Experiencing the Culture

This was our first official full day in Granada. After a long trip with a little lay over in Madrid I was so glad to have a day to chill out. The city is beautiful with huge mountains, bocadillas, lots of olive oil, and 50 degrees change in the weather every day. After having tapas, different cervesas, and touring the city I feel like my Spanish is slowly improving. The cool thing is that most people speak a little bit of English just like my Spanish. Together we speak two languages to get our points across. I can't wait to be able to speak in different tenses mindlessly throughout conversations. There are so many things that I want to expand on that it will be easier to in seperate blocks.

THE HOSTEL
We are staying at Hostel Athena. This place is more like a hotel. I am staying with 4 other roommates. Kelley Westerberg and Lindsey Kamowski are my sorority sisters, then Amy Iversen and Martha Parzch. This hostel has clean up service, a television, a ceramic bathroom with a windowed balcony. We are definately in Europe because this hostel even has a bidet(personal cleaning toilet).

THE FOOD
For breakfast I had the most amazing toast. It was a french bagette served with peach marmalade. To them fresh bread is common, wonderbread is expensive and a luxury. What an opposite for us. Breakfast is served with a cafe con leche. This is literally a shot of coffee with a lot of warm whole milk. Absolutely amazing. More to tell about the food as I try more, even though the bocadillas or little sandwhiches are good too.

THE PEOPLE
As I learned before about the dictator Franco in Spain in the earlier 20th century it is apparent the rebellion still taking place from the repression the Spanish felt before. I have been told how they are anti-war because their country suffered so much from civil war and wars in Europe in general that now it has been passed down that nothing is more important that staying out of it. Today other people in my program were awakened during siesta to a protest outside the hostel all down the street. After it was over there were still Policia covering the streets. These protests were against Israel for the war in the Gaza Strip. All over the city now there is grafetti of signs against anarchy and that the star of david equals the swastika. I feel that is such an intense claim to compare those two to the holocost. I also feel it is interresting how this is moving the Spanish people to protest against this war in this manner.
Besides this happening, a bit after siesta time today I was strolling with some other people in the program looking to find hairdryers. We stumbled upon one place where a man owned a salon with salon products. We all had a converstion with the owner in Spanish. He asked us where we were from, and after he found out he sort of mocked America as being the biggest "pais del mundo". Insinuating our obsession with being the best country and our only thinking of ourselves. He also mentioned Barack Obama and that his wife was muy fea, meaning ugly. I have known about peoples feelings against America, but whether sarcastic or not this man still had an opinion. This trip is opening my eyes even more.