España, no eres perfecta pero de todas formas te quiero.

Happy end-of-January, everyone! It's not a particularly special time of month for any reason other than the fact that I've now been here in Spain for just about four and a half months! What's scary to think about (for me, at least) is the fact that I've only got another four and a half months to go until I'm back in the States again. How is it possible that I'm already at the halfway point of my year teaching abroad?! How did it go by this quickly- did I miss something? Did I sleep through an entire month at some point? Is there any possible way to slow down time to make these next few months drag by? (Unfortunately, I don't think so.) So that's why, at my "halfway point," I'd like to share with you all a few things that I love and a few others that I don't exactly love about living and working here in Granada. It may not be perfect, but at the end of the day it's one of my favorite places in the world!

What annoys me most about Granada number 5: Explaining my hair color to Spaniards.

Okay, so this one really isn't a major annoyance, but rather more like a never-ending disagreement. Back home in the States, ask anyone who knows me (or ask any stranger that I pass by on the street, for that matter) my hair color and they'll say, "She's a brunette." Right. Agreed. My hair is brown. Not yellow, not orange- brown. It may not be a very dark brown, but it's a shade of brown nonetheless. However, my Spanish friends, family and coworkers (and just about everyone else in this country) all consider me to be  "rubia" or "blonde." What an outrageous thought! I don't claim to know everything but I do know that my hair is most definitely not blonde. (Reese Witherspoon is blonde, my brother Joey is blonde... me? No way!) Furthermore, Spanish people refuse to believe me when I try to explain that, technically, where I come from, I'm considered a brunette. When I say this, they simply laugh and shake their heads back and forth. Some of my closest Spanish friends have even lovingly (at least I hope it's lovingly!) taken to calling me "ginger" like we so affectionately call extreme redheads in the States. Wonderful. I'm the girl who can't even describe her own hair color over here... blonde, yes, redhead, maybe, brunette, whoa, crazy talk! Over time, I've learned to accept the fact that while back home I'm "Katie, a brunette," here in Spain I will forever be "Kah-tee, la rubia." or "Kah-tee, la ginger."

What I love most about Granada number 5: The fact that I never need a car to get anywhere.

One of the things that I love most about living in a city is the fact that I can walk just about everywhere. If I need to mail a package, I walk 15 minutes to the Post Office in the center of the city. If I need new jeans, I walk 15 minutes in any direction from my house and I'm surrounded by any number of clothing stores. If I run out of gum or shampoo, the nearest supermarket is just across the street from where I live. I love constantly being outside in the fresh air and I thoroughly enjoy watching and interacting with the people I encounter on the street. Even getting to work in Armilla is a breeze. I have a ten minute walk to the bus stop, a 15 minute bus ride and another two minute walk to the school. Public transportation not only takes me to work everyday but also allows me to travel throughout the region of Andalucía and the country as a whole very affordably. What a sense of freedom to not have to rely on a car for transportation! Back home in Ellington, I can't even walk to my friends' homes and they live in the same town! Another plus, I have nine whole months free of one of my biggest pet peeves- having to pay for gas. I absolutely loathe paying for gas; it bothers me at a very deep level. Why? Gas is expensive, it doesn't last long and my Dodge Durango guzzles it by the gallon, leaving me pondering (in great frustration) multiple times a week, "Wait... I'm down to under a quarter tank?! What, how...?! Didn't I just spend $40 filling the tank two days ago?!" It annoys me so much that I often drive my car until it barely has any gas left at all! Only then will I reluctantly go to the gas station. Just ask my Dad or my brothers- they're often very angry with me when they go to use the car and find its gas light lit up, as it frequently is. Here in Spain, I'm definitely loving my time spent walking everywhere and my freedom from gasoline!

What annoys me most about Granada number 4: The sidewalks on rainy days.

