So I am eating the best pear of my life. I don't know about the best, but it sure is a good pear. -perfect almost!
I got it on my way to school at the fruit stand. I love those things. any city that has fruit in the streets is my kind of city.

Have I mentioned that I might have a problem? Yes, my wisdom teeth are growing in. Growing here in Spain! I notice like every dental place I walk by. It throbs the most in the morning. That is the first thing I notice when I wake up: a swollen left side of the back gums on the bottom, and rather sore. It stays pretty much swollen throughout the day, but doesn't hurt so bad. Only around bed time, possibly because I don't have much else to focus on.
But let this not take away from my experiences in Spain! Learn I shall do!

You know, each day that I live is different. (of course!) but, I do NOT do the same things at the same time each day as far as the routine things: walking to school, showering, eating… those type of things! I like to switch it up! I see new things as I do this. Walking different ways home is quite an adventure! and adventures I do like! we are going to take one next week: to the mountains! Hiking for two days! yay!! wow! Super excited!
I went to the cathedral yesterday, and that was quite an adventure, too! gypsies were there and they sure do like the touristy business that goes in and out of there. They catch you with the rosemary and trick you into kissing it, and then obligate you for money! Ah! (my friend got lured into this, but didn't pay...) I had heard about this before so didn't pay any attention. But, however, I did fall in love with the paintings and inscriptions of names/words in Arabic... ah... :)!
Class is soon! Adios!

5-28-07 PM

On the way over here, to Granada, olive trees were everywhere! It was more like olive orchards. It was awesome. And the olives here are nice, too. I like them! O man, I really like how they eat here!
Today, I had galletes (cracker/cookies) and a pan (bread) for breakfast, and then, when I was saying bye, my senora handed me an apple on my way out! :)! Lunch isn't until like 2-3 here, so, in one of our breaks from class, we went down to one of the many tapa (snack) bar and had a nice big glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and toast with fresh tomato dressing and olive oil. I absolutely loved it. (because I eat like that at home). It was nice! Then, I ran to la casita for lunch and mi senora had made paella that was really good. Really really good. Yes it was! With some pan and water. They have those liter and half jugs like in Mexico. I love it!
-o! and she first gave me an orange. This is nice!
Classes, laundry.
Classes: are well.
Laundry: I can't do until the weekend which is fine. I will be okay, but it would be nice to have some clean clothes, so, I better be thankful for cleanliness!
Classes: I am taking an Art History class (thanks to mom who majored in it). And it is nice! (so far, this first day!) it is only twice a week. Classes are 2 hours each. I am taking three. Two of mine are four days a week (M-Th), and art is Mon. and Wed.
Excursions are on their way. I didn't go to one today. Wanted to stay back. Needed to stay back and recoup, regain some focus and (momentum, could you say?) I just wanted to get back in the right mind after having a full new day of life that was all brand new. Brand new people, language, sights, people. And people.
All types. All kinds. Kids, students, teachers, youngens, hobos, and Spainards.
Lots of Africans here too.
Grammar and Compostion are my other two classes I chose.
My mind is winding down.
Hasta luego.
Bye! (Good night for me, Good afternoon for you.) I wish I could have posted these today. O wells. Just lots to read. Good night!
Gymnasio, biblioteca, and the heilado are some places I have found.

