Sunday Updates! Día Con Las Familias!

Lia y Eliza

Today we spent the whole day with our familia de Granada! We went to a local flea market, checked out some gorgeous miradors (lookouts), and enjoyed a delicious homemade paella de arroz negro. We ended the day with some churros and chocolate in town. 

Jason y Jackson

On Sunday Jackson and I woke up at 12 which was quickly followed by a breakfast of eggs and fruit. We took an hoir long drive to the beach, Playa de Torrenueva. We ate fish at a local restaurant by the beach and took a walk on the back on the way to a mountain which we hiked. Afterwards we drove back to Granada to watch the soccer game which was very fun.

April y Amba

Today we got to sleep in until 11:30! It was a good chance to catch up on sleep. We started off our day going to Llano de la Perdiz to have a picnic. The view up there was incredible, and we got to see a massive sundial. At the picnic, we had empanadas, chorizo, and paella. Afterwards, we rested until 8 and then went to dinner with out family. We met a little 3 year old boy who loved Spiderman and was excited to meet people from New York. We exchanged American and Spanish games to play with the kid, like “veo veo”, or “I spy”.  For dinner, we had sandwiches, pasta, chicken, and ham. We then listened to some music and went to bed.

Saba y Chiara

On Sunday which was family day, we went to a barbecue on our host mom’s farm plot! It was really nice to spend time outside with her extended family and her really cute niece and nephew. We explored the country outskirts of the city and had a fun but tiring day in the outdoors!

Zack y Luke y Max

We started the day waking up fashionably late and watching Oliver, one of our host family’s kids, run away from zombies in a video game while screaming “corre!” at his friends. Then Raquel, our host mom, came through the door like an angel from heaven with a literal kilogram of fresh churro, which we complimented with chocolate for undoubtedly one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had. Afterwards, we packed up the car full of food, blankets, and games and headed up the mountain. We made a pit stop to see a particularly interesting sundial with a metal tip, which, after a bit of explanation, allows you to line up the tip with the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and learn their names and elevations. We took some pictures together and drove further up to our spot, where a picnic was already in full swing. Sausage and a paella was thrown on a barbecue as we engaged in archery and soccer-volleyball, and were even treated to a live duet with our very own Zach Price on trumpet and Max Meissner as the percussion lead on trumpet case. 

After eating a late lunch/early dinner of paella (rice + other non-rice food), we played a fantastic pickup game of fútbol in which Raúl, our host father who also happens to be a soccer coach, joined in and dominated. In the middle of said soccer game, a large herd of sheep led by a couple humans walked past us, stopping the game for a moment. The game ended when we decided that the next team to score wins, and Raúl proceded to dribble his way to our goal, kicking the ball between the two rocks we had used as markers. By then, all of the paella I had eaten had probably been burned as fuel for sprinting.

After the pickup game, we quickly descended the switchbacks of Llano de la Perdiz on our way the game between Granada and Ponferradina that started in a few hours.  We arrived in time for kick-off with wonderful pitch side seats. The started strong with a couple of good crosses swung in by Granada, but the half ended 0-0. 25 minutes into the second half however, with a clear penalty, Granada opened the scoring. Only 7 minuets later, with two rapid fire goals, Ponferradina went on front. Granada threw themselves at the game, and with the last kick Perea scored a free kick bringing the game level and putting Granada in 4th.

Nick y Colin

On Sunday, we woke up later than usual to an amazing breakfast of muffins and eggs. We spent time with our parents, Devin, Paco (the dog), and their grandson who is 6. Then, for lunch, we ate paella and a gazpacho style soup which was the best meal we’ve had on the trip so far. After we finished we sat around the table and discussed Spanish history and politics at length. It was really interesting to hear the Spanish perspective from people who lived there their whole life. After that, we walked around the city for a while, ate dinner, and went to sleep. All in all, un buen dia!

Ani y Julia y Ella

Hola familias! Today we went on a hike in Monchil with our host family. We started off the day by sleeping in and enjoying churros with our family. We initially thought we were going on a walk, but we ended up going on a four mile hike. We were also accompanied by our host aunt and her dog Bruno. We especially enjoyed spending time with our host brothers, although one of them is very shy. During the hike, we saw beautiful views of mountains and canyons. We are not usually a very nature-inclined group of girls, so this was an exciting challenge for us. The final destination was near the river, and the view was breathtaking.  There, we had a picnic, which consisted of tortillas de patatas, chips, salami, and tomatoes. We then returned back to the car to relax at home. Hasta luego!

Jade y Cece

¡Hola familias! Today we had a free day to spend with our families. We started the day with coffee and breakfast and then went around the town and explored for a bit. We went to a lookout and watched the sunset with our host family afterwards. Having the best time and have gotten so much Spanish practice!