Susan's first week as a Spanish student

I was one of those people who took German in high school. The logic I had used to choose a language was undeniably sound: I chose the class that was supposedly harder. The valedictorian of the class ahead of us had taken German, so it was clearly the best choice.

Never mind that 34 million people in the United States speak Spanish. There are probably at least 34 who speak German. Clearly, German was the way to go.

But I digress...

Let's just say that after travelling two Mexico for two vacations and Ecuador for another, it became clear that Spanish might be a useful tool for me. So when planning what I might do on this European adventure, studying Spanish and getting some sun in Granada (which happens to be next to the Sierra Nevada, which contain the tallest mountain in Spain - Mulhaçen - at over 11,000') seemed to be a good idea.

It wasn't hard to find a private Spanish school in Granada online for people like myself. It seems that studying in Granada is very popular for Americans and Germans, and this part of town is littered with small private schools.

Ours (Projecta España) is pretty small, but probably of average size: there are 4 or 5 classrooms and maybe a dozen instructors who teach at various times during the day. Our 2-person class meets for 3 hours per day, which pass surprisingly quickly. In college I could barely survive a one hour and 50-minute class. Apparently having such individual instruction helps keep one awake.

A few days before my arrival in Granada I was told that I would be living with a woman named Elis in her apartment. (I had requested a 'homestay'.) En route to Granada I had envisioned exactly what Elis would be like. A grandmotherly woman with a bit of grey in her hair, she'd help me find the perfect place to store my bike (who doesn't like bikes?) and invite me to go grocery shopping with her. She would try to tell me stories about her husband who had passed away, in simple phrases, trying to help the unfortunately foreigner understand. And of course she'd have a cat. Or two.

Instead, Elis is a middle-aged cat-less nurse who does happen to be a grandmother. I've no idea what happened to Mr. Elis. And Elis was not excited about the bike. I showed her where I parked it temporarily (under the stairs, locked to the railing), and she indicated that we would consult with the janitor about where it could be stored mañana. Five days later, it's still under the stairs.

As Elis doesn't know any English, I'm rather glad that Danja, the German student who's also living in this apartment, is around to help translate. Danja is ihere with a friend of hers from Germany (who happens to be from New Zealand), and as a result, we don't hang out together to0 much. I've mostly been hanging out with my German classmate at la escuela, Jenny. (Yes, I told you that Germans love Granada).

Class is from 12-3, "dinner" (prepared by Elis) is from 3-4, and each afternoon has been different: on Monday Jenny and I headed up to Sacromonte, Tuesday and Thursday I went on long-ish bike rides (3-4 hours long, towards the Sierra Nevada), Wednesday was dedicated to la Alhambra, and today (Friday) Jenny and I spent some time with her roommates and visited The Cathedral and walked around Albaicin a bit.

I've paid for "half board" here, which includes breakfast and the midday meal. As far as food goes, breakfast every day has been corn flakes (which I usually supplement with a pastry or other snack, since corn flakes don't fill me up enough to last me until 3 p.m.). And though my father will probably think it heresy to say so, corn flakes get old after the 3rd day in a row. The lunch/dinner served every day has been a bowl rice or potatoes with vegetables and some fish on top. I'm hoping that the consistency in the afternoon meal has been due in part to Danja's long list of allergies, which include milk, meat, and bread... Danja will be leaving after this weekend, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that next week things will get more interesting. On the other hand, I see a weekly diet designed for my hostess posted on the refrigerator, which makes me suspect that she is either diabetic or on a special diet for some other reason. Long story short, the food has been OK so far, but when I had a doner kebab today, it seemed exceptionally tasty compared to what I've been eating at home.

The running here hasn't been too spectactular. I did find a running route along the canal that heads away from the city a bit, but even that gets a bit old. One of the problems is that it's been nearly impossible for me to get to bed and wake up early, which means that there is always car traffic and foot traffic, which makes it frustrating to run in an urban environment. Ah, to be running in Seattle again...

On Tuesday I found the road up to the Sierra Nevada and rode up to about 5000' (Grenada is at about 2200'). Thursday I continued up the same route, this time reaching 6800'. The views were phenomenal, especially as I headed back to Grenada under the setting sun. I even spotted a solo chamois and a group of 4 along the route.

Last night we got to see some flamenco, which was pretty amazing. I intend to write more about this later, but for now I will say that I've never seen such phenomenal clapping, snapping, and footwork.

Tomorrow we don't have class (it's Saturday), so it's off to Alpujarra, a the villages known for their natural beauty and unique culinary delights. Woohoo!

Meanwhile, the Spanish studies are going all right. Instead of drawing a complete blank when trying to get something I need, I can sometimes string together three or four words together. It's amazing how exciting it is to be able to say "I want"!

I'm hoping that my progress will continue as quickly next week, for then I'll be heading off through the countryside, attempting to live off my knowledge of Spanish for a couple of weeks!