Explorando

Well, I'm finally settled in Granada!  The first week has been such a whirlwind - we landed in Malaga and had orientation there for a day and half (which felt like Freshman year all over again, with all the same nervousness), and then took the bus to Granada where our host families picked us up.  Since then we've been busy with a language crash-course every morning and cultural adaptation classes, along with tours of the city and academic advising...not to mention meeting everyone else and exploring the city together. 

Now that the craziness has almost slowed down, I'm beginning to gain perspective - I'll be walking to class and look up to see rustic white houses staggering up the hill in the Albayzín neighborhood, or be heading to the tapas bars and see la Alhambra looming over the city, always lit up and glowing at night and think, "Wow, I'm actually here" or "This is where I live?!"  How could you not love such a place - every street is peppered with humble, old buildings next to elaborate ones, it constantly smells of amazing food being cooked, it is appropriate to drink wine at nearly all hours, the culture is a unique mix of arabic influences and classically-european influences, there is an incredible view on every corner, and you can hear flamenco guitar music floating down any street.  It all seems so surreal, I have never seen anywhere as beautiful as Granada in every sense of the word and despite my cold-feet before coming I'm so happy that I've allowed this sometimes uncomfortable, but always awe-inspiring process to take place.


I live in an apartment just next to Plaza de Gracia in the center of town with my host-mother Hortensia, her little dog Campanilla, and another student from my program named Meegan.  Hortensia is one of the warmest and most loving people I have ever met - funny stories about her children, and adoring descriptions of her grandchildren flow from her in rapid, thick, and song-like Spanish.  She lights up when she laughs and when she teaches us little lessons, and always says goodmorning, goodnight, hello and goodbye with dos besos.  Not to mention she cooks us gorgeous meals with ingredients that she gets from the market downstairs daily.  While we all sit together and eat for hours she teaches us about the food along with many other nuances of Spanish life. 

The food seems to have been a huge part of my experience thus far (as it always is).  Hortensia has taught us all about the importance of sopas (the Spanish love their soups!) and has made cream of zucchini, cream of asparagus, gazpacho, etc.  And of course their is beautiful sea food everywhere you turn - every salad has tuna, shrimp, crab or octopus and fish is often part of the main dish.  The tapas (small appetizer-sized meals) are always something amazing like tortilla española (an egg, onion, and potato omlette),  calamari, tostadas with ham or cheese on top, manchego cheese just by itself, or my favorite I've tried - berenjenas con miel (fried eggplant with dark honey on top).  I cannot even explain the desserts, I'll just say Churros con Chocolate (fried dough that you dip in the thickest, richest hot chocolate you've ever tasted)...enough said.

The Spanish have a very different eating schedule which really characterizes their day:
-They have a small breakfast in the morning with their coffee (never to-go because they are all about enjoying the food and actually resting when you are taking a break).
-I didn't think that this light breakfast would last me until lunch which they have very late in the afternoon, but then I found out that later on in the morning they have a desayuno segundo (second breakfast)...whoever thought of this is a genius in my opinion.
-At about 3 they come home for a long lunch, the largest meal of the day, followed by siesta when the entire city shuts down for the afternoon to rest...again, genius.
-Lastly, they have a small dinner around 10 pm that's often times tapas, which you get for free with most drinks in Granada at the bars.

Then of course the entire city is walking around, chatting with friends on the street, or in the bars until the break of dawn including old people and young children...no exaggeration, I've seen many 3 year-olds at the same bar as me with their parents.  This is due to the Spanish idea that the home is private and the street is public.  Rather than have your friends over to your house, you all go out into the plazas and the center of town to socialize - and since they all live so close to each other and there are tons of beautiful public places, that usually entails just walking outside your home.

The entire pace of the day is slowed down because of this schedule, which is not say that the city is calm - it is always loud and full of life with the passionate Granadinos gesturing, laughing, and always talking over one another.  But rather, they make a point of enjoying life much more than Americans tend to.  They never eat or drink on the go, if they are taking a coffee break - they sit down, drink their coffee, and actually take a break - their is nothing relaxing about multitasking in their opinion (i.e. drinking coffee while you work).  During siesta they close down their stores and enjoy their few hours of rest, no business is competing to be open 24/7 because they all want their siesta!  And of course they spend their evenings with their families taking paseos through the winding streets and under the elaborate buildings (mainly walking aimlessly around town in order to run into their friends doing the same thing) followed by nights full of eating, drinking, and dancing.  This attitude reflects the Granadinos favorite and most-used saying, "no pasa nada," which roughly translates to, "no worries."  Needless to say, life in Granada is tough :)