Spanish Dreams

I haven't written in a few days, so let me catch up. On Tuesday night we went out with all of the girls and Beatriz, Cristina, and Pilar (three Spanish girls we met here). They were so much fun! Beatriz is leaving on Sunday to study in Ireland and Cristina is learning English so she can get a job when she goes abroad as well. She would speak to us in English and we would respond in Spanish. Since most of the Spanish students aren't here yet, it's so nice to go out with some actual natives who have the patience to let us butcher the language when talking.
Wednesday was pretty uneventful, but Thursday was a blast. After lunch we had a meeting in the Arcadia office about the Morocco trip. After doing a lot of research about it, I don't think I'm very interested in going. It has a lot to do with the Peace Corps and the socio/political situation over there, which is a pretty heavy trip to fit into 4 days right before finals. Overall, I'm just loving Granada too much to want to leave it. The guy who presented the program though was so passionate. He grew up in Germany and spent most of his childhood wishing he could cross the Berlin Wall and travel the world. When it final came down, he did just that. Now he's settled in Granada and has founded the Morocco Exchange program. He seems so passionate about traveling and how different cultures can help you define yourself as well as your perspectives about others.
After the presentation, we all went for dinner at a Mexican place which was very good. We then went to the free guitar concert they have every Thursday night. We arrived a little late, so we had to sit on the floor, but it was so worth it! There were 3 guitarists and it is just such a peaceful hour, sitting there listening to Spanish music. Afterwards, we all wandered to a tapas bar and had the BEST tapas I've had here so far. After filling up on those, we went to karaoke at Hannigan's. Once again, it was very fun but VERY American. After about an hour, Meg and I decided to go home and get some rest. Our final is on Tuesday, so we're trying to study a lot this weekend and memorize everything.
Tonight we are going to the botellón and hopefully a different discoteca that is in the Albacín and has awesome views of the Alhambra. On Sunday, all of the girls bought tickets for the bullfight here in Granada, so I'm going to see that on Sunday evening. I'm a little nervous because I don't know if I'll be able to watch them kill a lot of animals, I think that bullfighting is antiquated and immoral, but I've been told it's a very important cultural experience, so I'm going to go with the girls and hope I make it through it!
Oh, and something really exciting happened. During siesta one day, Meg woke up and heard my talking in Spanish in my sleep! Even though I don't remember it, it's a really good sign when you start speaking another language in your dreams.

Love Always,
Em