After fifteen hours on a plane I finally could say that I was in
Spain. While waiting for my flight in the Philadelphia airport, I had met a
wonderful couple traveling to Salamanca. We talked about travel and they gave
me advice for Granada. On the plane, they were in the row behind me, and the
man who was seated to me switched seats to be with his family, so I had the row
to myself! I was happy to have some room and privacy, and after four hours I
was tired of the flight and ready to be in Spain, but at almost the halfway
point, the plane turned around because someone was sick and we waited in Boston
for 2 long hours where we weren’t allowed to leave our seats. An eight-hour
flight turned into fifteen hours and I missed my connecting flight to Alicante.
Finally, after much confusion and a language barrier I got on the plane to
Alicante.
The view from the plane
On the hour-long plane ride to Alicante, I was seated next to a
wonderful man on his way home from Colombia. He was coming from his mother’s
funeral but he was still very talkative and interested. He gave me advice about
my family as well, saying, “Whenever you have a chance, spend it with your
family. You never know when is the last time you’ll see them.” That kind of
made me feel guilty about leaving them to come to Spain, but at the same time I
felt like it was something I needed to do to grow as a person, become
independent, and help my future. Also, the whole ride we talked in
Spanish!
When I arrived, my friend and her dad were standing by the gate and I stayed in their apartment in Elche for a few days. Upon my arrival, I had some expectations for Spain based on the last time I was there, but the city and the people were very different from what I thought they’d be. Last time I was here, I was in a small village in the mountains, and Elche is a relatively large town. Elche is in the Valencian region of Spain, so all the signs were in Catalan and Castellan, which I was not expecting. I went to the beach, met new people, saw beautiful churches, and had the best paella. The beach was on the Mediterranean, the sand was soft and hot, and once fully in the water, I could see my feet.
My friend Gemma, and the inside of an old
castle. You can tell it wasn’t built with tall people in mind!
Overlooking an old fort.
Wonderful paella made by my friend’s aunt. Best.
Paella. Ever.
Beautiful street art next to a running trail.
The beautiful Mediterranean
After my 4 days in Elche, and an emotional goodbye from my friend
and her parents, I took a 6-hour bus ride to Granada where I was greeted by my
host mom’s ex-husband. He dropped me off at her apartment, where I met my host
mom and her kids. She took me for a walk around the city, showed me where I
would be taking classes, and pointed out all the fun places to go. I couldn’t
help but thinking about how lucky I was to be able to live in this amazing city
for 4 months.
A beautiful road that runs along a river in the
Albaycin Quarter of Granada next to the Alhambra.
The two next mornings, I had to be up at seven to meet with my
program. We toured the city and familiarized ourselves with the school. I met
the thirteen other people with whom I would be spending the first month.
Everyone was excited and nervous, as expected. Spending four months away from
home is tough and scary, so everyone quickly found a support group of friends.
Our first weekend together we went to Malaga. Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga so we made a point to visit the Picasso museum.
It was so beautiful, and it is the central hub of all his works. Most of his
paintings get rotated out of the Picasso Museum to others throughout the world.
We also toured the Alcazaba which is an old Moorish fort. This one is
the best preserved one in Spain. Malaga is known for their Malaga wine. I tried
it and did not like it because of how sweet it is. It tasted like maple syrup.
A statue of Picasso
Our group of CEA students, and Jorge at the
Picasso Museum.
Those first one and a
half weeks in Spain were worth the fifteen-hour flight.
