Sunday I woke up and showered and went to church. It was pretty good. Then afterwards we went to pick up Victor's grandma from her house to take her to Los Ogíjares for lunch. We parked and Victor went up to help her with some stuff to bring down. Turns out it was bags of food, clothes, random junk, a walker, a bird in a cage and a ton of stuff. That took a long time and I was smashed in the back seat next to the walker with the bird in my lap. Then we got there and had to unload it and I helped Abuela put the food in the fridge and get things settled enough to go eat. Then we had paella and went swimming. After a while I saw this rat, and we tried to scare it away but it wasn't moving. We figured it was sick and tried to catch it but couldn't. Then we swam some more. Then we went in and ate some ice cream and went home. We watched Lost but Victor fell asleep and as I was, Pepa and Emilio came home. Then Victor left, rather early because he wanted to make it back to Málaga for the quarter finals game of the EuroCup that Spain was playing in. I was bummed he left so early and that we couldn't watch the game together. My roommates had been home all weekend so I was avoiding my house as much as I could and so since it was burning up, and my roommates were home, I stayed in Pepa's air conditioned house and used the internet, ate dinner and watched the game. It was a really good game, tied all the way to the end and through the 30 minute overtime. Spain beat Italy in penalty kicks, which it hasn't done in 88 years. (Beat Italy at all!) So then people started going crazy! They were running and screaming in the streets, honking their horns, it was insanity. Then I was on the phone for a bit with Victor and my friends trying to nail down a game plan. I ended up walking to Calle Elvira to meet Samar and Cristiana in a tetería. On my way I passed through Puerta Real and Fuente de las Batallas which had tons of people in it! Even kids on the tippy top part. It was insane. The people had stopped traffic, cars and motos were honking and waving flags, pure insanity. Then I met the ladies at a tetería and then we walked around a bit. I ran into Dani and Wali, who were with Jorge, Wali's cousin from Florida, and 3 American girls they had picked up. They were going to Dani's workshop to play flamenco music and sing. I went along and Samar and Cristina went home. It was a really fun night because the house is in a huge old carmen in the albayzín, totally run down, but with amazing views of la alhambra. Dani plays the guitar very well and Wali sings well too. I love flamenco and it was awesome to get in in the local jam session way. Also it was fun for me because the 3 other American girls could barely speak Spanish, so I was the translator and in on all the inside Spanish jokes. We were there for a while and finally went out and I went home and got to bed around 4.
Monday I obviously had a terrible time waking up, took a shower and went to work with Pablo. Then when I got home I made the mistake of signing online and talking to Michelle. My next mistake was mentioning to her that no one had sent me any bumper stickers on Facebook for a while (something she is particularly good at.) So then we started sending bumper stickers to eachother and completely wasting time for at least 2 hours. Then I decided to switch things up and go watch the Simpsons. Meanwhile I was trying to plan a lunch date with Samar and Jenna, but no one could decide or commit so the plan didn't come to anything and I went and made myself lunch and ate closer to 4. Then I took a mini nap for about 45 minutes till my mom called me, used the internet some more, suffered in the ridiculous heat, sent out a few resumes, got frustrated and finally went to meet Michelle at hippy coffee. We were there for a while, talking with Mohammued, Michelles roommate-to-be and other randome people who gave constant opinions about what I should do with my life. One guy, Antonio, was pretty nice and sincere at least. Then we went to meet Samar and Jenna at Fresco, a buffett like Fresh Choice. It was really yummy but there was this girl who was staring at us constantly, which made me uncomfortable and self concious about going to get more food. But she finally left and I did. :) Then after dinner we went to a tetería and the girls got a hooka. It was really hot in there and I was getting really claustrophobic but everything turned out ok. Then we parted ways. It was June 23, the eve of Saint Juan's day. There are many traditions around this holiday. Most have to do with water, maybe because its Saint John the Baptist? So in Lanjaron, there is a huge water fight, and all along the coast, they have huge beach bonfires. You can jump over the fire and ask for a wish, or write a wish on a piece of paper and throw it into the water. Then at midnight you go down to the water and put your feet in. Pepa told me to wash my face with lots and lots of water at midnight so that I would be beautiful all year. Sea water was better, but Granada water would do. So I had heard there was a bonfire up on paseo de los tristes so I went looking for it. On the way this huge drunk Spanish guy started messing with me/hitting on me in English. Then I heard this other guy say, "Rachel!!!" I looked and it was Dani, Victor's same freind from the night before. He explained to the big guy, Paco, that I was Victor's girlfriend. Victor's nickname is Ligre, the Spanish version of Liger. So Paco goes, "Oh la ligresa!" or "Oh the ligeress" (as in female liger.) That was pretty funny and he called me that all night. So then we walked to Plaza Nueva and hung out for a bit. I never made it to look for the bonfire, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't there anyway. I got tired and went home around 2 and washed my face with lots and lots of water and went to bed.
