Science, Olives, & Soccer

I had a very exciting past weekend. Saturday morning I got up fairly early to go help Lisamarie move houses. She is moving into an apartment by herself and will no longer be living with a family. I think this is good for her because she’ll be able to be more independent and do whatever she pleases. I know she’s a little afraid of being lonely, but Jess and I can go over there whenever she wants us to. I am hoping sometime this week we can do another cooking day and movies or something. I don’t know if I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs that last month we all made paella and tortilla Espanola together. The paella was absolutely delicious and could not have been better. The tortilla Espanola also turned out good, but not nearly as good as what you can get in the restaurants. I think my favorite tortilla Espanola here is the one we have in the lobby of Hotel Macia Condor after Rotary meetings. Anyways, back on track. Saturday afternoon Lisamarie, Jess, Jess’ roommate and his friend, and I went to the Parque de las Ciencias. It’s kind of like a mix between Cosi, the hands-on museum, and the Detroit Science Museum. There was so much to see, but we got there only 2 hours before it closed. It’s one of those places where you could spend a whole day looking at everything. We only made it to a few things in the short time we were there, but what we did was really cool. First, we went to the birds of prey exhibit. They were having a show outside and explaining things about the birds. Then, we went to the human body exhibit. I learned a lot about the body, of course, and there were a lot of hands-on activities you could do. After, we went to the butterfly house. You could go in this building and the butterflies just flew all around you. This was probably my favorite part, but I wish there were more butterflies flying around. I only saw a few types and I think most of them were hiding in the greenery. We wanted to go to the observation tower, but it closed just before we made it there. O well! It was a really fun, relaxing day there. Sunday was a day of accomplishing activities that I had on my list of things to do before I left Granada. In the morning, Jess, Lisamarie, and I went on an olive oil tour. I found this place online and they came and picked us up in the center of town to take us to the tour. It was a great package and an ok price. The tour took place in a small town outside of Granada called Niguelas. It took about 25 or so minutes to get there. Once we got there, our tour guide started out by explaining the olive trees, the irrigation system, and the different types of olives. She told us that you can tell the age of an olive tree by looking at the size of its trunk. We went to this olive tree with a huge trunk and she told us to guess how old we thought it was. I said 300 years and I was right! After, she took us to an olive oil making mill from the 15th century. It is no longer used, but the process of making olive oil is still very similar. We got to learn the entire process and I learned that of Spain’s total olive oil production, Andalucía (the southern region where Granada is) produces 80% of that. That’s a lot of oil! Also, many people think olive oil is from Italy, but really the majority of it is from Spain. Spain makes the oil and then sells it to Italy who packages it with their own mark and country and exports it to other countries. I don’t think this should be allowed, but I guess Spain isn’t doing anything about it. After we toured the mill and learned the process, the guide took us to test 5 different types of olive oil. They were all extra virgin olive oil, which is the best kind, and all from the region of Andalucía. I think my favorite one was the one from Granada; although, I could be biased. J When we did the tasting, our guide taught us how to professionally taste the olive oil. First, we warmed it in our hands in the cup it was in and then smelled it. Once it was warm, we drank a little bit letting it first touch the tongue, then the palette, and finally the throat. We were testing for fruitiness, bitterness, and the strength of the pepper taste. After we drank some of it, we ate the rest of it with bread and then ate an apple to clear our palette before testing the next kind of oil. The tour lasted about 3 hours and then we were driven back to the center of the city. It was well worth going. I ate lunch at my house when I got back and then met up with Lisamarie a little later to go to the Granada soccer game. We got the cheapest tickets you could get at the stadium and they really weren’t that bad. The only sacrifice we really had to make was not being able to see the scoreboard because we were sitting right under it. We had a lot of fun at the game and Granada beat Jerez 4-1. I’m super glad I got to see a game before coming home. I think it was a great cultural experience.

