Half way point

I can't believe I am already halfway through the program! The time is going so quickly!

There is always so much to do here that the time flies.

The bullfight last week was really interesting. I'm really glad I went. The first couple bulls were sad but once I got over it I actually really enjoyed it. I'm sure there was a ton of stuff going on that I didn't understand because sometimes the crowd would get really riled up and upset and other times they would go crazy cheering. I picked up on a few little traditions with it, like before the torero is going to kill the bull he throws his hat off and if it lands upside-down it is bad luck but if it lands right side-up it is good luck. People get really into that. 

It was so hot at the bull fight though. The section we were sitting in was one of the last ones to get shade so we were sitting in the sun, no breeze, in over one-hundred-degree heat. I don't think I have ever sweated so much! But it was still fun.

The feria was also cool to see last week. We went two different nights. The first night we just kind of explored it for a few hours and rode one of the rides. There was lots of food and candy and a lot of the women and young girls were wearing flamenco dresses around. The second night we got some drinks and hit up the discotecas that they have right in the feria. It was very interesting because we saw at least two fights. The first one we saw right when we got there and one guy got completely knocked out so his friends went after one of the other guys who was on the ground and they kept kicking him and punching him while he was curled up into a ball trying to protect himself. The second fight happened right in front of wearing we were sitting and people watching. One guy just ran  up to another guy who was walking and punched him in the face. Then they got into a brawl and just when one of the guys brought a chair into it ready to start hitting the guy with it someone intervened. It was crazy! I've never really seen fights like before! I asked my senora about it and she said it is common there because the young guys drink a lot there really quickly and before you know it they are fighting. It was interesting that she wasn't really surprised at all that I saw that.

On a better note... the mountains were amazing last weekend! It was a little difficult but not too bad and the views were amazing! At one point I left my camera at one of the places we had stopped to take pictures and I didn't realize it until we had been walking down the mountain for about a half hour. So I made the resident director go back up with me to look for it. I was pretty much sprinting back up but I did find it! We went so fast though that we got back only about 5 minutes after the group we had been walking with when I realized my camera was gone. I don't know if I have ever been as thirsty as I was when we got back down. I will put all the pictures that I didn't lose :) up on my picasa Web site early next week hopefully. http://picasaweb.google.com/earohloff - that's the Web address.

This week hasn't been quite as busy as last week. I had a lot of projects and things do so I wasn't able to go out and do as much. Tonight I have salsa class and then will probably go out with a bunch of people- possibly to a discoteca that is up in this little pueblo called "Albacien." I don't know if I spelled that right. But the discoteca is in a cave and right outside it you can overlook the lit-up Alhambra. If I don't go tonight I will for sure go another night because it sounds like a really cool place.

Tomorrow a group of us are going to a beach that is a little bit closer to here. I guess the beaches here are a bit rockier but it will still be really fun and relaxing. 

Saturday - you'll be impressed with this one dad- I'm going to a wine tasting during the afternoon. Maybe I will be able to develop a taste for it. Doubtful, but maybe!

That's all for now! Gotta run so I'm not late for my lunch back at home! :)

Hasta luego!

-Em

I have finished one complete week of classes. They are not too hard, pretty interesting actually, but it is hard sometimes to be in classes when I would rather be wondering around Spain, exploring places and meeting people.

This weekend I went to two different coastal cities to check out the beaches. Friday to Saturday a couple of us went to Malaga. We tried out a different beach each day. The first day it was really hot and sunny and a lot of the people I was with got burned. Dad, you would be very proud of me because I was one of the only ones that did not :) I used 30 spf - no not a typo- and apparently that stuff does work after all. You were right. But I've worked myself down to 15 now so don't get too excited. :)

The second day the weather didn't seem to be able to decide what it wanted to do. While we were walking from our hostel to the beach it was hot and sunny but as soon as we got to the beach it clouded over and then started raining after about 10 minutes. So we went and explored a bit and found a really good pizza place where we ate away our disappointment with the weather. Of course, while we were inside eating, the sun came out and it got really nice out. We ran back to the beach quickly and got about 10 minutes of sun before the clouds came back and the wind picked up and we were all freezing again. So we went to go get some coffee, and yes the sun came back out. That's pretty much how that whole day went until we left that night to come back to Granada.

Sunday I went to Nerja, a different coastal city with some other people here. It was a gorgeous day and a very neat city. Most of the houses were built into the side of the hills overlooking the Mediterranean. I decided if I move here some day Nerja will be it. It reminded me of the pictures you see of little towns in Greece. It was very beautiful. Lots of people topless on the beach. No tops and thong bottoms seem to be the latest fashion. None of us were brave enough to join in.

This week in Granada the Corpus Christi festival is going on. It is a really big deal and lasts all week. There were fireworks last night, a parade tomorrow, music every night and everything closes down from pretty much Thursday through Sunday so everyone can celebrate. I am going to head over to the festival later tonight and check it out with some people. I am pretty excited to see what it is all about. All over downtown there are huge balls of light hanging from tarps they put up over the streets. They have lit up garland everywhere too. It is pretty cool looking. It kind of looks a lot like the Christmas decorations we have in bigger cities back home, but cooler of course since it is in Spain :)

I'm going to a bull fight this Thursday as part of the festival. That should be interesting. I don't really like the whole concept of it but I feel like it is something I have to do while I'm here. It will be cool to see the culture that surrounds the event. I think I will like that better than the actual bull fight. I hear there is a lot of blood. Lately on the news they have been showing video of this one bullfighter that recently lost to the bull, I suppose you could say. It picked him up with his horn and was swinging him all around - but he's ok apparently and can't wait to get back out there. They show a lot of thing on the news here that we wouldn't really air back home. Lots of gory details over and over to the point where you finally have to look away.

Friday to Saturday we are hiking up the Sierra Nevada and staying overnight in a hostel up there. Our whole group was split into two and the first group went last week. I hear it is pretty hard but very rewarding so I am excited for that. It is suppose to be about 100 degrees here this weekend so that should make the hike even more interesting. Hopefully it won't be quite as hot the higher up we get.

I'll let you know how all these things go next week! I'm off to class!

Besos!

The beginning of week one

We started classes today but I've only had one so far. It seems like it will be interesting. We spent today's class talking about all the things that we have noticed in Spanish culture that are different from American culture, like all the people making out in the streets or having to wear shoes in the house. It was interesting to hear the reasons behind some of these things.

Yesterday we went to Alhambra which was really cool. It is amazing all the things that the people that lived there thousands of years ago had thought of. For example, each house had its own bathroom and they have an underground sewer system for dirty water to keep it separate from clean. They had bath houses, patios with all their houses, and really smart architecture. I will load pictures as soon as I get a chance.

Other than that the weekend was good. I spent some time getting to know my host family and the area that they live in. Each day with them is getting more and more comfortable, though there still are a lot of awkward moments.

I don't have internet in my house so the only time I get to use it is when I am at the school (Cegri). Unfortunately most of my classes are in the afternoon so the time that I have free to use the Internet is in the morning when everyone back home is still sleeping. So hopefully this blog will help me to keep in touch with people.

My computer is about to die since I still need to pick up an adaptor to plug it in so this is all for now.

Hopefully I will be able to talk soon!