The one where we break the elevator, ride a camel and experience Morocco.

I will warn everyone now that I haven't blogged in a while so this post will be a bit lengthy because there is a lot to say about my trip to Morocco!
To begin, this past weekend, a bunch of people from the Granada program took a trip to Morocco, and needless to say it was an unforgettable experience. The trip was not what I expected at all. I thought we would be traveling around main touristy areas doing touristy things but I felt like we were thrown into the very middle of the country and it was quite a shock. I guess I didn't realize that Morocco is still a developing country and the living conditions there are abysmal. Little children would constantly come up to us trying to get us to buy whatever they had and some even felt our back pockets for wallets. Many areas that we saw were also littered with garbage which took away from the many amazing views. However, I am very thankful for the experience because I left with a deeper appreciation for all of the things I am blessed to have in America, even just the little things, like clean drinking water.
We left on friday afternoon from Granada and took a bus to Sevilla to pick up some other passengers of the voyage. We then bussed from Sevilla to the port in Tarifa, Spain to take a ferry to Tanger, Morocco. I am not a big fan of traveling by boat because I got pretty nauseous, but at least now I know a cruise wouldn't be a good vacation for me. We finally arrived at Hotel La Paloma after around 10 hours of traveling and ate dinner: bread, couscous, soup, and baked chicken. I was extremely careful all trip to not eat anything that could make me sick so I wouldn't have to make any emergency trips to the bathroom.
On Saturday we ate a continental breakfast at the hotel (many delicious pastries) and went to the city of Chefchaouen. Most things in that city are blue and white because the blue color supposedly repels the mosquitos and flies in the spring and summer. A tour guide dressed in traditional Moroccan attire took us throughout the city and we saw a lot of cool things (pictures to follow). However, it was sad to see the poverty in the area and how it affects the citizens there. After the tour we ate lunch which consisted of chicken again, french fries, bread, and a salad which I didn't eat because of the fear of getting sick. After lunch we had free time where we were able to walk around the markets to shop and bargain! If I was rich, I would have bought so much stuff, all of it was so cool! It was important to bargain though because many merchants would set their prices ridiculously high but could easily be talked down to an affordable price. I ended up buying a scarf, a pillow case and to bracelets for really cheap! A bunch of girls got Henna tattoos as well.
Saturday night we ate dinner at the hotel again and there was a show of traditional Moroccan dancers which was awesome! Dinner was lamb meatballs, which I didn't like, rice and salad, but the dessert, Chocolate Mousse made up for the meal. After dinner the program had a Sangria party on the top floor of the hotel. Apparently when the sign in the elevators in Morocco say that only 6 people can fit in the elevator, it really means ONLY 6. We may or may not have exceeded the limit causing the elevator to fall two floors with us in it and eventually get stuck. By far the scariest moment of the trip but all ended well as we had to climb out of the elevator; the employees were not pleased. The night ended well as my roomie Danielle turned 21 at midnight!
On Sunday we checked out of the hotel at 8am and made our way too the beachy area of Morocco which was better than the area we were in on Saturday.The bus ride could not be complete without watching a guy on the corner drop his pants in the middle of the street to flash the whole bus his man parts... yikes.  The weather on Sunday was so nice and sunny (much different than in Illinois right now haha suckers), perfect for a camel ride! Riding a camel was so scary because it was really bouncy and getting on and off was tricky, but overall a fun experience. We also walked through a cave that was supposedly one of Hercules' hiding spots. After lunch (chicken AGAIN, french fries and salad) we walked around the beach town a little and made our trip back to Granada arriving spritely at 3:30am... needless to say class at 9am this morning was a struggle.
Even though Morocco was not what I expected it to be like, I am still grateful that I was able to go. It was an unforgettable experiences that has given me a new outlook on my life in America and opened my eyes to the cultures around the world. And now I can say I have been to Africa! Sorry about the lengthy post (:
As usual, here are some pictures from my trip:

The market place where we went shopping/bargaining

The traditional Moroccan dancers at dinner

My henna tattoo, don't worry Mom it comes off in two weeks (:

Alpha Phi's love camel rides!

