Spontaneity is the Name of the Game

There is no way I´m starting the one month countdown. But it is true! As I write this blog I only have 21 days left. Currently I´m sitting in the computer lab at my school, the CLM. I just took my level 5 test. Because we have been so busy lately it has made studying a little harder and a lot less appealing.

Me and my Program Director, Veronica

Yesterday (Wednesday, April 25) I had a review day for class. We had our last meeting with our program director Veronica. She basically summed up what we were doing the last month...bull fight, departure information, forms to fill out, etc. After we were all done she read to us a letter she wrote. She said she had to write it earlier and read it to us or else she never would be able to say what she wanted. As she choked up, she read the letter. She talked about how last fall she had the best group ever and her heart broke when they had left. She wasn´t excited for our group to come because there was no way we would be as good as the previous group. And then she brought out 44 roses and said, "but as it turns out, you guys were amazing and I´ve loved ever single one of you. So I have 44 roses, for the 44 students, each symbolizing a piece of my heart that is breaking again when you leave." Awwww :)  

At the "Cada de Vino". In this picture is
Alex from Oregon but goes to Central

Later that evening I had a tutoring session and a Granada Seminar class where we learned about bullfighting. I´ll be honest when I say I´m a little nervous about it. I understand it is an art and part of the historical culture in Spain and after learning more it does not seem as bad. But when I´ve petted the Thompson Breeding bulls, and have led around steers by a leash, it makes thinking about a bullfight a little difficult. I´m excited to share how it goes on May 1st!

Tuesday we had a wine tasting. At 8pm we went to a restaurant which had their patio all set up for us. We got to try 4 different wines: one desert wine, two red wines, and a white wine. The desert wine was good, but I decided I´m not a big wine-o.

Vino, vino, vino

In my last blog I had mentioned going to a flamenco show! I had gone to a show in early March when my parents came to visit. If you can recall, the show was literally inside the side of a mountain. We were crammed into a small room, or cave, and watched the dancing. The show on Monday night was much different! Instead of a cave it was featured in a large auditorium. There were 6 men making up the singing and clapping part, 2 men on guitars, and one sitting on a wooden box as the drums. Then there was one middle to older aged lady who danced and another three men who flamenco danced. So it was much different. The music was fantastic and the men were phenomenal. It would have made the hour and a half show fly by if it wasn´t for my heavy eyes from some serious traveling the weekend before!

That's right! I went to Amsterdam! I left last Friday night from the Granada Airport and arrived in Barcelona around midnight. Unfortunately, I had two overnight layovers. So Friday night there I was in the huge empty airport, curled up in a blanket watching the 2008 Olympics on a TV. Around 2am I decided I had to get some sleep. In this airport the chairs are all connected and have the individual arm rests between every seat. So I pushed two long sections of connected chairs together, facing each other and make a very awkward and uncomfortable bench to sleep on. I might have slept 3 hours at best. It didn´t help that there was about ten-fifteen teenage Spanish kids running around playing tag. By 6am I was glad to be on my flight to Amsterdam.

Kirsten, Lindsey, Tess, Anne Frank, myself, and Mallory

The Central girls celebrating Tulip Time with some poffertjes

Amsterdam was awesome! Of course, being in the Netherlands, at times I felt like I was back in Pella. But a much, much, larger Pella....that had stores open on Sundays! I had met Tess, Lindsey, Mallory, and a girl from their program in London. We went to the Anne Frank House and explored the streets of Amsterdam. In school we´ve read parts of her diary and have studied the Holocaust; however, it definitely made the stories and lessons a reality when I walked through the house, their hiding place, and her room. The weather was a little rainy in the morning both days, but we lucked out and it cleared up and was nice the rest of the time! We loved eating the same food as we do during Tulip Time! We considered this trip to be our Tulip Time celebration. We also visited the famous " Iamsterdam" sign, the Heineken Brewery, and the Hard Rock Cafe... we caved.

When I was in Ireland I had gone to the Guinness Brewery and so I felt like I was going to the Heineken Brewery more so because my friends hadn't gone to one. I figured it would be cool but I wasn't expecting it to be fun! The two are completely different. I decided I liked the Heineken one better. Plus we got a discount... since we're such smart shoppers and my mother taught me well. Throughout the tour they had places to take fun pictures, their funny commercials throughout the years playing, and a place where we could email pictures and videos. Sorry I never sent to family! I sent them to myself so I could save them. Obviously they weren't cool enough to make the cut for the blog. When we decided to get in front of the green screen to record our video, we didn't know what we were getting into. Annoying Dutch music that we hear repeated over and over again during Tulip Time started blaring. Obviously getting the room's attention. Then the screen in front of us pops up and it looks like we're standing next to a windmill with cartoon characters swaying back and forth in the background. Then some obnoxious looking Dutch karaoke lyrics come up on the screen. So what we sounded like and what was recorded, was us mumbling, throwing in an occasional Dat denk and iks and then in unison, "en Amsterdam"! Other highlights were we got a simulator ride where we pretended to be brewed. The ride rocked us back and forth, up and down, and sprayed *hopefully water* at us! It was a great time!
 
We got to ride in a river boat through the canals (since there are hundreds), walk through a fair, and see some street performances. While walking the streets we stumbled upon some simple bracelets which the four of us got as "friendship bracelets". Nothing fancy, but I really like it! I had a great time and so did they! Since it was our 3rd time in Europe saying goodbye, it wasn´t hard this time. It seems we´re all trying to soak up these next few weeks we have! The London girls will be home the first weekend in May!!
 

