Ay Granada, te echaba mucho de menos...

With much relief, we settled things in Fuengirola and agreed to move in to our new home for nine months, an apartment on Calle Marconi, on October the 3rd. Until then, we ventured to Granada to catch our breath, avoid more payments to the local hostel, celebrate finding a place, and most of all....to return to the place I had grown to love so much, to spend time with the people who had made me feel truly at home in Spain not long ago.

When I lived in Granada during that amazing year, I was so fortunate to find this tiny appartment in the Albaicin at the last minute, and made the decision to live with two perfect strangers, Adrian and Carlos, who would come to be more than just people I shared my living space with: they would become like family. When I was homesick, lonely, or frustrated by langauge barriers, my new brothers always put a smile on my face and made sure I was surrounded by friends, good food, dancing and music. They helped me to see the wonderful opportunities I had there and to embrace every moment.

And with Adrian and Carlos came more wonderful people who I would grow to love. Pablo shared his love for music and was always in our house bringing laughter, great Brazilian beats, and a witty sense of humor. Gisela came from Bilbao in the north of Spain to be with Adrian, but in time, she became special to all of us. Surrounded by so much male energy, Gisela was a breath of fresh air when she came to visit...always with a open heart and a knack for making amazing "croquetas" and "bizcochos". So, it is an understatement to say that Granada was a special place for me....and going back was much anticipated!

We spent the long weekend in Carlos and Pablo's apartment in the Albaicin, enjoying the beauty of Granada and the companionship of good friends. We did a lot of cooking, playing music, and enjoying a good "desayuno" (breakfast) in the plazas of the Albaicin.

I was also very excited to see Paula, the little girl I had taken as my student while living in Granada. When I started with Paula, she was only six-years-old. I had grown very fond of the whole family who had welcomed me with open arms during my time in Granada. When I left, Paula's mother was four months pregnant with a baby boy. So, it was so wonderful to see Carmen, Paula, and her new brother, José (who is probably one of the chubbiest babies I have ever seen....and one of the happiest). Paula has grown up so much and I was so proud to hear that she gets complimented at school on her good pronunciation of English. As you can imagine, Paula was very excited to meet Aaron as she had heard so much about him, and we had such a great time with the whole family.

After having a wonderful trip to Granada, we headed back to Fuengirola, to move into the apartment and get settled. As I prepared for my first week of school, I was informed that my services that week would not be needed....it was the week of the Feria del Rosario (the Fair of Fuengirola) and many of the students would be taking the week off. A little anxious to get started at the school, I was actually disappointed to cut the week short for the Feria, but given the opportunity, it was a great week to enjoy the festivities (day and night!)...