Picking Up Loose Change

Before.....

So I have just started my venture for Semana Santa aka my soon to be incredible spring break trip to the Grand Canary Islan

ds. My trip is a little complicated. I am taking a bus from Granada to Madrid, taking a metro to the airport, sleeping there for a few hours, and then flying from Madrid to Las Palmas.

So I am leaving from the bus station at 7 and get there a good forty minutes early. It takes about 5 minutes to check in and get on the bus, so i figured i would have plenty of time. I walk up at 6:50 to the driver, hand him my billette, and wait for him to let me on. He says no and laughs a bit, so I think he is just being funny. I laugh with him, and then he proceeds to say no again. He tells me today is the 24th and my ticket is for the 23rd. The woman at the counter messed up and didn't give me the right ticket. AHHHHH. I try not to freak out, because i know that won’t help & ask if there is anymore room on this bus. He looks at the list, says there is plenty, but I have 5 minutes to go get a ticket. I literally SPRINT up the stairs with my bag to the ticket counter, where there is about 500 people in line.

At this point i think my trip is ruined & there is no way I’m going to make the bus. But... then i remember there is an automatic bill station thingy, and run to that. There is about 15 people in this line. I start asking every person- Puedo pasar, tengo tres minutos hasta my autobus esta saliendo. I get yeses all the way up to the very first person in line! I go to one of the machines, and it wont take either of my credit cards. At this point its about 2 after 7 and my hands are starting to shake. I switch machines and put in cash instead and Viola! I have a ticket. At this point i don’t really care about the 3 extra euro that has fallen to the bottom of the machine. This nice spanish guy, cute by the way :) sees a damsel in distress, and starts to help me. I am dropping money all over the place, and don’t try picking it up. He picksup all my dropped coins off the floor and hands them to me. As I start sprinting away I yell graciasgraciasgracias!!!!

The bus driver is patiently waiting for me and is laughing as I run down the stairs and out the door. I tell him he isn’t funny & we laugh for a few seconds before i catch my breath and get onto the bus. I am hoping my trip is going to be just as exciting as my last 10 minutes in the bus station.

Here is a God thing for you; I took a taxi to the bus station because it is not much more money & it takes about 30 minutes less. I went to the ATM and was only going to take out 20 euros, but took out 50 instead just in case. If i would have only taken out 20 euros, i wouldn’t have had enough to pay for my taxi (5.25) and my new bus ticket 16.68. My total would have been 21.93 aka not enough to pay with a twenty :)))) Just a cool little tidbit I thought I’d share.

After....

Madrid, Toledo & Valladolid

So I have been a slacker on my blog! I’m sorry. :((

But I am back and ready to fill you in on some cool stuff. Since i blogged last, I was able to go to Toledo and Madrid, watch Sarah Baras ( the best Flamenco dancer in Spain) and visit a friend from home in

Valladolid, Spain.

At the end of February I took a little vacation to visit a friend from high school who is also studying abroad in Spain this semester. Lauryn and I are birthday twins & we thought it would be super fun to have a weekend together. I took a long 8 hour bus ride to get to Valladolid, but it was well worth it. It was so nice to be 6000 miles from home & see a someone from Ripon, let alone someoneyou are friends with. Lauryn played tour guide for the weekend and showed me around her pretty town. We went out for tapas with a spanish friend of hers, and one of the nights I was there, we went to a salsa bar. I was really tempted to dance, but they were so good i didn’t want to embarrass myself. The weekend was very relaxing and Lauryn and I got to catch up which was really nice. So much has changed for the both of us since high school, so it was neat to see where we both were at in our lives.

A few weekends later my program took us to Madrid for a weekend, and it was a blast. We left on a friday morning and drove to a place called Toledo. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain, so it was really neat to seeall the history. It was a gorgeous place, and I am hoping to maybe take a day trip back so I can look around the city a little longer.

After Toledo, we traveled until we got to Madrid. We checked into our 4 star hotel & went out and wandered around for a bit before getting dinner. I was staying in a hotel room with 3 other girls and it was a blast. We all decided we wanted to go out to a nearby discoteco, so we got ready and as we were about to leave the hotel, the receptionist gave us free passes to get in! Yes!! I love free things :)) Joy, the discoteca we went to was having an event sponsered by Coca Cola, so it was packed. There were people trapezing from the ceilings & people on stilts, and people in crazy costumes. It was super fun.

