La vida española: February 2011

Two and half months later and here I am again. I apologize that my blog fell off the face of the planet for a while and will briefly update you on my life for the past couple of months. A few days ago marked the 6 month anniversary of me being in Spain. Six months later and I finally feel comfortable, content and at home in my spanish life. I feel like my piso is my home and that Granada is my city. I am now accustomed to siesta hours (2-6pm) and no longer get extremely (extremely, that is) upset when teachers, bus drivers, store owners, etc. don't show up to do their jobs. I have found a way to be a successful vegetarian amidst the legs of jamón hanging from the ceilings. I have just finished my first semester of spanish university and survived, barely. I understand now that just because the spaniards leave everything for the last minute, does not mean you, who has to translate everything should do the same. I am finally feeling like a Spaniard. I knew I was becoming accustomed to this lifestyle when my Italian friend came to visit and was super annoyed that siestas were 4 hours long and I wasn't phased one bit. Needless to say I am so happy where God has put me and have so many plans for this next semester to look forward to.

Katie and I cooked Mexican food for our new Italian friends

My Italian family and our Christmas feast

Before starting the finals hell I had my Christmas break and traveled for 3 whole weeks. I had one of the most amazing times of my life. I left Granada and flew to Bologna, Italy where I met up with my best friend Katie (studying in Viterbo, Italy) and stayed with some Italian friends I had made the last time I was in Bologna for my friend's graduation. After spending some quality time with fabulous Italians and eating way too much, we took a train to Padova to spend Christmas with my Italian friend Ale and her huge, fabulous family. We visited thermal pools, had an entire day feast with Ale's extended family and danced Christmas night away at Funky Town Club. Try explaining to a table full of Italians (that don't speak english, by the way) that you don't eat meat. They didn't understand and I don't think it was because of the language barrier. Sono vegetariana e non mangio carne were some of the first italian phrases I learned. I was so blessed not to feel extremely homesick, surrounded by my best friend and a loving Italian family. Next stop in Italy was to visit a new friend in Verona. Katie and I hopped on a train and met our friends Paulo and Giorgio for a few days of Paulo's wonderful country home, fabulous family, the most amazing food I have eaten in my life, and sightseeing of Romeo and Juliet's beautiful city.

Paulo's wonderful family & the best pumpkin risotto in the world

My German & I in the beautiful Harz

After a sad goodbye to Katie, Paulo and Giorgio I hopped on a plane to Hannover, Germany where I was greeted by my German roommate (from last year) and her boyfriend, Jan. It felt so good to see Christina in her own country for the first time! They drove me through the gorgeous snow covered Harz mountains to her mom's house in Clausthal-Zellerfeld. At last, I met Christina's sweet, sweet mom and sister that I had heard so much about. I immediately felt like part of the family with my own house slippers and hand-knit socks from Grandma (Oma in German) to wear. We had a wonderful time full of, yet again, delicious food, good conversation, skiing in the Harz and feeling completely a part of this wonderful German family. A few days later, we left for Christina's university town in Gottingen. It was so great to see where Christina lives her daily life. We spent New Years Eve (frohes neues jahr) with her German friends, lit fireworks, and danced the night away. We went back to her hometown to spend a few more days with her mom and sister, spent time with her grandparents and took a day trip to the adorable town of Goslar. I had such an amazing time with Christina's family and Jan and was not ready to leave them.

Chatting in German over tea and cakes at grandma and grandpa's house

Christina, Giulia & I at the wall in Berlin

The following day Christina and I took a train to Berlin to visit our Italian friend, Giulia who is studying for her masters there. We had two days of laughter, sight-seeing and non-stop talking. I felt so loved and right at home with my girls in the cold, yet incredibly amazing Berlin. I said my goodbyes and arrived at the airport feeling sick to my stomach to leave all of these loving families and friends that I have in Germany and Italy. I was dreading my trip back to Spain and just wanted to stay where I felt the most loved.

