One Month Complete.

One month is done. I can't believe it. Yesterday, I had my test for my intensive month and I start classes on October 6th. It's crazy, how fast the time went by. At the same time, it's nice. I am meeting a lot of people, becoming more familiar with the city, exploring a lot and finding out what I really like. I love the coffee here. WOW. It's great! There are coffee shops everywhere. You can walk up and down one street and there are probably five or six cafés. Also, the shopping here is amazing. I love the style of clothing and all the stores are unique. Again, when you walk up and down the streets, there are clothing, shoe store everywhere. It's so hard not to stop in and pick up a pair of heels, when you've passed six different shoe stores. I love the markets too. On saturday mornings they have markets open, but during the week there are little stores that sell fruit, veggies, and nuts. My new favorite store is "Smooy". It's a frozen yogurt place. Oh my gosh, I died and went to heaven when I walked into this place. LOVE IT. This weekend, my plan is to travel to Madrid for a couple days. I am traveling with my roommate Sam, and then two other girls in my program. I have no idea what we are going to do, but that's what's so great here. You kind of just plan as you go. We have our hostel booked for two nights and then we are going to grab our bus tickets today.
Spanish. It's so hard to speak it sometimes. I kind of get frustrated because I understand 95% of the language, but then to speak it.. AH. Everything is always on the tip of my tongue. Then when someone else says it for me or I ask for help, I am like "Ohh yeah, that's how you would say it or Ohh yeah, that's what I was going to say." One of my goals by the end of this semester is to build my confidence. I need more confidence when speaking. I think I am going to get a tutor or an intercambio, which is a person who is about my age that just speaks with my and works on my Spanish with me. I just need to build up that confidence and the only way I am going to do that is talking.
Yesterday, we got to see where we get to volunteer. In an elementary school!!!!! I am so so so so pumped! It's going to be awesome. We met the principal and saw the school. Wow, was that different. First, everything is outside. You walk through the gates and there is a fountain, flowers, gardens, gorgeous buildings, classrooms.. I don't know. It's so different from anything in the United States. The children are adorable here. I am so excited to volunteer. I will be helping children speak English. However, it's going to be great because I will be able to hear and speak Spanish to teachers, students, staff, and parents. I will have to use my Spanish to teach the children English.. I don't know it may sound confusing, but it is going to be great and such a great experience!
Today, I am going to book my flight to ITALY for the end of October! Yes, my friend Lauren and I are going to travel to Italy together. At the end of October, we have five days off for Halloween or Dia de los Santos. After breakfast, I am going to meet up with Lauren and we going to plan it all. I am so happy that I am getting practice with booking tickets and bus tickets.. because when Nick comes in December I will be a pro at it all :) I keep telling myself, one day at a time. Deep breathe. Take it all in. Submerse yourself into the culture, way of living, and life here. One month is already done. You have two more and then Nick will be here :) I miss you all & hope you all are enjoying Fall. Watch some football games for me, GO PACK! (& GO VIKINGS) Travel to some apple orchids and pumpkin patches. Drink hot apple cider and pumpkin spice lattes for me!!! I miss you all! And can't wait to come back and tell you all my adventures!! LOVE YOU ALL, have a great weekend!!! xoxo

Blessed. Faith. God. Love.

This past week has been unbelievable. I thought it was going to be a long week, considering the fact I got home on Monday morning at 2:30 am, from Portugal. However, I was wrong. Very wrong. I had a great week. I have branched out and met more people, joined a Bible study group, completed another week of school, discovered new places, and just relaxed. Some of the girls that are in my SOL group (SOL is my program through WSU.) have decided to have a Bible study once a week. I went on Monday and had such an amazing time. It was so fulfilling and I felt balanced when I left. Since I have been here my relationship with God has grown immensely. It's amazing. School is good. I only have one week left of my intense month, my final exam is on Thursday. I can't believe how quickly this first month has gone by. This first month was a basic review and real classes start on October 6th. I will have 5 different classes and typically they will be scattered throughout the week. I will always have my afternoons off for seista :) My Spanish has definitely gotten better, just after a month. I am forced to speak here. At school, bars, cafes, restaurants, at my house with my host family, I don't really have a choice. It's great though, I have learned SO much. Also, I have met some really awesome friends that are a little better than me at speaking, so whenever I am struggling or don't know things they always help me!!! This week I tried a bunch of different cafes, went out for churros and chocolate, studied with friends, and talked about where we want to travel next. I LOVE these friends I have met. Seriously, they are great. They make me feel safe and okay. Whenever I am down or blue about things, I literally go grab a coffee with one of them and all my worries are taken away. I find myself thinking A LOT over here because we have so much free time. It's awesome because I have never had so much time to do things that I want to do, but it's hard because I find myself missing my family, Nick, friends..etc. I am so happy that I have met some awesome people, have a wonderful host family, and a great roommate :) Today we traveled to a vineyard. It was great seeing how wine is made. We had a wine tasting after and got a free bottle of wine! LOVE the culture here. Wow, is it so different than the states.