Tuesday morning, exhausted as usual I woke up and showered and went to work. I had a pretty good class with Pablo and then came home and picked up my room, which was a mess. Then I went to pick up my friend Brenda. She had just arrived to Granada for a 2 week visit and I picked her up at the Palacio de Congresos. Then back at home she showered and I blogged for a bit. (I have been working on this blog since then, but it just keeps getting longer.) Then we went and met Michelle and Samar at the University Dining halls, which I had always wanted to try. Unfortunately, you have to prove that you are going to the university of Granada to eat there which none of us were. So we gave up and went and got tapas near Plaza de Toros. After that we went to hippy coffee and had lemonade and juices. Then I took Brenda home and went to have my last class with Carlos and Marta. When I rang the doorbell, they asked who it was and went "Oh, Rachel..." in a dissapointed voice and I knew they had forgotten again. Mari Paz had let the kids go swimming with their friends and forgot to tell me. The good thing was that they still paid me and we chatted for a bit. They go to La Herradura for the month of August too so we'll be able to see eachother then. Then I came back home and talked on the phone to my parents, took a little nap and then Brenda and I went to the grocery store to buy some food for the week. We made a sandwich for lunch and then walked up to Plaza Nueva, met Michelle there and then walked to Paseo de Los Tristes. I didn't see any evidence of a bonfire from the night before. We sat and talked for a long while untill we saw some gross doggy porn. These 2 dogs were getting it on right in front of us and no matter where we moved they kept following us. We left and walked down toward the cathedral and Samar called us. Michelle went home and Brenda and I went and met Samar and went to the comedy show at Mae West. It was pretty funny, but I was tired from so much walking. Then we went home and went to bed.
Wednesday June 25th, 2008 I woke up and showered and went to work. Then I came home and Brenda and I had sandwiches. Then we went up to the Alhambra and walked around that from 1-6. It was of course blazing hot and really tiring as it was a huge walk up there and constant walking there. Then we walked home and visited with Emilio for a while and talked to Pepa on the phone to get the keys to Los Ogíjares to go swimming the next day. Then we went home and rested for a long time. I translated my resumé to Spanish and sent it out a few times. Then I went and visited with Pepa and got the keys and then Brenda and I went and had dinner at Samar's house with Michelle. We had strawberry balsamic chicken with onions and rice. It was good. Then we went home, I used the internet some more as Brenda took her night shower and then went to bed.
Thursday I woke up and had my last class with Pablo. It went fine, I don’t think he was too upset to see me go. Then I came home and Brenda was still getting ready and went out for a little walk. She ended up shopping at El Corte Inglés. At 12 we were having a roommate meeting with the landlord. I guess he was freaking out about something, I woke Adrian up and the four of us chatted a bit to get our stories straight before he got there. Then he did and it all hit the fan. To make a long, horrible meeting short, we owed money for the last utilities bill and he wanted to calculate what we would spend for the rest of the month and charge us that too. That plus when he originally rented out the apartment 2 years ago, the deposit was only 150€ each, and we had all paid Magdalena 160€. Obviously he wasn’t going to give us back what she basically stole from us, so that was our problem. So that was a lot of fun, getting charged 50€ for calculated expenses and loosing 10€ to supposedly my friend who I’m pretty sure isn’t dumb enough to do such a thing on accident. There was a lot of yelling in-between because our landlord is insane and that’s it. Then Samar came over, then Michelle, then Brenda came back. Then I had to go to the bank and deposit money so we could go on our Lorca trip on Saturday. Then finally, an hour and 15 minutes behind schedule, we went down to get the finaly directions from Pepa and Emilio on how to get to their house in the pueblo for some swimming. We got on a bus to go there and a lady told us to get off 2 stops after she got off. So I was trying to orient myself and realized even though she was still on the bus we should have gotten off at a stop I was watching shrink away in the distance. So I tried to remain calm and trust that the lady knew what she was talking about. We asked her again and she seemed to get upset, answered and then moved to the back of the bus. So Then we got off 2 stops after her and started wandering around Los Ogíjares, asking people if they knew were Calle Huerta de Belén was. We asked several people and after I don’t know how much walking finally found the house. It was amazing!! Nice and cool and a pool all to ourselves. We swam and sunbathed and ate lunch and then