Back home, we're used to less-than-perfect weather conditions, especially in New England. We're used to cold, snowy winters and wet, rainy springs. What this means is that when I have to walk outside on a sidewalk in incremental weather in the States, I don't fear for my life the way I do here in Granada. I don't know whose grand idea it was, but just about all of the sidewalks in the city center (a.k.a. just about all of the sidewalks near my apartment) are made of marble. Whatever happened to plain, concrete sidewalks? Sure, they're not as pretty, but they're much more practical! I can't tell you all how many times I've slipped and slid on the sidewalks here while it's raining... even while walking at a ridiculously slow and cautious pace. It's awful. Hopefully it won't rain much more this year and I won't have to worry about breaking an ankle while out running errands or walking to the bus stop...

What I love most about Granada number 4: The weather.

Okay, I know that I just wrote a whole paragraph ranting about Granada's sidewalks on rainy days, but overall I really can't complain about the weather here. For the most part, it's amazing. Fall is warm, winter is snow-free and mild and spring comes in February. No below freezing temperatures or black ice covered roads? No need to scrape ice, slush and snow off my car every morning? No rainy, miserable springs that don't come until March or even sometimes, April? Sign me up! Case in point- the past two weeks. Everyone back home has been telling me about the incredible winter storms in New England and how Ellington already has accumulated two and a half feet of snow with more predicted to fall this weekend! Not here in Granada, though! I've been walking around the city with a normal coat, enjoying mostly-sunny days and mid-50 degree temperatures. I could definitely get used to this type of weather all the time!

What annoys me most about Granada number 3: The napkins.

I love going out for tapas here in Granada; in fact, it's one of the traditions that Granada is best known for. Whatever the kind of food you get, it's almost always 1) delicious and 2) a finger-food. So, you'd think that they'd have decent napkins in the restaurant or bar to help you not make a mess of yourself. Nope. The type of napkins here in Spain are small, greasy little things with the words "Gracias por su visita" written on them. They're awful and they certainly don't do anything useful. The napkins are slick to the touch, too... I think that they may actually be greasier than the tapas you eat! Once I spilled some tinto de verano while out at a bar. It was just a little splash, nothing major, and I went to wipe it up with a napkin. Well, one napkin turned into two napkins turned into three napkins (you get the idea...) until I had a mountainous pile of about 15 useless napkins on the table in front of me. I actually made more of a mess trying to clean up the wine (the napkins did nothing more than spread the liquid around the table) than I did by originally spilling it! If I'm ever broke at one point in my life, I intend to start up a napkin factory here in Spain and market them to all the bars and restaurants in the area. I'll make millions.

What I love most about Granada number 3: Going out for tapas!

Despite the pathetic excuses for napkins that you find while out to eat, going out for tapas is a wonderful tradition! When you go out for "tapas," you spend the night wandering from bar to bar, having a drink here, two drinks there, drinking, eating and chatting with friends. No matter what you order- a beer, a glass of wine, a soda, a mixed drink- you receive one tapa per drink. When you order your next drink, you receive another tapa, almost always different from the first you received. Every bar and restaurant has its own style of tapas... some are more typical "Spanish" foods, some are larger portions, some are dishes from around the world, etc. What's even better... the tapas here in Granada are free! Most nights, I end up spending around six euros on a few beers and a glass of soda and with these drinks I receive a full meal! There's no need to have or pay for dinner while you're out for tapas; the food you receive for free is your dinner. How wonderful! I wish that we had something like this in the States... I remember being very disappointed upon returning home back in the summer of '09 and noticing that when I would go to order a drink out at night, there would be no accompanying tapa to go with it. The general feeling of "Hey, waiter, you forgot to give me something!" is one that is hard to shake back in the States after you've spent any amount of time going out for tapas in Granada!

What annoys me most about Granada number 2: The lack of to-go cups.

