The magical world of London and life in Granada

Two blog entries in one day! It must be a really gross, rainy and cold day outside. Oh wait, nope. It's 73 and sunny. What am I even doing inside? Well, I had a long week with a lot of work and needed to sit down. I'm exhausted! There's plenty of time for outside activities later anyways, and I think I'm going to the beach Saturday.

So, as previously stated, I went to London this past weekend with Jen.  Again, I did not plan on going to London originally, but the plane tickets were cheap and Jen said she could meet me there (She is studying in Scotland), so I decided to go for it.  Thank goodness I did.  I officially want to live in London one day. I loved it that much.  I always thought my cousin Carrie was slightly insane for constantly talking about London, and how she needed to be there, but I get it now. So Carrie, take this as the one time I will tell you this: you were right.

I did so much, and I saw all the typical London sites such as Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, the London Eye, Big Ben, the Millennium Bridge, the London Bridge, and the Globe Theatre.  While all of those sites were impressive, my favorite place was Abbey Road.  When I was little, I pretended to hate the Beatles because, "eww, that's my parent's music!" but as a grew older, I realized the Beatles are actually great.  I walked across Abbey Road, snapped a few touristy pictures, and read the wall outside the famous Abbey Road Studios.  People from all over the world visit this wall and sign it, so there was a lot to take in.  Jen and I spent a lot of time adding our own favorite Beatles' lyrics to the wall. My favorites have always been from "Blackbird": "Take these broken wings and learn to fly/all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise" and "In My Life": "All these places have their moment...In my life, I've loved them all."  So, I wrote both of those, along with "I get by with a little help from my friends."  The wall made me realize how much of an impact music has on people's lives.  I mean, people's lives have been changed by the Beatles' music, and all of their songs show how there are people in the world who truly believe peace is possible (stated between sexual song lyrics, but hey, the Beatles can do whatever they want).

I got to see my friend Cambria, who is studying in London for the semester and is loving it.  We got pizza and it was actually really good, and I'm saying that after traveling to Italy (So, for the record, British food isn't bad at all-it's the same as the U.S.-they have everything!).  Talking and catching up with her made me wonder if maybe I should have studied in London instead.  I loved the people there, the accents, the huge pretty parks, and honestly, everything (except maybe how expensive it is!).  On the plane on the way there, I lost my paper that said the address of my hostel.  A nice British lady next to me had the kindness to look it up for me on her phone, and then spent a good half an hour telling me what I needed to do in London. She was unbelievably nice and willing to help a stupid little tourist, and I was so grateful.  I guess if I lived there every day I would not notice these kind of qualities about London and British people, but I like to think I would.  I think people give British people a bad reputation sometimes for being rude and pessimistic, but their sense of humor fit perfectly with mine (read: sarcastic).  I know I will return to London one day, and I can't wait for that day.

I also saw my friend Katie from Simsbury, and we ate bad (but so good) Chinese food in Chinatown, went to the M&M store in Piccadilly Circus (which felt exactly like Times Square-if I hadn't heard British accents everywhere, I would have thought I was in New York City!), and reminisced about high school in a pub near her dorm.  It was a fun and relaxing weekend, and despite having to share hostel rooms with strangers, Jen and I had a great time.  When we were saying goodbye to each other, I was so sad to leave both Jen and London.  It was the perfect weekend at the perfect time, since Jen and I had both been feeling a little homesick and needed to get away from the cities we were studying in.

part of the Beatles' wall

Big Ben and a good friend :)

Time is seriously flying by. Keri, a friend from a summer soccer team I played on, is coming to Granada this weekend, next weekend I have a program trip to Madrid, and the Thursday after that my dad will be here!! I've been planning my dad's visit since I got here, and I can't believe it's almost already here.  The weather is beautiful and so is Granada. My classes are frustrating because there are always things lost in translation, and my professors assign a lot of busy work that I absolutely despise, but for the most part, life is good. My daily thirty minute walk to school is an enjoyable one, and every day I notice new things.  For example, there is always a group of five or six elderly women who sit in a park near my apartment at 4:30 every day.  I always wonder who they are, what their life stories are, and if one or two are missing, I think of where they could be instead of at the park.

Last night, I played on a soccer team with a lot of Spanish girls. I wish I could say I understood all of their Spanish, but they talked so quickly and used so much slang that I really don't know what they were saying at all.  They did, however, say I was "muy valiente" or very brave, for coming to play on a team with a bunch of a strangers when I did not even speak the language.  All of the girls were very skilled players, but they don't play with a shape or formation.  Positions don't exist.  It's kind of like how people play street basketball in the U.S., but street basketball is very different from an organized game/team.  They were impressed with my "movement" on the field (errm, court. They play on tile here. Weird!) and invited me to play with them twice a week, including games on the weekends.  I think they were surprised that I was an American who could actually play, and they were shocked to hear that I have played on some kind of organized team since I was six (That exists in America?). If you had told my eight year old Squadron Line field soccer playing self that one day I would play on a team in Spain, I would have burst into tears.  If you had told my high school self that I would one day play in Spain, I would have laughed in your face and walked away. I might have even had the same reaction freshmen and sophomore years of college.

 I have come a long way, even in the last few years.  I grew up quick (sorry, Mom!).  I honestly don't even recognize myself from freshmen year of college, although I know I have kept the same morals and general foundation.  My freshmen year of college self would have never taken half the chances that I have taken in the last two months. I didn't have enough confidence for that back then.  Even being here, really and truly learning Spanish when I don't need to (since I'm not a Spanish major) says a lot.  I also don't care if anyone thinks that last sentence is bratty or self-promoting.  I am unbelievably proud of myself for being able to do this; I literally put myself in a foreign country and told myself to adapt.  Yes, I miss home, my friends both from Simsbury and at UConn, and I miss random things about the United States that I never expected to miss. (For example, today I realized I miss hearing Barack Obama speak on TV.  They show a lot of news about the U.S. here, but the Spanish news reporters always translate what Obama is saying, so I can't hear his voice!)  Even though there are difficult days and sometimes I look at the calender to see how long it is until I can see my friends and family again (two months, for the record), I know I am going to be a better person because of this.

I am going to see a tango performance for class now, and it is Gail's birthday so we are celebrating.  Adios for now!

Lauren :)