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