Granda

With only 4 more days in Granada and 7 days left in Spain I am starting to get sentimental. I love Granada. I love my host mom. I love this trip. I love these people. I of course miss America, but I would love one more month here.

Things I will miss include:
* My wonderful host mom
* My friends here
* The ability to constantly be learning Spanish
* Free tappas
* Bunelos
* Flamenco lessons
* The beautiful Sierra Nevada

The view of the Sierra Nevada from my house

I can't believe how much I have grown to love my host mom in only a few short weeks. Despite our rocky start she could not be better to be. I can't imagine how hard it must be to find food to feed such a picky eater, but she is so good to me. Sopa y Pan have become an addiction that I hope to leave in Spain when I venture back to the states. I really believe I was very blessed with Conchi as my host mom. More and more I am starting to realize that a relationship with a host mom is what you put into it. If you sit in your room you won't get to know them. It takes a lot of getting out of your comfort zone and a lot of watching tv. Apparently, most host moms are widows who don't do much more than watch TV all day. It was very easy for me for me to judge this as laziness, but I have come to realize that my host mom might just be lonely. Her family visits often because as we have learned family is the MOST important thing to Spaniards. She loves Lauren (my roomate) and I well and I will be forever grateful for how she has loved me this month. I only wish I could speak more with her. Sometimes I help her practice English words. Dog is my favorite word for her to say. With her accent it sounds a whole lot more like duck. One time i asked her how she doesn't laugh at our accents and she told me it's because she knows that it must be very hard to learn another language. I am so thankful for her patience. Also the view of the Sierra Nevada from her house doesn't help how much I will miss Spain.

Bunelos have become an everyday snack that my body hates me for, but I will worry about that later. They are a Spanish treat that is similar to a mixture between a funnel cake and a donut. I am addicted. For two euros you can buy a big container. They boy that works behind the counter just smiles when I buy them as my friends and I joke that our 2012 study abroad is lifting Spain out of their economic crisis.

While in Granada we had to big adventures one to the beach and one hiking. La Salebrana (the beach) was beautiful. I we could not have made ourselves look more like tourists though. In the 67 degree weather girls were in bikinis and a couple even took a plunge into the freezing Mediterranean see. I put my feet in...I think that counts enough. The beach lifestyle here was very similar to the lifestyle of people who live by beaches in America. Very laid back and relaxed. It took almost 2 hours to order and each our food. I even ate some fries, one of my favorite American foods to eat at the beach!

Difficult trail

Hiking was beautiful too. We chose to do a more difficult trail.  We hiked through Paque de Invierno. From the top of the mountain we could see all of Granada. I am going to miss these views.

We also had our last Flamenco lesson.  :( I am going to miss the fun we had. Apparently, our flamenco instructor was a gypsie...at least that is what my spanish107 professor said. Flamenco was one of the most fun times here in Spain and I recommend it to anyone who visits!