My flight was from Berlin to Norway and then I was supposed to catch a connecting flight from Norway all the way back down to Málaga, Spain. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but I bought it like that because it was extremely cheap and that's how ryanair flights work...totally wacky. Now I know better because when I boarded my plane for Norway a hail storm hit and I was trapped on the plane for 2 hours knowing that I would now miss my connection in Norway, but still having to go to the top of Europe anyways. I arrived in Norway, in a snow storm and had missed my flight by over an hour. Thank you hail. I landed in a tiny airport and asked information (thank you God English is widely spoken in Norway) when the next flight was to Málaga. The lady at the desk, Vivian, told me Sunday. It was Thursday and I started school the following Monday. That wasn't going to work so my other option was to take a bus to the bigger airport (this one was about the size of the SB airport) to try and find an earlier flight to Spain. She told me to watch for the bus from the inside, since there was a blizzard outside. I waited for the white bus and saw a blue one pull up to the spot where I was supposed to leave from. I asked Viv if that was the bus and she said no. Then she chatted with her co-workers and said to run out and take that bus since the snow was so bad and the other one probably wouldn't make it to the airport. As she was explaining this to me the bus drove away. NOW I am alone in Norway with the wrong currency, with no internet, with a phone whose battery died, with no flight to Spain and no where to stay for the night except for the plastic cafeteria chairs. I was pretty low (yes, crying) and went back to Vivian asking her to please help me find another flight. She searched and found one for the following morning out of the same airport to Madrid, only a 5 hour bus ride away from Granada. I said, "WOOOO!" and asked her if I could purchase it right then off of her computer. She let me use the desk computer (which they are not supposed to do) and I tried using my credit card several times, but it wouldn't go through. I knew I had enough money in my account, but the website wouldn't take my card. Frustrated, I told her I would wait around (I didn't have anywhere to go hahah) and try it again in a couple of hours. Noon came and went and I passed my time trying different types of black licorice and brushing my teeth multiple times in the only bathroom in the airport. I was praying about how upset and alone I felt and then decided to try the payment again, but the payment didn't go through. Viv (now my bff) called her husband from work to see if he could try it from home. After I gave them all of my information, passport number, credit card number, name, address, e-mail, etc. the payment still didn't go through. Yes, I understand you shouldn't give your identity to strangers, but I was at a loss at this point. Vivian and her husband (still on the phone) told me they would buy my ticket and I could pay them back in Krone (Norway's currency) from the ATM. I was thrilled and converted my money and payed up. Vivian told me her husband would pick her up from work at 10pm and bring my boarding pass then. I waited around all day trying to find an alternative food option to meat in the tiny store until 10'o clock came around. I walked with Vivian to the door as we chatted about her children and life and then her husband pulled up. I waved and waited for my boarding pass when he yelled out from the car that he had forgotten it at home. Hmmmm, forgot it at home? At this point I was a tad freaked out and thought, "Ok Kristen, they have all of your information, your money and now they forgot your boarding pass?" They apologized and assured me they would bring it right back since they only lived 7 minutes away. I said, "Great, thank you and I will wait here for you." Vivian looked at me and said, "Don't be silly, get in the car!" I said in the nicest way possible, "No, no I think it will be easier if I just wait here." They insisted I come with them. I thought about my choices and before I knew it I was throwing my bag in the car. It was pitch black outside as we were driving through the snow, there was silence from the backseat and they were speaking in Norwegian from the front. Two seconds after getting in the car I was thinking about what an idiot I was for doing so. All I could think of was tomorrow's headlines reading, "Dumb California girl murdered by Norwegian couple in Oslo." I was praying and had my pepper spray in sight. Finally 7 minutes later, which seemed like an eternity we arrived at their home. Right when they opened the door they gave me my boarding pass and I was immediately at peace. I was ready to turn around and they asked if I was hungry. I politely told them no, knowing that Norwegians eat a lot of meat, but they insisted I stay for dinner. Vivian and I sat on the couch and talked about all of her travels, California and the differences in northern and southern Europe. Vivian told me her husband was making us his homemade hamburgers. Now, I knew I was going to have to eat meat. I was preparing myself and knew I would probably get pretty sick too, but I was not about to tell this sweet, generous couple that brought me into their home that I was a vegetarian who could not bare to eat the homemade dinner he had prepared. SO, I dug in and ate the entire bacon wrapped burger. Yes, probably the gnarliest thing I could have possibly eaten and I was happy to know that I have not been missing anything these past two years. We chatted until midnight when they gave me the option of staying the night or taking me back to sleep in the airport. I thought about the plastic chairs and then thought about sleeping in a strangers home. I figured if they wanted to kill me, they would have done it before going through the trouble of feeding me dinner, so I gladly accepted the invitation. I went to bed for a few hours thanking God for providing this amazing, heaven-sent Norwegian family to take care of me. They both drove me to the airport in the morning, we said our goodbyes with an invitation back to Norway and one to Cali for them. A 4 hour flight to Madrid and a 6 hour bus ride later I was back in Granada. Smelly, exhausted and wearing the same clothes for two days, I couldn't be happier to be home in Spain.

Sorry, that was not brief at all, but I had a lot to catch up on :) It's a new semester and I have less than 5 months left in this place I now call home. I can't believe how fast my time has flown by here. After living here for 6 months, traveling, and surviving my first semester, I am travel smarter, spanish smarter and have a few phrases of italian and german in my pocket. I am so grateful to be here and know that this next semester holds amazing adventures and more studying than the previous ;) ¡Hasta pronto!

Pictures speak louder than words :)