Day trips and discotecas...

Last weekend was a little crazy (in the crazy-busy sort of way) and definitely a lot of fun! Elena Pappas, a friend from Ellington, visited me from Thursday evening through Sunday morning. Elena's a senior at UMASS Amherst and this semester she's studying abroad in Thessaloniki, Greece. She arrived via bus on Thursday afternoon and we spent our first night together catching up and walking around the city. We found her hostel, which was actually in a great location in central Granada, and then went out for a few tapas and drinks at two of my favorite bars in the city.

The next morning we met up at 10:00am and made the most of the day. We started out by shopping for trinkets, scarves and souvenirs in the center of the city, on the small streets near the Catedral and the Plaza Bib Rambla. Later we walked up to the Alhambra where we bought tickets to enter the monument later that afternoon. The Alhambra is the thing to visit when you visit Granada, think of it as the Eiffel Tower or the Times Square of Granada- it's that important and rich in history. It was built in the 14th century by the Moorish monarchy first as a military fortress. It later became a citadel, containing much more than just the military fortress but the royal palaces, summer homes and gardens as well. While waiting for our appointed visit time, Elena and I walked over to the Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter of Granada, located close to the Alhambra. There we explored the narrow streets (getting lost only for a few minutes...) in search of the Mirador de San Nicolas, a small plaza known for its beautiful views of Granada, the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada. At 2:00pm we headed back up to the Alhambra for our visit. Here are some photos I took from within the Alhambra... you'd never believe that it was the end of October what with all the flowers and bright colors!

Inside the Generalife, the summer palace and gardens of the Alhambra.

One of the palaces in the Generalife and the Patio de la Acequia.

Windows in the Generalife adorned with arabesques.

A view of Granada from inside the Alhambra grounds. I love this city!

Elena and me on top of one of the towers of the Alcazaba, the fortress/military headquarters of the Alhambra.

After touring the Alhambra, it was late in the afternoon... almost 4:00pm or so... and being as starving as we were at that point, we stopped for a quick bite to eat. Around 5:00pm, Elena headed back to her hostel for a bit and I headed home to take care of a few things for the upcoming week and to get ready for going out later that night. I met up with her again around 7:00pm and we did a little more souvenir shopping until meeting up with John for tapas at 8:30pm. That night we went out to a few different bars in the city before heading over to botellón with a small group of friends.

Saturday morning we got up early again, this time for a day trip to Ronda, a small city in the province of Málaga. We met up with some of my friends, most of whom are teaching English here in Granada, and packed ourselves into two cars for the two hour drive. Despite being exhausted on the way there, we had a great day with everyone walking around and exploring Ronda. While it's a really small city (you can see everything there is to see in 1-2 days) it is absolutely beautiful! The region is very mountainous and has some spectacular viewpoints. The Guadelevin River separates the city into two sections that are connected by the Puente Nuevo, one of the most famous bridges in all of Spain. The views from this bridge are incredible... you can see for miles and miles canyons, cliffs, mountains, fields, rolling hills, de todo un poco. We spent our day walking around the city, taking in the views, and hitting the major sites, like the Puente Nuevo and the Plaza de Toros, a bullring built in 1785 and one of the oldest in Spain. Here are a few of the photos that I took during our trip to Ronda:

One of many incredible views in Ronda.

John, me and Elena.

Puente Nuevo. This bridge was constructed in the 18th century over the Guadelevin River.

The English teachers! (L-R) Kelsea, me, Lauren, Jillian and Lindsay.

A shot of the canyons taken from the bridge.

After returning to Granada, we took a quick nap before heading out again that night. After meeting up with a group of friends, we headed to a club (discoteca) called Camborio, where I had never been before. The club was really cool... built into a cave up by the Albaicín, it has a few different floors, outdoor terraces and awesome views of the Alhambra which are even more impressive as the sun starts to rise! Unfortunately, Elena and I couldn't stay out "too" late, as she had to take a flight to Barcelona early the next morning. So, at 6:00am we left the club to take a "nap" before heading to the airport at 9:00am! It was a non-stop, on-the-go weekend with practically no sleep, but it was definitely one of the best weekends I've had here so far!

Tomorrow, I'll be traveling again... this time to Madrid! John and I are leaving Granada at 9:00am tomorrow morning and making the five hour bus ride up to the capital to visit Anais, who's taking a few courses there until February. We'll be there through next Monday evening and are trying to plan a day-trip to Segovia, another pretty city outside of Madrid. I'll post pictures next week when I have some free time!

Hope everyone's doing well back home! Sending you all lots and lots of love,
-Katie

The simple truth of the matter is...

...that I am completely in love with Spain :)

All the hassles I had to deal with this past summer preparing for the trip, all the stress, all the money spent... totally worth it. Returning to Spain for the year was the best possible decision that I could have made and I see that so clearly now, even if I had my doubts at times before. Thank you, everyone, for supporting me and for encouraging me to come back to Granada! Everyday I feel a little bit more at home, a little bit better at my job, a little bit more fluent in Spanish.

