Patios of Cordoba

The second weekend in May I went home with my friend Marta to see the patios of Cordoba, a big attraction during the month of May. My friends Marta and Jose Luis from my dorm, who I blogged about earlier, are both from Cordoba and thought it would be fun to show off one of the most important events of their city. The patios are a competition where each participant strives for the most elaborate, decorative patio. Plaques are posted at the entrance of homes that have won an award. There is an official list of patios along with a map in order to make sure you don't miss one. Not only did I see the patios of Cordoba, but it was also my first time staying with a Spanish family. Marta's family was very warm and hospitable, going out of their way to make sure I had a nice visit. When I arrived to Cordoba on Saturday afternoon, Marta's parents were preparing lunch, the biggest meal of the day in Spain. Her father made an authentic Spanish tortilla and her mother prepared a fried fillet that is popular among Spaniards. I could not believe how much food her mother put out for lunch. The table was literally covered with food. I had been warned that Spanish mothers fix a lot of food, especially when there is company. Throughout the meal Marta's parents would say, "Elizabeth, you haven't tried this yet," and I would then proceed to try another dish. I had eaten so much more than I'm used to eating in the cafeteria, and still at the end of the meal, Marta's mother said I hadn't eaten enough! Saturday afternoon I met a group of Marta's friends from Cordoba and we walked around the city. I had already seen most of the sights on my previous trip, but Marta showed me a few of her favorite sights that I hadn't seen before. Later that night we met up with Marta's parents to tour some of the patios. The patios had a unique atmosphere at night, the illuminated patios were full of observers who were entertained by bands playing traditional music. There was a moment when I thought, "this is Spain." After we saw about 5 patios, we headed back to Marta's home and ate dinner at 1:00 AM! Marta's family joked that while they do like to eat late, 1:00 AM is not when they usually eat dinner. The next day Jose Luis came from his village outside of the city and we toured different patios. We had a nice time touring the patios and we later stopped for lunch at an Italian restaurant. I was really glad to have gone to Cordoba, to witness the home of a Spanish family firsthand. I was feeling very proud of myself for surviving a weekend with a family that does not speak any English! I am so grateful for Marta's family who allowed me to spend the weekend with them!



posing in an archaeological site outside of Cordoba


Marta's family


a nice view of the hills behind the site


Marta, myself, and Carmen (Marta's younger sister)


view of the bridge at night


getting ready to cross the bridge


wonderful view of Cordoba


two of Marta's friends


in a patio at night


patios are sometimes decorated with typical spanish things


Jose Luis' creative picture


three friends


Marta and Jose Luis


sitting on the steps of a home


Marta's cute dog Princesa

Art History

Little did I know that when I decided to take Modern Art History of Spain at the University of Granada, I would end up meeting one of my best friends here and develop a new appreciation for art. At the beginning of the semester I approached Regina and asked if she would help me with the notes. She was so nice to photocopy her notes and bring me a copy with my name on them. After my first difficult weeks here I felt so good to have found someone who was willing to help with what would prove to be a challenging course. I decided that I could use some extra help second semester if I wanted to do better in the class and get more out of it. I asked Regina if she would mind meeting with me during the week to go over the notes and help prepare me for the final exam. We also reviewed first semester notes because the professor gave me the chance to retake the image part of the exam. I could not have asked for a better "teacher" than Regina. She really has a gift for explaining things and knowing how to help me understand the basic information in a foreign language. Each help session was 4 hours long and some weeks we met two times a week. We started in March and worked up until mid-May. This also felt like a 4 hour intensive Spanish meeting since Regina doesn't speak much English, although she is learning. I could tell Regina and I were starting to become friends when we would get off track for a little while and start talking about life in general. Regina has not only given me art advice but also life advice. When we went out for my birthday dinner we discussed how amazing it is that two people from different parts of the world can have such a genuine friendship. It leaves me thinking that regardless of cultural differences, human beings share a bond just because we're human.

Thanks to Regina, I retook the first semester exam and stunned the professor by how much I had improved. I'm feeling pretty confident about the final exam which will be next Monday.


Regina during one of our meetings

20th Birthday!

I recently celebrated my 20th birthday here in Granada. I am so thankful for all of my friends who helped celebrate my birthday in a foreign country. At first I thought it would be a tough day, but with the help of my friends I had a really nice, memorable day. It's so hard to believe I'm no longer a teenager, although after surviving a whole year by myself in a foreign country, I do feel a little older. It seems beginning the next decade of my life in another country is quite appropriate and a reminder that the exciting years are only just beginning.

I first went out with my friend Sol, who is from South Korea, for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in the local shopping mall. We planned to see a movie afterward, but the theater is closed during the afternoons. We decided to come back to the dorm and have birthday cake with my friend Marta. After eating cake, my parents called on skype and I opened the birthday package they sent me. I have the best parents! Later I went out to dinner with my friend Regina from my art history class.

What a fun day!


outside Neptuno shopping center


my friend Sol in the restaurant


a view of the delicious mexican food
(in Spain you can drink a margarita on your 20th birthday!)


slice of cake Sol bought at a nearby bakery


friends!


Spanish birthday cake!


with my friend Marta


with Regina at my birthday dinner



Regina


the twenty year old