Me and Danielle on a camel! So scary

I wrote mine and Clayton's initials on the wall in Morocco

A cool blue fountain

View from the Atlantic ocean from inside Hercules' cave

So much blue!

The beach in Assila.

The one where we almost get left in Sevilla.

This weekend, a lot of the people in the program decided to make the first of many trips to Sevilla. On friday we took a three hour bus ride to Sevilla and got to our apartment around 1:00 in the afternoon. We decided to rent an apartment because it was essentially the same price as a hostel and this way we could make meals for ourselves to help save money. The apartment was very nice, with two bedrooms and a big futon. The bathroom was relatively small but equipped with towels and the whole place was very clean, and a good decision on our part!
After relaxing a little bit in the apartment, we walked around the city to take it all in. The University of Sevilla is absolutely gorgeous and kind of reminded me of Hogwarts.  We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking through the city and stopped to get delicious frozen yogurt. We went to corte ingles to get food to make for dinner and on the walk home it was pouring rain and because I have the best luck, I realized I left my umbrella at the frozen yogurt place! I retraced my steps to see where I left it but had no such luck finding it of course. We had pasta and wine for dinner which was good because Madre dos doesn't make pasta very often.
On saturday we started at the plaza de España, it is huge! However, there were so many gypsies there trying to give you rosemary which got pretty annoying. It appeared to me that there are more gypsies in Sevilla than in Granada. I also realized that there are way more Americans there. There were many occasions in which we ran into Americans on the street or in cafes. After the Plaza we ventured to the cathedral which was stunning. Parts reminded me of the cathedral where Prince William and Kate were married. We went all the way up the Giralda tower to get a beautiful view of the city. Then we proceeded to walk through the city through beautiful gardens and scenery. Since we ate kind of a big lunch at a pizza place, we ate the left over pasta for dinner and then went out with friends.
This morning, we planned on waking up at 8:00am to ride bikes by the river, but nobody woke up until 9:45 and our bus left at 11:15. Our apartment was very close to the bus station that we were dropped off at so we didn't leave until almost 11. When we got to the same bus station that we arrived at, to our dismay, there was only one bus there that had just arrived from somewhere else. In a panic, we asked a worker where we needed to be and they said we needed to go to the main bus station all the way across town... great. Again this is an example of my incredible luck I have had on this trip so far. We frantically found to cabs to take us to the bus station and luckily made it just in time!
Overall,  I had a very fun weekend in Sevilla, but I am glad I am studying in Granada. However, I would recommend visiting Sevilla for anyone who is traveling in Spain, just be careful of the gypsies! Here are some pictures from my weekend:

The girls at La plaza

At the Granada part of the Plaza 

Front of the cathedral

La Plaza de España

Solo shot of me by the fountain

La plaza de España

Where Christopher Columbus is buried

View from the Giralda tour in the cathedral

A huge organ

Beautiful stained glass window

The one where I broke the shower head... and went to the Alhambra

Sunday, Jan 12.
The first time I showered in Madre dos' house, I broke the shower head. Of course something like that would happen to me when I have only known this lady for 24 hours. If you know me, you will probably guess that I was freaking out about telling her what happened. I sat in pure agony in my room and waited for her guess to leave so I could brake the news to her. After rehearsing what I was going to say a thousand times in my head, I told her what had happened and to my pleasant surprise, she was not mad at all. She even had an extra one in the closet and said not to worry and gave me a hug.
Minus the shower fiasco, the whole program took a trip to the Alhambra earlier that day which was so cool. The views are breathtaking and the structure of the fort is very similar to El Moro in Puerto Rico. The group went on a 2 and a half hour tour of the fort with a guide. After we ate lunch, a ham and cheese sandwich with olive oil and a clementine, the directors took us to the military area and through some beautiful gardens.
Jenn and I tried to join the gym, but it turns out it closes at 4 on sundays so we couldn't. We've had bad luck signing up there. Here are some of the beautiful sites I saw at the Alhambra.

A pretty pathway

Great view of the old village

The fountain powered by natural forces, no pumps are involved

From the military stand point

So pretty

The one where I meet Madre dos.

