Winter has arrived

Well, pretty much immediately after my last post about how fall has graciously extended into November with lovely weather, winter suddenly arrived. It is now definitely cold! (Not below freezing or anything, but colder than 10+. Gloves and scarves are now in order!)

As proof that we have not yet dipped below freezing point, there are still certain types of flowers that are still blooming!

We went on a lovely excursion with some friends this weekend to Las Cahorros. It is a beautiful spot on the edge of Monachil, a small town about 8kms away from Granada. The trail runs alongside a river, there are several hanging bridges and some parts of the trail go through caves/natural tunnels. It is quite lovely! It is also a popular destination to go rock climbing (Nathan is dying to go back there with some climbing gear and try out some of the many routes that are already set up for sport climbing).

 

Hasta pronto :)

-Candyce

Weather and Television

We have been really enjoying the weather here so far. It is hard to believe it is already the middle of November without the expected daily gloom and rain of a west coast winter.

The weather here is unique compared to other parts of the Andalusian region. Granada is right on the doorstep of the Sierra Nevada and they strongly influence the weather patterns here. We´ve been warned on numerous occasions to expect rain and at least some cold weather,  especially in December and January. But so far the temperature has been quite moderate and lovely.

It is not unusual for the mornings and evenings to be cool (8-15 Celcius), but midday still warms up to over 20 degrees. Dressing in layers is usually a good idea, even though in the middle of the day it is hard to believe that you will want a jacket later. As I am not a fan of hot weather, this is pretty much perfect for me. :)

Apparently this fall has been especially warm and dry, which is a bonus for us. And we´ve been taking advantage of it in various ways: we went on an all-day hike with Joaquín and his friends last weekend en Los Alayos, we went on a tour of the Sacromonte neighbourhood (where the gypsies live/lived) with one of our language exchange friends one warm evening this week, and we are planning on going on another smaller hike in Monachil this weekend with a few other friends. (Unfortunately, for unknown reasons we´ve been forgetting our camera lately, so I don´t have photos, but as other friends took photos on all our various excursions, maybe eventually I can include some of those. :)

One weird thing we´ve been incorporating into our schedule over the past month is TV. In Canada we pretty much never watch TV. We don´t have one. We don´t follow TV programs. We never know what upcoming shows are, what the latest commercials are, etc. Which is fantastic, in my opinion, as there is too much life to live to spend hours and hours of it watching TV (besides, I have facebook and too many other ways to waste my time, so TV doesn´t normally make the cut in my books).

However, our apartment came with a TV and basic cable, so we do have the option to watch it. And since all programming is (obviously) in Spanish, we can actually use it as an ´educational´ tool. Programs are a mix of Spanish and US shows (including some ridiculous Spanish gameshows). One interesting thing is that the US shows are never subtitled - they are always dubbed. In fact, we´ve been told it can be a good job to be a voice star on a program, as you can be the voice actor for season after season for a character. And as long as you don´t focus on the characters mouths, you can almost forget that the original is in English. (Although when watching Bones it is a little funny to hear Booth constantly refer to Temperance as Huesos...).

Things continue to go very smoothly here, which we are very thankful for. We are especially enjoying the opportunities to continue to get to know folks here. :) I hope you are doing well and enjoying November (no matter what early winter weather you may have)!

With love,

Candyce (and Nathan)

Mission: Make Friends

The hardest part about moving is leaving behind a loving community: family, friends, church, choirs, etc.  To suddenly be in a new city with much to learn and new faces always surrounding you. For us, traveling as a couple, it is a little easier since we have each other, but our main mission (post-finding an apartment) has been to make some friends!

We weren't starting at zero of course, because we already had my friend and colleague, Joaquín and his family, who hosted us for the first two weeks. And of course I have met a few people through my work here. Joaquín has also introduced us to quite a few of his friends (he invited us to a weekly prayer service, "house church" style always followed by lots of food and conversation). We even got to meet the Archbishop of Granada as he happens to be part of Joaquín's circle of friends. :)

In addition to Joaquín's network, we have also attended a variety of Taize-style services where we have met quite a few very friendly people. Last night we attended a "Día de los Muertos" party that a new friend invited us to. She is from Mexico and for the past 6 years that she has been in Granada she has hosted her own Day of the Dead party to celebrate this Mexican festival. She invited many international as well as local students that she knows and it was a very fun evening. Spanish with all sorts of accents: Slovakian, Italian, Polish, Mexican, and of course the very strong local Andalusian.

We have also joined a choir! Through a friend of Joaquín's we learned of a choir that specializes in Baroque and early music. It's not a professional choir (and therefore both Nathan and I can sing in it!) but it is a very friendly group who get together for a couple of hours on Sunday evenings.  Apparently rehearsal is almost always followed by conversation and tapas at the restaurant across the street, so it is another good opportunity to get to know folks better. :)

And, of course, all of these new friends are extremely helpful for our language goals. We are studying many hours each day and both of us are making rapid progress, but practicing in real conversations is what really solidifies new vocabulary and grammar structures. :) For me it is exciting how much I am remembering, which enables me to speak with more and more confidence. After a 4 year hiatus from speaking Spanish it is coming back to me. And Nathan is already at a higher level than he has ever been at after being here for only 1 month! So we are both fairly stoked regarding our language studies. :)

Wishing you a blessed Sunday as you enjoy your extra hour of Daylight Savings sleep this morning. :)

Love,
Candyce