It may not seem like such a big deal, but yes, the lack of to-go cups here in Granada definitely annoys me. I'm what you would call a "coffee-lover;" coffee and I are very good friends. I drink it everyday- no matter the time, it's a great pick-me-up and gives me that little extra energy boost I need. It's especially imperative that I have my coffee every morning when I wake up. Some mornings, in my rush to get out the door and make it to school by the time my first class of the day begins, I don't have time to have more that a few sips of coffee with a quick breakfast before I head out the door. If I were in the States, this issue would be solved by grabbing a coffee to-go for my morning commute. However, here in Granada, no one ever drinks coffee to go. In the five months that I was here in 2009 and the four months that I've been here now, the only people that I've ever seen with coffee in a to-go cup were American study-abroad students, and very few of them at that. In the States, almost everyone drinks their coffee to-go- while driving to work, while walking to class, while out doing errands- at any moment. My morning commutes would sure be a lot more manageable if I could enjoy a nice, hot cup of coffee on the bus... oh well!

What I love most about Granada number 2: The "siesta" and the fact that hardly anything is open on Sunday.

If you had asked me two years ago, this would definitely have made it to the "what annoys me" list. However, since then I've really come to love the fact that everything closes for "siesta" in the afternoon (roughly between 2:00pm and 5:00pm) and that nearly all the city's stores are closed on Sundays. When I'm at home in the States, I use Sunday as a day to "run errands" and "go shopping." While it is nice to have the convenience to shop on Sunday, I've come to appreciate the fact that here in Granada I don't have that option. Why? Because it means that Sunday really is a day of rest, of relaxation, of spending time with friends and loved ones. Every Sunday, I look forward to taking walks in Parque García Lorca, a park right next to my apartment building, going out for an afternoon coffee, relaxing in the apartment with Ana and Cristina, etc. The same can be said for the daily "siesta" (and okay, yes, while the word does technically translate to "nap" and while, yes, I do enjoy "durmiendo la siesta" every now and then, not everyone sleeps during this time). Since everything's closed between the hours of 2:00pm and 5:00pm, it's a time to go home and eat lunch, the main meal of the day, with one's family. There's no rushing or feeling of "I'd better eat quickly and get back to work..." Instead, it's a time to relax and recharge one's batteries. I've come to love the siesta and I think that we Americans would benefit from such a concept, too...

What annoys me most about Granada number 1: The fact that life hardly ever runs according to schedule.

What a hassle this is! I'm not sure, maybe it's the East-coast American in me, but I like it when buses and other means of public transportation run on schedule. I like knowing that when I have an appointment at a certain time, I will almost always have the appointment at that certain time, give or take a few minutes. This is most definitely not the case here in Spain as the concepts of "time" and "schedule" and "convenience" somewhat differ from our expectations and concepts of the same three words in the States. I can read the bus schedule as many times as I want, but I'm still never sure about when exactly it'll be at the bus stop. Many times I've left the house or my school with plenty of time until the next bus, only to find myself running down the street after it. Other times I've thought, "Well, it's never on time, I'll leave five minutes early today" only to be waiting ten to fifteen minutes before it arrives! On just about every trip that I've taken this year, whether it has involved a bus or a plane, I've had some sort of delay. I have to admit that I really admire the Spaniards' patience when it comes to this sort of thing... while they, for the most part, accept the fact that things probably won't leave or happen on time and for the most part, they don't get too bent out of shape. (My frustration, on the other hand, is somewhat slightly more visible on my face.) One thing's definitely for sure, I'm certainly becoming a more patient individual over here in Spain!

What I love most about Granada number 1: The fact that life hardly ever runs according to schedule.

Yes, that's right. What I love most about living here in Granada is also the thing that most annoys me. Seems strange, right? Well, not if you really think about it. While I would like a bus to come on schedule every now and then, and while it would be convenient to know exactly when something starts, in reality, I love the less-hectic pace of life here in Spain. I never feel rushed or hurried and I'm surrounded by a culture and a people who always make sure that they relax and enjoy themselves everyday. When I'm walking somewhere, I don't worry about arriving on time because I know that if I'm a little late, it's okay. I have been able to learn to "slow down"- to walk a little slower, to eat slower, to look up and notice what's around me. An excellent example of where I've noticed this is at my job. As I sit in the teachers' lounge after our breaks every day, the bell rings signaling the start of the next period. However, no one jumps up and starts grabbing his or her material in a rush to the door. No. The teachers finish their conversations, their coffees, their last-minute preparations and then head to the classroom. Many times I'll be finishing up an activity for a class when the bell rings and the teacher that I'm about to work with will tell me not to worry, to take my time and finish and meet him or her up in the classroom when I'm ready. It's very refreshing. Don't get me wrong- work is still done, deadlines are still met and progress is made- but at a much less hectic pace. I ask you in advance- try not to be upset with me if when I come back I'm not as punctual (a.k.a. getting everywhere early!) as I usually am!

