The last week of internship has come and gone. Looking back at my first week, I never thought I would make it to the end. Being inundated with information and a new culture I was so overwhelmed. As I sit here writing this post, I realize how wrong I was that first week. Jumping into a new culture and environment can be shocking to anyone, but now I can't believe it's over.
The last week of internship was a little different. The school had closed for the summer but there was a nursing home near by that loves to have volunteers. We toured the facility and chose our spots- I decided on the craft room, best decision ever. With the changing of seasons, it was time to update the space from Spring to Summer decor. This entailed a lot of coloring, cutting, gluing, and design. I think in the four days I was there that I colored 15 fish. I can totally see how adult coloring books are a thing. It's relaxing, clears the mind, and slows you down.
My mother and grandmother arrived on my third day of volunteering there and so I left early to pick them up from the airport. I didn't expect them to be willing to go out, but they were hungry. After we checked into the apartment, I took them to lunch at a place called Cafe Baraka. It had amazing crepes- salty sandwhich crepes or sweet crepes, the best waffles, the best sandwiches, just all around yummy food. We took a little rest in the afternoon. I had plan with a few of the others and Fr. Ildofonso to go out for tapas and walk around the city. To my surprise, my grandmother and mom wanted to come instead of sleep!
This was the first of 5 nights that would end in going to bed at 1:00 in the morning. After tapas, Fr. Ildofonso took us up to the Alhambra. Remember, it's about 11:00pm. We walked around the palace and to the view points learning more about the culture and the hardships of reconquering such a beautiful city. On the walk down, we were led to a secret overlook of the city and were able to enjoy the view for one of the last times. By the time we ended, it was nearly midnight. This may seem late, but in Spain, it's still early. Most of the shops are closed but every bar, restaurant, and gelato place is open. That night my grandmother, mom, and I started a tradition- gelato at midnight. And I can happily report that we had gelato at midnight every night in Granada.
Going into my fourth day of the week and my last ever internship day in Spain, I decided to bring my grandmother with me. She is a pianist and brought music with her in case of having the chance to play. We thought it would be a good idea to bring the music to the nursing home in the off chance that there may be a piano. Unfortunately, there was not a piano, but she did color and did some math sheets. There was one woman there who couldn't color for more than five minutes. She was restless and wanted something more challenging to do. Math worksheet were her favorite. From word problems to addition/subtraction to multiplication and division, this woman did it all. "They" say that there are two things in this world that help with brain function and longevity- math and music. When I am that old, you'll find me coloring fish, doing math homework, and playing the piano.
My adventures didn't stop in Granada. With a whirlwind tour of many of the best places in Granada, we were off like a heard of.... CAMELS! To Morocco we went. Then to Germany for an emotional reunion between host families and family. I will never forget my trip abroad. I've always been itching with the travel bug and I confess that it's only gotten stronger. Until next time.
