Andalucía

In Granada I pondered sky diving, dread locking my hair and staying in the south of Spain forever. That is until I ventured west to Sevilla where row boats became taxis and no restaurant dared to stray far from the water front. Granadians are happy and inventive and unique. The mountainous town is dotted by hippies and sparkles from the impeccable jewelry that they wear and share with tourists. In Granada people are not burdened by beggars. Instead, I became infatuated with the musical, bubble blowing and clown-like drifters. I have never been more inclined to donate my lunch funds, as I was in Granada, to a unicycle riding, flower weaving gypsy, named Andy.

In Spain they say there are 9 months of winter and 3 months of hell. I am told the temperature in the South of Spain is unbearable during summer, from June through August. Yet, in my opinion, where the sun shines hotter the gelato comes cheaper and I think Andalucía is the most incredible place I have ventured thus far. Besides the historical knowledge I learned from Maria Jose’s tour in Sevilla, I gained a deeper appreciation for culture and the general zest for pleasure shared by all Spaniards. Poor people in the south of Spain wanted my camaraderie as much as they yearned for my lunch money. Shelby and I trekked to the peak of Granada to buy hand crafted jewelry and share tapas overlooking the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our two hour trip extended to an entire afternoon spent amongst musical hippies, their friendly families and other appreciative tourists. We sat, sun kissed and completely saturated by the social climate in the height of the city. To me Andalucía represents all that I will learn outside of my classrooms in Alcala. I will forever cherish the south of Spain where I learned as much about myself as I did that area, in this incredible country that I’ve been blessed to call my home away from home for over 4 months.