So, there you have it. Five things that annoy me and five things that I absolutely love about Spanish life. At the end of the day, and despite some minor annoyances, I still have to say that all-in-all, I do love living here in Granada!

¿Tienes hora?

Well, after four months in Granada, it appears that I am looking more Spanish.

This past week, a grand total of three people have stopped me on the street to ask me something and just this morning, a man pulled over in his car while I was waiting at the bus stop to ask me where a certain street was. (While I've been able to answer the "Excuse me, what time is it?" question with ease, this morning's question regarding directions left me saying "I'm sorry, I don't know where that street is. I'm not from here!" Oh well, one of these days I'll actually manage to learn the names of more than just the main roads in Granada...) Why does this mean that I must be looking more Spanish? Well, because up until this past week, the total of people who had stopped me on the street to ask me something was a big, whopping cero. Go me! I'm becoming more andaluza! (Well, either that or I'm just smiling more and thus looking more approachable, but still!)

My favorite story about a Spaniard talking to me on the street this past week involves a Spanish abuela and a crosswalk. Last Friday, I was running some errands in the center of the city, trying to find some materials for my classes. Now normally, when I'm out doing things in the city, I walk like an American (a.k.a. I walk very quickly- how non-andaluza of me). However, last Friday I stolled along the streets at a slower pace, enjoying being outside and stopping to look in store windows on my way. Well, at one point I approached a crosswalk where the red "DO NOT CROSS" light was on. Not in any rush, I stopped on the side of the street to wait for the light to change colors while two Spanish teens, probably around 14 or 15, chatted and crossed the road, completely oblivious to the signal, the color and oncoming traffic. As they crossed, a car approaching the crosswalk screeched to a halt so as not to hit the oblivious teens. Its driver, visibly angry, rolled down the window to yell at them to "watch where you're going!" I watched as the teens ignored all of this and continued to laugh and joke as they reached the other side of the road. Well, after all this commotion, I noticed that an old woman standing to my right was looking at me and speaking. She began to go on and on about how today's young people don't pay attention to anything, about how they're careless and ought to have more common sense and about how if the crosswalk light is red, it means no puedes cruzar! As I was listening to her, nodding my head in agreement with occasional comments of "sí, sí," "claro" and "de acuerdo," I couldn't help but think about how normally I, too, cross the road when the crosswalk light is red, provided of course that I don't see any cars approaching. However, instead of saying this to the woman, I found it much easier to just smile, nod and agree with everything she was saying. As the light changed green a mere 20 seconds later (most Spanish people, above all, Andalusians, speak very quickly and thus we were able to discuss so much in so little an amount of time), I crossed the road and parted ways from the woman, who was still upset and muttering to herself about "young people today." I couldn't help but smile while completing the rest of my errands and you can bet that I payed much more attention than normal to the crosswalk signals for the remainder of the afternoon!

On a completely different note, I've been extremely busy since starting work again after my long Christmas break. I know that it may seem as though I have abandoned this blog but don't worry, that's not at all the case! I've just simply had no time to sit and write an entry as I've been making lesson plans, creating worksheets, "googling" classroom activities and preparing PowerPoint presentations on a myriad of topics ranging from "gymnastic positions and flexibility" to "multiplying and dividing fractions" to "talking about television." Furthermore, my "clases particulares" (or "tutoring sessions") have been keeping me pretty busy, too. Now, instead of tutoring six Spanish students a week I tutor seven- my latest English tutee is an 8th grader with whom I started working just two weeks ago. While I love tutoring- I teach a wonderful group of students ranging in age from 11 to 20- I'll admit that so many private English lessons have given me quite a lot of added material to prepare each week! Luckily for me, all my students are very hardworking and extremely pleasant to work with- our lessons fly by!

