El primer fin de semana en Granada!

I hope I don't make too many grammatical errors in this blog post because my hands are actually asleep from being literally frozen in mass this morning. Of course it's not warm enough outside to actually thaw out on the walk back home, so I'm sitting right now with my feet as close to the table heater as possible. Well it was quite a weekend over here and I am pleased to say I feel like I completed the "initiation" into the Spanish culture this weekend, by that I mean I partied all night like spaniards do. And what's more, I even got up this morning to go to mass (and freeze), completing the culture. A good spaniard and catholic on the same weekend!

Yesterday I did my first bit of European shopping, I do wish I had only brought half of what i did because I can tell I will return to the United States with more than i brought here. I did good though, only bought one thing for 9 euros. I still can't get over how fashionable the spaniards are. It's all about the shoes and jackets. Most of the older women wear long fur coats in the winter and the younger people wear mostly leather. Unlike in the United States where people wear big down jackets and frumpy sweaters, these spaniards make sure they still look guapa by wearing high heeled boots, beautiful coats and seem to sacrifice warmth for fashion. I stick out as an American because I'm the only young girl on the streets wearing my little red flats.

Last night was quite an experience for me! In these last three years of college I have never had as much fun going out as I did last night. I've never even stayed out as late as last night either, but it's so easy to do here because clubs don't begin to get crowded until 2:30 at least ( am!) last night my friends and I partied the Spanish way by getting together in someone's apartment before going to the club to dance. Honestly hanging out on the weekends with other young Spaniards is one of the best ways to learn Spanish, you don't feel self conscious if you know that they are not all " together" . After heading to the club at 130 , we immediately jumped in to the disco life. A very long story short, we ended up leaving at 3:30 and after feeling very cheated by the cab driver who seemed to take the long way home, I was successfully in bed at 4, which is still considered early on a saturday. Clubs don't close until 7 or 8 the next morning. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the disco played Spanish music as well as American and one of our Spanish friends said she would teach us a little bit of flamenco next weekend. While spaniards listen to quite a lot of American music, we stood out as the Americans because our group new all the words to every American song playing, and we weren't shy about it:) needless to say the music was so energetic I found myself " break dancing" at one point at my friends' request, showing the girls the " coffee grinder" which is a dance move I learned as an eight year old in jazz class, Thanks for those dance classes mom!


This morning I continued my weekend of new experiences by attending the cathedral for mass. Actually I attended two masses. I walked in and was a little disappointed by the grandeur of the cathedral, it was dark and smaller than I imagined from the outside. Mass was all in Spanish of course and the little old priest mumbled so I couldn't even make out the Our Father prayer. Well it wasn't what I expected and walked out a little disappointed by my effort to go to THE CATHEDRAL. When I left I noticed one of the multiple doors of this massive edifice was open and so decided to go in, I realized my mistake when I saw the massive ceiling and size of this space. I guess the first mass was just a chapel mass and this second entrance was THE cathedral space. It is impressive with its gold siding, beautiful murals on the altar and multiple gated chapels inside. I was surprised there weren't that many people at mass, I think St.Austins back home has more people regularly, however it was impressive and even though I sat there freezing I was glad I stayed. They have a choir at that particular mass which I was very impressed with, however it was young students, so the sound was a little weaker and younger than i like, but the pieces they sung were very nice. I even went up to the director after mass and asked him if it was okay for me to join for this semester. He gave me his email and told me that I am welcome to sing with them! So if I do, that will be an adventure, I'm rather scared seeing as how they are high schoolers and here I am knowing only enough Spanish to make me look and sound like a fool. What fun right? But I will investigate some more and hopefully sing with them, I know it would be a good experience and help build up my Spanish. Needless to Say the morning was a success, although I have not thawed out from mass, 2hrs later! That's one thing about Spain, it's so cold but no one has central heat or air, so everyone in mass was in their fur coats and down jackets and I'm sitting there like a naive American in a pea coat, skirt with tights, no gloves and flats, hands in my pockets, shivering and probably a purple face. You think I stuck out? I would bet money on it.

Well we just finished lunch, my " mother" made paella, tuna/ tomato and lettuce salad and of course some bread. I can't get over how much bread and olive oil they consume. How are they not obese??? Well Siesta hour calls and tonight I am meeting a friend of a friend in America who is a professor here at the university. So I'm looking forward to meeting some more Spaniards!

Adios!