Catching Up

It has been way too long since I’ve blogged and I have so much to tell you guys about! So much has happened in Granada in the past two weeks. First, I’ll start out with the Rotary events. When we were at the Foundation a few weeks ago, one of the kids mentioned that they wanted to play BINGO, but the Foundation didn’t have the game. Since we are supposed to be helping them with their homework and teaching them English, we decided to make our own BINGO game and bring it to play with the kids. Jess and I made 12 different BINGO sheets with a mixture of letters and numbers up to 50. Last Monday, I played with the kids. It was so much fun! I let them take turns picking the numbers/letters out of the envelope and then we said them in Spanish and in English. After a little while, the kids were starting to get a little restless except for Said (3) and Eladia (11). They wanted to play until someone won. Said won and then after, Eladia went around and played everyone’s cards. She really liked the game. I think we’re going to try to play again next week, but I think we need to bring a prize/candy/incentive to keep their attention longer. Overall, I think it was a success. On Tuesday, March 9, Jess and I went to Laura’s high school to give another presentation about the high school education system in the U.S.A. to promote the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Our presentations went extremely well and the kids were a lot more respectful of us at this high school then they were at the last. I really hope that from the few presentations we have done, we can influence at least one person to participate in this great program and organization. I think, though, that just by giving these presentations we are being ambassadors and helping to promote the image of Rotary in a country where few know about it.
Aside from the events of Rotary, the city of Granada has had its share, too. Last weekend, as we were walking home, we witnessed a Pro-Life gathering. There were a couple hundred people of all ages gathered in the center with signs, music, balloons, and pins. It was really cool to see something like that. I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced anything like that outside of the university campus. The same day in front of the Palacio de Congresos, a government building, there was a big congregation of Moroccans. Spain is part of the European Union and during this term, they are the country with the power, or the one that gets to hold all of the meetings and stuff. This day the meeting happened to be in Granada. There was a ton of security because a lot of important people were there. The reason for the Moroccans being there was that the meeting was with all of the important people from the European Union and the President of Morocco to discuss their relations. These relations included terrorism, importing/exporting, water boundaries, etc. All of these people were outside voicing their opinions on the situation. It was a very peaceful and interesting gathering to see. It was another thing that I have never really witnessed before. The following day was “Working Women’s Day” in Spain. This day is in honor of women who work in Spain. Years ago there was a fire in a factory that killed many women due to rights not yet established for them and so since then, this day has been created in honor of that. I didn’t really realize how big of a deal it was until we stumbled upon the parade. Part of the city had been closed off so this parade of women with their signs and a few floats could march through the center. It was extremely impressive and what impressed me even more was the substantial amount of men that were also marching in the parade with their wives, sisters, daughters, relatives, and friends. The people of Granada are very active and this past week has really been proof of that.

Busy with Rotary

The past few days here in Granada have been absolutely crazy with Rotary events. Yesterday, we went to the foundation just like we will be doing every Monday and Wednesday. Our time there yesterday was a little different, though, because instead of tutoring we gave a presentation about ourselves and our hometowns to the entire foundation. It was nice because they were sincerely interested in our presentations. When we were there last Wednesday, I had gum in my mouth and they all wanted some so I made sure to bring some with me yesterday. The very first thing they asked me was whether or not I remembered to bring it. It was funny how badly they wanted gum from me, but I'm glad I could make their day with something so simple. Once we left the foundation, we went to the Hotel Macia Condor where the Granada Rotary Club has their weekly meetings. The club had invited us to dinner to celebrate Rotary in Spain. The entire club was present with their spouses and there were even some people there from outside of the country. One of the couples was from Norway and the lady is the president of the Innerwheel Club in Norway. This was the first time I had ever heard of Innerwheel, which is the female version of Rotary. It is still a part of Rotary International, but geared towards women. Spain is the only country that lacks a club like this so she came trying to promote it. It made me wonder if there are any in the Downriver. It would be cool to start one if one doesn't exist. Besides the great people at the dinner, the food was great too. We had an awesome 4 course meal. The first course was a crab/apple salad that was a great opener for what was to come. The next course was a fillet of fish in this cream sauce with mandarins. The sauce was to die for! Then, they brought out a roast beef dish with vegetables and carmelized onions. The onions were my favorite part of this dish. The fourth and final course was dessert. I'm not even really sure what it was, but I think someone said it may have been flan. Anyways, whatever it was, it was delicious. I'm really glad that we were invited to the dinner and could take part in such a special event for the Rotary Club of Granada.
Today, I gave another presentation at the same school I presented at before, but this time it was for the parents of the students who are really considering participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Jessica and I both had a part of the presentation and she was sick so I was missing her part. My part comes after hers so it wouldn't make much sense for me to do mine without hers before it. Instead, I just introduced myself and explained a little about my high school and then the parents asked me any questions they had about the United States high school education system. This really turned out to be a great way to go about presenting the info. I was really proud of myself, too, because I understood every question the parents asked me and was able to respond appropriately. I think we're going to do one again in the near future at Laura's high school. Laura is the girl that participated in Rotary Youth Exchange last year in the United States and absolutely loved it. Also, she's going to take us to her favorite cafe in town this weekend and get us tickets to see her sister's flamenco show. I'm super excited!

