Granada Significa "Pomegranate"

Hola! I hope everyone is well. For me it is time for another update. This time the update is back in Spain. 

This past friday was the PRESHCO program trip to Granada. Climbing onto the bus friday morning felt like going back to our first days on the tour. It was so very familiar, yet different now that we all know each other so much better. Over the past few weeks, having spent quite a bit of time on trains and buses, I have really developed a love for this travel downtime. It is so lovely to pass a couple of hours listening to music and  staring out windows at absolutely fantastic sites. The country roads through Southern Spain on the way to Granada are absolutely gorgeous.  It was the same route we took to and from Sierra Nevada, and I was happy to see it once again. 

And then the beautiful country changed into sites of Granada. Though some modern areas on the outskirts of the city are not that exciting visually, we continued into some wonderfully interesting areas of the city. First stop was at a church where lie Los Reyes Catolicos (Isabel and Fernando). Our tour guide pointed out some really interesting representations of the Reyes that were depicted in the details of the church. Both the king and queen were the power base. They are represented as equals.  At this church I also learned that the word Granada means pomegranate. This is good to know when you realize how many images and sculptures there are of pomegranates in the city. 

After the seeing the tombs we continued on to the Cathedral. It was nice, but at this point really just seemed like yet another cathedral to me. We have been to many on tours this semester. Basically, it was nice, but nothing compared to what was to come: the Alhambra!The Alhambra was absolutely amazing. We walked and walked (apparently six miles, though I am not sure it was quite that far). The Alhambra is huge and every inch of it was planned and constructed magnificently. Our tour guide explained some symbolism in the design. He was a great tour guide, but I was a little frustrated by how frequently he decided to speak in English. We have become very accustomed to tours in Spanish, and most of this tour was in Spanish, but our tour guide said that he wanted to explain important things in English.  We understood his Spanish, so I think part of his reasoning was that he wanted this outlet to practice his English. I have found that to be the case with one of my professors too actually. In class he speaks in Spanish and then will translate random words sometimes. But he can't possibly be doing it for us because he translates really easy words such as hijo means son (something I have known since sixth grade). Personally in this context I think it is kind of funny. He is just so excited to know words in English.

Anyway, back to the Alhambra...

The day was wonderful and sunny. It was hot too and all the walking was slightly tiring, but nothing in this environment could really get you down. At the end of our tour we walked through the gardens. I wanted to take pictures of every thing that I saw (and I did take over one hundred pictures at the Alhambra) but they just couldn't capture how it really looked, felt, and smelled. It was wonderful for all the senses. 

After the Alhambra we went and checked into our hotel. Laura was my roommate and we both decided to take a much needed nap. Afterwards we walked around a little, talked only in Spanish for over an hour (which was great), and then headed back to the hotel to find dinner buddies. Our dinner that night was simple, but conversation sustained it for hours. It was relaxed and fun and getting back pretty late to the hotel, we turned in for the night. 

Then the next day it was up and out to a nearby town where we went to visit the childhood home of poet Fredrico Garcia Lorca.  It was a more laid back tour experience and I appreciated its laid back nature. And once again, the day was gorgeous. We were back in the city by mid day and had the afternoon to explore and get some lunch before heading back to Cordoba. I guess we had been exploring the wrong neighborhoods the night before, because the Granada that we saw on Saturday was way cooler than the Granada of Friday night. There were tons of shops, tons of people. The muslim influence is all over the city, but also incorporated into new artsy and kind of hippie-ish styles. It was great to explore and then we had lunch at a middle eastern restaurant. 

And then we were back on the bus and back to Cordoba. That night and the next day I was incredibly lazy and now I am back into the swing of classes. This coming weekend I will remain in Cordoba, but after this weekend I will be traveling a great deal! For Spring Break Jordyn is coming down to Spain and then we are going together to Italy. I am so very excited to be reunited with her, I can't wait to show her Cordoba, meet her cousin Kendra (who has been studying in Granada), and see Italy! When I get back from Italy I will be greeted by the lovely Sarah Lewis who is visited Cordoba for a few days. Then the following weekend I am off with some other PRESHCO students to Morocco. I can't believe I am going to Africa! The weekend after than, our program is going to Sevilla, and then the following weekend I go to London to see Jordyn, Sarah, and Sadie. I am going to be a busy girl for all of April. Might be a little crazy, but also an incredible amount of fun. Then my travels are over, and the festivals will begin in Cordoba. May should be fabulous, though I will also possibly actually have quite a bit of work to do then. We shall see. 

Meanwhile, life in Cordoba has really settled into a comfortable schedule. My classes are going pretty well. I really like three out of four. The fourth is a constant question. It is my music class that I am not completely sold on it. The teacher is rather disorganized and hard to understand, but I am trying to stay optimistic. I also have a private voice lesson with that professor once a week and it is kind of the most awkward time in my schedule, but I do think my singing will improve. Other classes: My Women's Studies class has proved quite challenging, but also pretty interesting. I have a mid-term coming up next week. It has been a while since I have really had to take an in-class midterm. I think it should be just fine though. My Film class is great. Our class was pretty big, so we just split into two sections changing around my weekly schedule a bit, but in a good way. The films we have been watching are pretty crazy and I have really liked them (some more than others).  My last class is my Politics class. I really like it as well.  

I have also been taking both Sevillanas (a traditional dance that we will get to dance at the festivals in the Spring) and Flamenco. Sevillanas is fun as is Flamenco, though Flamenco is significantly harder. I need to practice the arm movements and need to always keep my hands and wrists moving. It is rather exhausting. 

So overall all is wonderful. Tonight after another disorganized choir rehearsal and what I am sure will be a delicious dinner with Pilar and Pablo, I will be heading out with some friends to a Jazz club in the center of the city. Should be great!

Hope all is well with everyone. 

Hasta Luego

Adios