Monjas not monas

Another great weekend in Granada :) Finally met up with my convopartner this week. Convoparter or intercambio is a program set up by the school for both University of Granada students and us extranjeros can join and practice our second language. Adrian showed me this great tapas bar where they serve pizzas for tapas! Even better each person is entitled to his or her own personal pan pizza with every drink order. Will I be returning to said tapas bar, I think yes. However I did get extremely lost that night… After tapas Adrian walked me to the plaza that we would meet to go to the fiesta de la primavera (first day of spring fest, keep reading to find out more!). Unfortunately it was after Adrian left (on my walk home) that I realized I had left my shopping bag (got a sweater for 4 euro at Zara!) at the Tapas place. Not really knowing where I was, nor where the tapas place was in relation to my unknown location only led me into more confusion. After walking fast but getting no where I finally started to ask for directions. I found my the tapas bar, found my bag (thank god!), and found even more Spanish speaking confidence because I had to accurately describe the bar and the distinct tapas to several people before finding a person who was familiar with that specific bar. Now for the fiesta de la primavera… an apparently notorious day for day drinking in a park with friends. A very good way to spend my dia libre with some new Spanish amigos. The pros loaded up shopping carts full of booze and boomboxes to create a mobil party. Even more hysterical to see students toting large cooking pots and ladles to mix/serve their punch at the park.
Classes have been picking up their pace in these last few weeks. I’m spittin out 5 page Spanish essays every week like a machine. I don’t know if I already mentioned this, but I have one professor for 3 of my 5 classes. Elsa and I spend all day together everyday… included Sundays,,, wait, what? Yes, I went to see Brazos Rotos the new Almodovar film (not sure if it’s already out in the states) and Elsa was the first person I saw in the audience when we walked in. The second person I saw was my Spanish law teacher, Sergio. These Spanish professors just can’t get enough of me or may they were there to see Penelope, either way…
Some random observations:
Ham and tuna are served on everything. Vegetarian tapas are almost always better. I now declare that I am vegetarian to receive more delicious tapas. Also, who would have thought there would be an Asian Tapas place? Surprisingly tasty.
Old men here in Spain love corduroy pants. Personal favorite is the green cords and I have even seen purple on more than one occasion. Average corduroy pant count on way to school: at least 7.
My senora will never understand the purpose of going for a run. I have given up trying to explain.
Spanish people like to stare at you. It’s not a welcoming smile stare either (if there even is such a thing). Men (and women) just shamelessly stare you down as you walk by. Weird. Even more strange is that I’m starting to get used to it and just stare right back.
This should make you crack a smile:
Monjas (nuns) becomes Monas if you are not careful enough to pronounce the “J” in monjas. This changes the meaning of the sentence “He visto 6 monjas hoy” (I have seen 6 nuns today) into I have seen 6 female monkeys today. Needless to say, my senora got a kick out of that one because I said “I have seen 6 monkeys today” while pointing at a nun.