Wes left :/

Today our roommate Wes left to go back to America. We miss him already! He   really helped our transition from America to Spain go smoothly and took us under his wing to show us around. We definitely got lucky with such a nice guy as a roommate!

The morning was a little crazy since we did get home at 4:30 am from Camborio. We got out of bed at 11 and ate breakfast. Mila woke up Wes at 11 too, which was a little late because he had a cab coming at 12 to bring him to the airport and he wasn't packed. He was rushing all morning and we barely got to see him but we got to say our "see ya laters" and not goodbyes. 

Once he left, it was really surreal and it felt like he was just going out with some friends and will be back later. Still kind of waiting for him to walk back into the door. We went for a walk along the river today, and on the way there we saw a guy that looked like Wes and we had to take a double-take. It was really creepy to be honest ha. We went exploring and found the river that many people run along and the Sierra Nevada Mountains looked really cool today!

For lunch we had white rice and pan fried chicken with salad. It was SO good and Rachael and I finished all of it. :) We were very proud of ourselves because usually Wes has to finish all of our leftovers, so we gave him the nickname of the garbage. After lunch we took a siesta and when we woke up we decided to go exploring and do a little window shopping. We then stopped to get some tea at the cafe that we went to the first night that we were here. 

Overall the afternoon and evening were very chill and free flowing. We are hoping to be able to watch the Packer game tonight on the computer. It will 2 am in Spain when it is on. We are relying on a live streaming on a website.

We will miss you Wes! Have fun being back in America with your family and friends, but feel free to visit us within the next 5 months :) 

Ending with the final pictures we took last night! 

Camborio!

Friday! Woke up, ate breakfast, walked to school with Leah and Maggie, came home and ate lunch. Didn't do anything the rest of the day besides sit in our beds and play on the computer. I Skyped Brynn on Thursday night as well as today and it was nice see her face, hear from her and catch up! :)

Tonight is Wes's last night here. What a bummer! He was only here for 2 and a half weeks. So we decided that we were going to do whatever he wanted to and chill with him on his last night. He took too long to get ready so we didn't get a final roomie picture at the house, but at the clubs we got them (not on my camera so I don't have them to post!). Rachael and I got tricky and set up the self timer to take this cute one!

The night:

We went to a bar where we met up with a local that Wes knew. The bar was all locals and you got free sunflower seeds if you bought a drink, so the floor was covered in seeds. It was different to be at a place where nobody speaks English, but yet you know what is going on because of the surroundings.

We then walked to a plaza to catch a taxi up to Camborio, a night club. Rachael and I were wearing heels, and my feet were screaming in pain. I don't know what logic I used in thinking it was a good idea to wear them. 

We took the taxi up and got into the club. The girls got in free but the guys had to pay. One of the few benefits of being a girl. At the club there was an open bar until 1:30 am and there was dancing. It was really fun and every song they played they also showed the music video for it on a screen. We took a cab when we were done and got home at 4:30 am.

Was a very fun night! :)

Capilla Real and Cathedral Tour

On Thursday, after attending class and eating lunch, Rachael and I met our group for a Tour of the Capilla Real and the Cathedral in Granada. We met at the main building in CLM and then began our tour. We stopped at many historical buildings on the way. 

Our first stop was the Ayuntamiento, which is the city hall. The statue on top represented something, that I cannot quite remember. It is located in the Plaza del Carmen.

We then went to Corral del Carbon, (Coal Corral), which is the only monument left by the Arabs in Granada. It was originally used as an inn for merchants in transit, warehousing and wholesale market. 

This is what the inside of the arch looks like when you look up.

The courtyard inside the entrance.

After we took a quick peek at the Corral del Carbon, we continued our tour to la Plaza Isabel La Catolica. There is a monument there with Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) asking Queen Isabel for money and the needs to travel to South America (the conquest) as well as ships and supplies. At night, this statue lights up and the water is flowing and is absolutely stunning.. still need to get a picture of that :)

We finally made it to the Capilla Real after all those stops. Personally, I thought the tour was dragging because we had stopped so many places so I was excited to finally get to our destination. When we got there, there we gypsies that were trying to hand out leave type things and read your palm. They only do this to ask for money at the end. One guy in our group didn't know to avoid them so he had his palm read and whens he asked for money, he just said he didn't have any. Usually they get really angry and practically force you to pay up. There was also a man begging for money and 2 men painted up in silver acting like statues. 

Capilla Real is the Royal Chapel in Granada. Everything inside was plated in gold and they even had the caskets underground of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II as well as their daughter, her husband and their oldest grandson. That was really cool to go into the ground and see the mausoleum. We were not allowed to take pictures, but I'm sure there are plenty online! There was also a museum that had many pictures and paintings, 2 from the very famous artist Sandro Botticelli. Also they had the robes that the king and queen wore and a crown or two. It was something amazing!

After we went inside the Capilla Real, and toured the museum that they had at the end, we walked around the outside of the Cathedral. The Cathedral is huge, huge, HUGE! It reminded me of a church on steriods. Like gigantic. No words can explain the massiveness of it. Its a must see if you're in Granada! No pictures were allowed to be taken, probably out of respect, but you can see the size of the exterior walls! All with stone. Crazy talented people

This is the one picture that I snapped inside of the double organ, before I got caught. :/ What a shame, its massive and stunning inside. Check Google!

Also in the cathedral, there was the Immaculate Conception statue. This statue is very rare and worth a lot of money because it is so old and is so commonly known. I did not recognize the name, but here is a picture of it, from Google, that shows the enormous amount of detail that was put into it. People from all over the world travel to Granada just to see this statue. It is about 2 feet tall, so it is not that big, but the impact it has on others is huge!

That is all for my Thursday. I am posting this a bit late because things have been so crazy busy here for me. Hope all is well in America! :)

Main School Building

This post is about the main school building at CLM (Centro de Modernas Lenguajes). The office is in this building, along with the library and a lot of classrooms. There is a huge enclosed courtyard in the middle and everything circles around that. It is gorgeous.

This is the ceiling in the building. It allows light to flow through and attempt to heat the room. You can also faintly see the second story in this picture below.

Starting in February, I will have all of my classes in this building. I cannot quite remember what classes I signed up for but I do remember signing up for the Islamic Culture of Granada, Phonetics, and Grammar and Conversation. I believe that there is one or two more classes that I should be taking once the semester starts.

Building K

This post is going to sum up my school, Building K. Like I said before, the classrooms have about 12-15 students in the class, which are separated by the level that you test into. The first 3 are of the classroom that I am in. There is only one lefty desk, so I have to move it to where I like it everyday. The class is an intensive class, which is pretty much just reviewing everything that you have already learned. 

These next two are views from the doors when you walk into the building. There is a double door entrance, which I find intriguing. The courtyard is absolutely beautiful with orange and apple trees throughout.

The bushes are shaped into stars and circles and it is amazing how precise they are. 

This is a panorama view of the building and courtyard.

This picture is of Maggie and I. She is in my class and is also from Winona State University.

A view of the street from the building's patio. The streets are very narrow and the cars park SUPER close to each other. So close that we are surprised that cars don't have dented bumpers or head lights smashed.

The sign that says Center of Modern Languages. 

You go up stairs off the sidewalk to get into the courtyard, to then walk into school.

And that is Building K! The gorgeous building on campus!