El BIEN, EL MAL, Y EL FEO

(THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY)

EL BIEN

I love being in a walking city again. Granada is like Nueva York... or at least the Inwood part. It´s made for walking and public living. I didn´t realize how much I missed that. We walk everywhere we go here. It´s forty minutos to school, but I love it. I love street shops and cafes. I love people watching and streets dwarfed with tall buildings that hide whatever lies around the corner. Walking cities have a deep place in my heart.

I love the whole siesta concept. Whoever thought of that and why didn´t it make it over with immigration into the Estados Unidos? It kind of bites to have the whole city shut down for four hours in the middle of the day, but I like how families eat three meals a day with eachother... and then there´s the mid afternoon nap option. The Spain gente are definite night people. Dinner doesn´t start tell 9:30 or 10:00 pm and after that they head out into the city. Many joke that it´s safer to be roaming the streets at 2 am then it is at 2 in the afternoon during siesta.

Tapas. I´m a big fan of Tapas. Here´s how Tapas go: You sit down at a restaurante, bar, or cafe, order a drink, and the cute little waiter boys bring you tapas (free appetizers). Every place is different, ie: jamon on baguette, cheese and pan... but the very idea of getting plates of free food with one fanta limòn is muy fantastico! By the way, fanta´s are awesome in Europe. They are refrescas (sodas) but they have real juice mixed in. I love fantas (and it doesn´t hurt that they come with ice.... oh how I miss ice).

Africa is a hop skip and a jump away. Yep, we are going to Africa on Friday. Just three cities on the North African continent... but Africa none-the-less. Who can say they´ve been to Morocco and Tanzier for the weekend? I´m excited. Luckily we were able to find a safe tour... well, I´ll let you know about that... and worked a miracle with the bus system to Malaga. I never realized Africa was so close to Europe. If you stand on the coast at the Straight of Gilbrater they say, on a clear day, you can see Africa. It´s going to be the adventure of adventures.

EL MAL

It´s true, can you believe it?, water is more expensive than beer or wine here. I get so mad about that. Some people in our group are starting to stick with the alcohol and skip the agua... plus (jealous about this) They get ice!

Topics for discussion in my four hour a day Spanish class include: Marajuana, where to get marajuana, why Spain is a free country and the U.S. is not because marajuana is illegal in the U.S. Where to get drunk. Why Spain is cool because no one has to be 21 to drink. Past experiences with marijuana and alcohol (most people in my class are ages 16-19). How to say the F-word in spainish. How to conjugate the F-word in spanish. Other Spanish swear words. etc.....

EL FEO

The filth. Spain es muy sucio!!! Yesturday we saw a girl going to the bathroom over a drain in the middle of a busy street! I love walking in the city but I sure do spend a great deal of my time scrubbing my pies(feet) at night.

La comida. The food of spain is wretchedly aweful. It is bland. It is not solid. What couldn´t be classified as a soup usually fits under the goulosh category. Luckily Granada was a huge Muslim stronghold for years so we have our fair share of Kepbab cafes. I´m surving on Kepbabs, Fanta limòns, and Milkas.

Gypsies. I´ve never seen such a breed of dirty, as in dirt from head to toe, people. You walk by them and they grab your hands to read your fortune and you have to FIGHT to get your hand back. Their declared profession is theft as well. I even saw a gypsy baby up by the Alhambra. He was just lying belly down on the ground in the middle of a pile of gypsy beads. The poor thing was covered with grime and bound to choke to death on beads any minuto.

HASTA