Monday morn. 5-28-07

I am up early this morning. And my stomache still hasn't stopped gurgling and intestines moving. I didn't have dinner last night. Was hoping for at least some heilado but nothing is open on Sunday except the bars and those are gross. I really do hate them. O- and church, too, is open on Sundays. The church and the bars. Take your pick. I say gross to the bars for real. Yuck, seriously, I am grossed out.
Looking for food and friends last night left me hungry and feeling thankful for Charlie who is 24 (more mature). Although she works at a bar, she doesn't get excited about Heinekin and blunts. She just does her thing and is nice. Not desiring so much attention. However, let me speak a good word about the rest. They at least are going to CEGRI, I did find it. The school is actually called CEGRI and is hidden away like in an alley (an alley is a short street inbetween the others -and all streets here are small). They say it is pretty on the inside and it takes about a good 20 min walk there.
I live in an apartment-ish, high-rise building. Dwellings above me, below, and prob on both sides. 3 out of 6 walls are prob connected to other dwelling places. Noise is loud. Especially my room (so I feel because I am in it…) but, the casita is cute. Really! It is pretty much modern and updated, very much. It looks like soemthing out of the IKEA magazine. Some would like it. I am just not sure the quality of it yet. (However, nothing lasts forever, but maybe it is better to have better things. I am sure of it.)
I have a little red chair that looks pink against my baby-yellow walls and white trim. Dim-ish lights (lighting affects everything). However, the chair looks just like the one at home -except a little more beat up.
Senora Elvira (Iglesias, is her last name -not a bad one, it would be cool if she went to one. They say people either go to church everyday or only on holi-days, which they get drunk in the streets on. -interesting.) Anyway, mi Senora said Bradley from California was here this past semester for the winter. I guess he stayed in the room I am in. Is it bad that I want to rearrange it? There are two wardrobes in here (like from "Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, only the kind from Wal-mart, it seems) (thought: I need to check my email or get contact somehow from my prof at DBU about my final paper which I already sent to her but wanted to hear back to make sure 1) she got and it and 2) it was what she expected (of some sort at least).
K, back the the story, Bradley, from Cali, wardrobe, and rearranging the room. Yes, I would like to. One of the wardrobes is useless! Not being used, just sitting next to my desk. It is like the wall wasn't long enough to turn it the other way so the doors were facing out! Lol… no, I see it as the room just needs to be moved around, that is all. And I have already figured out how I want to do that. Maybe later. There are other things I need to take care of first. One being that I am hoping my senora is going to wake up and make me breakfast. I feel like I would be at home, and if I got up early, mom would be up too, making breakfast, or at least encouraging me to get some. She would be up herself, and so would the sun. Nada here. I need to be walking out the door at 8. a good walk for an hour, it seems. No, but Kristen (the other girl), lives inbetween Charlie and I, all on the same street, about 10 blocks apart all together. I think I prob live the furthest, and in the best position, for me (at least, that is how I am going to see it -the rest are complianing and want to move (except Charlie -she likes her place, too).
I am charging my comp right now. I can basically use one outlet at a time, cause I only have one converter. But all is well, I don't need to use it as much as normal. I just take turns throughout the day charging my phone, camera, and laptop. Lots of pictures I have taken yesturday when I got here and was able to walk around solo. Which was nice. I needed it. Really. I am useless without independence (prob because I get distracted easily, and when I am by myself, no need for social skills but only that which is needed for the task/s at hand, and so far, that has been traveling to get here.) I guess I should learn how to be independent when I am around people, too. Yes, that I shall do.
Anyways, back to walking around and pics last evening. "Orange trees!!" I want to exclaim! "Orange trees all over!" Oranges just fall on the ground here in the plazas/bed of flowers and decorate the town! wow. A river in the middle of town, which I have to cross over (big pedestrian/auto bridges). It has not water, except the greenish stuff more at the top of town. (I here someone up! Yay!!!). I think more in the south the river is fuller.
I took pics of all of this, of course. Take a look. They are cool (so I think).
About 7 o'clock now. A shower and hopefully some breakfast. If none here (which I am suppose to get 2 meals a day, I should of just stayed home last night for that but didn't think about that. (I really just wanted to talk to Kristen who, I guess, reminds me of Taylor Bigler, yes, very much.) I saw her, she randomly has other friends here, people who know her brother and people from all over (I think it is just that South Dakota isn't very big, and "everyone-knows-everyone" type of thing.)
Anyways, if not breakfast here, the frutas I shall go. (no more Churros y café, Please!)

Wrap up: so I am hungry and need to finish my story about events in Torremolinos.
Ready for "ideaphoria?!?!" (where I just blurt out everything that has to do with it but it takes like one minute instead of 3 hours). (I might be the only one that understands, but that's okay. Some will get me. Hopefully. If not, I need to do some friend-developing. (I miss Katie!!!!!!!!!!!)
Okay, Ideaphoria:
Sangria, beach, friends, eating, sick, yuck, tuna, don't do that. O! after the sickness, the next day: message on the beach from the chinos for like 10 Euros. Then some sangria, which I really like, of course (fruity wine). I felt much much better since!)
Shops, no buy, not yet.
Fernando, manager, silly. Needs help. Fladomir -Ukranian. AJ -Spanish/Canadian -interesting/cool guy. For the other girls. Mullets are in. Again.
Thankful for Katie, think of her often. Jewish stars and tons of English/Irish/Scotish -Europas- peeps here.
I see my mom a lot in these people here. I tried to take a pick. And the older men, Alfonso.
Older ladies, gma. They dress up here, too. Yes, everyone dresses very nice.
(this is modified ideaphoria, not quite the run)
Sun is coming up. I should get going. Chao!
Muah to all my family! :)!

