Making the Most of It

It is time for some more Granada pictures. I've been taking my camera with me when I take walks, in case I find something to take a picture of, which happens pretty darn often. For example, one day there was a procession that went all over the city, marching band and all. I believe that it was something related to the processions that will happen during Semana Santa, but that could just be a hunch (most likely given to me because of the Jesus statue thing that they paraded all over town--you can see it in the photo below). 

I brought my camera back to the IES center and, luckily, the door was already open, which saved me probably a good ten minutes of fighting with it and the inevitable humiliation of failure. Here is the view I promised from the balcony of the IES center.

On Tuesday, I had no classes, and so I decided to send myself on a quest that did not include hunting down Rellenos de Chocolate or Teal pants. This quest was to find the Carmen de los Mártires. I visited it during orientation week and have wanted to return since then. It is really a beautiful place and completely deserted, at least on a Tuesday morning, making it my new favorite location in Granada. Not to mention there are peacocks.

I spent a good twenty minutes playing "peacock paparazzi."

After my walk around the gardens, I went next door, to some building with a patio with an amazing view. In this patio, there was a stray kitten-cat that I befriended. And then some photographer took a picture of me petting the kitten-cat in front of the pretty view. 

That's all I have for pictures, but not for stories... This weekend has been a strange one. Thursday night, we had a "clown workshop" for my theater class (clown in the European sense (more about failure and being ridiculous), not the American sense (creepy...)), which was interesting enough. It was basically about making a fool of yourself and trying not to be embarrassed (didn't work). The first fifteen minutes, however, we were just instructed to dance as crazily as we could, which brought back memories of my dance parties with Dano. Afterward, I went out for tapas, and this old guy tried to bribe us into going to the discoteca with him by promising to buy us drinks. That is what they call in Spain a "viejo verde" (old pervert, more or less...). 

The following night, I went out for tapas again, and this group of guys asked Anna and I to take a picture. We said  yes, assuming that they meant they wanted us to take a group picture of them. Apparently, what they really meant was they wanted a picture with one guy and the two of us. I'm ending up in a lot of other people's pictures lately... Afterward, we went to a club, which had strange, un-dance-able, 50s-esc Latin music, so that was kind of a fail. 

And last night, to top the weekend off, I went to a movie at the theaters, which, it turns out, have "date seats" (they are grouped in 2s...). Also, they have assigned seating. I ended up sitting next to a middle-aged man. Kind of awkward. I spend a good chunk of the movie wondering if I should offer him some of my popcorn.

I returned home after the movie ridiculously early by Spanish standards (11:30), and there were family friends at the house. I got roped into sitting down and drinking with them and my host parents. Being the responsible person I am, I declined more drinks after I had two, but they have never been very good at listening. "Why shouldn't you have more? Your bed is right there, all you have to do is go to sleep. Have just one more." I ended up having four because they would ignore me and fill my glass anyway. And then my host dad tried to get me to sing Karaoke. It would have been super amusing if I had known the song or the words, but I didn't, and it was out of my vocal range (which is rather limited), so I didn't really sing. I ended up going to bed at 4, simply because I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, but the party was still going strong. Even the 6 year olds were wide awake. Way to make me feel lame.