helloooo all!
yes yes i know i haven't exactly kept this ''updated'', but here we go....
I am now living in a piso with three guys.... i know, sounds a little, well you know, but so far so good. its actually working out QUITE nicely because one of my roommates works in a Kebab King which is a chain of these pita sandwich things which one of my favorite foods and lets just say i've had my fair share of them....its good to have friends who have friends. Finally finding a piso may have been the most satisfying thing i have ever experienced, despite my unexpected roommates or strange sounds coming from the neighbors. let me just explain to you how ridiculous i must have looked. first of all, i can't read maps. its something i have inherited from my dear mother. its an actual handicap that i have. yet, its the only way to find your way around. so i would be walking around with the most embarrassing look on my face, in a foreign country, trying to find street signs of WHICH THEY HAVE NONE and if you are lucky you will find a sign posted on the side of a building at one end of the street(0f course the end you are farthest from) hoping its the correct street name, calling people i don't know asking questions in an unknown language, only to get responses at the speed of light, and then trying to ask for the address of the piso (as if i could even find it) and telling/asking them where to meet praying to God you will understand. and if all that works out its OF COURSE the piso that is 100 flights up with no elevator in a building with no windows. then you get to the actual room that is being rented out, only to find that is the room that either Ann Frank lived in, or the room in which Emily Dickinson wrote suicide poems. so when i found where i live now, the unknown yellow liquid that so tauntingly penetrates EVERY wall in my room looked quite delightful.
anyway.
i knew that i would like it here just fine on the second night we were in Granada because there were people dancing in the streets....like actually dancing in the streets. there was this portable stage set up with a band singing ''Que Sera, Sera'' and the most precious old people dancing in this plaza with chairs set up all around for those who wanted to watch. i have never seen anyone so in love. it was adorable. and let me tell you them old folk here do NOT mess around when it comes to ''going out''. it was about midnight when i discovered such activities and these grandmas were lookin all fly in their sparkle dresses and loads of makeup. i was so inspired i joined in on Maria Jose's conga line. it was a blast.
speaking of old ladies that don't mess around...my friends' (sabrina and sara) duena (the owner of their piso/apartment) (who i live next door to) has this AMAZING hot pink lipstick that she insists on wearing. one day i commented on it and told her i liked it. she then went off on a tangent of who the hell knows what because she has the strongest Andalucian accent (which, by the way most people here have that same accent and i freak out every time they say a word with the letter ''j'' in it because it sounds like they are hacking up a hairball and i immediately try to resuscitate them until i realize they were just asking me if i wanted some jugo de naranja) but i did understand that she was telling me she wears the hot pink in the summer when she is more tan and goes for more of a red in the winter....so she changes her lipstick when necessary, but can't seem to change her nappy green tank-top with the tag still on it that so magnificently shows off her armpit hair that she probably hasn't shaved off since about 1912. i have never seen sara or sabrina run as fast as they do when she comes into view. needless to say, encountering her is always a GREAT joy.
i went to a music festival the weekend before last and it was a total blast. after walking for years trying to find the place, i saw one of my teachers on the streets all rearin and ready to go, so she took us there and told us to get ready because we wouldn't be leaving until 7 am....now tell me what teacher in the US would ever encourage such blaspheme, let alone be the ring leader. i love Spain. so when we got in, there were hippies and gypsies everywhere (no surprise there, they alone could populate all of Granada and by could i mean do) and people from all over the world. i met a bunch of rad people. the had a mix of groups there who played flamenco, rock, ska, and whatever else they played after i left at 5:30. it was probably there that i really started to be fascinated by the unity that a language can bring. when you have people from all over the world and none of you can speak the other's language, you can't help but appreciate the trusty "me llamo emily" or ''como estas''.
this past weekend i went on excursion with the CSU group i came with. we went ''camping'' in the mountains in Cazorla. on the way there we stopped in this adorable town (of which i forget the name of) with these cute old people having sewing circles and sitting under trees. it was some historic town because we got tricked into taking a walking tour. i've never wanted to die more. as if hearing historical facts about something that doesn't matter isn't bad enough in English, we had to listen to a lady for HOURS who was wearing see-through white pants (much like the ones my teacher wore the other day with polka-dot underwear underneath) and a neon green tank-top with earrings to match, speaking Spanish at the speed of light and saying ''eh'' every second as if we understood. not to mention i had nnnever been hungrier. but finally i heard ''gracias'' as she was thanking us for coming AS IF we had a choice and wanted to be there, and relief swept over my body and i began to sprint to the nearest tienda to buy a bag of chips. and then we were finally on the road to the campground. after about 2 more hours of driving, i was about to kill the bus driver after he took the wrong road like 3 times...and i don't mean a wrong turn a couple minutes back, he full on went down a windy road for miles and miles and didn't know he was lost until we got to a dead end and had to U-turn in a GIANT bus on a road that was about the size of my pinky toe with oncoming traffic and no rails to stop us from tipping over the cliff. i actually thought i was going to die. but alas the treacherous journey finally came to an end and we arrived at our destination. it was so beautiful there, you could tell a total difference in the air without cigarettes in your face everywhere you turn or the farts of a bus overtaking your lungs. they had a group of people that lived up there, a good number of who were deaf, and saturday night we had a dance party with them and it was some of the most fun i have ever had. it was sooo cool seeing these people totally get down with their bad self without even being able to hear a single beat of music. some even got up on chairs to dance! but the one black girl in our group took the challenge and showed them a thing or two. the crowd gathered and was absolutely ROARING as she was dancing. ive never seen anything like it it was awesome.

now for a short personal reflection...
it has been a little difficult so far trying to adjust to a new way of life without familiarity and family, but overall i am absolutely ecstatic to have this experience. there is something about being thrown out of your comfort zone into a new place with a new kind of people that is so terrifying and thrilling at the same time. i love meeting new people from all over the place with different views and backgrounds, yet finding a common ground because we all desire to build relationships--because what else is there to do in this world but just that? when you take everything else away, all we have left is people...and the relationships we build. seeing their relaxed way of life here is so refreshing, because all they really seem to care about is each other. i always see groups of old men just sitting at a fountain together or women out walking with their kids. they even set out a block of time in the day just to chill, and don't care about losing those business hours (and money). there is so much in this world that God has given us to discover and enjoy, and my desire to do just that has truly grown since being here. i really believe that just because we were born in one place or grown accustomed to a certain way of life, that doesn't mean that we have to live that way forever and that our lives can't change. it seems there is so much more to life that the combination of our set ways and what we our comfortable with hinders us from experiencing. Despite the uneasiness i feel at times, i know there is nothing better for me than to stand on my own and rely on nothing but God and the abilities He has given me. We get one life. I'd hate to spend it all in one place without ever stepping off the common grounds, seeing as how this entire universe is full of stories and incomprehensible beauty. Within this short yet long month, pushing my own boundaries and stretching myself, not always by choice, is the most uncomfortable thing i've done and at times i want to take it all back and just be home. But i have found that home doesn't really exist. You have yourself, your family, and your friends, and that's it. I think people often mistake comfort for home. All we really need is the most precious gift God has given us--the ability to have relationships; with God, and with each other.

before coming to Spain was even an idea in my head, i found a certain quote about leaving that always kinda provoked something in me. i have found that it has actually brought me a certain comforting peace and confidence now that i am away from everything and missing home; it says a lot about how i feel:

"We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting, and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it? It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you: Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it?

So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed."

...well, that's all for now...

thanks for all of your prayers and support! i miss and love you all

BESOS