Spain is where it's at

Hola chicos. I am alive and well and enjoying my first week in Granada, in southern Spain. The city is amazing--easily walkable, full of narrow winding streets, old churches and open plazas. It's a really youthful city. I am living with a 30-year-old architect named Eugenia, her boyfriend Juanjo and their dog Enana. Our apartment is about 5-10 minutes from the university and the city center. The homestay has worked out really well so far--Eugenia and Juanjo are really easygoing and laid-back.

I'm on a completely different time schedule here. During the week, I get up, have a small breakfast of coffee, bread and fruit. Then I have class. Around 11, we usually have another "breakfast" of coffee and toast with tomato and olive oil. Lunch is at 2 at the earliest, and is the biggest meal of the day. Around 8, it's time for the paseo: the entire city is full of people taking an evening stroll. Dinner is around 10. We usually go to a tapas bar. In Granada, tapas (appetizers) are free with every drink, so it is easy to get an inexpensive light dinner.

One more thing before I go. Last night, I went to a bar built into Granada's bullring. It was called D'Cuadros and it was the most Eurotrash experience of my life. Needless to say, I was in heaven. I wish I had taken a picture of this place. Inside, everything was white--couches, tables, the bar, etc. The guys all had a pound of hair gel and the girls were all super trendy. Five of us Americans went in, and we felt pretty out of place. The music was Eurotechno and there were a lot of flashing colored lights. It was amazing. By the way, just to show you the extent of the difference in the concept of time, I came home at four last night and when I told my host "mom" that this morning, she said, "Oh, you came back so early. If you had gone to the discos you would have been back around 7." Here are a few pictures from my first week. I'll post more later. Hasta luego...