If It´s Breathtakingly Beautiful Then It Must Be GRANADA

WOW!
That is all I have to say about Granada.  WOW!  I just got back to Alicante literally 2 hours ago and the first thing I had to do was update this blog and upload my pictures because I just cannot wait to share this experience with you! So here goes:
Granada is located in the region of Andalucia in southern Spain.  It was also the last Muslim kingdom to be conquered by Isabel and Ferdinand during the Reconquest in 1492.  So the city is full of Muslim-Moorish influences as well as Christian, after they took over.  The main attraction in Granada is by far the Alhambra.  The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls as you will see in the pictures.  It was constructed in the 13th century (or 12th I can´t quite remember).  Boabdil was the last Moorish king and in 1492 he surrendered to Ferdinand within the very walls of Alhambra.  Also when Isabel gave Columbus the ¨okay¨ to go sail the ocean blue, they were in the Alhambra.  Very historic.  However, the Alhambra went through a period where it was practically forgotten.  In the 1800s Washington Irving had a stay at the Alhambra for about six months and there he wrote Tales of the Alhambra.  And now the Alhambra sees millions of visitors a year!
Anyways before we left we were all really worried about the weather.  It was supposed to be ¨freezing cold¨ and snowing-raining.  However, it was beautiful weather!  Still a little chilly but I definitely can´t complain (I know you all are in the States literally freezing!).  The Lord really blessed our weekend weather!  When we got there in the afternoon on Friday we took a little walking tour around Granada and went to La Plaza Nueva where there is a perfect view of Alhambra from afar.  Took tons and tons and tons of pictures!!  Later that night, we went back to take some nighttime photos.  During the walk a few of us bought dates, which were delicious.  On the way back to the hotel, we walked through the ¨tea¨ district - where there were tons of tea shops and places to smoke hookah.  We also wandered around an area called Little India and looked at tons of small shops with jewelry, tapestries etc.  Because of Granada´s rich Muslim history, there is a lot of Muslim influence in the buildings and the people there.
Friday night a few of us wanted to watch flamenco so we went to a restaurant where you could order dinner and watch flamenco.  What an experience!  There was a man who played the guitar and a woman who sang - she had the most unique voice.  The two flamenco dances were amazing!  I had never seen flamenco and to be right there while eating dinner was quite an experience!  After we went to a tea place to drink tea and smoke hookah.  The tea was absolutely amazing!  I bought some the next day to take home to the States!
Saturday was the big day - the Alhambra day.  We spent at least 4 hours touring the Alhambra.  There is a fortress, palaces, summer home/lodge, and magnificent gardens.  Granada has a great location because it has access to water all the time - from its rivers and the sierra nevada mountains.  Therefore, the Alhambra has many, many fountains all over the grounds.  Honestly, I am unable to describe what I saw there and how cool it was... and my pictures definitely will not do it justice.  But it was the coolest experience yet!  (And that says a lot!)  But everything was decorated so beautifully and everything has intricate carvings.  There is tile everywhere and carved wood and domed windows everywhere...  The tower has a great view of all of Granada and the sierra nevadas as you will see if you check out the photos.
Anyways, after the Alhambra visit we explored Granada some more and even caught the end of a Catholic wedding in one of the main Cathedrals in Granada.  As foreign tourists, we felt it was our duty to stand outside with the rest of the guests and wait for the groom and bride to come out, so there are pictures of that!  But it was so interesting because all the guests were dressed very fashionably and like they were going to prom!!  After that we went back to the hotel to hang out and relax... and Carly, Melissa, and I thought it would be fun to put on a little ¨show¨.  So Melissa drew faces on Carly and I´s chins (to make our chins look like heads... with our mouths... you know?  kinda difficult to explain but there are videos to prove this).  Anyways so Melissa recorded Carly and I´s chins singing and having hilarious conversations!  Some of the others came and watched too.  We were laughing so hard we had tears running down our faces!  After the ¨show¨ we went to a restaurant where we had beer and tapas.  Tapas actually orginated in Granada so everywhere you go if you order an alocholic beverage they give you a FREE tapas!  An amazing deal so we decided to jump at that chance!  It was a blast to hang out, socialize, and eat great food while sharing stories about our lives and experiences!  Then, of course, we got helado (ice cream) - what a way to end a fantastic weekend at Granada!
It is so difficult to even grasp how bless I am.  I am so thankful for these amazing opportunities and experiences. Also for the amazing friends I have made!  Talking with other students about our host families has also made me realize that I am so blessed by the family I was put with.  Many people have had some bad experiences and difficult situations and I am just so lucky to not have had to deal with that!  Anyways it is time to go have lunch with the fam... kinda missed them while I was gone :)
Un beso,
Sarah

