new friends.

i got home from Granada to a new roommate. i was a little nervous at first because i really liked the way it was with just Mercedes and me. but i came home right in time for dinner and of course she speaks spanish much better than i do. she has been here since september, so it makes sense. but i actually feel like i learn a lot from her. but obviously claire and mercedes have more to talk about because they understand each other better, but it is a learning process and its more spanish to surround myself with.

mercedes also got roses from her boyfriend so after dinner the three of us sat at the kitchen table on our computer sharing pictures and stories of "chicos." it was really funny and we had a good time.

because claire has been here since september she has made a lot of spanish friends. her best friend here is fabian who was her intercambio partner. she said that i would have to meet him. so last wednesday we went over to his apartment in santa barbara. he is 27 and lives with his brother, jose, who is 25. fabian is learning english and is pretty good at it but jose only knows spanish. at first i was very hesitant to speak because claire is so much better than i am and i was intimidated but after a little while i loosened up and it was really amazing to me how easy it was to communicate, esp. with jose. there are some hobbies that people all over the world have in common. and one of them is YouTube. we sat in their apartment for three hours sharing our favorite YouTube videos-they would take a turn and then claire and i would take a turn. we laughed the entire time. fabian cooked us dinner too and when we left to catch the bus i felt like it was one the best times i have had-and i actually felt that i learned so much more about spanish, not just the language but the culture.

we went over there this past sunday after we went out dancing with them on saturday. we watched YouTube but this time Jose and Claire wanted to teach me dancing because i said i wanted to learn salsa, merengue, etc. We played reggatone and salsa music for about 3 hours and danced in their living room. I was awful at first but loosened up and Jose even said i was pretty good. those dances are so much fun- i can't wait to go to a salsa club in toledo-which they assured me that we will go to practice my moves and see others in action. again, fabian cooked us dinner. i love going to their apartment because when i hang out with them, it is exactly what i would do with my friends at home-only its in spanish. and it is such good practice. plus, i feel so comfortable around them that i am not as scared to make mistakes. it is also good to help fabian with his english. and he called me 'jackie chan.' can't wait to hang out with them again. 

claire is also a good roommate. we sit at lunch, just talking about our days what we are doing in school what we are doing later in the day. we both love chocolate and crave sweets. and love youtube. she is from south carolina and goes to converse, an all girls college. it's just nice to branch out a little from the group because sometimes i can get overwhelmed with how much time we spend together. so its a nice change.