Alright, I'm off to prepare a science lesson for my 2 ESO students on "Cells: the Basis of Life" as well as another lesson on "Using the Zodiac Signs to Discuss Personality and Make Comparisons." It's going to be athother long Tuesday... wish me luck!

A Wonderful Winter Break!

Happy new year, everyone! I hope that everyone's 2011 is off to a good start and that you're all finding it easy to stick to your resolutions! (I myself forgot to make a New Year's resolution this year... does it still count if I make one now?)

It's been a long time since my last post but don't worry, I haven't abandoned my blog! I had a wonderful, a.k.a. jam-packed, winter break here in Spain. I did a lot of traveling, a lot of relaxing, a lot of eating and a lot of visiting with friends... a pretty great combination if you ask me!

As you already know from my last two posts, I spent Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) and Christmas Day with Ana, Anais and Cristina here in Granada. On Christmas Eve the four of us went to Ana's mother's house in Padul to celebrate Christmas with the family. Ana's two sisters, Juani and Gema, their husbands, Antonio and Elías, and Juani and Antonio's daughter, Elena, were there as well. Juani brought Santa hats and reindeer antler headbands for everyone and we spent the night eating delcious food and appetizers, drinking cider and singing Christmas carols. Around midnight, after we had finished eating, we all bundled up and left the house to walk around the town singing Chrismas carols in the streets. When we were too cold to continue we made our way back to the house and ended our Christmas Eve celebrations.

The Pérez family, minus Juani. (L-R: Cristina, Ana, Elías, Abuela, me, Antonio, Gema, Anais and Elena.)

Anais, Elena and I in Padul, singing Christmas carols in Padul.

Although it's tradition in the United States to exchange gifts on Christmas morning, here in Spain gifts are brought by the three wise men as opposed to Santa Clause, and thus are typically opened on the morning of January 6th, Three King's Day (the Epiphany). However, I wanted to give my gifts to the girls on Christmas Day and therefore told them that Papá Noel made a stop in Spain the night before. My Dad had sent over a package with gifts for the girls, too, and Ana, Cristina, Anais and I spent Christmas Day lounging around in our pjs, listening to more Christmas carols and enjoying each other's company. Later that night we watched Elf, one of my favorite Christmas movies. I missed everyone back home terribly, but I had a great Christmas with my Spanish family in Granada!

The next day, December 26th, was the first of three days in which many of my friends from two years ago came back to Granada! This year, as most have graduated from the University of Granada, most of my Spanish friends from when I was abroad are doing similar programs to the one that I'm doing. This is very exciting for them as they are teaching Spanish or taking classes in Germany, France, the USA, etc. but a little sad for me as I'm back in Granada missing all of them! I had a great time in the city with everyone! We spent the three days walking around the city and going out for tapas. I wish they could have stayed in Granada a little longer!

Friends! (L-R: Simon, Miriam, Juanpe, Virginia, Jose Maria and Jose Alberto.)

Miriam, me and Virginia on our way to the Albaicín.

Jose Maria, me and Simon.

