And then there was blah...

I'm rounding out my final trimester of the academic year, it's excruciatingly hot in Granada, and I am awestruck by how ambivalent I feel about leaving this city for two months. On the one hand, I can't wait to escape the heat, the crowds, the super energetic pace of Spanish life; and on the other hand, I have this panic feeling in my guts when I think about it, like I need to spend each day until the 27th (when I leave for France) soaking up all of the familiar Granada that I can get.

The next few months, though only a short interim between this academic year and the next, will be quite a change for me. I'll spend the first month in southern France (where I will know NOTHING of the language - frankly, I'm terrified), then the second teaching again at summer camp. No more running around, trying to make it to class in time. No more crazy nights out with members of the house. When I get back to Granada, all the people living here will have changed, and I'll find a new house to live in and probably put my life at Tina behind me. It's the only way to make a valid distinction between this year and the next, and it's important for me that they feel like different experiences so that I don't get bored :)

Anyway, here's to making the most of what little time you have left! Viva Granada!!

A random anecdote from today:
I was eating lunch on a bench near my bus stop today, sitting in the shade, when a well-dressed Spanish man of about 50 years old or so walked up to me and hovered close to my face, staring quizically into my sunglasses. I had my earphones in and probably shouted bit, "Desculpa? Perdon? Puedo ayudarte??" He said something that I couldn't hear, so I took out my headphones and stared back at him with this confused look on my face.

"Eres Espanola?" he asked me. Then, "Are you Spanish?" (in English this time). I kept talking in Spanish and told him no, I'm not. Yes, I speak English as well as Spanish. "Do you work here?" he asked in very good English.

"In Granada? Uh...no, I study. I'm a student," I lied. (I thought he might be some kind of policeman or immigration officer in disguise...sounds stupid, I know, but this sort of thing has never happened to me, so I panicked.)

"Do you want to work?" he asked.

"Uhm...no, I, uh...what? I'm finishing my exams right now then I'm leaving Granada in two weeks. I don't have time to work!" My mouth was wide open in disbelief.

"Oh, well if you want to work, let me know," he says and walks away, sliding his hands gently into his pockets and sortof confidently stepping around my crossed ankles. The guy didn't say his name ONCE or give me any kind of business card. It's like he thinks he's someone famous and I'll know where to find him if I 'want work'!

The funny thing that occurred to me afterwards was that I don't really know what made him approach me in the first place. Was it because I was eating my lunch quickly on a park bench instead of sitting lazily at a cafe for an hour and a half like most Spanish people? And just what kind of work was he talking about?? Obviously, it must be English related, but how the hell do I know? And if it is English related - how did he just look at me and know I was an English speaker?? Super weird, yo.