The next day we were taken to the Royal Palace and then had the rest of the day free to explore. A few girls and I went shopping and then we met up with some of the boys in our group to go out to dinner. Yes we were in madrid, but there was a Hard Rock Cafe. We get to HardRock and order a plate of nachos as an appetizer. Let’s just say this massive plate was gone in less than five minutes. Half of us order hamburgers the sizes of our faces, ant the other two got ribs & chicken. The rest of Spain doesn’t know what ranch is except for HardRock, so we took complete advantage. I think our waitress brought 6 or 7 cups of bbq sauce and at least the same if not more ranch. It was great.

We could only finish half of our burgers, so we took them home for later. It was the best meal I have had in Spain thus far. is that sad?? Maybe. But sometimes it’s so good to have something familiar.

After dinner we were taken to a spanish theater production. To be honest the acting was not that great, and they were a bit hard to understand, but it was an experience. I may or may not have fallen asleep for a few minutes. :))

My favorite part of Madrid happened on our last day. We got to go to the Prado Museum. It was absolutely incredible. 3 floors of the most important Spanish Art. Goya, Velazquez, Picasso and more. Caitlin and I decided we wanted to see every room & every piece of art in the place! I think we were in the museum for almost 4 hours. It was incredible.

There was one painting that i stopped and stared at for about 15 minutes. Jaw dropped and everything. It was a painting of Jesus getting the crown of thorns put onto his head. But in the painting, the crown isn’t being set nicely onto his head, the man putting the thorns no Jesus is putting all his force into the task. There is blood, there is pain, and there is anger in the faces of the men surrounding Jesus. It was so moving, I had tears in my eyes.

Never before have i cried over a piece of art. One day I will have that somewhere in my house.it doesn’t have to be big, but it will be there. It is a good reminder of a sacrifice someone made for me, even though i am undeserving.

After the Prado, Caitlin and I picked up a straggler in our program who got a bit lost in the museum, and went out to lunch.We found a tiny italian restaurant and thought it would be fun to try. It was delicious. After lunch we walked back to the hotel to get on the bus and make the journey back home. It was an incredible weekend. Whenever Veronica takes us somewhere, it is never a disappointment!

Carnival in Cadiz

So I guess i talked about not staying out to late, yada yada yada , but that didn’t seem to be the case. This last weekend, i went to Cadiz for CARNIVAL!!

Carnival in Spain is much like Mardi Gras in the states, minus the nudity. People tend to follow the rules here, and seemed to be less out of control than i expected. Yes you do get the occasional person who wants to go crazy, but there’s one in every group; always.

A few friends and i decided to dress up as fairies/ballerinas, so we made tutus outof tool, and I am very proud to say, they turned out super cute. I decided to go crazy on the make-up and wear tons of glitter and sparkles, and it only added to our already beautiful outfits :))

It was a five hour bus ride to Cadiz, so you could say it got a bit interesting! Lots of talking, singing and bathroom stops on the way, but we finally made it. The plan of our trip was to go to Cadiz, stay out till 5 am, and then get back on the bus and drive home.

Crazy right! I have no idea what we were thinking!

Everyone started off in this massive plaza which was packed with people. We got to watch young flamenco dancers, singers, and entertainers. The noise was ridiculous. A lull roar almost. Not too loud where you couldn’t hear, but at the point when you had to talk a little louder than normal. Yep that’s where we were at. :)) I loved every minute of it!

Hanging lights decorate the streets and we used them as a map in the sky. As long as we

were on a street with the flashing joker heads and irridescent squares, we were in a safe place. Since we had so much time on our hands we decided to search for kebabs. A kebab is like a think tortilla split open, filled with goodness (aka chicken, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, olives, & yogurt sauce) , and put back on the grill to finish cooking. Kebab restaurants are ALL over Granada, so we thought we’d be able to find one. Stopping every so often to ask, we kept getting pointed in the same direction. “the Red plaza, next to the blah blah blah, you're almost there, only a few more blocks, a la derecha de la...” Ay ay ay. The kebab restaurant was nowhere to be found! We did happen to pass an Italian pizza place- La Bella Italia- that smelled great, so we opted for that.

For Carnival, it is typical for students to get pretty drunk and maybe make bad decisions, but i am really glad i decided to stay with the friends I did. We had drinks, but were all really responsible, stayed safe, and had a blast without getting schnockered!