On New Year's Eve I was up early to catch a bus to Madrid. I left Granada at 10:00am and got to the Madrid bus station a little after 3:00 that afternoon. I ate a quick sandwich as I waited for my friends Juanpe and Simon to arrive. The three of us decided to celebrate the new year together in the capital. The boys showed up about a half and hour later at which time we took the metro to find our hostel. After checking in, we relaxed before getting ready to go out for the night. We had dinner and rang in the New Year at Juanpe and Simon's friend Bélen's apartment that she shares with her brother. There were ten of us in total and it was quite the international crowd- one American, two French, two Germans and five Spaniards! At midnight we all gathered around the television to watch the bell tower toll from Madrid's Puerta del Sol. In Spain, the New Year's Eve tradition is to each a grape with each of the twelve chimes counting down to midnight. The chimes are three seconds apart and you're supposed to stuff your mouth with the grapes, eating them as fast as you can so that you can eat all 12 in time to have good luck each month in the year to come. Well, I didn't do so well with the grape-eating and only made it to five before I started laughing and couldn't stop! It was just too funny to look around and watch everyone's cheeks swelling up with grapes, quickly cramming them into their mouths with each bell chime! So, apparently my good luck with run out after May... I'll just try for better luck next year! After toasting to a great new year with a few bottle of cava, Spanish champagne, Simon, Juanpe and I headed into the city to celebrate the rest of the night in various bars. It was crazy- so many people in the plazas, streets and bars. We went to a few different places and around 5:30am we called it a night and headed back to the hostel to sleep. We spent the next two days walking around Madrid, drinking coffee and enjoying being outside. We went to the Parque del Retiro and the Palacio Real and many different bars at night for tapas. It was a great three-day trip to Madrid!

The Spanish New Year's Eve tradition: champagne and grapes!

Part of the Nochevieja group. (L-R: Belén, Simon, me and Juanpe.)

Exploring and enjoying Madrid!

More wandering around the city...

The lake in the Parque del Retiro.

Sunset in Madrid- isn't the sky beautiful?

After our three days in Madrid, Juanpe and I said goodbye to Simon on Monday morning and the two of us took a bus to Lorca to spend a few days at his house with his family. Juanpe lives in a house just outside the city with his sister and parents and most of his extended family lives, if not right next door, just a few minutes' drive away. His family is incredibly nice and welcoming, it was great to spend some time in Lorca with them! On Tuesday, Juanpe and I walked around the city and on Wednesday morning I drove around Lorca with Juanpe's mother, delivering bread to various customers and homes in the area. (Juanpe's parents own and operate a bakery- needless to say, I gorged myself on delicious breads and pastries the entire time I was there!) Later that afternoon we met up with our friend Jose Maria, who also lives in Lorca, and picked up one of their friends named Ulrich from the bus station. The four of us spent the evening at the Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos (the Three Kings Parade) in Lorca and later went out for a drink in the city. The following day, Juanpe, Ulrich and I drove a half an hour to Águilas to spend the afternoon walking around some of the area's beautiful beaches. After lunch at Juanpe's grandmother's apartment, we headed back to Lorca and spent our last night with Juanpe and his family.

Ulrich, Juanpe and Jose Maria before the start of the parade.

Even Sponge Bob was a part of the parade!

Juanpe, Ulrich and I got to meet the three kings... only in Spain :)

The Mediterranean Sea in Águilas in January... how lovely!

I was thrilled to be on the beach in January as opposed to shoveling snow... I could get used to warm winters!

Exhausted after a very busy week, I returned to Granada on the morning of Friday, January 7th; as soon as I was home and unpacked, I took a nap! That weekend I didn't do much more than plan my lessons for the following week because work began again on Monday the 10th! I had a good but very busy week back at Alba Longa and this weekend is pretty much the same as last weekend- I'm busy trying to plan my tutoring sessions as well as a few presentations for school for this upcoming week. I don't have any trips planned for the new future but I've been looking at flights to Dublin for the end of February to visit my friend Ashton who's studying this year at Trinity. I've seen a few good deals and hopefully I'll have that trip booked and planned this week! That's all for now, more on life in Granada and my job in my next entry!

¡Os deseo una feliz Navidad!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Anais, me and Cristina on Nochebuena (Christmas Eve).

 Sending you all Christmas spirit, warm wishes and lots of love from Granada!

Again- ¡Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo!

Christmastime in Granada

¡Feliz Nochebuena!

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! It's hard to believe (at least for me, anyways) that it's already December 24th! This month has flown by and it's been probably the busiest month that I've had here in Granada since arriving in the middle of September. With my big trip to Barcelona and Valencia at the beginning of the month, followed by lots of lessons about Christmas, New Years, etc. with my students at Alba Longa followed by another trip to Sevilla, I've been constantly on-the-go this December! Furthermore, last weekend all the GRIIS students abroad in Granada for the fall semester returned home to the States. We spent quite a lot of time together over the past few weeks taking advantage of their last days in Spain. Most of the students left on Saturday and John left on Sunday; it was really sad to see him go! I really enjoyed spending time with my "roommate" these past three months and the apartment has been a lot quieter since he left! Luckily, yesterday both Anais and Cristina came back to Granada for the start of Christmas vacation and I love having both my "sisters" at home with me again.