 Tonight, we went to a bull fight too. That was different and kind of difficult at points. It was hard to witness the torture, that poor bull. But so amazing to experience the Spanish culture. It's just something you have to do while you are over here. Tomorrow is Sunday. A day full of relaxation. I will go to church with some girls, have lunch, skype with the family and friends, maybe head out for a run eventually and then probably study for a little bit. I am so thankful and love every part of Spain. It has been a challenge, but I know I am suppose to be here. It's allowing me to grow on so many levels. I am so proud and happy. Every day just gets better and better.  

Sevilla & Portugal

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Sevilla, Spain and Lagos, Portugal. I am one lucky girl, because it was beautiful and worth every penny. On Thursday morning, we took a 3 hour bus ride to Sevilla. I traveled with 5 other girls and then met 6 other friends in Sevilla. We stayed at a hostel. A hostel is basically a hotel, but not really. The hostel we stayed at was incredibly nice. In one room there were 12 beds, a bathroom across the hall, a full furnished kitchen, a deck with a pool and grill, and a bar. There was wifi and common areas for everyone. Our room only had the beds and then everything else was shared with everyone else in the hostel. It was great! The first night, all 11 of us made dinner together. It was awesome to see how close all of us have gotten, just in 3 weeks. It's crazy, I feel like I have known these people forever! I felt so self-sufficent and independent. I have never experienced something like that! After dinner, we all ventured out. We walked around Sevilla (which is a HUGE city, bigger than Madrid) and took pictures! Gorgeous city! The next morning we had to get up and catch a bus to Lagos, Portugal.

That bus ride was another 3 hours. Once we got there, we headed right to the beach. We soaked up some rays, met other people, jumped off cliffs (yes cliffs, we literally had to climb up this huge cliff and jump off probably like 30 feet high!!), and just relaxed. After the beach, which was right beside our hotel, we got ready for dinner and drinks. DiscoverGranada, which was the website we booked our trip through, had tour guides that were with us at all time! Wow, was that super nice because they had things planned for us. For example, both nights they had night clubs and restaurants for us. On Saturday, took a bus to the cliffs and caves. What a beautiful sight!!! After that we went to a different beach and relaxed. I went running on the beach with a friend :) AMAZING. We walked the beach and picked up sea shells, laid out, had lunch on the beach, and just relaxed!!! That night we went out again and had an awesome night! In the night clubs, we ran into so many people from Australia, Switzerland, France...etc.

On Sunday, I WENT SURFING on the West Coast. Yes, I said surfing!!! It was the best time ever! Super hard and extremely difficult. It took so much out of me, I feel like I am still soar, but it was so much fun. We had an instructor that gave us lessons and then we literally had 3 hours to practice. Oh my gosh, I was in heaven. The waves were really big and it was so difficult, but we had wet suits that kept us warm. I got up three different times, I was so proud!!! I hope we travel to a different part of the coast so I can go surfing again!! I am so happy, finally adjusting to everything!! I miss you all and can't wait to see you again! I promise I will soak up some rays for you all, it's like 80's here. I heard it's starting to get cold in the United States:( Love you all!!!!!!!

No Pasa Nada

I feel like I haven't written on here in forever, sorry about that. It has been 10 days. WOW is time flying, I love it, but hate it at the same time. Now I know what people mean when they say enjoy every moment and take everything in because before you know it, the time will be over! I titled this entry, "No Pasa Nada", it is definitely my favorite saying here in Spain. It means no worries. Ever since I can remember I have been a worrier, a nervous "nelly", and scared about things. Everyone says "No Pasa Nada", don't worry, no worries, relax...etc. And this is exactly what I am going to do. I have stopped worrying (well not really stopped, but I have been WAY more relaxed than I have ever been in my life.) The culture is amazing. People enjoy life. They live for simple things. Everything that my host family owns is unique and special to them. They love spending time together. They gather to have lunch together during "seista" time. It's amazing. I have never had so much time for myself, to think, breathe, and relax. After school, we have lunch and then we literally have 5 hours for ourselves. It's great! I have really found out a lot about myself in just 3 weeks. I have discovered things out that I don't know if I would have found out staying in the states. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so happy that I have this chance. It is a time to grow, experience a whole new life, and take in every opportunity that presents itself. I am so proud of myself and can't wait to see how I am at the end, because if I already feel like this after 3 weeks I wonder how it's going to be after 4 months! I want to send a HUGE thank you out to my family, friends, my boyfriend, and anyone else who has prayed for me, sent well wishes, and good luck. It's working :) I am getting over this first hump and truly appreciating my life here in Granada!