Oh I forgot to mention the parade!!! One of the coolest things of the night. On our trek to to find kebabs, we stumbled into a parade. We rounded a corner, and whack I ran face first into a man in a plane costume. Haha no harm done, but for the next 15 minutes or so, on this tiny side street in Cadiz, we got to experience Carnival in its splendor. 100’s of people in costumes, playing instruments, being led by two police officers. It was amazing. (the picture above is with one of the airplanes)

So after all of that, we got back to the plaza, met up with some other students and are enjoying the music when a few rain drops hit our foreheads. Since there are a ridiculous amount of people here, we decide to find some shelter before the rest of the crowd. We walk towards the bus, and don’t get to far when we see a casino doorway that is just big enough for all of us to fit in. We stayed there for close to an hour as the clouds start to let loose.

That closes, and we are kindly asked to leave, so we huddle together again under an inadequate amount of umbrellas and head for some shelter. We find a Burger King, only get to stay for about 40 minutes and were kicked out again! It is now starting to rain really hard, and there is nowhere to go. I see some bright lights and suggest to go to whatever it is that i see across the street. It turned out to be a churreria (churros & chocolate). We run, cram ourselves inside of this massive tent, and scrounge for 7 or 8 chairs. Picture one of those huge white wedding tents. That is what we were sitting in. We are freezing, soaking wet, and the thrill of carnival is wearing off just as fast as my makeup. This is where I spent the next 4.5 hours of my life.

Once it hit 5:30, we made an attempt to get to the bus as fast as possible. It was probably half a mile of torrential downpour! We met a new friend, who ended up going to school with us back in Granada, and he and i ran back to the bus as fast as we could. Gold medal sprinting is what i was doing actually.

By the time we got to the bus i

think i was soaked to my kidneys, i had no makeup left, and my straight, dry hair, turned into the curly creation God intended me to have in the first place. The ride home was a nightmare. We were all freezing, but we all made it back safely to Granada.

No Pasa Nada.translated into english basically means no worries. I will look back and remember all the good things that happened to us in Cadiz, and laugh at how miserable we all were.

Fiesta!!!

So last night was the first night i have actually gone out "Spanish Style." Everything here happens late. You wake up late, eat late and stay out late. A friend of mine had a birthday last night, and about half of our program went out to a discoteca called Granada Diez. Paige, who turned 20, had a great time, so it was a good night!!! It is pretty common for young people to go to discotecas and stay out till 6 or 7 in the morning. We didn't quite make it that late, but I'm proud to say we made it till about 5 am. We walked home with a big group of people and once our heads hit the pillow, Julie & I were OUT! It was fun to experience, but i don't see another one of those nights in the near future. x

Migue y Yo

So Miguel & i decided to have a little photo shoot yesterday before dinner using the lovely Photo Booth on my mac. Hope you enjoy the results :))

oh heyyyy

one word: grillssss

too legit....to legit to quit

very attractive i think

queso

BARCA!!!

After my trip to Morocco, I came home for approx. 12 hours, but was then on a flight to Barcelona! This past week has been a whirlwind of emotions! In the past month, I have visited 3 different countries. While sitting on the plane to Barca, I was thinking about the fact that few hours ago I had been in AFRICA!!! I am truly blessed. I have always pictured going abroad, but today i realized it is happening. This is as real as it gets.

Anyways on to the fun stuff :)

Stephanie, Julie and I stayed in a hostel for the 3 nights we were in Barcelona. Before arriving, i was a bit nervous, because I have always thought that hostels were sketchy. I was prepared to sleep with my purse under my pajamas & have my luggage next to me in my bed. I was wrong. The hostel was clean, and there were lockers for our stuff to go in. I tend to overreact sometimes.

We all realized we were super hungry once we got into the city,

& at this point were craving some familiar food. Right before we got to the hostel we passed a pizza place that smelled delicious! So we checked in , ate, and then came back for a nap. We ended up wandering around the city looking at things the first night. We did happen to find espresso, gelato & McDonald's. Normally I'm not down for Ronald McDonald's happy place, but the Golden Arches reminded me of home &

it was a perfect 4 euro meal :)))

The second day consisted of clothes shopping, a chocolate factory, and the Picasso Museum. Seriously, chocolate and art, and I'm in my happy place. Picasso was one crazy man, but he was incredibly intelligent. To save some money, i cooked dinner for us in the hostel. Spaghetti, bread, corn and milk. It was great, and cost less than 10 euro for 4 people. We made friends with 2 girls from Lebanon and ended up going out to a tiny spanish bar with them. It was very cute & the bartender gave us a free drink because he said we brought business to his bar! Yay :)

The third day was my favorite by far. We slept in late, got ready and left the hostel for La Segrada Familia. The SF is a chapel/museum/nativity scene/work in progress. Antoni' Gaudi', the artist of this whole thing, never got to finish his work, sue to the fact that he was hit & killed by a tram. It is too hard to describe in words how i felt about being here. I am putting up the link for the website so yall can go look at it. Let me just say i am going to be visiting Spain once it gets finished. It is absolutely incredible.