Today, I finally moved out of the hostel and met my host mom (señora)! I call her Señora Gracia, but when referring to her in my blog or to others, I call her Madre dos. Even though I was sad to leave my roomie Julia, I was excited to get out of the hostel and get to my actual home for the semester. I was very nervous to meet Madre dos, but it turns out she is so nice! Her apartment is on the third floor and has 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths. I have my own room, bigger than my room at home and school, and my own bathroom! I can tell Laura, Madre dos' daughter, lived in this room when she was little as the pictures of puppies, flowers and butterflies still remain. It is a little chilly, because a lot of apartments do not have central heating, but thankfully it is not as cold here as it has been in Chicago! She is very accommodating and corrects my horrible spanish which is very helpful.
Madre dos made a potato stew for lunch. To me, it tasted more like a potato soup than stew with many various vegetables that I cannot name. We also had bread with "queso" and a salad. There is bread at every meal here, carbs carbs carbs! I really like the salad here because most have a olive oil/vinegar dressing that is very delicious. I am definitely going to be open to trying new things because the food here is much different. It will also be very hard to stay away from all of the bakeries and candy shops. It will be a miracle if I don't come back obese. Even after our big lunch, we had a HUGE dinner consisting of a dish very similar to fried rice, sausage, lasagna, salad, and corn... ay dios mío. Not to mention the plate of chocolate and cookies that is always offered. But I'll stop complaining.
The apartment is a little less than a mile away from school, which isn't too bad and some live a lot farther. On the other hand, it is very close to a lot of shops and little cafés. Luckily Julia and Jenn live very close to me so I will always have someone to walk with. After I unpacked my stuff in my room, I walked around the city with Jenn and Julia and bought a hair dryer and straightener from 'El Corte Inglés'. This place is like a department store on steroids and has everything you can imagine, even more than a super target. The best part is all popular American products are sold there. I can't wait to do some more shopping here (:
Tomorrow, we are going on a 6 hour tour of the Alhambra and then after, Jenn and I are going to join YO10, the gym very close to our apartments. Overall, I feel very blessed to be living with Madre dos, she is wonderful and I look forward to my days ahead.

My bed

My desk

The closet

Bathroom

Bathroom

The one where I go to Spain.

This is my first blog entry while being in Spain! I will be honest when I say that while on the flight here I was extremely nervous about arriving and as of now, it is still a big adjustment. However, I am extremely hopeful, and know my experiences here will only continue to improve and become more meaningful; I am very optimistic. While others on this trip seem to be in the "honeymoon stage" of culture shock, where they think everything is so great and love everything about Granada, I feel like I am defying most stereotypes and actually miss home, especially mi familia y mi novio. I found myself craving Buffalo Wild Wings and a root beer... what?? But I know as soon as I acclimate to the culture, I will consider Granada my home and never want to leave. But until then, here are some things I have noticed:
1. The people hear speak so fast. Someone will say something to me and then I will have to pause t think about what they said, and then pause again to formulate some utterance of Spanglish to respond back. Fortunately, even after one day, I have noticed an improvement in my Spanish and am less scared to try and communicate!
2. Water is more expensive than most drinks. Here, I can get a cafe con leche (expresso with milk) for much less than I can buy a water which is much different than in the United States. I will admit though, the tap water here tastes really good! Much different and more pure than the water from lake Michigan.
3. The meal times here are very hard to get used too. Today for breakfast, I had a pastry and a cafe con leche when normally I am used to eating toast and yogurt, or cereal. For lunch, Julia and I, my roommate and companion on this adventure, ate at Carmela's and split croquettes. The croquettes consisted of potatoes, cheese, and little bits of ham in the shape of a ball and deep fried... aka so good. We ate this snack, or merienda, at around 1:00pm and didn't eat dinner until about 9:30pm! I was starving. The rice stew, or form of paella was very good, and the ensalada (salad) was very different from American salads, but still very tasty. I hope I can adjust to these crazy meal times!

Overall, I will have to say my first full day in Spain went really well and I am excited to start classes and meet my host family (:

The cathedral where the catholic kings including Fernando and Queen Isabel are buried. Very close to 'Sevilla' the restaurant where we ate dinner.

The beautiful view from the balcony of my room in the hostel.