So my stepmom Laurie and her sister Lisa just left this morning... it was great to have a couple family members come visit me here in Spain! I am exhausted but I want to write about it a little bit before my other adventures commence and I have even MORE to write about.
Last week on Friday I met Laurie and Lisa at the Granada airport, then we rented a car and drove to Mojacar, a town in Almeria. I need to take a moment here and explain about Almeria. It is the desert of Spain, and it has an average of 100mm of rain a year. It is very dry and actually looks a lot like Nevada in some parts, but it also has some really weird and interesting rock formations. And it is quite obvious the moment we leave the province of Granada and enter into Almeria, because as soon as we do, the greenery stops and the desert begins! It was about a 2.5 hour drive, and by the time we got to our hotel we were exhausted so we didn't do much. But the next day we spent the day just exploring Mojacar, walking on the beach (Laurie touched the Mediterranean for the first time!), eating at seaside restaurants, and driving away from the clouds that were forming over our part of the beach and ending up in a nice sunny area, drinking wine (of course!). It was very relaxing, and it was so fun to be able to share this with them! That night we went and found a bar, where we enjoyed mojitos and I showed them what Spanish nightlife looks like (Children, teenagers, adults, and older people all at the same bar, dancing, clapping and having a great time together!)
The next day we drove south to some smaller towns. We stopped at some salt flats and saw flamingos (sadly, they were white, not pink), and we tried to lay on the beach but it was too windy! After seeing some other beautiful beaches, we decided to head back to Mojacar because the clouds were coming in. We were nice and snug in our hotel when Laurie and Lisa convinced me to go out for a walk on the beach with them. I grudgingly went at first, because it was lightly raining and getting dark, but it actually turned out to be very nice, mostly because even though it was raining, it wasn't that cold!
We headed to my town the next day, which was really exciting for me because I haven't been able to really share my town with anyone from my family yet, and I think its so cool that she now knows where I've been living and what I've been doing and has now met some of my friends. The first day I took them on a tour of my town, and we ate at a really great restaurant that had a nice view of the valley and mountains I live in. Later that evening we went out to drinks with some of my friends, but on the walk back to my place it was POURING down rain!! There was water all over the roads, and my shoes and my pants up to above my knees were SOAKED! I couldn't believe how hard it was raining.
Luckily, the next day the weather cooperated better and Laurie and Lisa had a fun time exploring some of the little towns near mine while I went to work. That evening they joined me for drinks and pizza at the place one of my students work. Then the NEXT day I only had one class, so I was able to hang out with them during the day. We toured the castle then sat outside and enjoyed drinks and tapas in the sun. At 5:00 I had my class with the four 9-year-old girls, and we have been working hard the last few weeks to prepare a play, Little Red Riding Hood. I told Laurie and Lisa to come at 5:30 so I could prepare with the girls, and they were giggling and running around like crazies, trying to get their costumes on and everything all set up and ready to go. Then Laurie and Lisa showed up, and they sat down with the girls mothers (who dont know English but still wanted to watch) along with their younger siblings. First I made them introduce themselves, and then the play began! They were so cute and did so well, and you could tell they were enjoying themselves up there. I had to occasionally help them pronounce a word or two from their scripts, but mostly they did it all on their own. Afterwards, everyone clapped and took pictures and then one of the girls moms brought out treats and coffee for everyone! I was not expecting it but it didn't surprise me, as Spanish women are very generous, as well as proud of their children, even if it's just acting in a silly English play in someone's living room. :)
After the play we had to rush to our appointment at the Arabic baths in my town, which was so cool! I'd never been there before, but we got into our swimming suits and went into the bath house, which had three pools in it- one hot, one medium, and one very cold, as well as a Turkish bath (a sauna). You could also drink tea and get a massage (we all got 15 minutes each!). It was so relaxing! I'm definitely going back there at least one more time before heading back home. After the baths we went to dinner and had Barbacoa! They of course LOVED the Presa Iberica, and Laurie told me, "I can see why you snuck this out of here in your purse!"
The next day we drove to Granada! I had a wonderful time showing them around, and I took them out to tapas that night, as well as made them try smoking hookah! At first I could tell Laurie was a little nervous about it, but when we did it I think she loved it! She was giggling the whole time and listening intently when I gave her tips about how to have more smoke come out of her mouth... They both seemed to really enjoy themselves as we sat there and passed the hookah around and drank our DELICIOUS tea. And finally, the last day we went to the Alhambra, which was beautiful but tiring. And I've already seen it all before so yes it was nice, but I prefer to sit at San Nicolas Mirador and take in the whole thing rather than see parts of it up close. The Alhambra is just so impressive and if you haven't seen it already in your life, I hope that someday you can! The last thing we did in Granada was go see a flamenco show that night, which was of course amazing! My favorite dance was two girls in red dresses dancing together with fans... their footwork is just beautiful and they put so much passion into it I just wanted to cry! The next morning I said goodbye to Laurie and Lisa... I really hope they had a great time, because I really enjoyed showing Spain to them!
And finally, if you are still reading, I have to tell you that I now have a job for when I get back to the States! I did an interview over Skype, of all crazy things, and had to also demonstrate my Spanish skills, but I got it! Its an office assistant position at an Immigration Law Office in Salem, and I am just SO EXCITED about this opportunity! The more I learn about it the more I think that this could be another great experience for me... YESSS!!! And I'm getting so ready to come home... I miss my family and friends so much. I know I'll probably miss Spain when I get home, but I am just so excited. Its going to be wonderful :)
