whirlwind two weeks

well, i finally made a blog! i've been here for a little over two weeks and absolutely loving every second. i don't know what it is, if i'm older and more mature or what, but i think i'm enjoying my time here more than when i studied abroad in 2009. i loved my Delaware group of course, but i don't think i was ready to go away yet. but now i'm older and ready to try anything. or i wonder if it was because i was so comfortable with my group that i was less outgoing and less willing to do/try new things. either way, i'm having an amazing time so far!!!

the first few days were very stressful, trying to find an apartment was the biggest challenge i've encountered so far. after visiting a few apartments and being very disappointed, i finally settled on one really close to where i lived last time. not the prettiest area of granada, but i like it! i'm about a 30 minute walk from school, which is actually a blessing in disguise. but i LOVE my school! it's so much fun there, the teachers are really nice and helpful, and the kids crack me up. i work monday-thursday, usually from about 10:50-2. last week the teachers actually let me do some of the teaching... i was nervous at first but have found that i really like teaching! the only issue is that the students are used to "british english" and they have a tough time understanding my accent, since i don't always pronounce all the letters. for instance, i told the 4th grade class i love harry potter. in the other classes i had actually received applause when i said that, so when i didn't get any reaction i was bummed. they all stared blankly, as did the teacher. she finally realized what i was saying, and repeated in an english accent "'arry poTTer". applause ensued. my favorite story so far from school happened yesterday when i was teaching the 3rd grade science class about the 5 senses and we were going over taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter). so i asked what kinds of foods or drinks are bitter. a kid raised his hand and responded "chupitos!!" chupitos are shots. not quite sure how this kid knows what a shot of alcohol tastes like, but i couldn't stop laughing.

what else... social life! i've met a decent amount of people so far! i have two really good friends that i basically do everything with. we have been to hannigan's two weeks in a row for monday night trivia, and placed 5th place both times. we're about due for third place. we've also been taking advantage of the free tapas. seriously the best thing ever. we've found some places that serve you sandwiches and french fries, so for a 2 euro glass of wine you get a full meal. it's a beautiful thing!

things i love about granada...
siesta
free tapas
my school
the architecture
the mixture of cultures
gelato
the park
the shopping

things i'm still getting used to...
no oven (but in reality what do i care, i'm a terrible cook and probably wouldn't cook even if we had one!)
having to light the water heater if i want to take a hot shower
no dryer/ the washer takes 2 hours
the dirty streets/dog crap

i'm really reallyyyy going to try to keep up with this blog! hope you all enjoy (all 4 of you!)!!