Best Intercambios Ever

Hola mis amigos,
So today I officially declare both my intercambios the greatest intercambios ever (equally of course).  Monday I met with Javier which is always fun.  This time he showed me pictures of the kids he works with when he volunteers.  This weekend they are performing a play - High School Musical!!!  ¡Que guay!  He has never seen the movie - I told him he needed to see the movie before the show begins!  jajaja.  In addition, Javier is friends with the intercambio of one of my friends, Carly.  We decided that the four of us needed to get together next week and meet together.  The more the merrier!  We have only met twice and each time we have spoken only in Spanish so I told Javier next time it was allll English.  He isn´t too excited because it is always much more difficult to think in a foreign language.  When I told him it would be fun, he said ÿeah... maybe for you!¨ jaja.  Yes, definitely for me!
Entonces, today I met with Pedro.  We studied English for a little more than two hours because tomorrow he has a big English test.  He isn´t taking an English class but he wants to study abroad in Portugal and the program he wants to study abroad with requires everyone to know a certain about of English.  I had so much fun with the English today.  Although he definitely knows more of the specifics than I do!  Just like I know more of the verb tenses and specifics of Spanish than he does.  At times when he asked me questions my reply was ¨I don´t know how to explain it!  I just speak it!!¨ But it was fun to be able to explain English to him in Spanish.  In addition, he had a practice test that I helped him with.  Some of the sentences on the test I would never use and neither would anyone else speaking English (at least in the States).  They were sooo odd!  My homework now is to look up the difference between lay and lie.... so sad.... I feel like I should know that!  To wrap up the night, Pedro drove me home from the universidad and on the way we exchanged slang words in our native language.  That was probably the best part!  To hear him pronounce certain ¨slang¨ words in English was hysterical  especially with his accent and it was equally funny for him to hear me pronounce some of the words and phrases.  Por ejemplo, I taught Pedro what it means to ¨make-out¨ in English.  :)  Useful information, right?
Oh anyways... I should probably get some sleep while I can!
¡Adios chicos!
Un beso,
Sarah

¡¡¡¡Carnaval!!!!

Hola,
So after last night I can officially be considered ¨in Spain¨ and I can officially say I know how the Spaniards party.  Last night was Carnaval - one of the biggest fiestas of the year.  Everyone dresses up in costumes (like Halloween but times 1000).  There´s no trick-or-treating either.  It is just one big, huge party in the streets.  There were at least 4 different concert stages set up and at least 5 churro con chocolate booths and soo much more.  I have never seen that many people in the streets in my life.  It was insane (or course I am posting some pictures that a friend of mine took).  My friend Carly and I dressed up in tutús - it was great!  We probably hit the streets about 11pm last night and then I didn´t get home til 6am-ish.  It might have been later except the weather was terrible and after 7 hours on the streets in the cold - we decided our warm beds sounded nice.  About halfway through the night we ate kebaps - best food ever.  Mine was a lamb kebap... the meat was so warm and flavorful!  If you are ever in Spain, or anywhere in Europe, try the kebaps!!  You will not regret it and for 3.50€ it is totally worth it!  There were soo many crazy costumes too!  I think the best we saw was some people dressed up as Avatar people - they looked like they stepped right out of the movie!  The concerts were pretty fun too :)  All in all it was a successful night!
Carnaval was the best way to kick off the next few weeks of craziness for me.  Next weekend I am going to Granada and then after that I am traveling for 4 more weekends... and then spring break!  Honestly it is kinda stressful.  Not only am I trying to make sure I have all the papers and directions to the hostels etc. that I need for these weekends but I am also trying to plan my spring break, while figuring out where I am going to live next Fall and what classes I will be taking, also how to raise support for Summer Project, get a job and book my flights to New Jersey... Oh yeah... did I mention I am taking 17 credits too??  Haha... it´s insane... sometimes I feel like my head is going to fall off.  So please keep my insane (but absolutely amazing) life in your prayers.  The Lord is pouring soo many blessings on my life right now - I love it and am soo thanksful but sometimes I feel like I need 40 hours in a day instead of 24...  Sleep is going to take a backseat for the next 3 months.  But you´re only studying abroad in Spain once right?
Well I will add more when I can!  But enjoy the pictures of Carnaval and some things around Alicante!
Love
Sarah