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!