First month done...

Hey guys,

This first month (or few weeks I should say) went by really fast. I passed both my tests (68%, 95%) and now I have a 2 week break before my content classes begin. On Monday, our whole program is going up to Madrid, Segovia, and Toledo. A lot of the group is going to other places after Toledo, but I'm gonna stick around in Madrid because some of my friends are heading there.

I've gotten used to the nightlife here and it goes a little bit like this:
9-10pm Dinner in home
10-2am Tapas/Bars/Botellon
2-6am Discotecas
6am Sleep

Don't worry, I don't do this every day. I would have lost the majority of my money if I did. (for all you checking on my Spanish, Si hubiera ido a las discotecas cada noche, no habría tenido ninguno dinero) Either way, I feel like my Spanish is getting better. I had an intercambio with 2 girls last night, and even though I really didn't talk that much (I'm fairly shy at first) I could understand at leas 70% of what they're saying. And Andalucian accent is crazy hard to comprehend.

If it seems like I'm neglecting this blog, I really am. It's a lot easier if people facebook or e-mail me because 9 times out of 10, I will respond. It's just a little hard for me to make a journal about my life. It's really not that interesting to begin with... =)

By the way, I got some pictures up on another site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabeingranada

Love,
Gabe

First post en Espana...

(Don't know how to do Spanish characters on my computer, but the that n should have a tilde over it)

Hey guys,

I've been here over a week now and finally found free time + time for me to use the internet here at school and wow. It's been quite a blur. I'm just now getting used to the time difference here (+9 hours) and I'm very surprised at how well I can express myself in Spanish at this point. If you didn't know, all of my classes I'm taking here are based around Spanish because one day, I would like to teach it in high schools. So yeah, that's why I'm here, not just because Spanish girls are beautiful, not just because I've always wanted to go to Europe, not just because the drinking age here is 18, even though these are all great reasons.

My flight here was hell. Even though my trip wasn't as bad as others, it was definitely one of my least favorite experiences of my life. My trip from Seattle to Chicago went pretty smoothly, probably because everything was still in English. The trip from Chicago to Madrid was a lot rougher. First of all, I underestimated how long 8 hours feels (it feels like 8 hours) but to make things worse, my headphone jack in my seat was broken. So I had to watch 2 horrible movies with no sound. Also, I was unfortunately sitting by 3 very loud children, one of which would start crying at anything. No, I mean anything. Like if a hostess came by and asked his mom or dad what they wanted to drink he would start crying. Luckily, all three of these moms were Spanish, and quite attractive.

As I waited 4 hours for my last flight from Madrid to Granada, I scoured the place for an ATM but couldn't find one. I needed an adapter so I could plug my electronics in safely in Spain, so I went to one of the duty free shops in the airport. I then had to find out how well I could express myself in Spanish as I went up to the counter to buy my item. I tried to hand the cashier my debit card when he started to ask me for something. For the next 10 seconds I stared blankly at him as he continued to ask me for my "boleto." I of course, had no idea what he was saying and whether it was the jetlag, lack of good food, or just me being nervous, I started to panic. Finally he said "Boarding pass" in my native tongue and relief set in. However, after this interaction I realized that I really needed to change my mind from English to Spanish, and quickly. Granada was only 2 hours away.

As I sat there waiting in my gate, I saw a tall, goofy looking American walking around. I'm pretty sure I knew him so I ran him down and sure enough, it was Miguel (Michael), my roommate for the next 5 months. He seemed relieved to find someone to talk to because he was having problems himself. After the plane ride, us and 2 others from our program took a bus to the middle of Granada.

The next hour, Miguel and I walked around Spain trying to find our casa, but we continued to get lost. Finally, we found our cross street and at around 2:36pm, Spain time, we were home.

That's it for now, but not much has happened since then. Granada's definitely the smallest city I've ever lived in, but they have a great night life. The classes here at the University of Granada aren't too hard, and I've settled pretty well. The rhythm of life here is so much more calm, seeing as it's not as demanding as America. I'll try to update more, but until then, hasta luego.

-Gabe

Happy New Year!

Hey guys, I'm starting my blog on my last day here in Seattle before I take my journey across the sea to Granada, Spain. I'll try to keep this updated at least weekly, but I can't make any promises. If you want to set up any webchats once I get my schedule on track, my Skype name is gabealcantara.

That's all for now.

-g