One Day At A Time

My first week of school is complete. The month of September is the intensive month, which means I placed into level 4 and now I am just working on writing and grammar. It seems pretty laid back and easy, the opposite of the United States. Everything is so calm and peaceful here. We have class from 10-2. Half way through the first class we have a 30 minute coffee break, that would NEVER happen back in the states. Life is just simple here. They live to enjoy the simple things. Meeting up with people to go out for a coffee, or drinks or just to sit in the park and observe the beautiful surroundings. It has been very difficult for me to just relax. I am used the constant rush and on the go. It has been hard for me to slow down and really enjoy life. This experience is going to be life changing. It is a time for me to grow as a person, find myself, and the true meaning of life. Yes, I miss all my family and friends. Yes, I have cried a lot. Yes, this is a huge culture shock. Yes, I'm scared. Yes, I am very very scared. BUT this is a huge step for me. This is branching out of my comfort zone. I need this. I need to learn a new way of living and meeting new people. So every morning when I wake up, I thank the Lord for the day and praise him for this amazing opportunity that he has given me.

My host family is absolutely wonderful. Sam (my roommate) and I couldn't have asked for better. They are so accommodating and ALWAYS want us to be happy and healthy. They are concerned about everything and want us to ask them for anything whenever. It has been awesome to talk to them, all in Spanish. It is great practice for us!! The past couple days, we have sat and talked to the daughter, Yasmine. She is 27 and I already feel like she is the sister I never had. I feel so close to her and trust her with so much. She has been there for me and truly understands me. Even though, we don't speak the same language, I feel as if we understand each other. The same feelings correspond even though the words don't match. Last night we had a conversation about religion and marriage. It is unbelievable to see that the same issues that we deal with in the United States are happening all of the world. I loved listening to her and her values, beliefs, and morals. My host family is great. I am so blessed to be a part of this program and thrilled to see how close I really become with them.

On Wednesday, our group had the opportunity to take Flamenco class and then watch a performance. It was fun learning the dance and being a part of their culture. Our program, SOL has set up a number of events for us. On Monday, we actually had a tour of the the Cathedral. WOW. That was absolutely amazing!!! We couldn't take any pictures while we were in there, but it was gorgeous. The history and all the documentations and artifacts were so neat to see!!!

This weekend, my plan is to get some shopping done and still become familiar with my surroundings. Last night, we all went out for churros and chocolate. A famous dish here in Spain. It is basically fried bread dipped in chocolate. VERY greasy, but you have to try it! It's part of the culture! Tonight, we are heading to the Zaidin. Zaidin is a park not to far from where we live and I guess there are concerts going on all night. It's crazy, the earliest concert starts at 11 and the last one starts at 2:30 in the morning!!! I am telling ya, Spaniards don't sleep. That's why they have seistas!! So, I think we will check that out tonight and see what it is all about. Tomorrow, Sunday, a time for church, rest, homework, skyping with my family and Nick, and check out more of this wonderful city.

God Bless! Miss you all!!

La Playa de Almuneck

Today, was an amazing day!! The girls and I traveled to the city of Almuneckar and went to the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect, about 75 degrees. It was sunny all day and there was a light breeze so we were never hot and there is no HUMIDITY! It's great! We saw some amazing mountains, houses, buildings, and so much more. The nature, architecture, views are unbelievable!!!!! We climbed to the top of a cliff and the view was absolutely breathtaking!

1st Day of School

Today was our first day of school. We had breakfast at 8 o'clock sharp. They are very timely and meals are very important to Spaniards. I am so happy that I brought peanut butter over, it's kind of saving me right now. Their food is a little different to say the least. It doesn't have much taste and a lot of red meat, not my favorite. However, our host mother is absolutely adorable and wants us to ALWAYS be happy. Her famous line is in english "you happy, me happy." Sam and I are super lucky to have her as a host mother, she is awesome. School was long today. We took a placement test to decide what level and class we will be in for the month of September. After that we had orientation and a tour of the two different buildings.

After, Sam and I walked home and had lunch. Then it was seista time, nap time :) We were told today that this time is very special and important to Spaniards. It is a time for rest, peace, and your time. It is considered rude to call someone or interact with others during this time. After this time, the rest of the day was spent exploring the town. We walked and walked, the ladies had gelato and we found some very interesting places. Overall, it was a great day and Granada is beautiful!!