No pasa nada is essentially the Spanish version of Hakuna matata (no worries, just relax, etc.). It’s used all the time here and a lot of my classmates have picked up the saying. I must admit that it’s kind of fun to say too! ¡No pasa nada!

I’ve got two topics for this post: food and excursions.

Food

Even though I’ve only been in Alicante for a short time, I’ve already had many opportunities to sample lots of food! Here are some of the highlights:

• So far I’ve been out for tapas once. Tapas are basically tiny portions of finger food that you eat when you go out for drinks. It’s customary to go bar-hopping and consume many different types of tapas as you go along. On my first time out, I selected my tapas Russian roulette style (randomly choosing one off the menu) and it turned out to be absolutely delicious. It’s called queso provolone brasa and it’s a skillet that’s lined with sliced tomatoes and then filled with bubbling cheese. You eat it with pieces of fresh bread. ¡Qué delicioso!
• There’s also a pastry shop that I walk by every morning and afternoon that I have a feeling is going to become one of my more frequented spots. So far I’ve tried an orange muffin from there and it was yummy as well. Like most foods in Spain, it wasn’t as sweet as muffins tend to be in the US, which was part of its appeal.
• I also went out to eat last Friday night to a ramen place called Ramen Shifu. Not only was the ramen delicious, I also got a bubble wrapped waffle with ice cream and mangos (you can search for bubble waffle cone on the Internet and see what it looks like). The cone itself was yummy, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the ice cream.

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Some time in the future I’ll do a post dedicated to cuisine that is specific to Alicante, so be on the lookout for that!

Excursions

As part of our coursework, my program took us on a tour of the Castillo de Santa Barbara, which is the castle that sits on a mountain overlooking both the city and the Mediterranean. It has been owned by many different hands and was at one time a prison, but now is a spot to have a coffee and enjoy some beautiful views. You can either walk up (a walk that involves a lot of stairs) or take an elevator for three Euros. The walk up, though somewhat strenuous, takes you through el Barrio (the oldest part of the city) and a pretty park, making it — in my opinion — worth it. Here are some pictures.

We also took a trip to the town of Guadalest, a small mountain town about an hour away from Alicante. There we visited la Casa Orduña, which is a very ancient house that has a castle situated right above it. Again, amazing views. The water was unbelievably blue and I loved being in the mountains. Even though they are more sporadic and not quite as tall as the Rockies, it felt like a little piece of home.

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After we left Guadalest, we visited las Fuentes de Algar, which is a series of waterfalls that you can swim, wade, and jump in. Because the water is from the mountains, it’s colder than most other bodies of water in Alicante, but I’ve got experience with cold water from all my years camping in Colorado so it wasn’t too bad. We arrived late in the day, so there were lots of people there. To avoid the crowds, our group walked up to the top point and then swam through a narrow channel to view the first waterfall. We also jumped off a platform above a waterfall into the water below (a blast!).

Overall, lots of great food and fun activities so far! Right now, prayers for class details and finalizations would be appreciated!

¡Hasta luego!

— Grace

It’s been a whirlwind couple of days (so this is going to be a whirlwind of a post) but I thought it was time for an update so here we go!

The first thing I absolutely must share with you all is that I have found the most posh, breathtaking McDonalds that I’ve ever encountered. Yes, you read that right. In addition to the pronunciation here being “MacDonalds,” I’ve been informed that the flavor is different and that students actually like the food there (they have fancy cake). My host mom took Matthew (the student who lives near me) and I to McDonalds because her daughter, Arantxa (pronounced Aran-cha), works there. I accidentally ordered a McFlurry with both M&Ms and strawberry syrup (but it’s okay because it was surprisingly delicious — chocolate and strawberries, no?) and then we were treated to the following view.

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Having shared that exciting news, I also went to the beach (which was amazing). I brought East of Eden with me and alternated between reading on the beach and floating in the Mediterranean. The beach we went to is la Playa de San Juan, but we got off the TRAM at a stop called Costa Blanca (White Coast).

