restaurant and had dinner/tapas, then went to a little bar and had a drink, then went to an "irish pub" hannigans and sons and watched some tennis and sang along to lots of american music, and then we went to this club/bar thing. I didn't stay there very long cause by the time we got there it was like 11"30...i stayed till 12:30 and then went home. The bar was WAY tooooo american. it was filled with americanos! like 25IES students, a few students from another program, and all the bar tenders spoke english. I felt weird cause it didn't feel special. I don't think I really want to go there again. But it was still a fun night. Tomrrow we don't have class till 10 so i get to sleep in!! yay

I guess thats all for now. Hasta luego,
Kste