The Bus Went Over The Mountain (To See What It Could See)

FROM THE MOUNTAINS, TO THE VALLEYS, TO THE SEA WHITE WITH SALT
(GOD BLESSED SPAIN, TOO!)
On Friday morning, we left for our weekend excursion to Alpujarra, a region within the province of Granada (we left the city, but remained in the province). Our bus took us up mountains and made twists and turns, not for the faint of heart or those with a fear of heights. The views were magnificent and we stopped in two towns on the way up. The first town, Pampaneira, was one of the settlements of the moors when they were pushed out of Granada in 1492. All of the homes were painted white with chalk to prevent the infiltration of disease causing pests and to keep the house cooler in the summer. No vehicles, except for special tractors, can make it up the small streets, as the hills are too steep. Our next stop was to visit the highest pueblo in Spain, Trevelez. This town is where the ham in Spain is cured. Honestly, every other shop has meat hanging from the ceiling and on every street there were three or four meat factories. Once again, the height of the mountains and the houses on the hill were quite a sight. These mountain towns were also known for their 100 percent wool rugs and for the production of honey. I enjoyed my day up on the hills of Spain, but what goes up must always come down.

We drove down the side of the mountain, saw some valleys along the way, and finally reached Almuñecar, the city along the Mediterranean and our ultimate destination this weekend. Our hotel was right on the water and the weather was perfect. On Saturday morning, Jorge had a walk planned for the group that we could choose to take or not. Six of us girls opted to go while everyone else decided to go the beach. We walked around town learning a little history and taking some photos. As we were walking past the flower and fruit market, Jorge saw that the aquarium was open. Having never been there himself, he decided to take us inside! The others who picked the beach over the walk missed out! I do have to say, the most amusing part of the aquarium was watching Jorge poke star fish and sea tomatoes in their tanks even though there were sighs that clearly said “no toque,” or “don’t touch.” Rules apply differently for Jorge, I suppose. After that morning stroll, we went to the beach and spent the afternoon.

On Sunday, we packed our bags and started our journey home. But before going back to the city of Granada, we made one stop in Nerja, where we saw la Cueva de Nerja, or the Cave of Nerja. Thousands of years of dripping minerals and settling rocks made for quite a visit. I tried to take pictures, but we were prohibited from using flash photography; thus, some of my pictures on the no-flash setting are a bit blurry. We hopped back on the bus and arrived home by 13:30.

A WEEKEND WRAP-UP
The aforementioned account of the weekend merely mentions our itinerary. However, the weekend wasn’t all sunshine and buttercups. For the first time since I have been in Spain, I felt like I didn’t want to be where I was. I told myself at the beginning of the trip that I would never have time for homesickness or anything of the sort, that I know how to manage myself quite well in Spain because I love an adventure and I know the language. Still, pride comes before the fall. Beginning on Friday night, I felt like an “extranjero” not because I was in Spain, but because I was with Americans. I know that sounds funny, but I shall explain. I feel like an outsider more among “my own” than I do among the Spaniards mainly because my definition of a good time does not always coincide with that of the larger group. For me, pre-gaming has absolutely no appeal, neither does staying out until all hours of the night bar-hopping. I was at the point where I either wanted to be with my friends and family back home or with some Spanish-speakers, with whom I could at least practice my Spanish (which I still think is a pretty good reason to be studying in Spain). My eyes were wet when I went to bed because I was tired and frustrated; but I suppose a good cry had to happen sooner or later.

Now, please, don’t be feeling bad or anything or in any way think I am not enjoying my time in Spain. I think part of my irritability this weekend had to do with the fact that I had a stomach bug with a touch of a fever. From the end of last week until this morning, I wasn’t feeling very well at all, and on Saturday night, I finally couldn’t keep anything in my belly. When you feel lousy, it isn’t hard to want to be back at home, where your mom knows what to feed you and just how to take care of you. It’s funny—even though Carmen is my host “mom,” I never really considered that I would ever need to go to her when I felt sick, which I had to do after returning home yesterday. She insisted that I drink Manzanilla, essentially a tea similar to chamomile, to calm my stomach. Once again, I am getting my dose of humility! The silver lining: I wasn’t obliged to go with anyone anywhere on Saturday night and I got to sleep. I also slept quite a bit after returning from the weekend excursion.

One thing I never mentioned before is that I have been reading a Psalm each day, first in my English Bible and then in my Spanish Biblia. On Saturday when I felt the worst, I was reading Psalm 16.

“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:5-8

“Tú, Señor eres mi todo; tú me colmas de bendiciones; mi vida está en tus manos. Primoroso lugar me ha tocado en suerte; ¡hermosa es la herencia que me ha correspondido! Bendeciré al Señor, porque él me guía, y en lo intimo de mi ser me corrige por las noches. Siempre tengo presente al Señor; con él a mi derecha, nada me hará caer.”
Salmo 16:5-8

No matter how sick or uncomfortable with my surroundings, as I felt this weekend or may feel in the days to come, I know am exactly where I am supposed to be. Through all of this, God has a larger plan and a lesson for me; despite my discomfort, I have in fact been blessed. And, while I may not be “home” where I feel most comfortable, I have Someone with me who is the same in America and in Spain, and who will never leave me. That is pretty awesome, I must say!

“BLANCANIEVES Y LOS SIETE ENANITOS” y ORGULLO Y PREJUICIA
You will probably never guess how spent my Sunday evening. Carmen was not at home, so I decided to pass the time watching an old Disney classic—Snow White and the Seven Dwarves! Carmen has several cartoons and other children’s movies on VHS that her grandsons must have watched years ago. All I can say is that it was one of those natural thrills in life! First, I got to watch a Disney movie; second, everyone was whistling and singing while they worked en Español! The joy I felt was second only to a purchase I made last Thursday at Granada bookstore. I decided that in order to improve my Spanish comprehension, I would buy my favorite book of all time, of which I am very well versed—Pride and Prejudice! I think the lady in the bookstore must have thought I was crazy because I was so excited when she told me they carried the book. The UD ladies with whom I was shopping at first didn’t understand the thrill of it all, but those of you who know me well need no explanation. In reality, the little things in life make me most happy! Seriously, what can be better than watching seven little Spanish dwarves or reading about the greatest English romance entirely in Spanish? ¡Nada!

ES LA HORA DE SALIR
I must say, it is getting harder and harder to write this blog in English. There are definitely times when I cannot remember a word in English and I just want to write what I am thinking. Now if I were to do that, this would be an interesting Spanglish account of my adventures. So, I will stick to English for now and hopefully I will be able to keep my languages straight. I hope you all have a fabulous week and that you enjoy the first day of fall! Believe it or not, today has been nice day with a cool breeze; I suppose this is to make it easier for me to cope with the fact that I won’t be experiencing an American autumn anytime soon. Well, it is now time for me to stop stalling and to do some homework.

All my love,
Diane