Now I have just a bunch of random thoughts / fun pieces of information:

• The elevator that is inside my apartment complex has an extra door that you need to open once the sliding door opens. It surprises me every time.
• I now have a Spanish phone number (thanks, SIM card) so if you just regularly text or call me I won’t get it. Email and WhatsApp (I have my normal number on that) are the best ways to reach me,
• The slogan for Cabify (Alicante’s version of Uber) is “Own the City,” which I just really enjoy.
• When I don’t eat lunch at home (normally around 2pm), my host mom prepares me a bocadillo, which is basically just a sack lunch. I’ve eaten a lot of them in recent days.
• The longhorns hand gesture basically symbolizes an unfaithful partner here in Alicante (it’s more explicit than that, but that’s the gist).
• Similarly, the peace sign symbolizes devil’s horns.
• It’s fun to say “vamos a la playa” and really mean it.
• The University here is very cheap to attend. For undergrad, it is 1,000 Euros per year, and for masters and doctorate it is 2.5-3,000 Euros per year. Apparently, a lot of US students come to the University to complete their masters and doctorate degrees because it is so cheap and an international university.
• When it rains here (because it does not rain very often), it rains hard. My professor told us a story the other day in which it rained so hard people actually got sucked down the street drains. Yikes.
• I’ve started my two-week intensive Spanish course and it’s going well so far. My teacher is amazing and super nice. Plus, on the second day of class, we got to listen to a Shakira song (Me Enamoré) so I’m set.

Whew. That was a lot of information — but there’s still more to come! Stay tuned for my first experience with tapas and my hike to the top of Alicante’s castle.

In the meantime, continued prayers for new friends would be appreciated, as well as prayers for bravery!

¡Hasta luego!

— Grace

After some very long flights and a harrowing taxi ride, I have made it safely to Spain.

Yesterday, I met my host family, got introduced to a neighbor who is also housing a student from my program, and tasted my first — of what will be many — Spanish meal.

My host mom’s name is Carmen and I am living with both her and her son, José, as well as their two dogs: Nesca and Tori. Carmen is retired but still sews clothing for her friends. She seems to know everyone in the apartment complex.

The apartment complex itself is very nice. There are apartment buildings on three sides of the gated space and then a pool, plazas, and tennis courts in the middle. Underneath the tennis courts (which you can just see in the picture below), there is a place to play soccer (el fútbol) and a garage for cars.

For dinner, Carmen made me paella, one of the most famous dishes of Spain. It was very delicious! We also went over and visited one of Carmen’s neighbors who is hosting a student from my program, Matthew. He is from Kansas City, MO.

Today, I went with Carmen’s neighbor and Matthew to our program’s meeting point. On the way there, we learned where the closest TRAM stop is to us (TRAM is a cross between the subway and the lightrail) and how to get there. (I should mention that en route to the TRAM station we passed both a CrossFit gym and the train station — both of which I will be investigating more soon.)

Once with our group, we split into smaller groups and took brief walking tours around Alicante. It was short, so I didn’t get to explore very much, but it gave me a good sense of where everything is and how much there is to do here! Here are some of the highlights:

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After the tour, we took the TRAM to the CIEE headquarters and listened to some info sessions. Then, our host families picked us up and showed us how to get home.

After that, I took a siesta and organized my room. Pictures below.

I’ve had a couple of very tiring days here, but I’m slowly getting settled in. I’m hoping that by tomorrow I’ll be able to make my own way through Alicante to the TRAM station. Prayers for new friends would be appreciated!

¡Hasta luego!

–Grace

¡Hola! Welcome to my blog!

Am I a criminal mastermind and international thief who wears a stylish red fedora and trench coat? No. Do I wish I had her style and poise? Maybe.

Regardless of my similarities to Le Femme Rouge, I am about to travel the world! This blog is where I’ll keep everyone up to date on my travels, adventures, and happenings while studying abroad in Alicante, Spain.

Most of my posts will be short and sweet, just little updates to let you know how I am, what I’m doing, and how you can pray for me. I’ll do my best to include some pictures and fun facts as well!

Right now, I’m just packing and preparing for the long day of flights ahead! Prayers for safe and straightforward travels would be appreciated!

¡Hasta luego!

–Grace