Lending a Hand

The Granada Rotary Club donates to a foundation called La Fundacion Escuela de Solidarid located about 20 minutes from the city. As a Rotary scholar, it is my responsibility to volunteer here, but it doesn't feel like a requirement. It feels like a great opportunity to spend some time with those who could use it. The foundation is a center for people in need to come and stay until they can find work or get back on their feet. It was started by a local lawyer named Ignacio about 15 years ago. Currently, there are about 40 people who live there ranging in age from a few months old to 60 years old. Each person or family has their own apartment, so to speak, but they all work together to maintain the foundation. The mission of the foundation is to create a "universal family." Many of the people who live there don't have families or are away from them so they become each other's family and you can really see that when you're there. They all work together to cook, clean, and look out for one another. In order to make sure everyone does their part, there is a schedule of events. Everyday from 4:30 to 6 pm is homework time for the kids and they know that they can't leave until all of their work is done. As Rotary scholars studying to improve our Spanish, we help tutor the kids with their homework. Also, we are going to try to incorporate in some English lessons and other activities on the days that the kids don't have a lot of homework. Monday, we are giving a presentation to the entire foundation about ourselves and where we are from. So far, we have been to the foundation twice to tutor the kids. I really enjoy it! There is a group of younger kids (3 to 10) and older kids (15 to 19). I have only really worked with the younger kids. They don't have too much homework because some of them are not in school, but we read books and color. It's a lot of fun. I think they really enjoy us being there, too. The other day when I stopped reading a book to Yanira, a 3-year old girl, she wouldn't let go of my hand until I came back into the room and continued. It was so cute. Today, I had a piece of gum in my mouth when I came and they all wanted a piece so I have to make sure to bring some with me on Monday. I think they would really like that. From here on out, we will be going to the foundation every Monday and Wednesday for a few hours and whenever else we can to do any other work they need.

Weekend in Sevilla

I'm so behind on my blog! A few weekends ago Jess, Lisamarie, and I went to Sevilla. Our new friend, Sophie, from Holland also came too. I had my first experience ever with the train and the hostel and they both went very well, especially the hostel. The owners were very accomodating and wanted to make sure we had fun in Sevilla. It was so weird, though, because I noticed this guy as soon as we walked into the hostel. I knew I knew him from somewhere! Then it hit me...I met him at my Rotary Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last April. I was dying to know if it was really him or not so when we got to the flamenco show that the owner of the hostel was taking us to, I asked him. To my surprise, it was him! Peter had been studying in Jordan for 6 months and was on his way home now. One of his stops on the way home was Sevilla and we just happened to run into him there. It was so crazy! We ended up talking to him all night about his trip and other such things. It was really great to run into another Rotary Scholar that I had already met. Then, he came to Granada a few days later and we all went out for dinner at a great restaurant called Totes y Amigos to continue our conversation. Aside from meeting Peter, all of us had a great time in Sevilla. We saw so many things in just a few days like the Cathedral, Plaza de Toros, Alcazar, Tower of Gold, and Giralda. It was nice to take a little trip, but also great to be home in Granada on Sunday night.

