Leavin on a jet plane...

Greetings from Granada!

We landed in Granada this afternoon after a series of torturous flights. The first flight, I can attribute its enduring misery to myself. I expected Iberia Airlines to be lavishly swanky and well, European, with TV screens in seat backs and delicious, fulfilling meals. But really, it was just like any normal flight, with bad food and worse movies. The flight attendant did list off a surprising amount of movies at the beginning. Maybe first class had a vote or something, but we didn't get to them all. The flight was crowded and impossible to sleep through. A Spanish woman in front of me had a guidebook called "Estados Unidos" which just tickled me. Spainards, they're just like us!

So when we got here, a few people and I went right away to explore the city amidst a cloud of our own body odor and grease, or at least it felt that way. I wish I could describe this place more adequately, but all I can say is it is so beautiful here. I was surprised by how much it looks like Rome or Greece instead of what I thought Spain would look like. But I guess I didn't know what I expected Spain to look like...matadors lurking the streets? The streets are narrow and winding, a maze of alleys shadowed by ancient, stone, crumbling buildings. I'm finally in Europe.

At our first lunch, we all did ridiculously poorly communicating with the waiter. It was pretty pathetic. To top it off, I had Spaghetti Bolognese. Yes, my first meal in Spain was Italian. Hmm.

Tomorrow we start orientation. Ole!

El que mucho habla, mucho erra

I think it is best to begin this account with an anecdote, to get everyone on the same page with how this trip is going to go.

A few weeks ago, in a desperate, but successful, attempt to scrounge up some cash, my sister Beth and I had a good ol' fashioned garage sale. The goal was to fill our pockets and empty our closets (along with most of the silence-of-the-lambs-esque storage room in the basement). Through the sea of bad books, useless appliances and senior citizens came a Columbian family with very limited English. So, I spoke with them in Spanish - my mind a complete haze of conjugations and vocabulary - and I began to feel more confident. Maybe I can do this after all! I am a Spanish goddess! That is, until I informed them that the tiny tchotchke the woman was holding cost 3,500 dollars. Minor mix up of a few spanish terms. That was about when they started to laugh.

All was well; they did buy it. But my point is this: This trip, above anything else, will be interesting. It will, of course, be other things as well. Maybe good: exciting, adventurous, a blur of cities and cuisine and things I don't even know about yet. Maybe bad: neuroses, loneliness, don't even get me started. But above all, I am definitely going to have some good stories. My poor Spanish alone will ensure that. The Europeans are sure to be amused and confused in the coming months.

So - for those who don't know - this trip I keep talking about is my four month study-abroad trip to Granada, Spain. A blink of an eye when you really think about it but worth recording nonetheless. The awkward moments will be as densely packed into this time as a Wal-Mart on Black Friday. Hope nobody gets trampled.

I hope you enjoy the coming stories. I wrote this early, in a frenzy of premature blogaculation, so I won't write again until I arrive.This is for me more than anyone, but I hope it makes you smile a few times. You've read this far, right?

Alright then. First blog post: check.

I have also provided a picture of Spain below for your enjoyment.