This is my last week in Granada and also in Europe this year. Every trip I plan and take gets better for me. I’ve seen so much this time, I will need some time to reflect on it. At the beginning of this long trip in July, my aunt asked me who I wrote my blog for, and I said then and still think it is primarily for myself. I need to reread it to remember all I’ve been able to do.
I’ve said that since I want to see everywhere, I can’t keep going home between the little trips. It’s too expensive and too time-consuming to deal with jetlag on either end.
I couldn’t wait to get to Granada, settle into the apartment, unpack my suitcases, and sleep in the same place for more than a few nights at a time. That part has been as great as I thought it would be.
This little bed in the school’s apartment is my 21st bed of this trip, with one more to go in Barcelona before I catch my international flight to the US.
I’m learning the subjunctive in Spanish at the school. Thank goodness I learned it briefly in my hometown Spanish school, but my teacher, Nazira says it’s “AS important as present indicative”. Present indicative is saying things in the present tense, stating facts about what you and others are doing right now.
Subjunctive is a mood, not a tense. It’s how you express hopes, desires, and opinions. To say “It’s essential that you arrive on time.” you say, “Es esencial que llegues a tiempo.” You’ll guess correctly that the word “Es” is the word “is”, but the word for “arrive” is “llegar” and you have to conjugate it in the subjunctive, not the present tense, like in English. It’s not that fun, but I think it’s good for my brain, so I keep working at it!
Learning the subjunctive takes all of level B in Spanish, so I’m settling in for a long time of learning it. I spent 45 years in level A, so who knows if I’ll ever get to level C!
There’s no heat or a/c in my apartment so since the high today here is 56F, it’s just about time to go home.
My plans for the last days here are to relax at the old Hamman Arab Baths turned into a luxury spa and take in a Flamenco show at Casa Ana Flamenco on Wednesday. I have four mornings of classes left.
Then, on Friday, which is a festival day here in Granada, I’ll need to pack up, sorting out which things will stay here in the apartment for my return trip in March, and which stuff will find new owners in Granada.
This blog will be refreshed and completed later so please check back in near the end of the week.
