Finally back in Granada

Whew...the last 2 1/2 weeks have been so fun, but so busy and frankly I'm thankful to have a few weeks or so to rest in Granada and take things at my own pace. We got back from Valencia a week ago today and I've still got a week and a half until we head off again, this time to Madrid for 5 days with our program.

Valencia was very fun. We started it off a little rusty by taking a 9-hour busride that started at 2:30 in the morning but luckily I was able to sleep most of the time and we got there at a decent hour. The first evening there we discovered that it was the Valencia holiday so we got to watch a really neat parade with tons and tons of groups of people carrying swords and dressed up in neat costumes which looked like they had some Middle Eastern influence. It was really neat to see...and there were SO many people!!

The next day we went to check out a market and silk exchange that a travel guide suggested, but it turned out just to be a produce market, and all that was left of the silk exchange was the building. Neat, but not exactly what we were looking for. Paella the next day and a trip to the beach made up for it, though. In the morning we attempted to go to the aquarium at the "Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias" (literally meaning The City of the Arts and Sciences--it's their HUGE museum complex there, in Valencia), but we were silly and didn't think of the fact that there would be lots of people there on a Saturday morning. We foolishly got there at around 11:00, thinking there'd be no line. But oh well, it wasn't meant to be. After that we headed to the beach, which, I must say, is very pretty, although there is no shade. I've definitely seen pretty much all types of beach in Spain--the ones in the South, in Nerja; in the North in San Sebastian; and in the East in Valencia on the Mediterranean. We headed to lunch at one of the many beach-front restaurants that line the shore. It was delicious! One of my friends and I shared a lobster paella. The flavor was so delicate, and it had just the right about of "fishiness." I'm definitely going to try and replicate that one at home, Mom, though I doubt it will compare to real Valencian paella. There's a reason why that city is known for its paella. Later that night we also went to a Flamenco show. There were only probably around 70 people and it was in a pretty small venue so it felt really personal and it was neat to watch of course, too, since Flamenco really is THE Spanish dance.

Since getting back from Valencia, all I've really been doing this past week is trying to relax and get work done. Next week I've got a presentation on Olive Oil which, although it sounds like a simple topic, includes a 10 minute presentation to the class, in Spanish of course, and lots of research, too, but it'll be fine. It's an interesting topic anyhow, because for those of you who know me, know that I'm a complete foodie, so anything that has to do with cooking or food will be of interest to me.

Today I started a volunteer position where I work in a local school, called El Caramelo, and teach english to 7 and 8-year-olds there. It's just for an hour on Mondays after my culture class, but I think it's going to be a wonderful experience. It was pretty simple today--all they had me do was take pairs of kids out of the class and go over simple things like the months of the year, days of the weak, numbers, and how to ask basic questions, with them. Next week they want me to do a presentation thing on Halloween so that will be fun. It's all in English, too, so it's easy, but at the same time, the teacher has told them that I don't speak Spanish and it's really hard not to slip up and just explain something to them in Spanish if they don't understand in English. It was really fun today, though. At the end of the class, when I left, they all said together, "Goodbye teacher. Thank you very much. See you later," in perfect english. Very cute! It sorta makes me want to do education.

Well, I better get back to studying...hope everyone is doing well. I've already been here 2 months. Time sure flies! I've got less than 8 weeks left to enjoy. In fact, I'll be home exactly 2 months from today. Wow!

Hope everyone has a lovely Monday. Take care.

¡Hasta luego!

Kailey