¡Un día al campo!

Today was a great Sunday. I feel like it was one of my favorite days in Granada so far. I got to go to the campo or the family farm with my family. This farm was the farm that my host father's mother owns. She has other family that lives on the farm in other houses. The grandmother of the family has an apartment in Granada and this is where they go during the week sometimes in the summer or on the weekends.

The drive was about 20 minutes outside of Granada. We drove though so many olive groves that there was no way I could find my way back if I got lost there. The house itself was pretty cool. It had a standard layout of one great room with a large fire place. This was how it was when it was first built, the "Abuela" or grandma added a new kitchen and extra rooms on the first floor as well as a whole second story. We started the day out as the men did some yard work, of course making the Sunday meal. We cooked a lot of potatoes, and I mean a lot on the hearth fire. It was quite an extravaganza to see another culture work together to make the family meal. After the potatoes they put big slices of bacon on a tool to cook over the fire. The bacon tasted like BBQ and I was quite satisfied to have something American tasting.

After the meal, all of the men took a little nap and the women talked for about an hour. It was nice to be in this family atmosphere listening to Spanish gossip. What I have come to understand about people is that at the end of the day we are actually more alike then we are different.

Also after lunch two of the little grandsons, my little host brother included, wanted to go on an excursion out into the farm. Apparently they do this all the time. Their tradition is to get a backpack of food and go wander for a couple of hours. I seriously thought this was so cool and wished I was 10 again to have the innocent freedom. While the little boys did this, we cleaned up and went for a walk around the property with the grandma. I met two other American girls studying abroad in Granada that were staying with the grandma. So us 4 went in search of wild asparagus. All over her yard is olive trees and some family garden plots. There was also a common water fountain with a basin used for washing. There are actually fish that live in that basin all year round too. It was so nice to get this introduction. I could probably spend the rest of my life in Spain, and never know all that there is too know about Spain.