(There are better pictures on my friend's camera)

Visiting Amsterdam was a lot of fun because I didn't really know what the expect, nor had I had much time to think about what I was going to see or do there. Originally I hadn't planned on visiting Amsterdam but like I've said before, being abroad I've really realized it is the people in your life which is most important. So when I was with my best friends in Barcelona during Spring Break, and they're begging me to come to Amsterdam because we have so much fun together and they miss me (I'm making myself sound cool here) I had no choice but to at least look into it. The flights were kind of really expensive for me and since I'd have two overnight airport layovers and probably miss a day of school (which I did on Monday) I wasn't sure. But after talking to my parents, Dad had reminded me that this is a once in a lifetime experience and you can't think monetarily. I should just do it. So this was a very spontaneous trip! I had decided to go and booked the flight less than two weeks before I left. Don't tell mom and dad, but my European cell phone hasn't been working the past month, so I went without a cell phone and luckily I beat them to their gate as they got off their plane! With a 30 minute time gap from my flight to theirs--I must run fast (: haha the first and last time I promise!!

I have one more story to tell! This one isn't about Amsterdam nor the average life in Granada. However, this did happen in Granada and I can't believe I got to witness this! (AS SEEN ON T.V.)

French fries are just as popular here as they
are...well, in the rest of Europe!

So my host mom tells me I got sick because I haven't been wearing my slippers on the cold floor in her house. "Si, el suelo es muy frio pero yo estaba enfermo antes de hoy!" I say to my mom. Before I left for Amsterdam I had gotten one of those beloved spring/summer colds. So after a few days of sore throats and a runny nose, I decided to take medicine. You can thank my roommate, she is my in-home pharmacy. Anyways, Friday, before I left at night for my flight, Austin had asked me to go get some hot tea. Tea is good for a sore throat, and its my new favorite thing to drink. So we're walking around trying to decide which cafe we should get some tea at. We are walking through what I like to call "the bird plaza" which is a very beautiful plaza that gets swarmed with birds at night which you can hear not cherping, but screetching blocks away, and you are crazy to walk under those trees. Anyways, this is around 4 pm or so, and we are walking on the street next to the plaza when all of a sudden we hear a woman screaming Spanish 1,000 KPH [because they don't use Miles per Hour (MPH) here]. So we turn around and see this guy riding a bike down the road we just walked. My initial thoughts are..."oh, they must be fighting" but then when I see the 30 year old lady trying to sprint while screaming, yelling, and waving her hands, saying some not very nice things (I understood one thing she said) I realized that this man has just stole her bike.

"Pancakes" but were really crepes with bacon! REAL BACON!

We both had no time to even react but it felt like in slow motion this man rides right past us. Not crazy fast because he didn't want to make a scene (as if the lady wasn't already) and he had the most serious face with a huge scar on his check down to his chin. He looked so scary. Now, he rides right past us and turns to go down the street we were about to. So we have the best view of all that is going on. By this time, everyone in the plaza knows whats happening and a man who was sitting at the cafe lunges out for the bike, hits the back tire, and that same man falls to the ground. Bad guy still on the go. A few feet after another guy comes in swinging his brief case and smokes the guy over the head. Papers fly!!! (like a movie) NOW the thief is wobbling but continues on his path down the tiny street. Just then...a third guy comes in and round-house kicks the guy in the upper back. The thief makes 3 big jerks on the handle bars....right...left...right...he swerves and then BOOM! He crashes hard on the ground.

The fair at night! Lindsey and Kirsten rode the ride on the
left. They asked if I wanted to...No way Jose!

OH MY GOSH!!!! The lady gets to her bike, she is a mess. Shes crying and now on the phone but she gets her bike and leaves, just leaving the guy lay there! Now I'm upset because there is no way this guy is just going to get to go free. He gets up, stumbles and then falls again. Remember, I said he fell hard. So I turn to Austin and we're both thinking....wow, this was awesome! And both agree to walk down the street to get a closer look! As we start walking, some guy has the thief's hands behind his back and has him up against the wall. As we get closer, we both notice the thief's face....was covered in blood. Not just like "oh, he hit his head and is bleeding" but more like, I could not see any skin. That is when we notice where he hit the ground. It was obvious where he had hit his head because blood had splattered everywhere. Trying not to exaggerate at all, but I think 3 feet away from him there was still some on the street. So then we realize how bad it is. I honestly can't believe he didn't die or was completely unconscious. There's no need to go into more detail. But after we saw that we had agreed that we didn't like what we were seeing and maybe walking down the street wasn't such a good idea. Again, the streets in Granada are uneven bricked roads.

 Anyways, after we walked past, the police came and we headed to get some tea. But not before snapping some pictures first! How many times in your life do you witness a REAL robbery???

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you're going to steal a bike, wear a helmet. If you're going to be the hero, carry a briefcase or learn to how to do a round-house kick.

If any of you don't know what that is. Highlight the link below, right click on it when it is highlighted, and choose "open in a new tap" or something like that.  Dear Grandpa Daryl, I think this is the easiest way to do it! I hope these directions help you! But who knows, I bet while I've been gone you've mastered the computer! ;) haha (miss you!)

(Round-house kick made popular by Chuck Norris)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb7lnpk3tRY

There is my update! I´ve been trying to kill time between finishing my test and my hike at 1:30. I'd say I've been pretty successful!! I´m going with a Spanish college student  and three other girls from my program on a hike today. The only worry I have left is my Oral Exam tomorrow morning! Then I get a week break! ¿Que suerte?