a little later, Abuela came over to see what we were up to. She just sat there and talked to us and finally left. Then Samar had to leave to go to work and then Michelle, Brenda and I left around 6:30 or so. We wandered again trying to find a bus stop to take us back to Granada. We found one and waited and thankfully a bus came right away … and … went right past us without stopping. Apparently that wasn’t a stop for that bus. So we walked ahead a little further to the next stop, which would be. We were bored and knew that the next bus wouldn’t be by for a while so we started trying to hitchhike. Most people just waved, laughed or gave us a thumbs up too. Then this one car stopped with 2 young kids in it. At first they said they were going to Granada, then they said they weren’t and wouldn’t take us. They were jerks anyway. So we kept at it and then this other guy stopped. He said he could go out of his way a bit to take us. I was surprised as he had 2 car seats in the back of his car and mentioned that he was a little full already. But no, he got out and moved a car seat so we could all fit. His name was Sergio and he was really nice and we chatted and he dropped us off at home! I know dangerous, but it turned out all right so no problem. It was also free and faster than waiting for the next bus. Then at home, Michelle left and Brenda went to the pharmacy and I went downstairs to send a fax for the Lorca trip, return the keys to Pepa and tell them about our Ogíjares Adventures. They thought I was crazy. Then I came home and Brenda still wasn’t back from the pharmacy and I was a little worried so I went down to look for her. She wasn’t there so I went to the store and bought munchies and junk food for dinner and to watch the game. Then I got home and Brenda was back, she had gone to a different store and bought stuff for dinner. So she made turkey burgers and I just ate a patty. Then it was almost time for the game to start so I took a record breaking fast shower and then we watched the game. This was the semi-final game of the Euro Cup against Russia who we had previously beat 4-1. But you never know with sports. It was a good game and Spain won 2-0 I think. Samar and Michelle came over and we had a huge delicious spread of food to munch on. It was really fun and afterwards we cleaned up and went out to celebrate. Everyone was really tired so our celebration consisted of walking to the fountain in Puerta Real which was once again covered with people and destroyed. Then we walked Samar home and Michelle to Plaza Einstein. Then Brenda and I walked up to Gran Via, got and ice cream on the way and then home. It was pretty fun and crazy seeing all the people celebrating on the streets. That would never happen in the States where the whole country celebrated something together. Granted the States are much bigger but… Then we came home and went to bed.
Friday we slept in and got ready and went and walked around the Cathedral and Brenda did some shopping. We visited Soufian’s store and chatted and I got a little coin purse. We looked all over and were going to visit the cathedral but it was closed. Then we walked down to Samar’s house and went with her to a place to get lunch. We got Moroccan tapas which were really good. Then we walked back up to Gran Via, got an ice cream at Los Italianos, and walked back down to her house. Then Samar went to have coffee with some friends and say goodbye and Brenda and I stayed at her house, drank water and I made plans with Michelle online and took a little nap. Then Samar got back and then Michelle came over. We chatted, helped Samar pack, and I cleaned out her cupboard with all the food they were just leaving in the apartment. Then we all had to say goodbye. Michelle was leaving that night to go work at a summer camp in Barcelona for a month and Samar was going to Brussels to spend time with Luis before heading back to Puerto Rico. It was sad but surreal so it didn’ t really sink in. They are the last of my friends to go so now I am here all alone, except for Brenda. Brenda and I then went and printed a paper for the Lorca trip the next day and then went home. I took a shower and then Victor got there. We all chatted a bit and then went out and got some tapas. It was pretty good but Victor was tired and went home early. Then Brenda and I walked around some more and tried to find some flamenco much at this one place that supposedly always has it. But it must start much later than when we got to hear it because we’ve missed it 2 times. We sat in a different café for a while where there was this homeless looking gipsy guy kind of playing the guitar and chatted. Then back at home everyone was there. Adrian was watching tv, Rosa and Zore and Miche, her special friend were there moving things, Brenda took a shower and Victor and I talked. Then I let Brenda sleep in my room, since there would be so much noise in the living room and I went and slept in one of the extra bedrooms in Victor’s house. It was good to spend time with and talk to Victor as it seems like I hadn’t all week. Then I went to bed.
