Benny Fernando

This is Benny Fernando, a sweet little monkey that was lent to my by wonderful advisor at Willamette. He let me borrow Benny Fernando while I was going through a tough time in my life. I often come across rough points since I do try to have relationships with other people and naturally everything does not always go perfectly. My advisor said "This monkey has helped me through some tough times, and I hope he can do the same for you." Benny Fernando did help me because I knew he had once been of help to another person very special to me. I eventually gave him back, but I told my advisor I wanted to take the monkey to Spain. I decided to name him Benny Fernando because the little tag on his behind says his name is Benny, and then I added the Fernando part. Fernando, because of the Lady GaGa song my mom and I love so much. The picture of him was taken at my home in Idaho, during the holidays (Nacho, his head still smells like "home for the holidays" too). So far Benny has yet to leave my bed here in Granada, but I vow to get him out of the house soon! It's nice to have a little monkey companion who I know carries a lot of love with him.

Unlike Benny Fernando, I have been out of the house. And, I still can't get over the contrast of two different worlds in this city. This past weekend I visited the oldest part of Granada, el Albyzin. We saw the oldest cathedral built in Granada, and there were water features left from the 11th and 14th century. The picture perfect white houses, grated windows, and cobblestone roads were just that, picture perfect. I am not the best photographer but my pictures of Albyzin are beautiful. The view of the Alhambra was not bad either.

Albyzin has a very strong arab/muslim history and culture because during the "conquista" of Granada the Muslims were forced to move, and this is where they settled. The weather was nice, a little cold, but sunny. Which was good because Albyzin is quite a walk and mostly uphill. The group who went on Sunday encountered snow! A rarity in Granada.







After Albyzin I spent my Saturday night with some lovely ladies enjoying the city. Our time in a few different bars, restaurants, and even a discotec (dance club) seemed very upscale, and modern from the Albyzin district. It was crazy to think just that morning I had been in a place almost 1,000 years old, and now I was in a room blasting the latest hip hop music with streaks of neon light darting across the walls and ceiling.

Two worlds are separated only by hills and streets. These two places are so different from one another yet, they exist together. And, Granada would not be the same without either one.

Expectations

I am living in Granada, Spain and the whole experience still seems like a thought bubble waiting to burst. Personally hearing so many people talk about studying abroad and even about the Granada program specifically, it was hard not to have expectations. I tried not to have any, but I don't think I succeeded in fulfilling that agenda. I had to believe that Europe, and Spain, and Granada would be an amazing place, after all this is where I will spend almost half a year of my life.

The city is beautiful; there is so much history here. Whenever I walk anywhere I feel like I'm walking somewhere important. Granada is an old city, but I did not expect it to be so modern as well. I am fascinated by new sights every day, like the old cobble stone streets, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, orange trees that line the roads, so many hole in the wall panaderias (baker's shop), and amidst the neon lights and crowded bars during the night a clothes line between two windows of a nearby apartment.

Secondly, I did not expect my host mom to be so compassionate and understanding, or for her food to be so delicious. I came here for the overall experience, but mostly to improve my Spanish. I need to improve and I believe I will improve. Being immersed in a culture when you have to use the language that you don't totally understand is an indescribable experience until it actually happens to you. Mi Madre (my mom) is very patient, helpful, and kind to me when it probably feels like she is talking to a five year old. Her actions are admirable and much appreciated on my part. She now calls me "hija" the Spanish word for daughter. I realize the relationship I have with her is significantly affecting the improvement of my Spanish.

Bimba is another unexpected comfort to me. She is the small Yorkshire terrier that lives with us. A good relationship with a dog is not dependent on my knowledge and correctness of Spanish. It's nice to come home to that after a day trying to converse in a new language.



Finally, I traveled to Granada with Emily, my previous roommate at Willamette. When we arrived at the Philadelphia airport we were pleasantly surprised to receive a free upgrade to first class on our way to Madrid. I got a lot more sleep on that flight than I expected.



I have only been here a week and have already had some very frustrating times but also have experienced moments I will never forget. I want to look at that flight from Philadelphia to Madrid as a metaphor for these next five months. Yes, it was a seven hour plane ride, but because of the upgrade we had a better experience than expected. Studying in Granada is not going to be easy but it will be the experience of a lifetime, and in the end it is going to upgrade my life.