on spain and the like...
the fact that i´m living in granada has finally hit me...
a brief overview:
living here in spain has been quite an interesting experience so far. i live in a medium sized apartment on the 6th floor of a high rise on el camino de ronda. the ground floor of my building is a motorcycle repair shop that provides that lovely sounds of engine tuneups throughout the afternoon and well into the evening. the tan and green building is adorned with an innumberable entanglement of clothes lines that hang loosely between the neighboring apartment complex. each night, i am lulled to sleep by a cool breeze and the sounds of conversations eminating from the streets. in the mornings i am granted a glorious view of the sierra nevadas as i make my way towards la calle de recologio. upon passing the la fuente de colon, i make a quick left on el camino de reyes catolicas and press onward toward el centro de lenguas modernas. the school´s architecture is remincient of a classic spanish hotel lobby; complete with a large atrium and a fountain in the center. all of the classrooms are on the second floor where the hallways serve as balconies from which one can enjoy the view of the aforementioned fountain in the atrium below. attempting to describe architecture is clearly not my specialty, so i´ll just show you a picture when i get back if you´re curious. both of my classes are taught completely in spanish, but i´ve found that, much to my surprise and elation, i can understand almost everything that my teachers are saying.
things with the family are getting better and better each day. although i enjoy the company of all of those with whom i live, i must say that Antonio, the patriarch of the family (75ish), is my favorite of the group. for the past few days he and i have really connected and, after each meal, we´ll take time to sit and talk about a variety of things. so far we´ve discussed american foreign policy, Bush´s plans for immigration in the united states, september 11th etc. he seems to be very interested in the way things are in america, which is nice because its much easier for me to talk about things that i´m familiar with as compared to discussing the customs of spain and so on. most importantly, i enjoy spending time with Antonio becuase he is completely devoted to helping me become a better spanish speaker. today, after a particularly successful conversation, he poured me a glass of wine, patted me on the back and toasted me, saying something along the lines of ´for my excellent, young student!´ it was incredibly flattering. i can only see things getting better from here on out.
other things:
1-everyone here drives a fucking scooter or a motorcycle. and when i say drive i mean that whip down they roads at about 50 MPH while talking on the phone. crosswalks are oftentimes quite frightening.
2-though i can´t say that i´m too big of a fan of everyone in the LSU group, i´ve had the opportunity to meet a handfull of great people in the past few days. satisfaction.
3-i´m currently sitting at a cyber cafe that is decorated with a hilarious array of ridiculous americana. there are pictures of the blues brothers, elvis, tiger woods, orson welles and marilyn monroe plastered all over the walls. the music playing over the speaker system is a delightful mixture of circa 1999 american pop songs and current spanish chart toppers.
alright, i tire of typing this entry. neccecito actualizar este diario y salir. hasta luego.
a brief overview:
living here in spain has been quite an interesting experience so far. i live in a medium sized apartment on the 6th floor of a high rise on el camino de ronda. the ground floor of my building is a motorcycle repair shop that provides that lovely sounds of engine tuneups throughout the afternoon and well into the evening. the tan and green building is adorned with an innumberable entanglement of clothes lines that hang loosely between the neighboring apartment complex. each night, i am lulled to sleep by a cool breeze and the sounds of conversations eminating from the streets. in the mornings i am granted a glorious view of the sierra nevadas as i make my way towards la calle de recologio. upon passing the la fuente de colon, i make a quick left on el camino de reyes catolicas and press onward toward el centro de lenguas modernas. the school´s architecture is remincient of a classic spanish hotel lobby; complete with a large atrium and a fountain in the center. all of the classrooms are on the second floor where the hallways serve as balconies from which one can enjoy the view of the aforementioned fountain in the atrium below. attempting to describe architecture is clearly not my specialty, so i´ll just show you a picture when i get back if you´re curious. both of my classes are taught completely in spanish, but i´ve found that, much to my surprise and elation, i can understand almost everything that my teachers are saying.
things with the family are getting better and better each day. although i enjoy the company of all of those with whom i live, i must say that Antonio, the patriarch of the family (75ish), is my favorite of the group. for the past few days he and i have really connected and, after each meal, we´ll take time to sit and talk about a variety of things. so far we´ve discussed american foreign policy, Bush´s plans for immigration in the united states, september 11th etc. he seems to be very interested in the way things are in america, which is nice because its much easier for me to talk about things that i´m familiar with as compared to discussing the customs of spain and so on. most importantly, i enjoy spending time with Antonio becuase he is completely devoted to helping me become a better spanish speaker. today, after a particularly successful conversation, he poured me a glass of wine, patted me on the back and toasted me, saying something along the lines of ´for my excellent, young student!´ it was incredibly flattering. i can only see things getting better from here on out.
other things:
1-everyone here drives a fucking scooter or a motorcycle. and when i say drive i mean that whip down they roads at about 50 MPH while talking on the phone. crosswalks are oftentimes quite frightening.
2-though i can´t say that i´m too big of a fan of everyone in the LSU group, i´ve had the opportunity to meet a handfull of great people in the past few days. satisfaction.
3-i´m currently sitting at a cyber cafe that is decorated with a hilarious array of ridiculous americana. there are pictures of the blues brothers, elvis, tiger woods, orson welles and marilyn monroe plastered all over the walls. the music playing over the speaker system is a delightful mixture of circa 1999 american pop songs and current spanish chart toppers.
alright, i tire of typing this entry. neccecito actualizar este diario y salir. hasta luego.