Saturday June 28th I woke up early and showered and we went to go on La Ruta de Federico García Lorca. Federico Garcia Lorca is a poet from Granada who was unjustly assassinated during the Spanish Civil war. He is very famous and I have studied him quite a bit over my academic career. We started out almost missing the bus as we were in the wrong spot waiting, but thankfully the guide called me and we found them. Then we went to the Lorca family’s summer home, in the FGL park right in Granada. I had recently been but it was interesting because the guide mentioned different things than the guide I had just had. Then after that tour we got back on the bus and went to the pueblo where he was born in Fuente Vaqueros. There we got another tour of the house where he was born and lived in until he was 7. The guide was also very interesting there too. Then we went to another pueblo were he lived from age 7 to whenever they moved into the city of Granada. It used to be called Asquerosa, which means disgusting, but its now called Valderubios, for the tobacco that they grow there. Once again, we enjoyed a very interesting house and tour. I saw and old enema giving device which scared me. In between all the pueblos, our guide who went with us on the bus gave us long detailed explanation about everything. She talked a lot, which I love stories and information but I was so tired I kept falling asleep. P.S. I forgot to mention that we were on this tour with only 2 other old couples. It was funny. Then we drove to Alfacar and had a delicious lunch. I ate every single thing they bought us. I felt like I had been hungry since Brenda got there since she barely eats anything so a huge salad, a big plate of pork, potatoes and green beans and mushrooms with bread and mine and Brenda’s delicious huge flan was exactly what I needed. I felt a little embarrassed about eating every scrap of food on my plate when everyone else left something but oh well, I was hungry. It was also interesting listening to out beautiful, skinny, blonde tour guide talk. Her name was Sole and she had been all over the world traveling and knew so much about so much. I kind of want to be a tour guide when I grow up. I just don’t know how to do it. Then after lunch we went to the FGL park in Alfacar. There we saw where he was supposedly assassinated and buried. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the subject, since he was murdered unjustly, along with the other 400,000 victims of the Civil War between Alfacar and Víznar. (A very short distance.) Also his family has always opposed to exhuming the remains. Then we went to the Víznar gorge, el barranco, where is he was held before being executed and another possible burial spot. It was a mine and they just shot people and they fell down in there. It was pretty moving, educational, and good experience. I really liked it. Then we went home. Apparently the last museum we were supposed to go to was closed, but it was so dang hot that I didn’t really care. Then we got home around 5:30 or 6 and Brenda and I went downstairs to chill in the air conditioning. We watched TV and cooled off till about 8:00. Then we went out for a walk as Victor had to help his grandma move more stuff to Los Ogíjares. We went to the Corte Inglés and shopped around and went to a tetería. We got juices and Brenda ordered a chocolate cake, which the waiter forgot to bring for a while. Because of that he treated us to a hooka, which was unfortunate because neither of us smoke. Then we were going to go home but ended up seeing a free concert in Plaza Nueva. There is a music and dance festival going on and a lot of the shows are in La Alhambra. The cool thing was that they set up a big screen and chair in Plaza Nueva and transmitted the concert there for free. So we sat down and watched a really cool flamenco/Moroccan music blend concert. When it got over we started walking home and saw another free concert. This was some random, not very good cover band in la Plaza del Carmen. It was fun music though, but the best part was the 100 or so old people dancing there. Spaniards are different from Americans, but the best part is that it doesn’t matter how old they are, they are all the same as they were when they were young. Then when that ended we went home and watched a concert of El Canto del Loco on TV with Zoraida. Then Brenda showered and went to bed in my room again and I went downstairs and to bed. Victor was out playing video games with his friends until 4 in the morning.
Sunday I woke up, showered and went to church. It was fine. It was about forgiveness. Then I came home and bounced between my house where Brenda was slowly getting ready and Victor's. Then when we were all ready, the 3 of us went to Los Ogíjares for lunch. We had paella and saw Raul and Patricia and Victor's aunt and uncle, Conchi and Antonio and his cousin, little Antonio came over too so we had a full house. There was a little crisis because Emilio forgot to bring his pills, so Pepa called Victor to bring them, who also forgot them. Then Emilio got really mad and Victor had to go back for them. So Brenda and I just waited and chatted with everyone. Lunch was good, as always. We didn't stay long afterwards because we were going to Málaga that night and wanted to get there before the game. So we came back and packed and rested and watched tv and then hit the road. It was nice to go in a car instead of a bus. We got there and unloaded the things and started to watch the big Euro Cup final! I had brought the pizza we didn't eat Thursday and a bag of chips to munch on for the game. It was a really good game. Nerve-wracking because Germany was such a good team. Fernando Torres scored in the 33rd minute, so it was stress untill he scored and stress after hoping Germany wouldn't score. Then finally the time ran out at the end of 90 minutes and Spain became the CHAMPIONS OF ERUOPE! Their slogan, PODEMOS (WE CAN) became true, because they did! It was so exciting, Victor went insane. Everyone was yelling, honking horns, the usual insanity. They had an awards ceremony and then we got ready and drove into the center. That was even crazier than the insanity in Victor's neighborhood. Traffic jams, people hanging out of cars with flags, madness. We found a parking spot as quickly as possible and then walked through the craziness to the city center, the nucleus of the craziness. It was nuts. We were there celebrating for a while, I found a street cone to use as a megaphone and hat and had a lot of fun with that. It was insane. Saying so doesn't really describe what it was like, but its the best I can do. Then we went home and went to bed.
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