Well, it is about time that I sit down and write about this very long and exciting week that I have had. I arrived in Granada last Saturday (26th) by train. It was getting on to the train that I discovered just how much I had packed. Oh lordy, I packed way too much! It was crazy trying to get my 3 suitcases in to the overhead bins, and even worse trying to get them OFF the train! It was such a relief to get to the hotel and put everything down! On the train there were 3 boys and 3 girls (including me) going to the hotel from Sevilla. The girl room was so small! It was just three tiny beds smushed together, and then with all of our bags it was basically a storage closet! I shared the room with Annie and Jeanette. The boys room was gigantic and had 4 beds, and one of them was a double bed! They had so much space… and a better internet connection! The boys were Peter, Alex, and Palmer. As soon as we arrived to the hotel, Palmer left and I haven't seen him since, but I have seen everyone else pretty frequently. First things first, we tried to make appointments from the postings online. Annie already had an appointment that she had made earlier and so Jeanette and I decided to go with her, especially since the man was coming to pick us up at the hotel in his car. We did not want her to go alone. The people here in Andalucía are so nice! It is a little nerve racking, because my immediate reaction is HELL NO I am not going anywhere with someone I don't know! And that is still a good thing to keep in mind, but it is just different here. Well, the man picked us up and was so patient with our limited Spanish skills and took us to this apartment with an AMAZING view of the Sierra Nevada. Annie told him what school she was going to be working at and he did not know where it was so he pulled over and asked at least 4 different groups of people before he found someone that did know where it was, and then he drove us by it. He was so nice! He was willing to find out where all of our schools were, but Jeanette and I work outside of town, so then he wanted to help us find our bus stops. It was a great first apartment looking experience, and good practice for asking all of the questions we would need to ask over the next few days. After he dropped us back at the apartment, we fiddled on the internet a little bit more but then went out to find some food with Peter and Alex. We had some yummy food and drinks and tried to orient ourselves in the city. As we were walking back to the hotel, we hear some music and followed the sound. We ended up in this open area near the cathedral where there was a concert going on and people we salsa dancing and having such a good time! I knew then that this was a really good place to be. I already felt so much more at home in this city than in Sevilla. The next day we began the difficult piso looking process.
Fast forward a few days, and I was the last person to find a piso. I decided on this wonderful piso that was in this beautiful area with a huge terrace with beautiful vines, a big open area with tennis courts and a pool, and a spacious and new apartment. I lived with a guy Javi, who was a bit older, but was so friendly so I didn't think much of it. The 23 year old pharmacy student was supposed to move in in a few days. Anyway, I talk about this piso in the past tense because it didn't end up being what I thought it was going to be. Turns out that Javi smokes inside, which is a big problem for me, and I felt trapped in my room. Also, he kept putting me down every time I would have friends over and tell them, no matter how many times I had them over, that I didn't not understand or speak any Spanish. This really got to me because I am trying so hard, and I know that all my friends are better than me at Spanish, but they have more experience! Also, Javi talks really fast and has an impossible accent! Anyway, in addition to that, he also would make inappropriate jokes that I would not always catch on to until later because of my lack of Spanish skills, which upset me greatly when I figured out what he was saying. He would always talk about little things that had to be a certain way, and I did not feel like it was MY home too, only his, where I was a guest. So, I started the piso looking process again after about 2 weeks of living there, and found another one that I moved in to last Wednesday night. Javi will not give me back my deposit, which I did not understand until today when I had my coworker call him and figure out what he wanted because on the phone he has been super aggressive and demands that I come to his house to talk, which I will of course not do, because if he is not even willing to walk outside his front door, then something is off about that. I'm sure he is upset that I left, but I couldn't take it anymore! My coworker got him to agree to come outside and meet me tonight, so hopefully all goes well giving back the keys, although I am nervous. My new piso is pretty close to the old one, so I can still go to my gym, and I am literally 2 minutes from Abby's place. The walk to my bus stop is about 5 minutes closer, and my rent is 40 euros less! I live with a Spanish girl Mari who is doing her residency for social education… I think this might be social work? I am not sure yet. She is more my age and very helpful and friendly so I am feeling so much more comfortable here so far, although it has only been 4 days. Right downstairs from me is the best pizza place in Granada, and some say the world, but I'm not sure about that yet, although it is amazing and I already want to be a regular there. The staff is so friendly and attentive, which is something that is rare here in Spain. Anyway, although I am stressed about now being poor and having to meet Javi tonight, I am very satisfied with my new place and think that I will stay here for the remainder of my stay here in Granada… which who knows when that will end… I LOVE IT HERE!!!
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