Last weekend I made a very last-minute decision to join a group of exchange students on an organized trip to Sevilla...which ended up being well worth it! I had the chance to visit the well-known cathedral, the third of the largest in the world, the Giralda, the Plaza de Espana, and the Reales Alcazares, which had a beautiful garden and a gigantic labyrinth to get lost in. The weather was much warmer than Granada--34 degrees C (93 F), and it was nice to take a break and enjoy the paella on the roof of the hostel after the city walking tour.

Hola!
The past couple of weeks have been good--the university classes are manageable, so far, and with no classes on Fridays, it is easy to take a short bus ride to another city. My roommates and I took a trip down to Salobreña one Saturday, spending the day on the pebble beach by the Mediterranean Sea in the hot sun. The following weekend we celebrated my birthday in Nerja, a touristy town about an hour and a half away from Granada. We visited the Balcon de Europa, a spot which overlooks the expanse of the ocean. It was beautiful! I felt almost as if I was in Sweden when I was on the beach because most of the tourists were Scandinavian. The weather in Granada is still very hot during the middle of the day, but cools off at night when most people go out. I am enjoying the extra summer weather, but I miss the Albuquerqe Fall!

Besos!!

So..I have officially started classes at the University, la Facultad de Filosofia y Letras! I am taking a good load of courses: Sociologia, Semantica y Lexicologia, Filosofia, Espanol como lengua extranjera, and Italiano. I have been able to understand the majority of the content in my classes, it is just difficult to get used to the fast Andalusian Spanish..where the S is rarely used and words are cut short and put together.
My campus is about 20 minutes away from my apartment so I take the bus every morning. This morning when I left at 7:30, it was completely dark outside and it felt like the middle of the night! It will definitely take some getting used to.

HOLAAA! Very sorry for not posting anything these last few days...I have not had access to Wi-fi since I left my hostel and moved into my new piso! I was very fortunate to find one with all the help from Jodi, Gonzalo and Elsa! It would have been extremely chaotic without them.
Things are going great, I have met people from all over the world--many from Germany and Italy, and I have been enjoying the delicious free tapas in the different plazas each night. The Spanish nightlife is exciting and fun. I had the chance to drink a North African tea in a lounge in an area of the city near the Alhambra. Sophie, my German roommate, and I have spent much time together walking all over the city, seeing the parks, old structures, people, and shopping. We are looking forward to the full week of orientation activities at our university.
I will post pictures soon!

BESOS!

¡He llegado! I have arrived safely after a long trip, took an adventure in a crazy taxi, and made it to the friendly hostel tucked into the narrow street of Granada! Now, time to explore some more of the city streets...

COUNTDOWN!!!!