5-27-07 PM

So other than the fact that I have sand everywhere, all is well! No, sand is good! I like it! …maybe not. But, (…trying to have a positive outlook. Let it be of truth, and much love, though! :)!
Anyways, all is well, and I am here. I am here in Granada at Senora Elvira's casita. More like Casa. It has lots of rooms con mucho guests. Two came in just after me.
I got here at about… 19:30 (-12=about 7:30 o'clock) and took me a while to actually find her place. Lol… I went back and forth in between these two apartment type buildings (of course, trying to figure it out) asked a few people if they were senora Elvira, and finally found her on the third try! Yayy!!
Anyways, all is well with the language. She speaks to me, I understand (however, she does repeat things so far as much as I can tell. I mean, she has only told me that we are going to see the school tonight so far, but has told me like a few times.) Anyways, let me finish my experiences in Malaga:
Okay, so I arrived on Thursday, went to the beach with Kachtia (Katrina) from Poland, then that night went out with Heidi, from Finland, had a salad. Friday, got burnt on the beach with Heidi, met a friend -I named him Diego. Then, Charlie (Alea) came!!! Tall. Reminds me of Marcey. She bartends in South Dakota and goes to the little school of Black Hills State University -the one I am getting my credit through. (She is definitely a phelmatic/melancholy type.)Then, we walked around that evening and got some Paella. I had a vino rojo and she had a cerveza (a beer). She had just come from Dublin where there was the Europa Futbol game of the year, freaked her out with the riots… and the Guiness (beer) factory, and "temple bar." wow.
Then, the next day, - o, wait. Before Charlie came, Heidi and I were done with the beach and she was going into Malaga to take care of her bus tickets and such to go home the next day. So, I took a siesta, showered, and strolled the plazas. Many shops, many tourist, and lots of fun. However, I got sick. Yes, I got sick, and yuck, was I sick! I was sick in my estomago and it affected my head and ears and yuck.
I was hungry when I was walking on the plazas, and wanted a little tapa. FYI -don't get the tuna tapa that has been sitting out all day. I was thinking to myself, "mm! This is good," while I was enjoying my tapa, stroll, view, and bottle of water. After my water, I thought I had drunk too much of it (you know, like water-sick) -or too fast or something. Or maybe I was getting dehydrated. Well, it lasted all the way until the next morningish. (great, they smoke here (in la casita), I am just now beginning to smell it. -They smoke EVERYWHERE! (gma was right…) yuck -that really was making me sick too. I didn't want to go out on the plazas anymore because of it, and it makes me want to cry. Lol…) I think it makes me want to cry because it even hypes me up. I feel it in my blood. I get like vervous sensations. Sensitive? Yes I am. Use to it? No I am not.
Anyway, I haven't met anyone here in Granada yet. And we are about to go see my school (and hopefully get some dinner, which they have like at midnight here (I haven't felt hunger this much in a while, which can feel good at times. (especially if you have felt too full for a while.)

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Espana Day 2

5/25/07
Last night I went out to eat with one of the girls, Heidi, is her name. We went down to the plaza and found a nice little outside restraunt (as all of them are), and we split some tapas (the "house" salad, which to us, it is more like a "mediterranian" salad -so I like to see it as. It had "peeled" asparagus, egg, olives, lettuce, tomato, and tuna. It is very much like how I eat when i cook. She also had a chicken sandwich on white bread, bottled water to drink).
Naranjas, orange juice, is so very popular here. That and heilados, icecream shops. Really! they are at least on every corner. and those orange juice shops make it from real oranges! everything really is so nice here. I enjoy it very much!
Today, I slept late! I was very tired. and for breakfast, i went out with Heidi, again. we went to the beach, and on the way stopped at a pasteria and got an apple pastry. fruta stands were near by and other options, but went into the mercado and i bought one of these (to get a taste of traditional Spain, at least). Then, down to the beach we went. They have these beautiful<<< trees here, with purple flowers on them! Aloe vera grows like wild here. cats roam around, not too many of them, and forests of palm trees seem to be in reservation on the beach, it reminds me of "Cast Away" or when people come to random/deserted islands on the movies -that is what it could have been like before the tourists.
Anyways, today, Charlie, one of the other girls from South Dakota is suppose to come tonight. She is flying into Granada, and wants to come to Malaga with me. I will listen for her call or email to see if she will come. I also want to go shopping to buy some toiletries. My washclothe is already missing, but they do provide a towel for the day, thankfully. I am charging my computer right now, and need to wash my dress. I get stinky, and my clothes especially do when i wear them for a few days...
Anyways, all is well, and the people are great!
Pics at: www.picasweb.google.com/audreycholla

Espana Day 1

5/24/07
I traveled by plane. 24 hours. 3 planes. here now, in Malaga, - actually, it is Torremolinos, and a dainty little town it is. It has Mercedes and Volvo's roaming around brick hilly roads and white houses with modern stores. The economy here seems to be great, and I haven't tried the food yet. I am hungry! The last thing I ate was breakfast, 12 hours ago. It is time to eat again, but by myself?! I hope not! But, if this is so, then let it be. Or, if not, then I shall not eat.
The Lord sure is taking me through something, which I am thankful for, and will continue to look to Him, and wait on Him! Amen! I sure am tired, I could fall asleep. It could be with the sleeping pattern change. I didn't get much before I left, and zip last night on the plane. and so, now, I am going on small naps and no food. That is quite interesting.
Also, I have found a vitamin shoppe that I hope to stop at, possible tonight if no other plans prevail, and get some good stuff for my body, and stop at the fruta store that I saw (and reminded me of my mom). I have been looking for a gift bag, as well. Getting around and asking for things is taking some time and extra social skills and conscience use of my nonverbal communication. wow. it sure is a challenge, but I am learning, and shall continue to. next will be a day, tomorrow, filled, I suppose. I do not know with what or with who. I sure do hope and pray that I meet a friend that can hang by me. See, I do like that. However, i do not like to hang on too many people. Anyways, Katrina, who I met, may be going into Malaga, and the girls next door, as well, with our hostal manager, Fernando (at night, of course possible going "out"). we will see. Droughts and pours of showers of events.
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