Category Archives: Málaga

Sorpresas (Surprises)

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Morgan is my new roommate for the next three months. We’ve hit it off really well. My hope is that she and I will have a class together. I’ve been taking her around town for the past two days. I’ve so glad I did the Intensive Month of Spanish. It has helped me tremendously. I am much more comfortable than I was the first day I stepped off that train. I was talking to my director about this last week. I have made such leaps and bounds since I arrived. Sometimes it’s best to look at the bigger picture from where it all began. Now I can pass on all of my knowledge and wisdom to Morgan.

You would never know that all these pictures were taken on the same day. Regardless of sun or not, the weather fared well for Morgan and I on our trek up to the top of Alcazaba. It was really steep; however, definitely well worth the effort. The view was spectacular. Iker said that it is one of the best places to view the sunset. I will absolutely be going back up again.

I cannot contain the excitement any longer. Today was a huge success for me. As many of you know I finished my Intensive Month today and took my 3 exams. I have now moved up to Advanced!! I’m so excited about that. Now I can officially take classes in Spanish. I’ll be taking 4 classes. 3 in Spanish and 1 in English. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Now the real work begins and I can show this school what I’m made of! I’ll keep you all updated as the weeks progress

Besos,

Natalia

Marina Boat Ride

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Last week my group and I went on a boat ride around the bay in Malaga. The weather was perfect for it. Getting out to where we needed to be was a bit of a challenge. Needless to say if you were standing, it wasn’t for long. It felt like we were flying through the air more than we were actually on the water. Luckily, I had my sea legs so I could move with the boat if it had a mind of its own. The captain had the radio on and all we heard was American music. I still have not gotten used to hearing the Top 40 here. I was expecting to hear Spanish music. That’s what I came for!

At some point we turned the boat around and Iker (our ISA director) asked if we wanted to drive the boat. Por supuesto!!! (of course!!!!) Natalie went first and she did really well. Then, it was my turn. The captain let me wear his captain’s hat. It was pretty cool. We were talking in Spanish about where I was from and if I liked Malaga. The guys drove the boat after us and quite frankly if we were caught in a jam I’d leave it up to Natalie and I to save us. haha. They put us into some rough waters on the way back.

On my way home I picked up postcards!! They will be mailed out tomorrow. Snail mail at its finest, they should be there in about two weeks.

Alcazaba

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Morning Adventure

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Today is Monday which for me is a holiday because of Santa Maria Victoria. I had breakfast and then did a 3 mile walk to the Marina and the Paseo de la Farola. It was gorgeous. Before I got there I walked through a place called Palmeral de las Sorpresas. There were palm trees everywhere. It’s located right on the water. I’ll go back again and take some more pictures for you all to see. I walked through the marina with all the boats. The best part about this little adventure is I had no clue where I was going. I just decided to walk and I ended up at some pretty amazing places. I’m glad I did!

Santa Maria Victoria

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Yesterday Emma took me to the Procession of Santa Maria Victoria. It was outside of the cathedral. Some time soon I will go in there. The procession out of the church took almost an hour for everyone to walk out from start to finish. Every church in Málaga was there and they each had their own flag and a few people to represent the church. The colors were incredible. It was like I was at a fashion show. They also had three bands play. I’m glad I got to go. Emma and I also took a nice long walk and went to the beach where we picked stones and seashells. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the apartment. After lunch, I went back again to catch some sun.

I have officially finished my first week of class. I have three really great teachers. They make the classes enjoyable. There are 8 of us total in the class which makes for a more intimate discussion. Among the many lessons of grammar and listening to audio, we’ve learned a lot about the culture. We learned about Spain’s New Year which is called Noche Vieja. To bring in the new year no matter where you are, especially in  Málaga, they have a bowl of 12 grapes. When the clock strikes 12, each time it chimes they eat a grape. This signifies having good luck for all 12 months of the new year. I thought that was so interesting.

 

Beach Time

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I’ve been in Malaga for officially 4 days now. My host family, Emma and Ricardo, picked me up from the train station when we arrived in Malaga. They were so excited to meet me. The second after we met Emma took my hand and that’s how we talked back to the apartment. The city was very quiet during that time because everything for the most part is generally closed on Sundays. It was about a 10 minute walk to the apartment. I could then finally put my suitcases and bags down and not have to worry about picking them up for another 4 months. They’ve been quite heavy lugging around a 34 pound suitcase but my backpack and a dufflebag. They showed me around the apartment and then I got to eat. I was so excited. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and then you have a siesta. Generally most businesses close from 1:30 to about 5:00. This gives people time to go home, eat and take a nap. Then it’s back to work until around 8:00 pm.  Ricardo made me chicken and french fries. Spain’s fries taste so much better than US fries, don’t ask me why.

I’ve learned to take public transportation to school. It’s about a 25 minute bus ride. Instead of getting on the bus right near my apartment I walk to Plaza de Marina to meet my friends and we take the bus together.  I had to take my placement test and an interview for school on Monday. After that, we had a two hour break. We found out that the beach was a block away from school. So my friends and I hung out on the beach until we had to go back to class. We also had a small walking tour of Malaga. The other director Iker, showed us around Malaga which included points of interest for instance, Picasso’s house.

Yesterday was my birthday! I had class until 2 yesterday and then my friends and I headed to the beach until about 7:00 pm. Emma packed my friends and I a picnic lunch with sandwiches, snacks and dessert. It was so good. The water was perfect and I got some great color. After we left the beach I had to go pick up a book at the bookstore for class. I was so excited to see that it wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg to buy. My family had food ready for me when I got home. We usually have dinner around 9:00 pm. Emma made homemade empanadas. They were muy delicioso. After dinner, Ricardo came walking out with bowl of ice cream and palm tree sticking out of it. It was really cute. And then they sang to me! They’ve treated me really well. I can’t wait to do some exploring this weekend since I have a 3 day weekend!!