After three months of teaching, I'm happy to report that I still love my job! Every morning I look forward to going to work and to spending the day at IES Alba Longa with my coworkers and students. The students continue to be great and eager to speak English with me in and out of the classroom. This past month, we had many activities and lessons relating to Christmas in the USA and American New Years traditions as well as winter holiday and New Year celebrations around the world. For my last English class with each grade, I made a PowerPoint presentation about American Christmas traditions and made a playlist on my iPod with popular Christmas carols. They were curious about Rudolph and mistletoe and enjoyed listening to the carols- some students already knew how to sing the choruses!

I've really made some wonderful friends among my coworkers and I feel like a member of yet another family here in Spain. Everyone has told me that I need to find either a permanent job or a Spanish boyfriend so that I can stay next year... I've been telling them that I'll see what I can do! This Tuesday I celebrated the onset of the Christmas and the holiday vacation with my coworkers at a very nice lunch here in Granada. We met at Damasqueros, a restaurant about a 20 minutes' walk away from my apartment, at 3:00pm. I didn't return home that night until close to 1:00am! We enjoyed appetizers, wine, a main course and dessert in the restaurant before heading to various bars in the city for more tapas and drinks. It was so much fun to spend the entire day outside of the school with everyone that I work with! We spent the afternoon and evening talking, joking, dancing and exchanging stories together, happy and content with the start of Christmas. At lunch, I was surprised with a gift from everyone- a beautiful purse and a certificate for being "the best language assistant." I gave a little speech thereafter, saying how content I am with the job and how I love spending time in and out of the school with my coworkers who have become family. It was a great evening and a wonderful, fun way to start Christmas break!

Granada is absolutely lovely at Christmastime. I walked around the city one night a few weeks ago with my friend Liz and we were able to take some great pictures of all the lights and decorations around the city. Here are a few of my favorites:

Plaza Bib-Rambla.

Plaza del Carmen.

El Ayuntamiento de Granada (City Hall).

Puerta Real.

Reindeer and angels by the Fuente de las Batallas.

Fuente de las Batallas.

A large, lit-up Belén (nativity scene) in a small plaza.

In a few hours, I'll be heading over to Ana's mother's house in Padul with Ana, Cristina and Anais to celebrate Christmas Eve with my Spanish family. We'll have a big dinner, listen to Christmas carols and spend the entire evening enjoying each others' company. While I miss my family and friends so much, I'm very excited to be here in Spain this year for Christmas! I've never spent this time of year outside of the United States before and I'm eager to experience Spain's Christmas and New Year traditions! So, Christmas Eve this year will be in Padul and Christmas Day back here in Granada. On Sunday, just about all of my Spanish friends (and one of my German friends, too!) will be back in the city to spend a few days together. I can't wait to see them all again- some I haven't seen since I was abroad in the spring of 2009! On the 31st, I will head up to Madrid to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in the city with Juanpe, one of my best friends here in Spain, and Simon, our friend from Germany. On January 3rd, Juanpe and I will take a bus to Lorca, a town in the region of Murcia, to spend a week with his family, including Three Kings Day. Then, sometime on the 7th or 8th of January, I'll return to Granada for the last few days of Christmas break before school starts up again on Monday the 10th. It's going to be a very busy Christmas break but I'm very excited for everything that I have planned :)

To my friends and family back home in the States, I hope that you have a very merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year. I love you all and will be thinking of you- I can't wait to be with you all again! A mis amigos y familia aquí en España, ¡qué ganas tengo de pasarlo muy bien esta Navidad con todos vosotros! ¡Felices fiestas, os quiero mucho!

Once again, merry Christmas Eve, everyone!