Corpus Cristi en Granada

(I know i'm skipping ahead a bit, but I'll catch you up later) 

 I got free internet outside our school on a sidewalk with construction all around, so you can imagine my excitement and distractions all at once!  My family is great, wonderful food, a bit picky with the little house habits (turning off lights, wearing shoes, making beds, etc.) but they are dear. I love the humor here, everyone is genuinely friendly and enjoy joking with each other in good taste.  My roomie does not speak as much spanish as I wish b/c she's just now learning it.  I've been a translator many times b/c I'm comfortable enough with the language, but I can see where I've become lazy at speaking.  

   I went with the 3 girls to Granada this past weekend (June 11-13) and it was super cool!  We caught the tail end of Corpus Cristi - huge festival that looked like Christmas.  In the late afternoon we saw one of the world wonders "Alhambra" palace and castle.  Incredible detail and views of the city. Napolean once used it after the Christians conquered it from the muslims, so much history!  At night we went to a lookout and ate dinner with the Alhambra glowing in plain sight.  I checked out a book from our school library "Rick Steve's Spain 2008" and we followed it almost verbatim and had the best time.  We played in Granada Thursday and Friday.  Saturday we took a bus 1hr up to the Sierra Nevada mountains where there is still snow, but not much else to do besides hike around and eat hearty 3-course, 10euro meals.  We were basically forced to rest, but oh how we needed a sabbath like day after all the traveling.  We got lots of sun and worked off some chocolate churros too!  

    

   I bought some black parachute pants, they're all the rage over here, I'm actually wearing them now - very breezy and comfortable.  

   We returned Saturday night and went to an evangelical church Sunday.  I cried throughout worship the whole time.  I didn't realize how much I missed that fellowship with other believers, just praying in their midst in a different language to the same God was so powerful and moving.  The worship leader was the only one who noticed my overflowing joy, my God moment if you will.  I was so thirsty for that life in a city that seems so materialistic and dark at times.  It's an interesting thing being a tourist and a Christian and realizing that our call to serve transcends our call to be served.  Once you embrace that conviction, it changed everything.  I want eyes wide open to opportunities to serve around me; whether it be English speaking tourists or the wrinkled old ladies gossiping in the street.  It was a very monumental Sunday for me and I cannot wait to see relationships form with that body of believers.

   I leave for Madrid in 3 days after our final exams.  I'm going with my roomie Hannah, who is learning Spanish.  We're going from Madrid to Segovia to Toledo back to Madrid then to Sevilla in 4 days!  Again, Rick Steves will be advising us the whole way there and back.