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/index.php

Add in some more Gaudi stuff, more gelato, a five euro skirt, people watching and i would say my trip to Barcelona was a success. x

Just Warning You, This Is A Long One!

So as i sit here and type this, i have a few tears in my eyes. First of all, i just watched My Sister’s Keeper (which i highly suggest if you haven’t seen it), and secondly i miss home a bit. Not going to lie! There has been so much going on in the last two weeks, i have finally understood what our program meant when we talked about culture shock. Since today, I have been gone for 4 weeks, and it has finally hit me that im not at home and wont be for 3.5 more months. Don’t worry there have only been a few tears, but in order for you all to get a good picture of my time here, i think its important i tell you the ups and downs of my trip :))

Last Friday, i left granada and took a 4 hour bus ride to a city called Algeciras, where we took a ferry from Spain to Tangier, Morocco. The point of the morocco trip was to give us a good idea of Moroccan life, whether it be in the city or in the rural parts of the country. We stayed with host families for 2 nights, while staying in a hostel in Chefchaouen the last night. During our trip we met up with leaders of organizations, english-speaking students, Peace Corps volunteers, Full-brite scholars, discussed stereotypes, differences, religion and so much more.

We got to see some beautiful things in Morocco, and meet some wonderful people. Everyone i came in contact with was very kind, and were very welcoming. So in that aspect i had a wonderful time. The only thing that wasn’t so good, was the fact that i got food poisoning. After our conversation in the mountains ( i got sick multiple times, while everyone was eating lunch. Then on the ride back down the mountain, (picture a road like morgan territory), in a rickety old bus, with food poisoning and no air conditioning, i made the bus stop three times in 30 or 40 minutes. Lovely right!! I stayed in the hostel that night with a bucket next to the bed. I felt like i was dying to be honest. In the chaos though, Chris called and made me feel a bit better. So apart from food poisoning, i had a great time.

Our entire group studying in Granada numbers around 50 people, but while we were in morocco, we were split up into smaller groups, so we could experience the country in a more intimate way. There was one point during my trip, that i was able to talk openly with my group and a muslim family about Christianity while we were in the Rif Mountains. Because most of Moroccan people are Muslim, religion and sterotypes of Muslim people was a big topic discussion. Just an FYI, it is illegal in Morocco to try and convert a muslim to a different religion, so that may give you a perspective as to what kind of place i was in. Converting people wasn’t the goal during our talk, but knowing that is very important.

Our translator asked if anyone at the table was dedicated to their religion, and if so, which one. I rose my hand, along with a few other students. He asked what i believed, and i told him i was a Christian. He asked our group how many of us claimed to be Christian, and what was the base of our religion. I thought, “Hey i have an opportunity to talk about Christianity openly, no restrictions, no hesitations.” He wanted to know if we had to sum up christianity in one sentence what would it be. I kindly replied “Love God with everything you have, and love people.”

He (i can’t remember our translator’s name unfortunately), tried explaining that Islam and Christianity are the same, and we are going to the same place and our base is very similar. But it broke my heart, because i knew that wasn’t the case. I got to talk about Jesus Christ, and what he has done for me, for you reading this. God loves me unconditionally, no matter what i do, and that’s a big difference in these two faiths. Jesus Christ was sent to this earth to die for my sins, and Muslims believe in Jesus, but don’t believe he was the son of God, or that he died for our sins. Yes there are a few similarities, but in the end if you don’t believe in Jesus, you’ve missed the boat.

So to put things lightly, going to Morocco broke my heart for the people there because I realized i probably won’t be going back. The family in the mountains took care of their parents who were very old and Muslim. It was close to the end for the grandfather respectively, and it brought tears to my eyes when i left knowing that i will probably never see him again, and we probably wouldn’t be seeing each other in heaven. It made it difficult to leave to be honest, but it also gave me a boost to dive into my relationship with Christ. So with quite a bit of encouragement, an empty stomach, good conversations, and lots of pictures, i left Morocco behind. Forever they will be in my prayers.