Do I really have to leave next summer?

A trip to la Alpujarra: Pampaneira and Bubión

Last Saturday, I went along with John and the rest of GRIIS to la Alpujarra, a region of small mountain villages nestled away in Granada's Sierra Nevada. In February of 2009, when I was studying abroad with GRIIS, I went on a day trip to la Alpujarra. However, it was really chilly and gray as it was still the middle of winter. This time, being the middle of October, it was warm, sunny and full of wonderful, bright colors. I can't even explain how beautiful the region is. It's a completely different world altogether from Granada and is very peaceful, tranquil, quiet, relaxing... There are some 50-or-so small villages in la Alpujarra and their whitewashed houses with flat roofs and mazes of narrow streets date back to Moorish times, some five centuries ago. These villages were the last stronghold of the Spanish Muslims, or Moors, after the Reyes Católicos took back the city of Granada from the Muslims in 1492. Soon thereafter, all the area's Moors were forced to convert to Christianity; those who refused fled to the mountains, thus settling the remote, inaccessible area now called "La Alpujarra." As the years passed, more and more Christians went to la Alpujarra and now, very few people living in the villages can trace back to their Muslim roots. The villages, however, remain excellent "links" between the past and the present and transport visitors (like me!) back in time...

We took a bus from Granada to Pampaneira and then hiked from that village to Bubión. Here are some pictures from our day-trip!

Pampaneira

Walking through the village.

A view from a terrace.

Starting the hike from Pampaneira to Bubión; a view of Pampaneira.

Hiking!

The group, minus Teresa and Damien.

Bubión

La plaza de la iglesia, Bubión.

Walking along the streets.

The definition of beautiful.

I'd love to go back to la Alpujarra next spring and rent an apartment in one of the villages for a peaceful, relaxing weekend outside of the city. Hopefully I'll be able to!

On another note: Today, October 19th, marks my first full month back in Spain! Unbelievable... it feels like just yesterday it was the middle of July and I was still counting down the months I had left to wait!

Miss you all back home, sending lots of love your way!

¡Besos!

I love my job!

I can't believe that I've already had my first two full work-weeks at Alba Longa! I'm happy to say that I love my job, my "co-workers" and my students! As you all already know, I work Mondays-Thursdays with students in 1° ESO and 2° ESO, the Spanish equivalents of 7^th and 8^th grade. I technically work 12 hours a week, with eight of those hours being split in the classroom between 1° ESO and 2° ESO and the remaining four hours being individual meetings with the teachers of the classes to talk about our classes, etc. However, I'm actually in the school about 16 hours a week, spending a little extra time planning my lessons, printing materials, preparing presentations, talking with the other teachers, etc. I help out in the bilingual program which means that the students that I teach have half of their classes in English and the other half in Spanish. My classes are English, Technology, Physical Education (which here is more than just a gym class, it's actually a mix of biology, health and gym), Math and Natural Science. Here's my schedule:

Monday: Physical Education with 1° ESO

               English with 1° ESO

               Natural Science with 1° ESO

Tuesday: Meeting with Rosa, the math teacher

Wednesday: Math with 1° ESO

                    Technology with 2° ESO

                    Math with 2° ESO 

                    English with 2° ESO 

Thursday: Meeting with Javier, the technology teacher

                Meeting with Manolo, the physical education teacher

                Meeting with Ramon, the natural science teacher

                Natural Science with 2° ESO

(Lourdes is the English teacher; since she's my "boss," we don't have a weekly planning period, we usually talk about our classes together over coffee during one of the two daily "recreos" in between classes or by email.)

I really can't complain about any of my classes; truthfully, I like them all! I really like my English classes, my Physical Education class and my Math classes. For technology and natural science, I've found that I, too, need to study just like the students because it's been ages since I've studied the material myself! A lot of what I do in Technology and Natural Science is translation between the terms and ideas in Spanish into English and vice versa. Many times, Javier or Ramon have asked me "And this? Katie, how do we explain this in English?" and I have to say "Umm, let me get back to you tomorrow; I've got to look it up!" Things like mechanical pencil, t-set squares, measuring density using the metric system- all these things are new to me in Spanish let alone translating from one language to the other! 

The kids are awesome; todos son encantos. They're at a good age where they're not bratty and yet they still have a lot of energy and want to learn. They're fun because we can joke around in English and Spanish, and yet they know enough about when to listen and pay attention. Maybe it's because they're excited to have a "foreign" assistant, maybe it's because it's only been two weeks- all I know is that they're really good, nice kids so far :) I know that I shouldn't have "favorites," but I do... in 1° ESO, a boy named David and a girl named Alexandra are particularly cute, always asking me millions of questions both in and out of class about my weekend, my hometown, how to say specific things, etc. The call me "teacher" and say thank you after everything... adorable! There are also two girls who are not in either of my classes (they're not part of the bilingual program) who make it a point to run into me everyday in the hallways. They always say hello and want to speak with me in English about anything in general. They're both 13 and one says that she wants to be an English teacher one day. 

