granada

Levi and I hadn't been on a trip for a while, so when a coworker offered to drive us to Granada, a city in Andalucía where she regularly visits her boyfriend, we jumped at the opportunity. Granada was a stronghold of Arabic war until 1492, when the crown defeated the last Emir in Spain, bringing the whole country under Catholic Spanish rule. It's therefore a great architectural mix of Arabic and medieval Spanish. The Alhambra, the Arabic palace, still reigns over the city from a hill in the center. It's incredibly well-maintained and absolutely gorgeous. Great tapas, great weather, great walking through steep labyrinthian streets. I actually brought out the camera this time, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

The view from our balcony. We reserved a place for 30 euros a night, but upon arrival were informed that the heater had exploded, seriously damaging the apartment...Luckily, the owner had a friend who rents rooms and had one free. It was a serious upgrade.

The Alhambra from our terrace.

Levi relaxing on the terrace in the morning.

Typical street in Albaycín, the old central neighborhood where we stayed. Alhambra peeking out.

Zafra!

Couldn't get enough of the views of the Alhambra.

View in Sacromonte, the Gyspy quarter of the city.

Bad photo, but beautiful archway. In the Alhambra.

Levi squinting in the Andalusian sun. In the Alhambra.

In the Alhambra.

Central patio, Alhambra.

Patio, Alhambra.

Palace gardens, Alhambra.

View from the fortress of the Alhambra.

In the fortress, the oldest part of the Alhambra.

Best view in the city. The Alhambra, foress, and Sierra Nevada in the distance. From the San Nicolás lookout.

Wonderful weekend.

whirl

It took 54 hours, a bus, three planes, and one panicked double-back to the airport to recover forgotten luggage, but we got here. Surat Thani is still a bit of a mystery to me, as we have yet to acquire a bike and it's not a walkable place with its traffic and unmarked backstreets and occasional lack of sidewalks. We've been riding around in tuk-tuks, little trucks with benches in the back who will take you anywhere for about 50 cents, but whose route and travel time are ever uncertain. So it's been a strange week, spent half in transit and half on the attempts to pull together a life--learn the job, set up the house, figure out what food to ask for and where to buy the various objects always necessary after a move. All I know for certain is that the food is delicious and everyone smiles. Once we buy a motorbike I'll figure the rest out.

In the mornings I'm at Thidamaepra School, a shiny modern ring of a building that encircles 2000 children and a handful of nuns. I teach three sections of Intensive English Program second-graders, fifty-five to a class. This week I instructed them on demonstratives and body parts while their Thai teacher menaced the troublemakers with a ruler. They give us free food at lunchtime and when we walk through the building dozens of little hands surround us for high-fives and "Hello Teacher!" comes at us from all angles.

In the afternoons I'm at Super English, the school that hired us. Here I have two classes of ten kids, aged four to six. Since I'm alone with them and they don't understand a word I'm saying, keeping the situation under control has been a bit of a challenge. But they have fat cheeks and call me 'Teacher Sawee" so it's pretty hard to get irritated. After finishing classes, it's a short walk to a one-dollar dinner of curry or noodles.

It's all still a blur of spicy food and sleepiness; I don't think it's really hit me that I'm here. This weekend we're shopping for a bike and I'm gonna get this place figured out.

PS I'll keep this blog at its current address, despite the fact that I am no longer anywhere near Europe.