I miss you all very much and am trying to figure out a cell phone situation over here that isnt too expensive. I hope things are going well, and i would love updates of your lives!!!

x Shay

My New City

So it is 10 pm, and while i wait for dinner, i figured it would be a good time to write to you all again. So much has happened in this last week, i feel as though i have been gone from home for at least a month.

Here goes nothin!

After we all went out on saturday night, we ha

d to be up very early Sunday morning to meet with Veronica, our program director, to get some instruction before she sent us away with our host families. So far, my host family has been one of the only things i have been nervous about. I knew coming into this that my spanish wasn’t great, and that the family isn’t allowed to speak english to us. it was going to be a challenge, but it was something i was looking forward too.

All of us students were waiting anxiously in one room, while our host families were in another one right across the hall. We got our roommate assignments, and I got paired up with a girl named Julie. She is from Washington D.C. and is super sweet. She is spunky, has a great smile & has pretty red hair! (Sometimes i wish i had red hair because i think it is GORGEOUS, but she doesn’t tan all that well, so i’ll stick with my brown locks). She has a boyfriend too, so we tend to skype lots in our room. We are already becoming friends & it’s only been one week, so i’m excited to see the friendship that blossoms from this semester.

Let’s just say when Veronica called mine & Julie’s name my heart skipped a beat & maybe did a few summersaults. Dun dun dun.... We finally met Jaquelin & Juancho, who were both dressed super nice & both smelled amazing. Jaquelin doesn’t look spanish, so i am really interested to hear her story. Juancho look VERY spanish! but I’ll get onto their backgrounds later!

Since last sunday, I have experienced many new things. I am just go

ing to make a list, or i could write for days!!!!

1. Spanish food- which other than a few things have been incredible. We make our own breakfast in the morning- normally consisting of toast & yogurt. The first couple days i didn't have any coffee & was definitely needing some. So i mustered up some courage, spoke my very best spanish & asked if it would be possible to make coffee in the morning. Jaquelin then became my very best friend. Out of the cupboard came an espresso maker. Not a nice one like my mom has, but something that looks like the tin can from the Wizard of Oz. Remember that term “Don't judge a book by its cover?” Well i don’t think i have learned in a better way. I made coffee the next morning & it was absolutely incredible! A little milk, a little chocolate, mmmm mmmm mmmm. A spanish mocha made by an American :))) Next the first meal cooked for us was paella. So so good. It is almost like dirty rice, but better. It has chunks of chicken & steak and shrimp & grilled veggies all mixed with rice. Then there’s the bread. Jaquelin goes to the store every morning for bread & veggies etc. So, when julie & i wake up, the kitchen smells like a bakery. Not too bad i must say :))
2. Getting around the city- Generally people walk everywhere especially if you live in the downtown area. I live in a place called Plaza Gran Capitan. We look out our window, and see a plaza with a fountain, lots of trees & more apartment style housing. It takes us about 10 minutes to walk to school if we are running. If we enjoy ourselves and look around, it takes us 15-20 minutes. We are probably walking at least 15 miles a day back & forth to school multiple times a day, and when we do our touristy stuff.
3. School- This week and next week is orientation. We took a level test at the beginning of the week to see what classes we would be in for orientation. I am in a class with five other girls and our professors name is Jose. He is very funny, and has helped me tremendously with my spanish in the last couple days. After next week we will take another test to determine our level again. Hopefully i’ll test into Lengua y Cultura, which is the second level. If i get into this program, i won’t have class on fridays, which would be wonderful and i would also be able to pick the classes i want.
4. My host family & home- Jaquelin, Juancho & Miguel. Jaquelin and Juancho have been dating for 4 years and they live together in this apartment. Miguel is Jaquelin’s son who is 14. He is very funny and makes us laugh all the time. He knows english pretty well, so he has been a big help when Julie and I are speaking spanish to jaq & juancho. Jaquelin also has 2 other apartments that are rented out to international and spanish students. These aren’t typical apartments though. They tend to have 4 bedrooms & 3 bathrooms, with a kitchen big dining room & living room. Jaquelin cooks for all of the students, does our laundry, and is basically a mom for 16 students!
5. When walking around the house, you wear slippers. If you don’t, your toes may fall off & if they do, it’s no one’s fault but your own! Also, because there is no central heating, we wear lots of clothes to bed. :)
6. When going out to eat or get drinks, tipping the bartender/waiter is not necessary.
7. Gypsies on the street will try to read your palms & give you branches of rosemary. They especially love american because i guess we fall into their little traps easily. They tend to be senoras (older women) who try to repeatedly shove branches into your hands. Once one grabs our hand though, more gypsies come around you, and if you aren't careful you could get pick-pocketed. So be firm, say no and walk really fast passed them!
8. Churros con chocolate is the most amazing dessert i have ever had in my life. Here churros aren’t covered in sugar. Instead they are plain, and you can order them with chocolate sauce. Now when i say chocolate sauce you are all probably thinking liquid hershey’s syrup from a bottle. Nope. This chocolate is almost as thick as pudding, tastes like hot chocolate and is steaming hot. Oh my goodness- it is too hard to explain. i’ll have to take a picture the next time i have one.

