Fin de Semana

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!Hola Todos!

Last week marked the beginning of classes, so naturally everything around here was a little hectic. I'm happy to say that I couldn't be more satisfied with my choices! I am taking four classes at the international school, and one at the University of Granada; this is the program prescribed by Occidental. All of my classes are in espanol, also a requirement of my college, but I haven't found that aspect particularly difficult because I have already taken two Spanish literature classes in college (in Spanish)...Anyways, I am in a flamenco dancing class (which involves two classes per week at a dance studio and one class per week learning the history/theory of flamenco), an Islamic art and architecture class, a Lorca literature class, and a Spanish grammar class. My fifth class, at the U of G, will be in the school of social work--the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, I guess!

So far, I am really liking school, and the fact that most of my classes have a strong emphasis on Andalusian culture is making my time here that much more enjoyable. The class on Lorca, in particular, is truly fascinating, given that much of what we are reading is about Granada and southern Spain. One thing I have noticed constantly, when walking around Granada, is that the exterior of a building may appear mundane, but the interior is altogether the opposite. Lots of homes have interior courtyards with impressive gardens, etc. Lorca wrote a lot about this aspect of Granada, and attributed this architecture to the aristocracy's tendency to hoard everything they wanted inside their homes, so they would never have to experience life outside of the city. I don't know how valid that is today, but interesting...

Other than that, I have just been getting to know the city better, and the Spanish people better. Spaniards know quite a bit about American politics, and are very interested in the upcoming election. The name "Sarah Palin" is heard quite a bit; the Spanish pronunciation is "Sah-ra Pal-Een." Biden, pronounced in Spanish ("Bee-din") causes a laugh; I'm not quite sure why, but my host-mom told me that it is similar to another word, one which I'm unfamiliar. In general, Spaniards are quite liberal regarding politics--gay marriage is legal here! Being such a Catholic country, it seems contradictory, but someone explained to me that, in the eyes of the Spanish, the United States appears to have misunderstood the meaning of "separation of church and state." I forget who I was talking to, probably my host-mom, but nevertheless...she told me that Spanish people think it's weird that we have "In God We Trust" on our money, etc. They can maintain liberal political views while being Catholic because they don't mix the two. Sounds pretty good.

I can tell that my vocabulary is improving rapidly. I am learning words, and actually retaining them; in the US I would learn a word in class and immediately forget it! Strangely, it has seemed harder to type this blog entry than it should have...I hope my English skills aren't faltering!

In two days, the IES group leaves for Morocco (Marruecos, en espanol). I will post tons of pictures from that adventure, which will take place during Ramadan! Right now, I will put up some pictures from a music festival I went to this weekend with some friends. It was called Women of the Mediterranean, and featured acts from Africa and southern Spain.

Miss you all!
Amy

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Photos

Mujeres en el Mediterraneo
Free concert!