Spreading the Word

Last week, Juan Pablo, my Granada Rotary host counselor, asked Jess and I to give a presentation to about 100 high school students regarding the American high school system. We created a presentation and had our teachers correct it for us. We took a taxi to the school, but even after the taxi driver dropped us off we had a hard time finding it. He dropped us off in front of a high school, but it was the wrong one. After waiting outside for a while, we finally decided to go in and find the office. A man that spoke English, as well as Spanish, directed us to the right school about a mile down the road. Once again, we had trouble. We couldn't find the room that we were supposed to be giving the presentation in. When we found it, Juan Pablo was talking to the students about the Rotary Youth Exchange program and five minutes later, it was our turn to present. The kids gave us a big round of applause as we made our way to the front of the room. Jess talked first and then I gave mine. Everything went well except for when I said "quiero ser una medicina," which means I want to be a medicine/pill. I meant to say "medica." All the kids were roaring with laughter, but it was a good way to break the ice. I felt a lot more comfortable after that. After our presentation, a girl named Laura, a Rotary Youth Exchange alumni, gave a presentation about her trip to the U.S. last year. It was really good to hear that she had a great time in the U.S. and can't wait to return. Giving this presentation was a really good experience for us and we definitely hope to do it again. Hopefully, from our presentations we can influence the Spanish youth to take part in the Rotary Youth Exchange and Ambassadorial programs. They are both great programs!

Keeping Busy

Where to start! My first few weeks here have just been an absolute whirlwind. It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed and I only have 10 more to go. This means I need to keep going places and see as many things as I can in the short time I have left. It's going to be a busy 10 weeks! So far, we have visited the most important/famous places like the Cathedral, the Alhambra, and the Albacin. All of them have been absolutely beautiful! Words and pictures don't even do them justice. With all three places, you could just look at them forever wondering how people created such architecturally beautiful places without the technology we have now. The Cathedral is very beautiful and huge. It's right in the center of town and many tourists all over the world come to see it. The Alhambra is on a huge piece of land with a beautiful palace and gardens. It was created by the Arabics of the city who were the first inhabitants and when the Queen forced them to leave it was converted to a christian site. The Alhambra was meant for the rulers of the community, though. On Tuesday, we went to the Albacin, which is the oldest part of Granada. This part was also built by the Arabs and is still home to many who returned after being forced to leave. The outside of the homes are very beautiful, but the insides are said to be absolutely breathtaking. We got to peek inside one and the architecture looked just like that of the Alhambra with a lot of tile and stone detail. How gorgeous! This weekend we are going to the Sierra Nevada, the mountains, to go skiing. I'll let you guys know how this goes!

Granada Rotary Meeting #1

Monday night, Jessica, Lisamarie, and I (all Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars) went to the Granada Rotary meeting. The club meets every Monday at 8:30 pm in a conference room of a very nice hotel near the center of Granada called Hotel Macia Condor. There are 16 men in the club, but only about 7 of them came to the meeting. I guess it's unusual for everyone to attend every meeting. My host counselor from the club is Juan Pablo, the 2009-2010 President. He is very nice and seems very interested in us and what we do. The club donates money to a school in the city and today we are going to get in touch with a man at the school to start volunteering there. I guess we help the kids with their homework and help teach them English. I'm really excited for this! Even though the next meeting is Monday, they told us it is only necessary for us to come once a month so our next visit will be in February.

My First Week

Granada, Spain is so beautiful! I love it here! My flights to Granada went very well and were only a little delayed, but I still made it here Sunday night. There was someone at the airport to pick me up. Alos, there was snow on the ground, which I was not expecting at all!

I am living with a women named Maria Jose and her son, Raffi. Their house is nice and so are they. I can tell that they want me to feel at home and experience the country they love at the same time. Maria cooks all of my meals and does my laundry. The food has been great so far and I think it's one of the best ways to experience the culture. What makes it even more cultural is that I eat at the times they do, which are around 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, and 9 pm.

There are two other female Rotary Scholars that are also in Granada with me. On my last flight to Granada, I was super relieved when I met Jessica from South Carolina. We are attending the same school and live only a few blocks from each other. The other girl, Lisamarie, I had been emailing before leaving for Granada. She lives a little farther from Jessica and I, but is also attending Sociedad Hispano Mundial. We have been doing everything together and are going to go the Rotary meeting together, as well.

Today, I emailed my Spain Rotary Host Counselor, Juan Pablo, for the first time. I hope he emails me back soon so we know when and where the Rotary meetings are. I am excited to see what their meetings are like and what kind of service projects they do. I heard that one of the service projects we will be participating in is teaching English to Spanish kids in Granada. I think this will be great!