Ok i think this is enough for one day. More good news; i found a church very close to my house, that i will call home for the next four months. Everyone i have met there have been wonderful! They took me out for tapas last night after youth group, and showed me around a bit. It was great.

besos x

5,962 miles from home.

hello to my wonderful family :)

I have been gone for a week and a half, and have been through an array of emotions already! I will start explaining from the beginning. I started my journey from the SF airport, and flew straight to London to stay with friends (Hawkings family) that i met through my soccer program (AIS). I stayed in the cutest little town called Chorleywood, which is about 30 minutes from Heatherow Airport. The Hawkings family consists of 4 boys, so Elaine, the mum, was really excited to have a lady in the house. I have known the 2 boys that still live at home for about 5 years now, so not seeing them for 6 months hadn't mattered. They took me sledding down a massive hill on a golf course, we went into london, went out to pubs, and visited so many historical places. Because people in Europe dont have big houses, it is very typical to meet up with friends at pubs instead of having them over to your house. When we traveled around London, it reminded me a lot of san francisco actually. It helped me not miss you all so much. It was incredible. I will figure out how to post pictures for you all to see. I'm assuming photobucket will work if i give you my username & password.

So England from Monday through Friday, & then i was off to Spain!

Friday night i arrived in Granada around 7 pm & was picked up by smiling american faces that i also knew from AIS. Vicki is from Georgia & now works in the AIS office in Granada. I got to go to her house for the night instead of having to stay in a hostel by myself, which was very nice. Friday we went to the women's soccer practice & stopped at a Panaderia! the most incredible baked goods you will EVER have. The panaderia had bread, croissants, cookies, more bread, and anything you can imagine covered in chocolate. Es muy delicioso!!! After soccer practice i was exhausted so i went to bed pretty early. In spain it is very very typical for houses to be cold, and for people to wear layers & slippers. So when in Spain, do as the Spaniards do! i wore four layers to bed & socks as well, even though i HATE wearing socks to bed! Anyways, the next day, i had to go to the hotel i would be staying at for the night in downtown Granada. due to the fact that you can't drive in certain places downtown, i had to get on a bus with my luggage and venture out into the city with only a map, very little spanish & a smile! Let me tell you that didnt get me very far. I ended up getting off two stops passed where i should have & was dragging my luggage uphill for about 2 miles!!!! ahhhh no bueno :))

i finally made it to my hotel & got to see 2 of my volleyball girls from school that i haven't seen since September. It was great. more smiling, recognizable, american faces that understood english. We got all checked into our rooms, and decided we wanted to go out for the night :) We got ready & hit the streets. There were six girls & 3 boys (our bodyguards, due to the fact that spanish men are very open with how they feel about pretty american ladies). We went out for tapas at some local pubs. In Spain when you order any type of drink other than water, you get some type of appetizer. It could be big, little, delicious or nasty. My first drink came with olives & bread with bruschetta??? i always get bruschetta & broschutto confused. Anyways it was bread with the thin, salty bacon stuff. It was very good, & so was my sangria. mmmmmm. I am not a big fan of wine, but when it is mixed with a bunch of fruit juice & chunks of fruit you can't go wrong. We kept wandering around to different pubs, and found some american ones with football on. It is funny because i had no idea that american football is big over here. They all have chants & shirts etc. So after tapas and football, we found a discoteco which is a dancing bar kinda place. There was a huge line, so we just walked up and asked how much it cost to get in. They saw how good looking we were & let us in FOR FREE! :)) Normally it costs 10 euro per person to get in, which is around 15 dollars or so, & he let us all in. All we did was ask cuanto cuestas??? translated in english "how much does this cost." Let's just say the 150 spaniards waiting in line were not happy to see 8 americans get in before them & not have to pay.

So i can say without a doubt, that our first night in Granada was a success! There will be more to come to explain everything else that has happened so far. Thanks so much for all your support & prayers. I can feel them many miles away :))
xxx Shay