Adjusting and Week Two

Where I have a majority of my classes!

Its been the first few weeks of classes here in Granada and I can't help but fall more and more in love with the city! I already feel more adjusted after just a few weeks here. Also my classes are great! The professors at the university are so nice and they are extremely helpful. I came to Spain having some background in Spanish but still not nearly as much as a lot of people. Because of this I'm taking two Spanish classes and then my other classes (History of Spain, Latin American Civilization and Culture, and Islamic Culture in Spain) in English. Even though a majority of my classes are taught in English, my Spanish professor along with my other professors also have been helping me work on the language and especially terms only native to Granada. Por ejemplo (for example), in Granada there are some differences in the way they pronounce words such as how "muchas gracias" is really "mucha gracia" as a majority of people drop the ending -s. Also the main part I find helpful is learning how to phrase sentences and questions to avoid sounding "textbook" like. I'm constantly asking questions, learning and improving my Spanish and also learning a lot about Spain at the same time.

One of the big take-aways I have had so far is really being independent and living on my own here in Spain. I am settled into my apartment where I live with one person from my program and then two international students. One is from Mexico ,while the other who is from Belgium is coming at the end of the week. Things that I notice mainly are how things that normally in the U.S. we would mostly never to do is just normal here. We have no dryers and dry our clothes near the heater, we walk basically 30 minutes to class everyday, the city shuts down from about 2:30 - 5 as everyone takes time for a "siesta" or nap, we walk 15 minutes to the grocery store and carry our groceries back. Its a very different lifestyle from the U.S. but its one that so far has been adventurous and interesting to live in. Its cool to  compare my lifestyle back home where I walk 2 minutes to class and am able to drive everywhere to that of here, but I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm able to walk everywhere from my apartment, there is so much to see and so many beautiful spots, we get free apps or "tapas" with every drink we order (they are wicked good!) while we are still close to both the beach and mountains. It is an incredible place and I still can't believe I get to live here for the next few months!

I got to explore the city a bit this weekend going on a few hikes and also getting to check out the different restaurants and tapas bars. Friday I hiked behind the Alhambra, a historical Moorish castle that is the main attraction of Granada. The view we got from hiking around it was unreal! I also got to go to the U.S. hockey game in Granada where we won in overtime during the tournament! It was free to the public too which was a perk!

All the ladies at the US Game!

Later on in the weekend I also got to go hike around the Sacromonte and Albaicin neighborhoods of the city which have a lot of Mediterranean inspiration to them. We got to the top point of the city where it had the best view I have seen so far! On our way back we stopped at this Teteria or Tea room and got some incredible crepes with cheese, tomato and other veggies.

Yeah I live here, crazy right?!

It was great having the whole weekend to explore the city and find some pretty sweet places! For Granada being considered a "small city" in Spain, there is so much to do and see! I hope I can do as much as I can in the course of the next few months! I'm off to Seville, Cordoba and Gibraltar this weekend with my program & ready to keep adding to the adventure! 

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