The teachers at IES are great, too! I was really nervous before starting work that I wouldn't feel accepted, that I'd be on the outside, etc. but all that negativity has gone completely out the window. The five teachers that I work directly with are super nice and very interested in my input, background, etc. I'm constantly asking them about Spanish grammar, etc. and they, too, always ask me to correct their English! Except for my technology class, which follows a stricter syllabus, I am able to have a lot of say as to what lessons I want to cover while I'm in the classroom. I can take as active of a role in the day's lesson as I want, which is wonderful. I do most of the talking in my English and Math classes while I play more of a supporting role in the Natural Science, Technology and Physical Education classes. I'm sure my role will continue to develop and change as the year goes on but for now, I'm pretty content. I get along with everyone really well... who knew that as an International Business and Spanish major I'd like being a teacher so much?! :)

On a completely different note, this past week my other host sister, Cristina, has been with us in Granada. (I mentioned this briefly in my last post, in case it sounds familiar to you.) Cristina turns 29 at the end of the month and she's currently spending a year in Edinburgh, Scotland to study English. It's been awesome having her at home with us this past week; John, Anais, Cristina and I have been spending just about all of our free time together. Today, Anais left for Madrid (she'll be taking a few courses at the university there until the end of February) and tomorrow afternoon Cristina's heading back to Edinburgh. John and I don't want either of them to leave! But, in two weeks, John and I are going to travel to Madrid to spend a 4-day weekend there with Anais. Cristina won't be home again until Christmas, but Anais and I are going to try to visit her in Scotland sometime next spring. Even if they're not here in Granada, I know we'll see each other enough :) Here's a picture of the three of us that we took last night:

Cristina, me and Anais. Are my host sisters beautiful or what?!

Well, it's back to work for me. I've got a few things to prepare for my classes tomorrow as well as some preparations for my tutoring tomorrow afternoon. This upcoming week I don't have anything set in stone as far as trips or special plans are concerned, but I do have a few things that I've been meaning to do... firstly, I need to buy some Spanish textbooks and have a few study sessions. I'm at the point where I've more or less got the grammar down pat, but I need to expand my vocabulary and learn more complicated expressions, etc.! I've also been meaning to wander around the city and take pictures for all of you back home! I'll post some pictures of Granada sometime next weekend, ¡os lo prometo!  

¡Hasta luego!

An afternoon in Padul...

Yesterday, October 12th, was a national holiday here in Spain, just like it was back home in the States. Therefore, I had the day off from work to celebrate the "Fiesta Nacional de España." Like our Columbus Day, the Fiesta Nacional commemorates the exact date when Christopher Columbus first set a foot in the Americas. I've heard that there's usually a big parade in Madrid but plenty of smaller celebrations take place throughout the rest of the country.

Since none of us had work or class, Ana, Anais, Cristina (my other host sister, who's studying for the year in Scotland, is back in Granada for a week!), John and I went to Padul to have lunch with Ana's mother, Ana, her sister, Gema, and Gema's husband, Elías. Padul is a suburb of Granada and it's maybe a half an hour ride by car from our apartment to the town. We went to the family's cortijo (country house) to have paella for lunch and to spend some time walking around enjoying the countryside. Before eating, Elías, Cristina, Anais, John and I went for a walk. It's so lovely here... the southern Spanish countryside is just completely unlike anything in New England. Yesterday was warm and sunny (hard to believe that it's the middle of fall!) and I was able to take some great pictures of Padul and the Sierra Nevada.

Elías, Anais, John and Cristina.

A neighbor's cortijo.

Aren't the views of the Sierra breathtaking?

Me and John.

I love this picture!

Olivos (Olive trees)

Anais with a saltamontes (grasshopper).

After we walked for about an hour, we returned to the cortijo for lunch. Ana was preparing pinchitos as her mother prepared the bread, salad and paella. We all sat down to eat on the patio and, as always, the food was delicious. We ate until we couldn't possibly take another bite... it was a wonderful afternoon!

Pinchitos (pork skewers).

Paella de pollo (rice, chicken and vegetables).

Leche frita (a sweet dessert, I don't know how better to describe it!)

Upon returning home, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation for one of my classes that I had today. After I finished my work, John, Cristina, Anais and I watched a "horror" movie in Spanish about a virus that swept through an apartment building in Barcelona, turning the residents into human-eating zombies. Needless to say, it wasn't the scariest movie that I've ever seen, but it was fun nonetheless. Tonight's another movie night at home but after work tomorrow it's the weekend! I'll post again on Sunday... until then, ciao!